therein informs the London vicar, that "as soon as the legislature of Great Britain shall promulgate in due and authentic form its aforesaid act of emancipation, conformable to the sentiments of his holiness, as above expressed, (namely, in every respect favourable to the catholics) his holiness will, on his part, likewise send a timely brief to all the catholic bishops and faithful of Great Britain,

verse his sense of gratitude towards the clemency and generosity of the most powerful British government, will exhort the catholics, especially after this newly received favour, to adhere, with a still more fervent loyalty, to their august king, and finally, in a solemn form, permit them to observe what I have hitherto stated, with regard to the oath and the election of bishops." Here then we have a clue to unravel the disgust

these realms were permitted to attain, without any violation of conscience, the highest stations in the army and navy; and they moreover cheerfully hail this unexpected concession as an earnest of that better, more enlightened, and more conciliatory spirit, by which their civil rights | may, with as much facility, be restored, and the dissensions which have so long degraded and weakened their country be for ever abolish-in which he will publish to the unied. Could I see the measure in the same light as my catholic brethren of Clare, I should hail the event with every degree of exultation, and join with sincerity in the satisfaction it has imparted to them. But I must frankly declare, that my powers of perception do not enable me to discover any approaches in it towards a more liberal feeling in favour of our emancipation. On the contrary, the hireling of the Courier impudently asserts, that, as the grieving praises bestowed upon this allance respecting military service is now put on a footing which ought to be satisfactory to all parties, those who oppose our claims will be the better able and the more firmly resolved to make their stand in resisting our endeavours to obtain what they are pleased to call political power. This does not look like a conciliatory spirit, nor display a favourable disposition towards speedy abolition of the dissensions which unfortunately distract the sister island. But, when I weigh the import given to this act, the manner in which it was passed through the two houses, the high encomiums be-stowed upon it by all parties as soon as it received the royal assent, and add to this the embassy of sir J. C. Hippisley to Rome, I must confess, my apprehensions are, that it was enacted not with a view to concession but for some great motive of a sinister nature. We must not forget the language of the Genoa letter of cardinal Litta. His excellency

a

important production. It is well known that this country has been long considered the seat of intolerance by the powers on the continent, for its proscriptive laws against the religious principles of its catholic subjects. This was undoubtedly experienced by lord Castlereagh, during his attendance at the congress of Vienna. To remove this blot, and at the same time to obtain the nomination of catholic bishops by the crown, is, in all probability, the double object of this pretended act of emancipation. By the deportation from Rome of the vigilant and incorrupt representative of the Irish catholic laity, under circumstances disgraceful even to the government of a despotic king, but much more so to the ministers of a sovereign patriarch and bishop, the field is left clear to the intrigues of our treacherous friends and concealed enemies. The first advantage taken of the ba nishment of father Hayes, whose activity had hitherto frustrated all

ed by sir J. C. Hippisley, in the late. speech imputed to him; aided, therefore, by the baronet's abilities, the treachery of the servile leaders of the self-named board of British catholics, and the corrupt perfidy of Consalvi, there can be no doubt but Ompteda, Park, and the whole herd of intriguers now at Rome, will use their efforts to persuade the holy father that the act thus "promulgated in due and authentic form," is "conformable to the sentiments of his holiness," and "in every respect favourable to the catholics," as the hirelings of the press here would fain persuade us. Under this impression, no one being near to undeceive him, the pope may be induc

their dangerous plans to subvert the purity of episcopal appointments, has been to nominate the prelates for the colonies of the British empire, which is to be followed up, according to the last letter of Mr. H. inserted in the epitome, by the appointment of three coadjutors for England. Who the choice of ministers will fall on time must discover; but there is little doubt if some latitudinarian priests can be found, whose mornings are spent in preaching political sermons, worded so as to confirm the protestant hearer in | error, rather than awaken him to truth, for fear his feelings should be hurt, and the preacher be deemed illiberal; and whose evenings are devoted not to comforting the sicked to issue the untimely brief, exor instructing the ignorant, but to the convivial pleasures of the rich man's table, singing songs, even on the Sunday, to the amusement of the host and his guests, and, alas! to the great scandal of the protestant servants who are in attendance.—If, say, such characters are to be met with, simple must he be who do not anticipate their appointment to the episcopal office, should the selection be at the will of the British minis try. Ought we not, then, to use our utmost endeavours to prevent this frightful evil from falling on us and our posterity? The object of vetoism thus attained, at least so far as regards Great Britain and her colonies, for, thanks to the Divine Founder of our religion, the hierarchy of Ireland is fenced and guard-timony of the head of the church ed with canonical privileges, which require the consent of the prelates, before any change in the discipline of their respective dioceses can take place; the next thing to be accomplished is the promised brief of his holiness to the catholics of this kingdom, a circumstance which need not surprize us should it really come to We have seen the admirable powers of misrepresentation possess

