The Sun. — London, England, 1828-08-22 00:00:00

REPRESENTATIONS OF THE FRENCH PRELACY TO THE KING. " Stai—:-Time does not moderate the grief which the bishops of yoUrkingdomhaVe experienced on the occasion of the ordinances of the 16th of June. On the contrary, they feel that it becomes deeper and More lively in proportion as they; perceive the fatal period of their ex ec ution a pproach. The alarms of .conscience join themselves to this grief to render it unsupportable. If the bishops ought to remain only Passive spectators of what .is taking place, th-ey would hope to find at least, - in undergoin g this cruel Pant . :, ft. mitigation which patience and resignation ';could render meritorious;, but, wounded as they are by a hand which they are accustomed to bless, t h ey canno t mourn in secret and await in silence the aceomplishment of those measures which must deso- k te them, and, afflict their churches. They are as k e d to co-operate directly in acts which they can. ! !lot:help. regarding as humiliating to religion, harsh towards the priesthood, and vexatious to that spi ritual authority, of which they ought to give'an etc count to God alone , because it is'he alone who has' entrusted it to them. It is expected, that by a di rect and immediate consent on their part, they should seem to approve what their principles appear to them to condemn, and that they should themselves labour in rivetting fetters which evangelical liberty forbids them to suffer. Placed thus between. the dearest affections on the one side, and the most sa cred. duties on the other, the French Episcopacy knows not how to satisfy at once the sentiment of the heart and the voice of conscience. Full of an inquietude with. which their very enemies would not dare to reproach them, the Bishops directed their looks by tu:nti towards Heaven, where presides the supreme Majesty, whose commands they' are bound to respect, and towards the throne where sits the .se,,,ond Majesty, whose least wish they are anxious to gratify. . In their anxiety, Sire ' tiler havinginvoko by. long supplication those tights and aids which come from on high, the Bii.hops do not think-they exceed the limits . of that respect and submission of which it belongs to them'more than to the rest of the faithful. to set ate example, if they strive to lay at the feet of the King, as they know that some of their col. leagtses assembled at Pads have alre:dv done by the intervention of one o f t h em , b e f ore the publication of tlip ordinance, their inquietude.s and their fears in treseeching his goodness to introduce into these or dinances such modifications as shall withdraw them from the cruel alternative in which they see them selves placed. They obey not the impulse of the passions, they borrow not their language it is pat till after having mastered the first movement of grief that they desire to bring to the ear of the Most Christian ;King, the plaintive voice of religion and the :orrowfui accents of the church, to him whom the loves to call the first-born of her sons. 'The Bishops are not ignorant that their right of examining and discussing the ordinances of the 16th of June is disputed; that it i 5 affected to consider them as legal regulations which belong to the secu lar power. They are continually told, that as these ordinance in no way injure the interests:of religion or of ecclesiastical power, they ought not to inter fere, but should subMit and second the act of the Government. Would to God that.it.were so! It would then be seen that they are what they have elWays been,—zealous and faithful, commanding respect and obedience as much by their example as by their addresses ; kit it is, on the contrary, too manifest that the ordinances are of a nature to occa •sion deplorable mischief to the prosperity , of the Catholic religion in France, and that they attack, in many of their provisions, the honour and the autho rity of the episcopacy. ,These motives are more than sufficient to authorise,. we will not say the re sistance, but the . inaction of the Bishops, who can well support an onerous yoke, but who cannot im pose it upon theniselveS. This is the result of a close examination of the two ordinances, in what ever point of view they are regarded, 'whether in the aggregate or in their details " Both ordinances seem _to .rest upon this prin ciple—totally opposed to the rights of the episco pacy in a matter evidently spiritual, since it regards the very perpetnityofthe priesthood,—namely, that the secondary ecclesiastical schools, otherwise called small seminaries, should' be so far under the control of the •civil authority, that that authority aforie can institute them, and introduce - therein - the form and modifications it judges proper—can create or destroy them; or confide then at its will to superiors of its own choice---change. their direst* and government as it pleases, without the consent of thebishops; or even contrary to their will ; and all this under. the Pretext, that profane literature being taught in these schools, they thereby come within the exclusive pro vince of the secular power. • - • " In virtue of this principal it was, - that eight ecclesiastical secondary schools were soddenly:'wit h out previous intitnation—without :those ,warnings which so well become a paternal administration) snatched from the government of the bishops under which they prospered, hi order to be subjected to the rule of the Universitn It is also in consequence of tido; principle that it is ordered that in . future, without regard to the institution of a 'bishop, any more thait to his responsibility before- God and man, no one can remain in charge' either of the di rection or of instruction in any oue of the ecclesias tical secondary schools who has not declared in writing that he does not belong to any religious congregation not legally established in France. From this principle, moreover; have proceeded other provisions, which limit, at the .pleasure of the lay authotity,the number of pupils • educated in these ecclesiastical schools, which determine the condi tions under which alone they can receive ir, and which finally ordain, that henceforward this educa tion shall be giver', so that the vocation to - the priesthood cannokbe recognized and directed from its very beginning withou t the intervention of this game lay authority; for the superior s or directors - must