lettre écrite par la Sacrée Congrégation de la Propagande, aux évéques d'Irlande. Le Saint Père employera constamment tous ses soins et les mésures les plus adaptées et les plus convenables pour que les susdits Catholiques ne cessent jamais de se rendre dignes de la protection dont ils jouissent maintenant dans le royaume.

Le Cardinal qui écrit ne doit pas manquer en finissant de rendre à M. Hippisley, même au nom du Saint Père, des actions de grâces très distinguées pour la part et l'intérêt plein d'affection qu'il a pris à cette affaire, et de l'assurer, en même tems, de la haute estime qu'il lui a inspirée.

Lettre Circulaire aux Exeques d'Irlande.

Les papiers publics d'Angleterre de la semaine dernière et quelques lettres particulières ont annoncé qu'il y a eu en Irlande quelques rassemblemens séditieux faits par la basse classe des Catholiques de ce royaume. On rapporte même le discours. fait en Parlement à cette occasion par Milord Portarlington; discours rempli de plaintes contre les Catholiques à qui on reproche d'avoir mal correspondus aux grâces que les deux Chambres du Parlement leur ont accordées. Le Saint Père est persuadé, ainsi que la Sacrée Congrégation, que, même au cas que ces faits soient certains, l'accusation ne pourra porter que sur ce petit nombre de Catholiques lesquels, désobéissants à la voix de leurs pasteurs, se laissent égarer par les maximes démocratiques, qui ne sont que trop répandues dans les tems actuels par les ennemis de la religion et des Gouvernemens.

Sa Sainteté et la Sacrée Congrégation ont néanmoins voulu que j'écrirois à vôtre Seigneurie, afin que conjointement avec les autres évéques, elle manifeste hautement combien, elle improuve la conduite de ces Catholiques egarés, qu'elle les ramene à leur devoir, et les prémunisse par des salutaires avis contre les piéges qui leur tendent des hommes mal-intentionnés, dont le seul but est de détruire les bases fondamentales de la religion et du trône.

TRANSLATION.

His Eminence Cardinal de Zelada, Secretary of State of his Holiness, to Mr. Hippisley.

From the Apartments of the Quirinal, August 31, 1793.

The Cardinal de Zelada, Secretary of State, has not failed to lay before his Holiness the letter of Admiral Hood, dated on board the Victory on the 5th instant, which Mr. Hippisley has done him the favour to communicate to him. The contents of this letter are perfectly consonant with the greatness and the magnanimity of his Britannic Majesty, with the generosity of the English nation, and with the celebrity of the said Admiral.

The Holy Father has seen, with great sensibility and extreme satisfaction, the sentiments with which his Majesty is pleased to assure Italy, and, consequently, the Ecclesiastical State, of the protection and support of his arms against the enterprises of the so-called French Republic. He will eagerly avail himself of any favourable opportunity that shall soon occur for transmitting more immediately, to that worthy monarch and to his respectable ministers, testimonies of his most sincere gratitude. But his Holiness requests that, in the mean time, Mr. Hippisley will have the goodness to let them know beforehand, through the medium of Lord Hood, whom he intends, at the same time, to thank himself for the obliging manner in which he has signified the dispositions of his Sovereign in the above-mentioned letter; and to specify all that the Cardinal, who writes this, had already made a merit of saying viva voce to Mr. Hippisley, viz., that his Holiness, desirous of showing by deeds the sentiments which animate him, not only leaves all his ports open for the entry and the stay of the ships of the English squadron, but he will most cheerfully consent that they shall supply themselves with all such articles as his States furnish, to the extent and in the manner that the wants of the said States can permit.

If his gratitude is already most justly due in return for the protection which his Britannic Majesty grants to the States of Italy in the present war, the Holy Father has not forgotten the kindness and the favours bestowed by his Majesty and the English nation upon the Catholics of England favours for which also his Holiness cannot but feel profound gratitude, which equals the grief that he experienced when he was informed, not long since, that the lower class of the Catholics had held some seditious meetings in Ireland. His Holiness lost no time in making

known to those Catholics immediately, and in the most efficacious manner, his reprobation, and the indignation excited in him by such conduct, as may be seen by the annexed copy of the letter addressed by the Sacred College of the Propaganda to the Bishops of Ireland. The Holy Father will continually employ all his efforts and the measures best adapted and most suitable for teaching the said Catholics that they should never cease to render themselves worthy of the protection which they now enjoy in the kingdom.

The Cardinal who writes this must not omit, in concluding, to express to Mr. Hippisley, even in the name of the Holy Father himself, his warmest thanks for the part and the interest full of affection which he has taken in this affair, and to assure him, at the same time, of the high esteem with which he has inspired him.

Circular Letter to the Bishops of Ireland.

