He present McCloskey the letters of credence from Pope Pius IX in which he is charged with the mission as ablegate apostolic to give McCloskey the red biretta, symbol of the Cardinalcy. In attending to McCloskey's orders for celebrating the great ceremony he is happy to express his humble and devout felicitations on McCloskey's exaltation to the Cardinalcy, a dignity which for the first time in the history of the American Church has been conferred by the Holy Father, who wishes first to reward McCloskey's singular merits and long service given the Church and at the same time a testimony of his paternal love for American Catholics and an expression of his sympathy for that illustrious nation in which along with great commercial and material advance one yet sees progess in moral and religious interests. This testimony on the part of His Holiness will doubtless be of great consolation for good Catholics of the United States, and serve to strengthen the bonds of faith and charity uniting them to the Roman Church. Respects. In the James Alphonsus McMaster papers. :: I-2-a French 2pp. 8vo.