obtain the sanction of the King .b e f ore t h e y (the pupils) can apply themselves, a f ter the m ission of the -Bishops, to the proper studies for, and clinic , titm of, this vocation. . " To this length proceeds a Principle founded upon an exorbitant ecension. , A principl e ceived, falsely applied, and too largely extend e d, loads to objects to which reason, justice, and consci ence, are compelled to give way. Whatproteskta it provokes—what ill-will—what . painful. contests which might have been avoided, by retention within those limits beyond which there are found doubt and weakness, as well as violence' and collis'en " Let, therefore, the principle of the authority of the civil power, in regard to small seminaries, be re duced to its just limits, and all will be restored na turally; to order, because nothing, will..be compromis ed.. Let us endeavour to determine those limits with precision. "That th e •p r i nce oug ht t o h a ve, and tnat ne in fact has, over the ecclesiastical schools destined to perpetuate the priesthood, the superintendence and inspection necessary to secure public order, and maintain the right and honour of the Crown,--that he may require and execute by himself a reform of such abuses as affect civil order, — that he ought; eveh in the charact e r of Evequcs du dehor:, to .cpul pel the reform 'of abuses in the spiritual order, and lend the secular arm to maintain the Canonical rules, there can be no doubt. Let.hitn-b6 free to grant or to refuse to these' establishments pro tec ti on , pritti leges, favours, with the view of p romotivg . the pro gress of the f a i t h, in tontrNuting to p erpetuate the .' ministers of the Go s p el. Reli g ion i s not kngrAte . fill, and will render•jiim a hundredfold f or t he of his munificence, N ot only gratitude and affectiou, but also devotion and services. Thus let the cede- , siastical schools receive a sanction which Tilly enable them to enjoy all die advantages of which all the other establishments legally recognized are in pos session;—let them have the power. ,of acqmring; selling, possessing, &c. ; —let these itilvfmtages Le granted to them only on certain conditions, without the fulfilment of which they may not enjoy them. There is nothing in all this which exceeds the po litical power, or invades the spiritual : beyond this, usurpation is to be feared—it is, indeed, very near. " To pretend, for example, - that no school., de stined to form men to piety and the' sacerdotal sci ence, and virtu es , can ex i s t w ithout the authority of I the Prince; . that-the Bishops, Subjected in other re spects to all the laws, cannot collect together the young Samuels whom the Lord calls from infancy to, the holy ministry, in order to render them more. tit for the serviee of the altar and the tabernacle ; that they should not have the liberty of confiding the education, the direction, the instruction of this dear 1 and precious tribe to masters whom they should .judge most skilful and most capable of guiding them -through many dangers to the period of their pro bation ; that they cannot bless and multiply this house of prophets, is to desire to enslave the Church in that respect in which she is most independent; it is to impair thu rights of her divine mission; it is audaciously to contradict those words which ' have been regarded throughout all nations ' Go and teach;' it is. to falsify the history of the Church. In the midst of persecution it wa,s.free to form its clergy in prisons and in catacombs. In granting peace to the Church, the Emperors did not subject to their regulations the schools and monasteries whence she culled 'the hope of her priesthood, and if they some times interfered, it was only by protection, . by their liberality in things purely temporal. Since that period the Church haS not been able, to divest her self of rights confided to her by her divine founder. If she accepts the favours of princes en condition of some privileges which touch .her . spiritual .functions, - as the right of nomination, patronage, &c., she may take engagements froth them, she may impose them Upon herself, but she receives then] not ; she fulfils them, but in that she obeys herself alone. " And let no one say that the question here re lates to instruction in profane learning, which is the province of the civil power,—let it he remarked, that the question concerns ecclesiastical schools; where this instruction is but accessory, which, after all, religion-can do without; and that the principal, which . supersedes all the rest, is plainly the province of the spiritual authority. The ordinances them ' selves establish this' difference. The first ordains (article 2d),.' . That no'one can remain in charge, either of direction or instruction, in any of time houses of education dependent .upon the Univer- . Sity,' and it adds, ' or in one of the ecclesiastical se condary schools.' The distinction is a formal one, yet all are there placed under the, same authority. -" The second ordinance goes farther still, and is still more express. There is not even any precau-. tion taken to leave in it the means of defence against the charge of a palpable usurpation. There is not even the pretext derived from the instruction in profane literature; for article Gth,of this ordinance does not require the consent of the civil power far professors who teach profane learning in, the schools, but for the superiors or directors specially charged -with thu.knowledge„ culture, and close examination of the ecclesiastical vocation, and with forming pu pils to piety, knowledge, religion, and all the virtues necessary to this holy calling : whence it follows that it -is the very essential of the ecclesiastical schools, and that which properly belongs to the ' Bishops which it seems to be intended to participate with them. "No doubt this is not intended. We even be lieve that•the facilities which will be afforded for obtaining the assent of the civil poWer will reduce this formality alMost to nothing; but even this for mality may become dangerous by being a command. Systemschange with men, and that which has for its object the enslavement of the church,—which has .already, , within a very short time, gained in= portant advantages over her,—might, some day be extended to-the demand of other concessions,' if a strict watch be not kept ever its exaggerated pre:- tensions. According