No. IV. . Copy of the Convention between the French Government and his Holiness the Pope Pius VII. Ratified the 23d Fructidor, Year 9, (10th September, 1801). The Chief Conful of the French Republic, and his Holiness the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius the VII. have named as their refpective plenipotentiaries, The Chief Conful, the Citizens Jofeph Bonaparte, Counfellor of State; Cretet, Counsellor of State, and Bernier, Doctor of Divinity, Curate of St. Laud d'Angers; furnished with full powers: His Holiness, his Eminence Monfeigneur Hercule Confalvi, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Deacon of St. Agathe ad Suburram, his Secretary of State; Jofeph Spina, Archbishop of Corinth, Domeftic Prelate to his Holinefs, Attendant on the Pontifical Throne; and Father Cafelli, his Holiness's Advifer on points of Theology; in like manner furnished with full powers in due form: Who, after exchanging their full powers, have concluded the following Convention : Convention between the French Government and his Holiness the Pope Pius VII. The Government of the Republic acknowledges that the Catholic, Apoftolical, and Roman Religion, is the religion of the great majority of French citizens. His Holiness, in like manner, acknowledges that this fame" religion has derived, and is likely to derive, the greatest benefit and the greatest splendour from the establishment of the Catholic worship in France, and from its being openly professed by the Confuls of the Republic. This mutual acknowledgment being made, in consequence, as well for the good of religion, as for the maintenance of interior tranquillity, they have agreed as follows: Article I. The Catholic, Apoftolical, and Roman religion fhall be freely exercised in France. Its fervice fhall be publicly performed, conformably to the regulations of police which the govern ment fhall judge necessary for the public tranquillity. the II. There fhall be made by the Holy See, in concert with government, a new divifion of French diocefes. III. His Holinefs fhall declare to the titular French Bishops that he expects from them, with the firmeft confidence, every facrifice for the fake of peace and unity-even that of their fees. After this exhortation, if they fhould refuse the sacrifice commanded for the good of the church, (a refusal, nevertheless, which his Holiness by no means expects), the fees of the new divifion fball be governed by bishops appointed as follows: IV. Within three months after the publication of his Holiness's bull, the Chief Conful fhall prefent to the archbishoprics and bishoprics of the new divifion. His Holiness fhall confer canonical inftitution, according to the forms eftablished for France before the revolution (avant le changement de government). V. The nomination to the bishoprics which become vacant in future fball likewife belong to the Chief Conful, and canonical institution fhall be adminiftered by the Holy See, conformably to the preceding article. VI. The bishops, before they enter upon their functions, shall take, before the Chief Conful, the oath of fidelity which was in ufe before the revolution, expreffed in the following words: "I fwear and promife to God, upon the Holy Evangelifts, to preferve obedience and fidelity to the government established by the conftitution of the French Republic. I likewife promise to carry on no correfpondence, to be prefent at no converfation, to form no connection, whether within the territories of the Republic or without, which may, in any degree, disturb the public tranquillity: and if, in my diocefe or elsewhere, I difcover that any thing is going forward to the prejudice of the ftate, I will immediately communicate to government all the information I poffefs." VII. Ecclefiaftics of the fecond order fhall take the fame oath before the civil authorities appointed by the government. VIII. The following formula of prayer fhall be recited at the end of divine fervice in all the Catholic churches of France. Domine, falvam fac Rempublicam, IX. The bishops fhall make a new divifion of the parishes in their diocefes; which, however, fhall not take effect till after it is ratified by government. X. The bishops fhall have the appointment of the parish priests. Their choice fhall not fall but on perfons approved by go vernment. XI. The bishops may have a chapter in their cathedral, and a feminary for the diocefe, without the government being obliged to endow them. XII. All the metropolitan, cathedral, parochial, and other churches, which have not been alienated, neceffary to public worship, fhall be placed at the difpofal of the bishops. XIII. His Holiness, for the fake of peace and the happy re-establishment of the Catholic religion, declares, that neither he nor his fucceffors will disturb in any manner thofe who have acquired the alienated property of the church; and that in confequence, that property, and every part of it, shall belong for ever to them, their heirs and affigns. XIV. The government fhall grant a fuitable falary to bishops and parish priests, whofe diocefes and parishes are comprised in the new divifion. XV. The government fhall likewife take measures to