The public papers of England of last week and some private letters have stated that there have been several seditious assemblages in Ireland, composed of the lower class of the Catholics of that kingdom. There is also a report of a speech delivered in Parliament by Lord Portarlington a speech full of complaints of the Catholics, who are reproached with having ill repaid the favours bestowed upon them by the two Houses of Parliament. The Holy Father is persuaded, as well as the Sacred Congregation, that even in case these facts are certain, the accusation can apply only to that small number of the Catholics who, disobeying the voice of their pastors, suffer themselves to be led astray by the democratic maxims, which are but too widely spread at the present time by the enemies of religion and of governments.

His Holiness and the Sacred Congregation have, nevertheless, desired me to write to your Lordship, in order that, conjointly with the other bishops, you may signify emphatically how much you condemn the conduct of those misled Catholics, that you may bring them back to their duty, and warn them, by wholesome advice, against the snares laid for them by evil-designing men, whose only aim is to destroy the fundamental bases of religion and of the throne.

Extract of a Letter from the Cardinal Secretary of State to

Lord Grenville.

September, 1793.

Le dit Prélat est chargé aussi de remercier sa Majesté pour la déclaration très obligeante adressée au Saint Père, de la part

VOL. III.

H

de l'Amiral Milord Hood, par M. Hippisley, un des membres du Parlement Brittannique, qui à présent se trouve dans cette capitale. Il veut encore qu'on prie sa Majesté a continuer d'employer sa puissante protection en tout ce qui peut regarder le bien des Catholiques et l'intérêt du Saint Siége. Vous ne devez pas ignorer, et même encore vous en serez instruit par le même Prélat, combien sa Sainteté se soit impressée de seconder les instances qu'on lui a faites pour garnir la flotte Angloise d'une portion des vivres, et combien des ordres pressés elle ait envoyée, dès que le dit M. Hippisley, par un zèle et un empressement patriotique, qui lui fait beaucoup d'honneur, fit parvenir à sa Sainteté la nouvelle bien désagréable des troubles arrivés des évènements dans le royaume de l'Irlande, auxquels on disoit que quelquesuns d'entre les Catholiques du bas peuple, après avoir été séduits par les auteurs des toutes les présents troubles de l'Europe, avoient eu de part, contre ce que nôtre Sainte Religion enseigne, et contre l'exemple de tous les bons Catholiques, qui sont si recommandables par leur fidélité.

Les marques de correspondances et d'amitié mutuelle, desquelles le Saint Père ne s'éloignera pas dans tout ce que lui sera possible, nous assurent à l'égard de sa Majesté, de vôtre Excellence, et des autres ministres, et énfin des respectables membres du Parlement, la continuation des faveurs réciproques pour le bien et l'avantage de l'une et l'autre cour et nation.

TRANSLATION.

The said Prelate is also charged to thank his Majesty for the most obliging declaration addressed to the Holy Father, on the part of Admiral Lord Hood, through Mr. Hippisley, one of the members of the British Parliament, who is at present in this capital. He also desires him to beseech his Majesty to continue to afford his powerful protection in everything that can concern the welfare of the Catholics and the interest of the Holy See. You cannot he ignorant—indeed, you will be informed by the same Prelate-how solicitous his Holiness is to second the applications made to him to furnish the English fleet with a supply

!

of provisions, and how many pressing orders he sent, as soon as the said Mr. Hippisley, with a patriotic zeal and ardour which do him great honour, transmitted to his Holiness the very disagreeable news of the disturbances arising from occurrences in the kingdom of Ireland, in which it was said that some of the Catholics of the lowest class, having been seduced by the authors of all the present troubles of Europe, had taken part, contrary to what our Holy Religion teaches, and contrary to the example of all good Catholics who are distinguished for their loyalty.

The tokens of mutual good understanding and friendship, from which the Holy Father will never swerve in whatever shall be in his power, ensure to us, on behalf of his Majesty, of your Excellency, and of the other ministers, and lastly, of the respectable members of Parliament, a continuance of reciprocal favours, for the welfare and advantage of both courts and nations.

Extract of a Letter from Lord Grenville to Sir J. C. Hippisley. Whitehall, October 29, 1793.

I think it my duty to take this opportunity of returning you my thanks for the exertions made by you in the public service. The motives which induced you to act in the manner you did cannot be mistaken; and the consequences of the steps. taken by you on this important occasion will, I am persuaded, be of material advantage to his Majesty's service.

Copy of a Letter from the Cardinal, Secretary of State, to Sir J. C. Hippisley.

Des Appartements du Vatican, 31 Mars, 1794. Il y a déjà plusieurs mois que le Cardinal de Zelada, Secré- taire d'Etât, fit remettre au très respectable M. Hippisley une note de toutes les espèces de provision dont sa Sainteté avoit permis et favorisé la sortie de ses étâts, pour fournir à l'approvisionnement des escadres Anglois-Espagnols. De pareilles permissions ayant été depuis accordées de nouveau, il croit également convenable de lui en donner connoissance, ainsi qu'il le fait par la feuille ci-jointe. Le désir que l'on a que M. Hippisley se charge du soin obligeant d'en instruire l'Amiral Hood