to this expose it follows, in the first place, that the ordinances which have been. decreed respecting the small schools have had the effect of' giving to them a legal existence, and with this all the civil and temporal advantages which accompany it ; that .they may also secure to them assistance, endowments, and . establishment:;; but this does nothing for their existence, properly so called, be cause that is the result of the, divine mission by which the bishops, conforming themselves to the laws of the land in other respects, have the right to secure and to perpetunte;the preaching of the .Gos pel, the administration of .the sacraments , and the • . other. advantages -of a ministry which has for its ob ject the salvation of souls. The manner of exercis ing this right, or rather of fulfilling 'this duty, may be different, according to times and circunistances; but its exercise does not belong the lesS to the bishops it should riot be contested with them. " It will be useless to say that formerly there were no small schools, or that, if there were, they were not similar to those now in existence. ..If that were true; the right of the Bishops, could not be weakened by its lion-exercise, and no prescriptive right could he claimed:on that ground; but it is by no means ad mitted that there.have been no small schools ; on the contrary, it may be proved, by the most authentic records, that the church and the state had. formerly recognized them, and even recommended their esta blishment.* It follows in the second plaCe, from the principle laid down, that the pupils aspiring .to the sacred ministry should be received, examined, selected, and directed in their vocation; that their number, their qUalificatiOns, those of the. masters who direct, in struct, and . conduct them in. this celestial path, should all be regulated by spiritual authority. It would be an attack on ,the independence of the church; it would be imposing restraints and con ditions wholly inconsistent with her liberty, in the choice of those whom she is charged to select for the work of the Lord, and of those conductors whom she considers most skilful in bringing this work to perfection.. , " It ,follows also, that if the secular power believed that it possessed the authority to refuse or withhold. these favours, privileges, and all the advantages of a legal existence, even the power of teaching profane literature., from priests, who individually or col lectively adhere for, their private government to the rules of a congregation, or an order of which the law does not recognize the existence, it could not still exclude those priests from teaching in the ecclesi astical schools for this fact alone, at a moment when selected by the bishops,, and submitted in every thing to the jurisdicton of the ordinary, like all other priests of the diocese, they are intrusted with that teaching and that 'direction. , " The Bishops, then, have a right to infer, and they do ' i so almost unanimously, that it appears to th ern'repu o g r t , : t a i nt to conscience to submit for the .sw-tetion of the King the nomination of superiors and directers tion is centrariv4 small schools, because their obliga tion Bishops eirgtolott tthoeefntjlolyaiTltheendtiiir.eeCldiboenrioyf"t'hheicSie establishment s , object. Is theretat n acc i ount of their very nattirt and the spiritual autho r i ty Itilulw.uhieichrigbhetlooncgsexlnorienintgo the vocation.of those candidates who asp ire to the p r iesthood, to form th em to sacerdotal virtues, which e choi ce o f men fit to make stic i( i i , eri ex Cl a Y m il in lc u l t u io :e l, to jud ge pf these vocations, and to foim them to those virtues? .}low, eci.kaerearl; tl::: v could otild the Bishops recognize in . civil thorny the power of accepting or rejectin g men whose - duties o f a spiritual th i ‘ t v° n ' o li t 6 b b e e a " r ' e h co oli g y nition of this power if they contri buted to airy into execution the ,ixth article of the second of these ordinances. " If it be objected that the bishops have already submitted to similar formalities as far us regards t h e nomination of vicars-general,. canons, and curates, it is easy to answer, that, as far, us respects curates, that they act in virtue ,ef a , formal clause of the Con cordat of 1801, and of course by the. express con sent of the Sovereign Pontiff, who, when the good of religion requires it, may restrain the exercise of that full and entire liberty which Jesus Christ has' * See the Council of Trent, seilcion 23, cap. 18, 131 °' 3 edition; the Ordinances of Louis XIV: ; and F'leury's sth Dibcourse on Ecclesiastical History'. given to his church—a permission which exceeds the power of a bishop with respect to those sacred rights of which he is only the depositary. As to_the vicars-general arid canons, it is known that this ap proval, imposed much later under a despotic Govern ment and by a snspicious , power, is looked upon as only a mere formality, which has. no . more influence in any respect on the canonical institution than it has on the exereise of the power whielt it confers; the necessity for the Royal sanction for the superiors or directors ofs.the small schools being once admitted, the refusal of that sanction might throw those pre cious establishments into disorder, and evert be the means of their entire ruin. " The Bishops . conclude, -secondly, that it does not appear to Ahem possible to ,reconcile with that holy and full independence which they ought to en joy in the organization of their ecclesiastical schools, the obligation to demand individual declarations on the part of the directors and superiors whom they appoint. A bishop cannot deprive himself of the power of laying down a special rule for the directors and superiors of these small schools, of subj ec ti ng them even to vows for their private, regulation, of establishing , also a kind of congregation, in order that more piety and more harmony amongst Priests deStined to form the morals of their pupils to ,sacer dotal perfection—to make them observe a strict rule towards their pupils—to edify them by all sorts of good examples—to inspire them, and render them familiar with the love of self-denial, obedience, and poverty, and other evangelical counsels, the practice of which; to a certain extent, is so necessary to in sure the fruits of the sacred ministri. Is there any thing more spiritual