[Extracted from a Communication of the Itev. John Kenrick, M.A., to the Monthly Repository for April, 1820.]

In the year 1699, Transylvania was permanently united to Austria. The Diploma Leopoldinum, the charter of its liberties and privileges, assures the free exercise of their religion, the possession of their churches, schools, lands and political rights to the Unitarians, in common with the other three established sects. It was not long, however, before they felt the effects of the Catholic bigotry of the House of Austria; in 1716, at the command of Charles VI., Count Steinville, commanding in Transylvania, forcibly took from them the church which John II. had given them, their college and their printing-press. This press they had procured about twenty years before from Dantzic, at a heavy expense, in order to avail themselves of a sentence pronounced in their favour by the Diet—"Prouti Typographitentionem nemo Unitariis prohibuit, ita ejusdem usum nemo prohibet." At the same time that they suffered this violence at Clausenburg, they were also compelled to give up their Church and College at Carlsburg, and the Roman Catholics took possession of both. In other respects they preserved their freedom. Sigismund Palfi was their next Superintendent, and, after a very short interval, was succeeded by Michael Szentabrahami, who was also Professor of Theology, and drew up a system which in MS. was used by the Unitarian schools. He was succeeded by Stephen Aagh, who was living when Benko published his " Transylvania," in 1778. He was followed by George Markos, who published in 1787, "Systema Theologies secundum Unitarios," the text-book of their students of Theology. The permission to do this was obtained from the liberality of Joseph II. (1)

According to Benko, the Unitarians in 1766, amounted to 28,647; by an enumeration in the year 1789, they had increased to 31,921. (2) Transylvania contains three distinct nations; the Saxons, the Hungarians, and the Szeklers (Siculi). No Unitarians are found among the Saxons; the doctrines of Blandrata and Davidis found from the first more acceptance among the two latter classes; the Saxons who were converted, were disowned by the rest of their fellow-colonists, and naturally joined themselves to the Hungarians and Szeklers; the mortality of the great towns occasioned the Saxon Unitarians in Clausenburg, who were engaged in manufactures, to recruit the numbers of their apprentices and work-people from the country, and thus the German and Hungarian blood became more mixed, so that at length the original German names of families have been translated into Hungarian, and the people themselves have adopted this language. Their physiognomy and habits of life are said, however, still to point out their German origin. The meaning of the name Szekler and the origin of the people who bear it is still obscure, after all the investigations which the Transylvanian antiquarians have bestowed upon it. In language and manners they are Hungarians, but they have evidently settled in Hungary earlier than the great body of the people, and they are distinguished by some political privileges, and have their own code of laws. They are chiefly found in the North and East of Transylvania. "Qui non in Siculia aflabiles, liberates et bospitalissimos reperiet, tales certe incasaum (sicut diversoria inter Siculos; quanta ergo hospitalitas!) uspiam quajsiverit. Indoles quoque Siculorum prascipua, ingenium acerrimum." Benko, Tom. I. p. 402. The greater part of the Unitarians are now to be found among the Szeklers.

