unwilling, consistently with his eminent prudence, to pronounce his final sentence concerning a matter of such great moment. He has, however, been pleased to communicate to me his sentiments with regard to the only terms, which, after rejecting all those that have hitherto been proposed, his dear catholic children of Great Britain may admit with a safe conscience, should the bill of their emancipation, as has long been expected, have passed. For his holiness is contident, that the august king of Great Britain, as well as the most serene prince, son to the king, agreeably to that signal clemency and wisdom, with which they are endowed, and prompted by the native generosity of their minds, will doubtless add fresh favours and benefits to those already conferred upon the catholics, particularly as they have always found them most loyal and most willing to suffer, under God's protection, the greatest dangers, rather than to be anyways wanting to their duty towards their renowned king.

The subjects which come now to be taken into consideration, namely, those which the said government for the tranquillity and security both of themselves and of the state, so far as the catholic subjects are concerned, appear anxious to settle on a firm footing, are these; The oath of allegiance to be taken by them, the manner of appointing bishops to vacant sees, and the examination of all rescripts, or briefs, and ordinances from the supreme pontiff, previous to allowing them to be acted upon.

As to the first point: His holiness is willing to believe, that the British government is not disposed to exact from the catholics, any other oath than such a one as shall indeed afford full security to the government, respecting the loyalty and obedience of the catholics, but shall not, in any manner, either be at variance with the principles of the catholic religion, or hurtful to that

most holy religion of Christ. In the event of the emancipation, so it be favourable to the catholics in general, his holiness will permit them to adopt for their oath any of the three forms following, which the government may prefer. For as each of them is well calculated to answer both ends proposed, the government cannot but acquiesce in them.

The first runs thus:-I swear and promise, on God's holy gospels, obedience and loyalty to the royal majesty of George the third; I likewise promise not to hold any communication, or to be present at any deliberation, or to keep up any suspicious commerce, either at home or abroad, that may be injurious to public tranquillity; and if, in or out of my diocese, I should learn that any matter dangerous to the state is in agitation, I will inform the government thereof.

The second might be worded thus:-I swear and promise to conduct myself loyally, and to be entirely subjected and obedient to his majesty George the third; not to disturb by any means the peace and tranquillity of this realm; nor afford help and assistance to any person that shall, either directly or indirectly, be against his majesty and the present government of England.

For the third form is proposed:-I swear and promise obedience and true fidelity to our most beloved lord George the third whom I will defend to the best of my ability against all conspiracies, attacks or attempts of any kind, directed against his person, crown and dignity, and I will disclose them to his majesty, should I ever learn that such are plotting against him or them, I likewise faithfully swear and promise to preserve, protect and defend, as much as in me lies, the succession to the crown in his majesty's family, against any person or persons, whether in or out of the kingdom, that may claim or pretend a right to the crown of this kingdom.

Thus much respecting the oath. Let us now consider the election of the bishops. On this head his holiness above all things exhorts, and peremptorily orders, those who usually appoint to the vacant sees persons to be proposed and recommended to the holy see, to employ the utmost care and circumspection, not to admit into the number of candidates any but such as, beside the other pastoral virtues, possess, in an eminent degree, prudence, love of quiet, and loyalty. In the next place, although any of the proposed forms of oath to be taken by the bishops newly elected, might afford abundance of security to the government, nevertheless, to their more ample satisfaction, his holiness will feel no hesitation in allowing those to whom it appertains, to present to the king's ministers a list of candidates, in order that if any of them should be obnoxious or suspected, the government may immediately point him out, so as that he may be expunged, care however being taken to leave a sufficient number for his holiness to choose there from, individuals whom he may deem best qualified in the Lord for governing the vacant churches.

As soon as the British government shall have promulgated in due form their bill of emancipation, consonantly with the ideas of his holiness, just stated, and which I believe are already known to the British government, his holiness purposes on his part to address a proper brief to all the bishops and faithful catholics of Great Britain, with a view of not only proclaiming to the whole world his grateful sense of the clemency and generosity displayed by the most powerful British government, but of exhorting the catholics themselves to exert their utmost endeavours in proving loyal subjects, especially after having received this fresh favour, and he intends finally to give solemn permission to the catholics respecting the points above stated, relative to the election of bishops.

As for the examination of the rescripts, to which I have alluded above, or what is called the Regium Exequatur, it cannot even be made a subject of negotiation. For your lordship well knows, that, as such a practice must essentially affect the free exercise of that supremacy of the church which has been given in trust by God, it would assuredly be criminal to permit, or transfer it to any lay power, and indeed such a permission has never any where been granted. If some, and even catholic governments, assume such rights, this is to be referred to the abuse, not to the right exercise of legitimate power, which abuse the holy see, to prevent greater evils, is forced to beur and tolerate, but cannot by any means approve. That, however, both the public tranquillity and his majesty need apprehend no injury or danger from that indispensable independence in England of the supreme head of the church, in tending and instructing his flock, might be proved by several irrefragable arguments, which, as they are generally known, it would be useless to repeat. Suffice to mention, that there exist instructions for regulating the conduct of the bishops and apostolic vicars, which are contained in the first article of the Quæstionarium published by the propaganda, (or the holy congregation for the propagating the faith), and by which they are severally prohibited from adverting, in the re ports concerning their churches which they are obliged to send in to the holy see, to any political matters whatever. Confident hopes may therefore be entertained, that the government will not persist in their demand, inasmuch as the church cannot give up its right, and as the exercise of such a right, according to the uniform testimony of experience, does not in the least interfere with the government.

Thus much I have judged it incumbent upon me to state to your lordship, that you may govern yourself accordingly.

Meanwhile, I pray to God Almighty, from my inmost heart, to grant you a happy voyage, and abundance of all kinds of prosperity.

I am your lordship's most humble servant,
L. Cardinal Litta,

Genoa, April 26, 1816.

To the most illustrious and most reverend
William Poynter, Bishop of Halia, and
Apostolic Vicar of London.

Prefect.

NOTE VI; referred to in page 181.

The Pope's Letter on the subject of the Veto,-addressed to the catholic Prelates of Ireland.

TO OUR VENERABLE BROTHERS,

The Archbishops and Bishops of Ireland.

PIUS P. P. VII.

VENERABLE brothers, health and apostolical benediction. The perusal of your letter delivered to us by our venerable brothers, Daniel, archbishop of Hierapolis, coadjutor of the archbishop of Dublin, and John, bishop of Cork, together with certain resolutions passed with your joint concurrence at a synod held in Dublin, on the 23d and 24th days of August, of the last year, 1815, has impressed our mind with a deep sense of concern. For we, having openly declared the conditions to which we could assent, in case the expectation excited by the government of granting emancipation should be realized, imagined, we had, as far as in our power lay, removed the difficulties which opposed the emancipation of the catholics of the kingdom of Great Britain, and, in a certain degree, had prepared a way for the obtainment of a benefit, so long and so earnestly looked for.

With this