in . its nature than a religious congregation, considered purely is such, and sepa rated froth all legal existence ? If bishops could recognize in the secular authority the right of giving or refusing to a religious eongregution this legal ex istence, it Could not recognize the right of refusing to the spiritual authority the right of sanctioning, establishing, and directing congregations whollY spi ritual; of employing their .members in functions equally spiritual, and consequently of forming young minds to science and ecelesiastical Virtues, ' ,But the execution of the second article of the first ordinance would be a recognition of thiS authority in the - civil power;. for that article forbids generally, without any distinction, the employment in the direction or teaching of the secondary ecclesiastical schools every man belonging to a congregation nut, legally esta bliShed in France. - " In the third place,-Bishops conclude that they cannot conscientiously co-operate in any 'active manner in carrying into effect the first and third arti cles of the second ordinance, which limits the number of pupils in the secondary ecclesiastical schools, and Which excludes from them day scholars, because that would be in some degree to limit vocations, and to throw obstacles in the way of a grace, of which, on the contrary, it ought to be their wish, by every means in their power, to favour the progress and secure the end. That they should passively submit to measures which prohibit young men called to the priesthood from entering their secondary schools, is all that can be required of 7 them; but it would be unworthy of their character to employ themselves in repelling them from the sanctuary, or in driving them from the path which conducted thither, .under the pretext that the number was already too great,' or that not having the mean's of 'paying the required pension, they could only visit the schools as day. scholars. It would be equally contrary to the duties of Bishops to recognize by any.positivieo-operation a right fatal to religion, particularly at a period when the scarcity of priests is the great affliction of the church, and when it must be admitted that the edu cation given in the lay schools is such in general that ecclesiastical vocations would want the means of becoming known. Besides, the secular power is not a competent judge of how far the wants of the church extend, or of the extent to which they should be relieved. " Sire,—ln support of the motives which the Bishops have the honour ;o lay before your Majesty, to justify a conduct "whiCh will probably.be repre sented as a revolt - against your authority, they might invoke that civil liberty and thtit religious toleration, conseciated by institutions Which we owe to your Illustrious Brother, and what your Majesty has likewise sworn to maintain. But they do not wish io enter into a questioii of public right, the maxims and consequences of which are not yet well esta blished, respecting which 'even the most able are divided in opinion, and which would plunge them in a discussion liable to be extended and contracted according to times and systems perpetually.ruoving, perpetually varying. " They have examined, in the secret of the sanc tuary, in presence of the Sovereign Judge, and with that prudence and siMPlicity which have been en. joined them by their Divine Master, what.they owe to Caesar as well as what they owe to God ;' their coniciencehas replied, that it is better to obey God than may, when the obedience which they owe pri marily to God Cannot consist with that which men demand of them. They do not resist; they do not utter tumultuously harsh words; they do not express imperious resolutions; they content themselves with - declaring reapecifully, as the apostles did, non pos sumus—w6 cannot; and we conjure your Majesty to remove an impossibility always so grievous to the heart of a faithful subject towards a King satenderly loved. " Hitherto we have considered, in the new ordi nances; miry what they'aPpear to contain contrary to the liberty of the ecclesiastical ministry, relative to the education of the clergy, and the perpetuity of the priesthood ; hut, Sire, we should net be satis fied with one of the dtitieS which your Majesty loves that we especially should fulfil towards you,, that of stating the truth without disgyise, if we were silent with regard to, the other fatal consequences which those ordinances may occasion to religion. Pastors of the flock of JesuS Christ, our solicitude ought not to be confined to forming guides, which may be destined to condtict theM under our direction t o th e pastures of eternal 'life. The care of the fold at large concerns us; and it would be an unpardonable error and illusion in us if we supposed.that we had discharged all the call's of our pastoral oilice so long as we'had neglected nothing to secure good priests for our churches. It is doubtless the first and most essential of our obligations,. for which we cannot make too great sacrifices. But whatever can have any,influence upon the sanctification of souls, de nim& likewise constant vigilance, attentioni.and efforts. " Besides, it is hut too manifest that the dis positions orthe ordinances, pretending .to interdict rigorously the access of our ecclesiastical scholars to a certain class of the faithful not destined to the priesthood, will be most fatal to the faith and . to morals. We say, it with pride, and without wishing to depreciate any of the public institutions, ,in our seminaries the milk of pure doctrine flows always pare and abundant; precautions to preserve spotless 'the innocence of early youth are carried so far, that we aspire to present before the holy altars a,sacer dotal virginity alone; respect .for: the laws, love for the monarch, and fidelity to all : the other duties of social life are taught, developed, inculcated there, with so much the more energy upoa the hearts and mindS, in that we have to , form men who, will be obliged by their . contrition to preach all their life the knowledge of those duties, and command the prac tice of them in the name of ,Heaven. The virtues in which pupils are there exercised are so much the more solid, in that they ought to sustain the honour of them by the most courageous example. With what alarm, then, ought not religion to be seized i What tears has she not to shed in learning of the order