The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-01-06 00:00:00

THE EMPEROR AND THE POPE

We give the following from the Joural des De'bats,
without vouching for its accuracy. It is a letter dated
Florence the 18th ult.:—
" The Emperor Nicholas arrived in this city at six
o'clock this morning. He travelled in a caleche with
Count Orloff. The Grand Duke had sent his chamber-
lain to meet the Emperor, and had prepared apartments
for him in the Pitti Palace; but his Majesty, wishing to
preserve a strict incognito, alighted at the Hotel d'ltalie,
which was placed at his disposal. The Grand Duke pre-
sented himself at the hotel at nine o'clock, to pay his res-
pects to the Emperor, who at the moment was sleeping,
and the Grand Duke withdrew without seeing him. Two
hours afterwards the Duke sent his Grand Master of the
Ceremonies to request the Emperor to accept a dinner at
the court, to be followed by a concert. The Emperor
declined all invitations and all honours, but expressed his
desire to dine with the family of the Grand Duke without
ceremony.

" During the day the Emperor proceeded in a hired
carriage, followed by a servant without livery, to pay a
visit to the Grand Duke. He wore the uniform of a
Hetman of the Cossacks, and was accompanied by Count
Orloff. The Emperor likewise visited Prince Paul of
Wurtemberg, without, however, entering his apartments,
but merely inscribed at the porter's lodge the name of
Count Orloff and that of General Rotnanoff.

" The two interviews that took place between the So-
vereign Pontiff and the Emperor Nicholas form the prin-
cipal topic of conversation in this city. There is nothing
official known on the subject. It is agreed on all hands,
however, that it was the Sovereign Pontiff who led the
conversation to the subject of religious affairs. His lan-
guage to the Czar was firm, affectionate, and severe, but
profoundly melancholy, and produced, it is raid, a strong
impression on the Emperor Nicholas. At his first inter-
view the Sovereign Pontiff had on his table two ukases
published by the Emperor, which his Holiness requested
should be revoked. These two ukases not only deprive
the civil power of all intervention with respect to the
jurisdiction of the religious affairs of the Christian com-
munities in Russia, and invest the Greek Russian clergy
with such jurisdiction, but they confer upon that body the
right, without appeal, of applying the penalties in such
matters, contrary to the ukases of Catherine 11. and the
Emperor Alexander.
" Toe Sovereign Pontiff, on taking leave of the Empe-
ror, handed him a note, in which were stated all the com-
plaints of the Holy See against the head of the Greek re-
ligion. The Emperor had requested his Holiness not to
derange himself for the purposa of p tying him a visit ;
and, in fact, the Pope did not visit the Emperor. Cardi-
nals Lambruschini, Bernetti, Acton, and Mezzofanti,
members of the papal government, were the only cardinals
who visited his Imperial Majesty. Cardinal Lambrus-
chir,i had several conferences with the Emperor, and with
Count Nesselrode, his Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Amongst the Roman prelates, three only—M. Marini,
Governor of Rome ; M. Antonelli, Treasurer ; and M.
Spada-Medici, President of Arms—paid their court to his
Majesty.
_ _

'• The Emperor, in his promenades through Rome, was
clad in a plain gray paletot, and was attended by an aide-
de-camp, dressed in plain clothes. Although he displayed
much generosity, and although he made several purchases
in statues, paintings, mosaics, and likewise bestowed much
money in works of charity, the Roman population gave
him in general a cold and not a very respectful reception.
I am assured that, particularly at the promenade of the
Pincio, where his carriage followed the file of equipages,
he was neither saluted with any exclamation, nor did the
pedestrians uncover their heads. This demeanour of the
Roman population appeared much to astonish the Em-
peror.

" The Emperor is to quit Florence to-morrow, or at
the latest on the 21st. His intention is to proceed
through Bologna to Venice, where he will pass a day, and
thence he will continue his route directly to Vienna. The
Grand Duke has placed at his disposal more than sixty
post-horses. Through a prudent precaution, the equi-
pages of the Emperor are divided into two trains, which
set out at several hours distance from each other, and
frequently by the most different roads. The persons of
his suite are ignorant by what road and in what carriage
the Emperor travels."
The Journal des Dibals adds the following details,
borrowed from a letter dated Rome, Dec. 18 :
" The eve of his departure the Emperor returned to the
Pope to pay a farewell visit. This last audience lasted
three-quarters of an hour. After an interchange of com-
pliments, the Sovereign Pontiff said to the Emperor—
' At this moment the eyes of the entire universe are fixed
upon us, and every Catholic is anxiously awaiting the re-
sult of our interview.' This result will shortly be made
known. The Pope will make it the subject of an address
to the Sacred College in the approaching Consistory,
which will take place in the month of January.
" 'But even at present, I can assure you,' adds our cor-
respqndent, that the Holy Father spobe truly like a
pope (father). The dignified and calm demeanour of the
venerable Pontiff—his language tinged with melancholy
and with unmeasu'ed firmness, made the strongest im-
pression on the mind of the Emperor. No person at
Rome doubts but that the Russian and Polish Catholics
will soon experience the beneficial effects of that august
intervention of the bead of the church with their temporal

sovereign.'
"On Sunday, the 14th, the Czar ascended the cupola
of Saint Peter, about twelve o'clock. A collation was
prepared for him there by order of the Major- Domo. He
accepted some refreshment, and proposed the health of
the Pope in the following terms—' To the health of the
Pope. May God preserve that venerable person, and
grant him all that he desires.' "