Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 13.djvu/783

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SENEGAMBIA


715


SENEGAMBIA


etching was not necessary, owing to the fact that grease and water do not mix. By his method the marking is done upon the stone with a greasy composi- tion of soap, wax, and lamp-black, and then the plate is washed over with water, which soaks into the un- marked parts of the stone. The printing ink is then applied and adheres only to the marked places, while the water protects the rest of the plate; a number of im- pressions can then be obtained. This process he called " chemical " print- ing. The numer- ous improvements and developments of the art made by him were re- warded in later years by the gold medal of the "Society of En-


Aloys Senefelder


couragement" of England, the highest medal of the " Polytechnische Verein fiir Baiern ", the gold honorary medal of the order for Civilverdienst of the Bavarian Crown, and various other prizes.

In spite of great financial difficulties, continued dis- couragement, and repeated disappointments, he re- mained unselfishly devoted to high ideals. In his autobiography (introduction to "Lehrbuch") he expresses the desire that his invention "may bring to mankind manifold benefits and may tend to raise it upon a nobler plane, but may never be misused for an evil purpose. May the Almighty grant this! Then blessed be the hour in which I made my invention!" His principal publication was " Vollstiindiges Lehr- buch der Steindruckerei" (Munich and \'ienna, 1818). This was translated into French (Paris, 1819), English (London, 1819), and Italian (Naples, 1824).

Engklm.\n.\-, Lithographie (I/cipzig, 184.3); Nagler, Aloys Senefelder and Simon Schmidt als Rivalen (Munich. 1862); ScHLOTKE, Senefelder Album (Hamburg, 1871); Pfeilschmidt, Aloys Senefelder (Dresden, 1877) ; Richmond, Grammar of Lithog- raphy (London, 1885); Koi.i.AyD, Allg. Deutsche Biogr., XXXIV (Leipzig, 1892), 8-23; Pennell, Lithography and Lithographers (London, 1900) ; Cumminqs, Handbook of Lithography (New York, 1904).

William Fox.

Senegambia, Vicariate Apostolic of (Senegam- Bi^), to which is joined the Prefecture Apostolic OF Senegal (Sbnegalensis), both in French West Africa. A trading settlement established in this region in the fourteenth century by the Norman Jehan Pru- naut was brought to an end by the troubles of the Hun- dred Years' War. Portuguese caravels first appeared off Gambia and Sierra Leone in 1432, and in 1446 oc- curred the first sale of the natives of these regions in the public market of Lagos, Portugal. So great were the profits of the traffic thus inaugurated that the English were determined to share them and in 1558 the Royal Chartered Company was organized, the major share of the gains going to Queen Elizabeth. The Dutch followed in 1617. Then the French under Cousin renewed their commercial relations with the country, but they also planted the Cross in the terri- tory of which they took possession and erected a chapel. In 1637 the recently-founded Congregation of Propaganda sent a company of Norman Capuchins to "Old Guinea", others soon following, but the Dutch poisoned one of the missionaries and expelled the others. War broke out between France and Hol- land in 1672, and Admiral d'Estr^es captured all the


trading-posts of Senegal. The Dominicans thereupon entered the country under French protection and in 1686 the Franciscan Observants also began mission work there. Temporal affairs especially under the di- rection of the devout Andr6 Briie, head of the Com- pany of Senegal, were admirably administered at this period, but the religious welfare of the natives was wholly neglected. In 1758 the towns of St. Louis and Goree were captured by the British, Goree alone be- ing restored to France by the Treaty of Paris in 1763, in which year Senegal was made a prefecture Apos- tolic.

Despite the promises made by the British Govern- ment on the occasion of the treaty, the Catholics of St. Louis were hindered in the practice of their re- ligion. Although they were allowed to assemble, the British governor would not permit them to have either church or priest. Pere Bertout, a member of the Con- gregation of the Holy Ghost, to whose initiative after the Revolutionary period was due the re-establish- ment of his order and to whom Propaganda confided the religious interests of numerous French colonies, was, in April, 1778, shipwrecked off the African coast, with his companion, Pere de Glicourt. They were taken captive by Moors and carried to St. Louis, where the governor reluctantly ransomed them, and for a time they were able to labour zealously and with success among the Catholic population. i3ut they were soon despatched to Goree, whence they returned to France, and sought an immediate audience with the Minister of Marine, in which they described the disabilities of the Catholics of St. Louis. The result was the send- ing of a French fleet under the command of Comte du Vaudreuil and on 28 January, 1779, the PVench Pro- tectorate was restored; Pere de Ghcourt returned as Prefect Apostolic of Senegal, making his residence at St. Louis, while his companion Pere S6veno went to Gor6e. Despite the favourable auspices under which it was now placed, the mission had to pass through many years of hardships, owing to poverty, disputes between the prefects Apostolic and the governors, and mistakes in the ecclesiastical administration. Al- though in 1821, under the administration of Mgr Bara- dere, the construction of the churches of Gor6e and St. Louis was favourably begun, in 1822 there was not a priest in Senegal. But the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny had arrived in 1819 and in 1822, their foundress. Mere Javouhey, went in person to establish a house at Gor6e. In 1841 the Brothers of Plocrmel were sent to the Mission. On the appointment of Pere Jacob Libermann to the post of prefect Apostohc, a radical change took place, not only in the reorganization of the colonial clergy but also in the intercourse between the civil and ecclesiastical powers, while the move- ment was inaugurated for the emancipation and moral regeneration of the slaves. When the emanci- pation decree of the provisional Government was pub- fished, 27 April, 1848, 9800 slaves and 550 engages were freed in St. Louis and Gor6e alone and were as- sembled by the vice-prefect Apostolic for a solemn Te Deum.

In accordance with the plan of reorganization re- commended by Pere Libermann the Vicariate Apos- tolic of the Two Guineas and Senegambia was erected 22 Sept., 1846, consisting of the territory between the Prefecture of Senegal and the Diocese of Loanda. The religious service of the country was confided to the Fathers of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost, the first titular being Mgr Benoit Truffct, who reached Goree, 9 April, 1847. He died on 19 Novem- ber following, and was succeeded by Pere Bessieux who proceeded to Gaboon, which he had already evangel- ized, leaving his coadjutor, Mgr Kobes, at Dakar, since 1895 the official seat of the Government of French West Africa. Mgr Kobes may be considered the real founder of the Mission of Senegambia, becoming vi- car ApostoHc when in 1863 it was separated from the