Which excludes for ever from the protection of its lessoni . the Children of so many honourable families, which would have wished to confide to a vigilance more maternal what is most dear to them, and what is often most precious to the state! But how much must this alarm be augmented, hOw much more bitter must be those tears, when it sees repelled from public instruction those masters who are the most capable of forming youth to the virtues of Chris tianity, when they are not even considered as the most able to teach profane learning! Already she cannot have beheld, without uttering the deepest' sighs, the'use of the authority she ought to exer cise over the education of children, weakened, re strained, and almost reduced to a mere vote of con sultation. She could not but be affected rat thenew humiliation which she has been made to untie*, in withdrawing from her the confidence whiclOthe late King had shewn to her some years before. Her fears must redouble with her grief, since shelaw removed, with so many precautions, from the rising generation, those indefatigable and zealous precep tors of youth, which she always reckoned amongst her .most powerful auxiliaries. • " We do not carry our reflections further, although they occur in numbers. As Frenchmen, we would nor recriminate upon .our age, nor against the sys tem of 'education organized in our country. As bishops, we ought to be attentive to the perils which Surround youth who are the hope of the Church and the State. If we are not allowed to preserve them wholly from all the dangers which threaten there, we ought to desire, and urgently to demand, that the salutary means f diminishing their num ber, and weakening their effect, ought not to be rejected. " Sire, however piofound the affliction of the bishops to find themselves under the painful neces sity of, perhaps, vexing your Majesty, in asking that some modifications may be introduced into the mea sures which you have ordered, which may dissipate their apprehensions, they console themselves never theless, and are'encouraged by the belief, that these measures have not been adopted without regret, and in the persuasion, that if they can be allied to the duties of Christianity, they are indispensable on ac count of the rigour of the times. They do not de ceive themselves in hoping that the councils of your Majesty, more enlightened by the observations of the episcopacy, will hasten to propose such modifica tions as may satisfy. at once what is.required by the sovereign dighity, the authority of conscience, public peace, and the too-long-continued sufferings of re ligion. Yes, Sire, all the Bishops of France now solicit of your Majesty a remedy, for the evils of which they jointly,bear the burdensome Weight, and not merely a few isolated bishops, who seek to elude an approaching misfortune. If there are any among them, howeVer few their number, .who differ in opi nion in regard to the conduct to be pursued in these difficidt circuinstances, there is not one who does . not participate in 'the sentiments of common tine- . don, and who does not firmly believe that the piety of the son of St. Louis will not . repulse the respect ful complaint which the whole episcopacy presumes to address to him. " Once more, Sire: the Bishops of your king dom find themselves obliged to defend thus, by their supplications at the foot of the throne, the sacred cause of their churches against the invasions of the secular power, placed in the hands of those ancient bodies, respectable 'as they are, and Useful to the monarchy, but which, unfortunately for religion 'and for the state, haVe sometimes thought themselves justified in subjecting to their jurisdiction the autho rity of the prince and that of the pontiffs: thus uniting - in - 7 the - same hand the sword of justice, the pastoral crook, and the Royal sceptre. The episco pacy; then protected by its privileges, sustained by its credit, placed by its social situation in a perfect independence, contended, in some measure, with equal 'arms with the magistracy; it was allowed to it to unite in one and the same act all its means, and to sustain with advantage the attacks against the in dependence of its character. Then, Sire, it suppli cated, it implored the aid of the'SoVereign authority,' it always addressed it with a - dignity full of respect, and was alWays listened to with kindness, and often. with success. At the present day; deprived of its ancient resources, dispersed without being able to act easily in concert, bue nevertheless invested with the same spiritual rights, and responsible for the pre judice which its negligence or weakness may occa sion, it still supplicates; and the voice of its prayers and its tars will be so much the more poWerful with the Most Christian King, since 'there' exists uo longer any pretence of suspecting the Bishops of a wish to employ other means of prevailing upon him. " lf, notwithstanding this situation, humble and respectful, capable of reducing to silence the most imprudent tongues, there are still foUnd men who tlare to paint our zeal and urgency in the colours of revolt, and traduce us before France and . your Ma jesty as rebellions subjects; exalting, then, our tut , minuted forehead, We- would repel with a just indiy -nation such odioUs calumnies; we would together re peat with - confidence those expressions of fidelity which Our predecessors carried in former times at. the foot of the throne of your august grandfather, at the conclusion of . one of those: general assemblies, the renewal of which is so imperatiVely' called for by ecclesiastical discipline, - and the 'dearest interests of religion ; we Would tell You, Sire, that 'in the midst of the evils which afflict us, your prosperity • and your glory are the subject of our most tender ' and lively acclamations; that to support and defend the sacred rights of your crown will always be to us - the object of a noble and holy jealousy ; that the more anxiously we feel obliged to cherish the liberty of a ministry which cannot be essentially ravished from us, the more we think ourselves engaged to set an example of submission ; that this obligation will ever serve only to carry to a further extent our obe dience, and impart to it the more merit; that ao person can give us a dispensation of the slightest duties of a true Frenchman ; and, lastly, that in this kingdom, where your Majesty is everywhere chc ri.s;hed and revered, we know no enemies of him but those.who charge us with being such, and who omit • no opportunity of denying our res?ects for him, our love, and our unshaken fidelity,' " FOREIGN• INTELLIGENCE. FRENCH 'PAPERS. .