I

pass.

horting us to be grateful for favours not conferred, and permitting the Irish prelates to accede to the veto.. This brief, should it ever be published, will as certainly be opposed by the Irish clergy, as the rescript of Quarantotti was rejected by them; and this will be represented by the hirelings of the press as little short of sedition and rebellion, though the motives which would impel the catholic clergy to adopt this line of conduct would spring from a just sense of loyalty to God and the British constitution, as the luminous and irrefragable letter of Dr. Tuohy, in the succeeding pages, so convincingly expounds. Hence the document would serve a two-fold purpose against the catholics; the tes

would be sent to foreign states, in proof of a more liberal system being adopted towards the catholic in habitants of the united kingdom, and it would be likewise adduced in justification of any future measures which it may be deemed proper to bring forward, in order to enforce the submission of the Irish to vetoism, or a direct nomination to catholic prelacies. In addition, therefore,

and abetting the destroyers of his inheritance, that they may participate in the honours of this world.

MEANS PROPOSED TO AVERT THE

EVILS DREADED.

The picture which I have drawn is such as cannot be contemplated without dread; for, although it is now but in part imaginary, yet it is not improbable that it may sooner or later become reality, unless some course be adopted to check the intrigues now practising to deceive our spiritual head, and expose the delu, sions heretofore successfully employ

to our present grievances, we should have the mortification of seeing the father of the faithful publishing to the universe his sense of gratitude towards the clemency and generosity of the most powerful British government, in ameliorating our situation, at the very time when we were smart ing under persecution, and experiencing the daily insults of our bigotted and calumniating enemies. And who shall we have to thank for all this, should it unfortunately be realized, but the servile laymen and temporizing ecclesiastics who have so audaciously, and against every right of justice and religion, usurped for this purpose. In Ireland, the ed to themselves the management of our spiritual and political concerns, and have offered to barter the independence of the former to promote the interests of the latter? But, do they seriously expect to gain the summit of their wishes, even by the sacrifice of their eternal welfare, which they seem disposed to make? If they do, their presumption and treachery can only be exceeded by their infatuation and cupidity. No,

no;

let them not flatter themselves with such illusory hopes. The reign of intolerance is not yet at an end. If they imagine their emancipation is near its completion, they are only the dupes of intriguing statesmen, who take advantage of their insatiable thirst after temporal advancement, to feed their eagerness, and at the same time plan the destruction of that portion of God's church by corruption and bribery, which three centuries of blood and proscription have been unable to effect. Let me implore them, then, to reflect on the awful moment when they will be placed at the bar of the Great Judge, where they must answer for their public as well as their private actions, and consider the denunciations which will inevitably fall upon those who are found neglecting to cultivate the vineyard of the Lord,

clergy of the second order have already begun to express their sentiments in conferences, with the design of having them laid at the feet of the pontiff; and there is every reason to suppose the sentiments of the prelates will be transmitted at the same time, in conjunction with those of their clergy. The laity of Ireland have already sent a remonstrance to Rome on the present alarming state of their spiritual affairs; and surely it is a duty imposed on the catholics, who reside in this part of the kingdom, to unite with those of the sister island, both heart and hand, in expressing their detestation of the plans in agitation, to corrupt the purity and integrity of the discipline of our church.-But, as our situation is too straggling to enable us to meet in aggregate bodies, and as there is a law against holding assemblies of more than fifty individuals, I would recommend that every congregation forth with draw up and sign a declaration, expressive of their utter aversion to any interference on the part of the crown in the appointment of prelates to the vacant catholic dioceses of Ireland, or the apostolic vicarships of Great Britain, because such interference will inevitably tend to weaken that attachment which