The Unitarians in Transylvania had, in the year 1796, one hundred and ten primary churches, and fifty-four filial churches, which are divided again into eight dioceses. The ecclesiastical concerns are managed, as among the Lutherans and the Reformed, by a superior and inferior consistory, the latter being a sort of permanent committee for the dispatch of business which does not admit of delay. The superior consistory is composed of thirteen clergymen and twenty laymen, presided over by a layman, who is one of the two curators of the churches and schools, and the clergyman who is the Superintendent for the time being. Its functions are to fill up the vacant parishes and schools, and generally to regulate all matters connected with religion and education. In each diocese (Sprengel) is a court for the determination of matrimonial causes, which the clergy of each religion decide without the interference of the civil magistrate. The court which takes cognizance of these causes is composed of a Dean, a Syndicus, two LayCurators, or Directors, (who are generally the most considerable persons among the Unitarian nobility, chosen by the majority of voices, but subject to the approbation of the Superior Consistory,) and five clergymen. If the parties are dissatisfied with the sentence, they may appeal to an assembly of the whole diocese, and from that to the Superior Consistory. Synods are held twice every year; in January, at Clausenburg, in June, in some one or other of the eight dioceses; at these times candidates are ordained for the ministry after a rigid examination. Clausenburg is the principal scat of the Unitarians; they had here, and in the diocese of the same name, in 1796, five primary and eight filial churches. Their church in the city was built in 1796, and is a very handsome edifice; on the front is an inscription—"In honorem solius Dei;" which the Emperor of Austria is said to have read with some surprise, when he visited the public buildings of Clausenburg a few years ago. The tower is furnished with three bells, allwhich have mottos alluding to the fortunes of Unitarianism in Transylvania. "Per varios casus." "Ut portu meliori quiescam." "Salus tan tum ab alto." In Clausenburg is also the Unitarian College, to which the youths of this religion repair when they have received a previous education at the Gymnasium or the common schools. (3) The number of students is between two and three hundred, (4) Properly speaking, it is both a school and a college. The eight lowest classes are taught by senior students; the elements of Latin, History, Geography and Religion form the course of instruction; the teachers receive in the four lowest classes twenty-one guldens (eleven guldens make a pound sterling) ; in the four highest thirty-one, as yearly salary. The four classes which are properly academical are taught by four professors, each of whom lectures daily three hours; and is required to terminate his course in two years.(5) The largest salary is 1000 guldens a-year, and of this a considerable part is derived from what is called the Sukian fund, from Ladislaus Suki,a rich, unmarried Transylvanian noble, who left his property, amounting to 60,000 guldens, for this purpose.§ The students are remarkable (according to the testimony of Thorwachter, who was himself a Calvinist) for diligence and good morals. Marienburg (Geog. von Siebenbiirgen) says that the children in the Unitarian schools work without intermission from six in the morning till twelve, and from one p. m. till eight. (6)

The Emperor of Austria is afraid of the effect which a resort to foreign countries may have upon his subjects' minds, and has accordingly erected a Protestant Professorship of Theology at Vienna, and thither must all resort who wish to have an university education beyond what the institutions of their own provinces afford. This cruel regulation has been made in open violation of the privileges which his predecessor and himself have solemnly confirmed to the Transylvanians.

The mode of conducting public worship among the Unitarians is nearly the same as in the Reformed Churches in Germany, only that instead of a hymn-book, they use an old translation of the Psalms into the Hungarian language. The prayers are free; some prescriptive phrases of the adoration of Christ are introduced into them, but this is by no means studiously brought forward. The Unitarian clergy preach without notes. It has been thought that the custom, which is still kept up, of delivering all theological instruction in Latin, has prevented them from forming so good a style of pulpit address as the ministers of the other religions, but no change in this respect has hitherto been made. The strain of preaching is practical, and the production of peculiar doctrines of Unitarianism in the pulpit is carefully avoided. They are, probably owing in some measure to this reserve, in friendly relations with the other religions; one circumstance, however, shews that there at least has been a time when they were not considered as Christians: one who leaves them, and joins another church, must be rebaptized. The Unitarians have endeavoured to get this stigma removed, but in vain. In point of political rights, the Unitarians stand upon the same footing as the other three religions, and are equally eligible to offices. But it will be easily supposed that few of them attain to high stations, and that all places of trust and profit are filled by Catholics. One Prothonotary of the supreme court of justice must, according to the constitution, be a Unitarian; but even this the Court of Vienna appears disposed to withhold. The state of disfavour with the Court in which Unitarianism has been since the time of John IL, has gradually drawn away from it all the higher orders of nobility; no Magnates (i. e. no Counts, or Barons) are now found among them; but of the inferior orders of nobles, who answer to our landed gentry, they have still a considerable number. (7)John Kenrick.