(Froilfthe Gazette' de France, dated August 20.) VIENNA, AUG. 9.---The mail from Odessa of 27tli July has arrived here, but brings nothing of iMpOrtance. It was merely known at Odessa that great preparations were making in the arniy, partly to attack in‘front, and partlY to turn . the fortified camp at Chumla, and that nothing decisive had taken place since the news from the head-quarters a fortnight before Letter's from Gallaez addressed to mercantile houses in this . city, agree in these state ments ; and the accounts from : the frontiers announc ing-with mud' eon'fidenco a, few days ago that the anip l atjC;hurnl4 had been stormed by the Rassians,, turdi out to be premature, . though the persevering valour at the Russians.,the presence of the EMperor, and the superior force with which they will attack this important point, promise them here also brit- Brut succesS. Prince Philip, of liessetionfbilig, who is going to the Russian head -quarters, arrived at Gallaez the 22d July._ - - - Count Leon Poloski, xvho was to go t►s Russian Ambassador to Lisbon, 'and who Was on his way to his destination, has arrived lyre ; but on account of the late events in Portugal, is induced to wait for ftirther- instructions. Li GHORN, AUG. 6.--An Austrian Captain, who has arrived here in thirty days frOm Alexandria, reports that at the time of his departure thirty transports were getting ready in all haste to fetch the troops of Ibrahim from the Morea, . PARIS, AUG. 19.—The Prince of Saxe Coburg, after staying some days at Paris, has set out to re turn to Germany. (From the Journal des Debuts.) PARIS, AUG. 19.—The Russian army has only made itelf master of one fortress—brail. The other towns which fell into its power were unable to r esist ; but if it takes Chumla, it will find little dif ficulty from the riefiles of the Balkan. The Turks will be forced to - retreat rapidly in Thrace, and to unite under the walls of Constantinople. Bourgas and Adrianople cannot be defended. From Adrian ople aßtissian cor p s d'a rm e e w ill b e sent to t h e Dardanelles, to make itself master of this passage, arid" facilitate the entrance of Admirals Heyden and Seniavue in the Propontides. The arrival of this fl e et off Constantinople will render the comMunica- - tion of the Turks with Asia very difficult, and the supply of the capital almost impossible, and will con tri bute to the reduction of the fortresses of the Bospho rus, while the fleet from Sebastopol will use all its exertions to get out of the Black Sea and effect a junction with the fleet from the Mediterranean.— Asia Minor, preiised by the army of Gen. Paskewitsch, will not be in a condition to give much succour to the Ottonian - ympire, which will only be defended by despair, and the religious fanaticism of the Maim- : in dons. The forest of Belgrade, to the north of , the Bosphorus, supplies a strong position for an army desirous of covering this passage and diSturbing the troops appointed to besiege Constantinople. In that spot the, fate of Turkey will be decided. Will vic torious Russia content herself with uniting, ender an independent Prince Moldavia and Wallachia, With ; obtaining a pecuniary compensation, and with secur- : ing the free passage of the Bosphorus and the Dar danelles to its ships? The situation of Constanti- I nople is eminently one for defensive as well as offers- 1 sive war. Situated between two vast continents, this city domineers over both; she preserves Europe, and commands Asia; the port of Bysance will be the the seat of a great maritime power; the Black Sea will carry to it the wood of the North of Europe and - of the Caucasian mountains, iron, hides, hemp, and Russian tars. A few years will enable them to con struct a sufficient number Of ships of all sizes, pro tected against all attacks, and even all danger, by the closing of the passage of the Dardanelles. The 7 -Russian peasants .may be instructed in navigation and in evolutions in. the Propontides, and in the Euxine Sea, in order afterwards to sail into the Me diterranean, of sach a strength as the Government shall command. The Emperor is yet young, active,, and enterprizing, the head of a nation now the most powerful on earth, and may in a short time rival the maritime porter of England, and if they should unite, what will beCome of Europe ? Old enmities and hatreds. reason wrong. Before such great dan gers, envious suspicions must disappear; becanse .we must attend to the general danger; and assur ances of moderation must not lull us to sleep. .If only an advantage and reasonable compensation he sought, they may be obtained ,by negoeiation at Adrianople. From the centre of this town laws may be dictated, and very severe laws. But if nothing stops the Conqueror; if he follows up his victories, his projects. are evidenthe 'will proceed straight-fOrward to execute the am bitious plans of Catherine ; he • will : take no ac count of the too well-founded uneasiness of. Europe; and he will enslave it one day, at no distant period; the independence of civilized nations is then threatened ; they may yet defend it ; but they have no time to lose in uniting and concerting measures, in. order to make the young Autocrat hear reason. If he is deaf to its voice, if he force the people of the West to take up arms, they will know how to save their dynasties, their wealth, their institutions, their lands. We hive a more consoling hope. Rus sia not despise the council of prudence, and the' Emperor Nicholas will acquire more pure and more grand objects by opposing to fears and malignant imputations a noble denial.. At present the King 'of France gives a memorable example of disinte restedness and generous policy. His armies march, and his fleets sail to deliver Greece. Her treasures are employed with this glorious object. No ambitious view whatever disgraces this wise enterprise. Let its break the fetters of the Eastern Christians—let us give them a country released by us•---let them be long to themselves, so that they may govern . freely and without restrictions the .eountry of their birth ; will Russia be less generous to her co-religionists, or has she taken up arms only to turn them against more free countries and provinces ? (From the Couritr Francais.) TOULON, AUG. 13.7--TUE EXIEDITIGN.