now so happily subsists between the to a christian to expose himself, pastor and his flock, and create a merely for a momentary gratificadisregard for the divine influence of tion, to the danger of losing the religion, and thus sap the morals of grace of God, and to authorize, by this and future generations. When his presence, those profane exhibisigned, let the instrument itself be tions at which the whole morality of deposited with the records of the the gospel is overturned and set at district, and an authenticated copy, nought, to the great scandal of reliwith the number of signatures pro- gion, and corruption of morals? Can perly attested by the pastor, be for- the school of the world ever form an warded to Rome, to be submitted alliance with the school of Jesus to the holy father, who will thus Christ, or the maxims of the theabecome well informed of the feelings tre, assimilate with those of the of the catholics of England and gospel? There is not a greater disScotland, and of their complete tauce between light and darkness, coincidence with those of their Irish than there is between the spirit of brethren. Thus acquainted with christianity and the spirit of the playthe wishes of the catholics of Great house. All the lessons of the forBritain, which the venerable pontiff mer are directed to teach us to die has no doubt been told were unani- to the world and its criminal passions, mous in favour of vetoistical ar- or as the beloved disciple terms rangements, and thus put in posses- them, the concupiscence of the sion of the unhallowed plans laid to flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, deceive him, no apprehension can be and the pride of life. On the other entertained for the final decision of hand, the sole tendency of the exour spiritual chief on the ecclesiasti-hibitions of the theatre is to nourish cal matter of this most important of in the soul an attachment to this all questions; for it can never be triple concupiscence and the indulimagined, that he who so courage-gence of corrupt inclination. In the ously braved the dungeons of Napoleon, in resisting that tyrant's ambitious views on the independence of the French clergy, will ever consent, under more easy circumstances, to surrender up to the will of our bitterest enemies, the pastors of our church, when truly informed of the dangers which would ultimately await so fatal a determination.

gospel Jesus Christ every where pronounces anathema, or condemnation, to the world. In the theatre the world sits supreme; nothing is to be heard, nothing is to be seen, or even felt in the soul, but the world, which from the play-house, as from its throne, establishes its maxims and customs as the rule of conduct, paints virtue and vice in such colours as it pleases, and sets itself up as sovereign monarch and judge, from whose sentence there is no appeal. Is it, then, from this school of the world, or at the foot of the cross, and in the gospel of Christ, that a christian is to learn the rules that are to regulate his conduct.

Perhaps it will be said that there can be no harm in assisting at such plays as have nothing in them directly opposite to christian morality.Alas! even in these, if three such

can be found, in which the morality and language are unexceptionable, how many circumstances are there in the manner of bringing them forward upon the stage, and the representation of the actors, as well as the surrounding company, which must ren ler them objects of dread to the christian, who seeks to work out his salvation with fear and trembling? Upon this point we cannot take a surer guide for our sentiments than the language of our holy mother the church, in whose bosom we have been nursed and educated, and of whose blessings we have tasted from our infancy. In what terms, then, does the church speak of the theatre? In the same terms in which Jesus Christ has pronounced the condemnation of the world. Her language, as to the stage, has never varied through the long course of centuries; in her councils, by the voice of her chief prelates, by the mouth of her holy doctors, by the eloquence of her preachers, by ber sentence of excommunication against such as follow the profession of actors, in short, by the whole of her doctrine and practice, she loudly condemns the amusements of the theatre, as being in direct opposition to her spirit, her institutes, and her laws.

confusion, and to aid you in discovering the snares thus laid for your virtue, I will set before you, not what the saints of former days have delivered against the representations of the theatre in their ages, but what thirty-six prelates, among whom were cardinals and archbishops, have, about two months since, delivered, written and taught as their sentiments, and those of the church, at all times, now as well as formerly. To their sentiments, continues the cardinal, I have myself subscribed my name, and he then quotes their decree. "We, the undersigned, are unanimously of opinion, that the represensations of the theatre, even as they are exhibited at present, are very prejudicial to public morals; that the faithful cannot be permitted to frequent them, and that such diversions are, above all, dangerous to youth. For this reason, notwithstanding the boasted purity of the modern stage, the church varies not her sentiments, but persists in regarding theatrical amusements as criminal." It is not necessary, in order to merit this condemnation, that they should present to us scenes favourable to idolatry, or paint in full colours open violations of modesty and decency; it is sufficient that they are in direct opposition to the The venerable cardinal Delci, in morality of the gospel. Though a pastoral instruction to his flock, purged from the impure rites of paholds the following language respect- ganism, as well as from the filthy ing the stage. 6. My dear brethren, obscenities that stained its performsuffer not yourselves to be seduced ances down to the 17th century, the by ignorant or ill-instructed guides, theatre of every nation still consewho dare to tell you that you have crates itself to the passion of love, their permission to frequent the thea- and tends to strengthen those dotre, and that all which we can say to mestic enemies which the christian is withdraw you from it, is merely a taught to consider as most dangerous repetition of the declamations of the to the soul. In this respect the holy fathers against the heathen heathen stage had prodigiously the spectacles of their days; but by no advantage over the modern theatre, means applicable to modern theatri- being far more chaste and reserved. cal amusements, which these men St. Augustin, with humble confupronounce to be harmless and lawful. sion tells us, the impression which To cover such ignorant guides with, the soft representation of the tender