enable French Catholics, who are fo inclined, to dispose of their property for the fupport of religion. XVI. His Holiness recognifes in the Chief Conful of the French Republic the fame rights and prerogatives in religious matters which the ancient government enjoyed. XVII. It is agreed between the contracting parties, that in cafe any of the fucceffors of the prefent Chief Conful should not be a Roman Catholic, the rights and prerogatives mentioned in the foregoing articles, as well as the nomination to the bishops' fees, fhall be regulated, with regard to him, by a new convention. The ratification fhall be exchanged at Paris in the space of forty days. Done at Paris, the 26th Meffidor, year 9 of the French Republic. (Signed) JOSEPH BONAPARTE. HERCULES, Cardinalis Confalvi. JOSEPH, Archiep. Corinthi. F. CAROLUS CASELLI. K K 2 Note Note A. "Some officers of the garrifon urged Lord Lucan and Lord Gallmoy, the commanders of the Irish army, to break off the treaty, alleging that they could now raife the fiege, which would give fuch fpirits to the Catholics, and fo deprefs the befiegers, that they might yet recover Ireland; and the more fo as they were certain of more aid from France. What was the reply of Lords Lucan and Gallmoy? They faid they confidered themfelves pledged in honour to deliver up Limerick and Ireland to the Proteftants; and they did fa, depending on their faith and truth to preferve inviolate the rights of the Catholics under the articles."Mr. Keogh's Speech at the Catholic Meeting, Oa. 31, 1792. Note B. A Letter from Dr. BUTLER, Titular Archbishop of Cafbel, to Lord KENMARE. My dear and honoured Lord, Thurles, December 27, 1786. I am not a little impatient to impart to your Lordship my thoughts on a late publication, entitled, "The prefent fate of the Church of Ireland." It is written by Dr. Woodward, Bishop of Cloyne; and, in the short space of twelve days, has already paffed through four editions. Whoever has feen the Addrefs to the Nobility and Gentry of the Proteftant Church, and reads this Second Pamphlet, cannot but look upon them as both defigned to undo all that has been done in favour of Roman Catholics; as they tend to undermine the primary title the Roman Catholics had to the protection of government and the confidence of their fellow-fubjects. The unjust and false strictures his Lordship makes on the fincerity of the oaths of the Roman Roman Catholic Bishops, concur to effect this in the minds of those who can or will be imposed on by what his Lordship fo confidently afferts. For certainly, if the oaths of the Roman Catholic Prelates can no more be depended on, all claim to a legal exiftence for us in the state ceafes. We are all defigning and most dangerous enemies: like the viper in the fable, we only fought the warmth of protection to gnaw the bofom which gave the reviving heat. His Lordfhip, to eftablish and enforce what he advances with regard to our oaths, by fome new argument which, from not having been used before, had never been blunted by the fhield of truth, brings forth a letter of a Monfignor Ghilini, Nuncio at Bruffels, written in the year 1768, from amidst the dust of oblivion, where it would otherwise have, as it deferved, remained till doomsday; notwithstanding the most ftrangely mifapplied encomiums bestowed on it by Dr. Bourke: encomiums, which I know, from the letters the faid Nuncio wrote to me, before I left the Continent, expreffive of his own alarmed feelings, after cool reflection, on the impropriety and indifcretion of faid letter, he would have willingly fpared the Doctor. Nothing, to be fure, but an enthufiaftic partiality for fcholaftic opinions, which Dr. Bourke, perhaps, had formerly, when profeffor, defended, (as fome Ultromantanifts have done, to their reproach and the difcredit of religion, with as much warmth of debate as if thofe opinions had been acknowledged Articles of Faith, which they were fupporting against unbelievers) can any way extenuate Dr. Bourke's imprudence, to call it by no harfher name, in publishing fuch a letter. The Doctor fhould have reflected, that the opinions alluded to by the Nuncio, however unnoticed they may be fuffered to pass in a country like Italy, where the Sovereign and all the subjects are of the Roman Catholic religion, they cannot be confidered in the fame light in this kingdom, whereof the King and principal fubjects are proteftants, and two thirds, at least, of the inhabitants are of our communion. Here fuch opinions, if maintained, could not but be prejudicial, by alarming the Sovereign, and becoming a conftant fource of jealoufy and diffenfion betwixt fellow-fubjects.-This, I recal to mind, was what i alleged to Cardinal Marefufchi, who was, at the time the oath was propofed, our Cardinal Protector, (that is, as your Lordship knows, the Cardinal entrusted by his Holiness with the fuperintendance of our ecclefiaftical affairs in Ireland), as a reafon why the Roman Catholic bishops thought themselves called upon to declare, in the public manner they did, that they found nothing in the test of allegiance, held out by the legislature to the Roman Catholics of Ireland, contrary to the principles of the |