—SitIee yesterday the preparations have been carried on with double activity; five Regiments of Infantry are em barked, and the orders from Paris being pressing, General Maison has signified his intention Of going to sea on the 16th, in the morning, without waiting for the 3d Chasaeuts, who at first received orders to be at Toulon only by the 18th, but to whom fresh_ orders have been sent to hasten their march as much as possible. All the sailors and soldiers are glad. They are not ignorant that they are going into a country where nothing is to be gut, but the object of the expedition pleases all the military; The town is full Of soldiers; there are no lodgings to he got, and many families are still expected frOm Mar seilles to behold the, spectacle. . M. Febvier, engineer, of Samos, sailed this morn-. ing, in the Rusebrig of war. General Maison is to. go in the Me de Marseille, with M. Vollant, and. the - Chief and Sub-Chief of his Staff, General So bestiani is onboard the Amphitrite, with Colonels Cubieres,:Salperwick, d'lson, and Faudoas. Gene ral Ilugonet sails in the Iphignie, with Colonels Rulhiere, and Laseerne. The first portion will con sist of 9,000 men. General Schneider wilt organize his brigade, which will immediately follow. \Vc know from our subsequent telegraphic despatches, that the fleet sailed on the 174 h. PARIS, AUG. 19.--When the Church is crying out persecution, it will not be uninteresting to as certain what the Catholic religion has cost , the coun try since the restoration. The result of such an examination will probably make the complaints of that Church more ridiculous than the articles of the Moniteur. Our statement tire drawn from official sources. The Budget voted for the Catholic faith , from 1815 to 1829, amountedin 1815 to 11;380,000, francs; in 1816, to 10,400,000 francs; in 1817, to ,20,700,000; in 1818, 22,000,000, and so on gra dually increasing , till the Budget., for 1829, which contained for' the Catholic faith a charge of 35,610,000, and making in 15 years the sum total of 382,600,000_ francs voted-for this faith. We do not see the necessity of this rapid increase. We suppose, however, that a great increase in the num ber of persons belonging to this faith has tended to increase the large amount of annual credits. The Ecclesiastical Militia of France shall no* be com pared as it was in 1817, and at present. , • 1817. 1829.- No. Salaries. No. Salaries. Central Administration 60,000.. •—• .. 386,000 Cardinals 5 98,250... 5 ... 150,000 _ _ _ . - - Archbishops. Bishops Chapter of St. Denis 22..•175,000... 46 ... 200,000 Vicars General 109 —168,000...174 ... 365,000 Canons 415 ... 6,240...660 .. 1,003,000 Totals 596 .1,670,730 965 3,513,500 Towhichweniust aild,Cure, &c. 25,333 14,056,937 29,904, 2,748,050 • Thus ten years had added a fifth to the number.of Catholic Priests in France. In 1517, each Cure had on an average, 540 f.; and in 1828 each one has 6901. It has increased, therefore, a fifth; while each member of the aristocratic part of the priest hood has-his revenue increased from 2,7801. in 1817, to 3,690 f., or more than one third. In 1825, 1,796,836 f. were appropriated to preserve power, Sze. of the Archbishops. In 1817, the article tecours was 60,000 f.; thiS year it is upwards of one-third of a million. The bursaries for seminaries, which in 1825 and 1826, amounted to 925,000 f., amount now to '1';200,000f. without. including the new credit ,of 1,200,0001. granted by a law not included in the current budget. FRENCII FUNDS, PARIS, AUG.. 19.—Five per Cents. 1071. 20e. Four per Cents. 991. 25e. Three per Cents. 72f. 60c. ; Bank Stock, 1,670 f. Fonuun FUNDS.—Neapolitan Rentes, Falc. Cer. 76f. 35c. Royal Spanish Loan, V?. Spanish Perpetual Annuities, 481. Haytian Loan, 622 f. 50c. DUTCH PAPERS. FRANKFORT, AUG. 15.—Since the 2:3d of Jltly we have no further accounts from the Russian camp before Sebumla. HAMBURGII. AUG. I.s.—We learn from - Berlin that the .sth and 6th corps of the Prussian army will go into camp on the 18th instant, near Zobtenbcrg, in Silesia, to be exercised as usual at this season. HAGUE, Ave.. 18.--=The ceremony of the baptism of the young Princess of the Netherlands was per formed to-day in the mariner laid down in the pro gramme. The streets and squares through which LONDON. FRIDAY EVENING, AUGUST 22, 1828. The French Papers of Tuesday, and the Ga: zette (IC France of Wednesday have been re' ceived. They do not contain any news froo the army, though the accounts from Odessa dated the 27th July, being five days after ib c time when the strong position of Schumla 015 reP9:lcd to have been carried. All that' known amounted to nothing further than Wh at Was previously announced, merely that the Rt °''. sians were concentrating their forces, prepar4o to storming the Turkish entrenched camp. The French Session of ParliameHt closed CI I'.tonday last, by Royal Proclamation. T he French differ in this respect from have no speech, and perhaps it is just as we ll for most of the spe , ..:clies with which we ar e acquainted endeavour to say nothing, o r ratb ef , so to disguise m a tt ers , t h at peop l e : are o f t e n lei:: the dark, and completely puzzl?d in recourillob the procession had to pass was crowded withl tators, who loudly manifested their respect av, tachment to their Majesties and the Royal Farr SEmLIN, AUG. 5.-3Thhomed Pacha had gelled the Bosnian troops, who came from dig tresses in Servia, to retreat into the interior 0 1 province, but they returned some days after' passed the Duna, below Zworniek, and fell of camp of Mahomed Pacha. The next slay the assembled his troop, again attacked the insurl and obliged them to repass the Duna. They formed a camp at IValeero, whence they havg emissaries throughout the whole country to per all the Bosnians to join them. Up to.the 18th the insurgents were still at Waken), without h been attacked by the • Turkish troops. It re conject tired that the Bosnians have a greater foi their di - Tosal than the Turks, and that the: force the latter to abandon Bosnia, and that the; then join the Bosnian. insurgents who are in S AMSTERDAM, AUG. 19.—Exchange on Lo 12.05; two months, 11 97g. SMYRNA, JULY 12.