John Paget, Esq., in his work on "Hungary and Transylvania," (8) after alluding to the introduction of Unitarianism into the latter country, says,—" For some time Unitarianism remained the religion of the Court, and of course, it soon became the religion of the courtiers. Since that time, however, many changes have occurred, by none of which have the poor Unitarians gained. Their Churches have been taken away from them, and given in turns to the Reformed and the Catholics. Their funds have been converted to other purposes; the great have fallen away, and followed new fashions as they arose; and the religion is now almost entirely confined to the middle and lower classes. It is in the mountains of the Szekler-land, that this simple faith has retained the greatest number of followers. Here, as elsewhere, they are said to be distinguished for their prudence and moderation in politics, their industry and morality in private life, and the superiority of their education to the generality of those of their own class." How far the Unitarians have been implicated in the late revolutionary movements in Transylvania, is at present but imperfectly known in this country. It is not improbable, however, that the present anomalous state of things in that part of Europe will be seized upon, as a pretext for abridging the few remaining liberties of the inhabitants of Transylvania; and the Unitarians, notwithstanding their general good conduct and superior intelligence, must expect to share the fate of the rest of their countrymen.

(1) Michael Lombard de SzentAbrahami, (for so the name is written by Mr. Stephen Kovacs,) was Superintendent of the Unitarians in Transylvania from 1737 to 1758, and author of the manual of Divinity above mentioned. It had existed for some years in manuscript, and additions had been made to it from time to time; but it was not printed till the year 1787. The Unitarian doctrine, however, having been misunderstood, and a royal decree having been issued at Vienna, October 30th, 1782, granting permission to the Protestants of the Austrian Empire to publish such books, this Manual, after an accurate revision, was submitted to the censorship, and obtained the requisite "Imprimatur," April 13th, 1785. It was edited by George Markos, Professor of Theology at the College in Clausenburg, and Superintendent of the Unitarian Churches in Transylvania. It forms an 8vo. Volume of upwards of 600 pages, and is divided into Four Parts, preceded by a "Prooemium de Scripturâ S. Theologioe Norma." Part i. treats upon God and his Covenant with Man: Part ii. upon Jesus Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant: Part iii. upon Christian Ethics, or the Conditions of the Christian Religion: and Part iv. upon the Members of the Christian Religion, or the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(2) In 1818, they were estimated at 40,000, and in 1845, at 51,700; so that their number, which has been gradually on the increase for the last eighty years, has almost doubled itself within that time.

(3) The Unitarians of Transylvania have two Gymnasia; one at Thorda, and the other at Szekely-Keresztur. The number of pupils in the former was 174, and in the latter 180, A.D. 1845. For a list of the officers and professors in that year, the reader may consult the Christian Reformer for July, 1845, p. 507.

(4) In 1845, the number of students in the College at Clausenburg was two hundred and twenty.

(5) In the year 1845, the name of the Professor of Dogmatical and Practical Theology, Ecclesiastical History, Biblical Archaeology, and the Oriental Languages, was Aaron Berde; of Philosophy and Statistics, Moses Szekely; of Universal and National History, Alexander Szekely; of Natural History, Mathematics and Physics, Samuel Brassai. At the same time Moses Szekely held the office of Rector of the College.

(6) The present capital of the Unitarian Church in Transylvania is thirty thousand florins in money, and forty thousand in landed and other real property. The annual interest upon the former of these sums is 1800 florins; and upon the latter, 1200; making a total income of 3000 florins. The unavoidable expenses are 2800 florins, which leave a balance of 200 florins for contingencies.

(7) The number of Unitarians in Transylvania, who hold high civil and judicial offices in the present day, is by no means inconsiderable. They bear a very fair proportion to those belonging to the other favoured religions of the state; and among them are found Advocates, Judges, Censors of the press, Registrars, and others, up to the high office of Privy Councillor.

(8) Hungary and Transylvania; with Remarks on their Condition, social, political and economical: by John Paget, Esq. 2nd Ed. Murray, 1850. Vol. II. Chap. xii. pp. 424, 425.