—Answer of Count C minot to the letter which the Reis Effendi add to him on-the 28th of May:— "Corfu, June " Sir—l hasten to acknowledge the reeei your Excellency's letter, in which yon e xprt the name of the Sublime Porte, a wish "to so Ambassador of England and myself return diately to Constantinople, to arrange with you amicable manner the affairs on which we were iogvOth you before our departure from that Car, I might confine myself to replying to your l , eellency,, that the Emperor, 4- my august ra, having fully approved that departure, and judge, we did the reasons that had unhappily renderei necessary; I could not accede to your invitation t,,fr out having previously re ce i ve d th e o r d er of hia:j perial Majesty. But this answer would be ipc`l plete, and I should not fulfil the duties which fret' ship reposes in me, if I did not add, thstsl air c', winced the dignity of my Court will never per& to send me such an order so long as the Subf Porte declines to accede to the proposals: which Ambassador of England, the Envoy of Russia, $ myself, have presented to it at Constantinople , must also siiy, that the alliance, by virtue of vvb those proposals were made, still subsists in an, fOrce, that it is indiss o lubl e ; that the war wP', Russia has undertaken for grievances ofits own, not weakened the obligations of it; mid that 1 three representatives, if I am well informed of,' intentions of their august Monar c h s , w ill ne ver less be all equally able to treat with the Divan the paCification of' Greece, on :the,. bases ‘ c whielt•• it is acquainted, as soon as it should 15 ' announced to them its adherence to those bases. " I have now only •to appeal again to the t dente of the Sublime Porte, and to a more 3. r , appreciation of the interest of the Ottoman en'r The Divan pretends to support a weight the end; will crush it. Its preservation is cere wish of the Powers of Europe; but the zation of this wish is no longer in -their power.„, depends entirely on t h e P o rte itself. Let the v t - li vernment of his highness reflect at leugth'on. do recent and gross errors of its policy,: let it oref l o, eyes to the light of the councils o f p ur e friod% l c i If the warnings of the* meat Melancholy .eetperl e o , ffi do not suce s to convince it, let it study in the ts',6 per of its people the rule of its duties, and the Ppo it ought to follow. This is the • sure means 01 longer deceiving itself. 1116 I will not dWeLI on. theaffiicting 'picture o sufferings of th e 'empire—of its heed Of pefi ce o 6 of its inertness which calls for it, and Which' Pl cc , render palpable cause to 'the most blind in exi= lo of this event. • . • ' • • : " You will not confess 'it, I know, bitt doubt that you judge of it as I do. At least 1 ` s he believe so, that nu'y not yet entirely renouuc e , consolatory hope of the .speedy return of the b :,,(1 lime Porte to more just ideas. of, its :grandeur , . 4 0 of the only mode of conduct which can conselw the edifice of its power now 'so violently shakirliPd • " I have the honour to renew to your Excel the:ouii assurances. Smyrna, es• cif my cconsidera : tiOl b , f " Count de GUILLEMINOT: _ h o The Prussi an State Gazette to th e 17t' r,. August has no news from the. Russian head-quote it The St. Petersburgh papers to the .sth of Aug arc likewise without news. - • - It is the etiquette. at ConStantinople'for the A0.. 0 0 o sador6 of the Christian Powers to style their SoyereG " Imperial Majesty."—Frankfort courier. . riticEs OF TrOCKS Tqls Batik !Rock - --- , 3 per Cent.. lied. 577 'B, 3 leer Cent. Cons . 87!.4 9 , 6 . 3 per Cen I LtllyA I)ittl Red ' 9( 45% 1 IK:r Cent. New Ditto. ltitil) - - Bank 1.. Ann. India Stock...—. ............ --. Ditto Bonds lO7 105 pm. DA.Y AT ONE O'CLOCC . •••• South Sea St' ............ •': •••' Old Annutt as ........ New Ditto .............' .... r" 0 , Ex. Gills , , £I,OUO 2d. 71 p Ditto MO 2d. 7 3 Ditto Small Ditto Cotontercial.... ..... Bank for Account • ........ „./ India for Account ........ 4, Cons. for Ac. PRICES OF FOREIGN FUNDS Austrian Bends, 5 lie) cent. Prazilian Bonds • Buenos Ayres Bends Milan Boosts, 8 pet ct. Colombian Bends Ditto, 1824 Ilanish 3 per cent. 62! Greek lieu& ........... Ditto, !.825 Guatunala Mexican Bonds Do. 1625 - • Tills DAY AT ONE O'Cl' ° Neapolitan, 1824 .......... •'' Peruvian Bonds .............. oPorttiguese Bends .....••••', Prussian, 5 per cent. .... •••• 10 0 Ditto, New ................... RUSE lan, New . .............. 1 1 Spanish, l 8•1 I ............ . ..... • ...... ..... French Rented, 5 p. C. --- Exchange...... 3 per cent...... 7 ‘ t t 30c• E xchange.... 'l^j;;----- riticEs OF SHAKES THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOa• :00 re. Paid.. Pet 1 9? Bolanos Mining Co. £2.90 Brazilian Imp. Win. Co. (tss. at W. pm.) £lOl e 4 • United Alex. Min. Co. (list. at 21. pin.) :IS 2034 ;1 Provincial Bank of Ireland 25 ___:--' -' PRICES OF IRISH STOCI iiank Stock . - -1 Consols, S per cent. Go*. Stock, 3% per cent.... 94% Ditto ' New t per Cent. 101 4 Goy. Deb. per cent. Royal Canp.lStock ..... :193. Grand Canal Stock City Viet). 4 per cent -- Ballast Office Deb. 4 tr. et- - .AUO• 19 . St. Patrick ]near. (per sti , Royal Irish Ditto ............. -. National Ditto ....-.. ..... ••• Patriotic Ditto ...........••••'• Hibernian Bank ............ Provincial Ditto . ............. Royal Irish Mine ......... •••• Imperial Mine .. . ..-.••••"" ‘2",i Mining Co. of irefand • .... :••• Commercial MA. Arrived. Due. m 0 O lira:zit 0 O Buenos Ayres 1 Dublin O Flanders 0 1 France O Gottenburgb O Guernsey'SL Jersey O, [LS. DO ( ' Arrived. O Hamburgh ............ O Holland ............••• 0 (I Jamaica .............. • 0 O Leeward Islands .•• 0 Lisbon .............•...• 0 O Malta ........ „... ..... Mexico ... ... .... 0 Waterford . . ... «•.1 ZILCH WAWA AT LANAI Mnrnieg... 2 minute* after 0. I BIUDQX TO-MORKON• ;keening ....35 minutes and ?„.r., 'kw) tr!--1 Apo. 1 TOT what do n event ingen acid which Th who, mally the P the .vi the oi the C the 1 cler.rt atnbit 1 igiou is the not v the re are p else. this ii creast The Sensit mean 13i shc daragc sary t marry Franc th e i, the g PeOpl ‘OdiCN 1 101 V ; dict Then hind this v may . mark chani chanj the ( will it be on ti will a th en Phis or fi Lion. then, Mini opp o is di! are, d'arl Bish Thrc reeed for tl /l ieto NOI 4 , the we a tnthi Nap) cord; Au rs ; from ail a tvhic peopi tvsef u thara tivii put t fulk l