}

LXXXVI. 4.

The Offer by Government to the Irish Prelates, and their acceptance of a State Provision.

ANOTHER part of the arrangement, in 1799, between the Irish roman-catholic prelates, and lord Castlereagh, respected the provision to be made, by the state, for the Irish roman-catholic clergy.

To understand it, the reader should be informed, that the roman-catholic clergy of Ireland are supported by the contributions of their respective flocks, except in some instances, where the pious charity of individuals has established a permanent fund for the provision of clergymen attached to particular places, or to particular functions. Mr. Newenham, in the Appendix to his " View of the "Natural, Political, and Commercial Circum"stances of Ireland," has inserted a letter from a roman-catholic clergyman of the city of Cork, which gives a full and interesting view of the situation of the roman-catholic clergy in Ireland. It shows," the nature of their subsistence," to use the writer's own words, to be" precarious, unsatis"factory, and uncomfortable," as it depends on their receiving certain remunerations, on ordinations, marriages, and baptisms. It is obvious, that such a mode of payment of ecclesiastical dues must be extremely unpleasant both to the clergy and the laity an alteration of it had long been desired.

Not long before the period of which we are now speaking, the roman-catholic bishops of Scotland had solicited such a provision, in aid of the pittance left to them and their clergy from the confiscation of their property on the continent*. Mr. Pitt lent a compassionate ear to their distresses, and appropriated, from the public revenue, a yearly sum of money for their relief, and made a liberal donation to each of their seminaries. The sentiments of the see of Rome, on this act of munificence, were expressed in an official note, addressed to sir John Cox Hippisley, under the signature of cardinal Borgia, prefect of the congregation of Propagandá Fide, by the express command of the sovereign pontiff.

The meritorious and edifying conduct of the Irish prelates, on this delicate part of the negotiation between them and lord Castlereagh is thus mentioned by his lordshipt, "It is due, (he said), "to the roman-catholic bishops, at the same time, "to state, that government experienced, on their "part, every facility in the inquiries they had to "make; they furnished them freely, and without "the appearance of distrust, with every informa"tion they required. They showed, throughout "the discussion, an earnest disposition to conform "to any arrangements which might be proposed, "with a view to give confidence to the protestants,

• Debates in 1810, p. 28. The substance of the speech of sir John Cox Hippisley on seconding Mr. Grattan's motion in 1810, pp. 7, 8, 9, and 10.

+ Debates in 1810, p. 94.

"and which might not derogate from the prin"ciples of their own church. They acknowledged "that a moderate provision from the state, such as "had been extended to the presbyterian clergy in "Ireland, and to the roman-catholic clergy in "Scotland, would contribute much to the comfort "and respectability of their clergy; yet they al

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ways displayed an unaffected and disinterested "reluctance to receive exclusive benefits, which "might have the appearance of separating their "interests from those of the laity, and thereby impair their means of discharging, with effect, their "sacred functions."

LXXXVI. 5.

The degree of negative Power, in the appointment of Irish Prelates to their Sees, which, in these Negotiations, Government proposed to be conceded to the Sovereign.

WE shall close this account of the origin of the veto, with lord Castlereagh's exposition of the degree of negative power, which government wished to obtain, in the appointment of roman-catholic prelates in Ireland, and of the reasons, which made government think, that their obtaining it was desirable: "So far," these are his lordship's words, "was the negative intended to be given to the crown, from being considered, as carrying with "it, any direct control over the appointment of "their bishops, that the wish to have such a power was distinctly disclaimed on the part of govern

"actual nomination of a roman-catholic-bishop, " even by a temporal prince of a different church, "was, in itself, necessarily incompatible with the

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roman-catholic faith in Ireland, any more than in "Russia, or Prussia, (the nomination only ope-' "rating in the nature of a recommendation to the" pope ;)—but it was, of all others, precisely that (6 power, which government would have been most 'unwilling to charge itself with; incompetent as' they felt themselves, faithfully to administer such "trust, they were persuaded that direct patronage' "was unnecessary to the purposes, which alone "they had in view, in claiming any interference; "viz. the obtaining for the protestants, a security "that no person, thereafter, should be invested "with the functions of a roman-catholic bishop, of "whose character, as a loyal man and good sub

ject, the state was not previously satisfied. They "also knew, that direct appointments by the state were likely to create unnecessary jealousy, and "to deprive, in the same degree, the individual દ chosen, of the respect and confidence of those "committed to his care. If patronage had been really the object, it never could have been se"cured; but on the contrary it would have been defeated, by the open and avowed exercise of "such a power, as the proposed negative, by the "responsible servants of the crown. No such object "was looked to; and the persons, with whom govern"ment communicated, at the time, did perfectly "understand, and did justice to the principles, upon "which government acted.

Those, who had studied the public temper of Ireland, can best appreciate, how salutary would' "have been the effects of such an arrangement; "how much the protestants would have been con"ciliated and satisfied, if the government were' "intrusted with the means of excluding dangerous' "men from the exercise of such important powers; " and how much the roman-catholic clergy might "be improved, if they grew up in such commu"nication with the state, under which they lived, "as to feel that it was not less their interest, than' "their duty to maintain, at all times, a reputation "for loyalty and fidelity. Its benefits would not "have terminated there. In times of public tumult "and popular delusion, the roman-catholic clergy "would feel, that they had, at least something, on "which they might subsist, without being compelled to flatter their misguided flock, till the

period of intemperance had passed away, and might thus be enabled, with a firmer and bolder "step, to tread in the path of their duty.

"Whilst the roman-catholic clergy feel a becom"ing confidence in the purity of their own inten❝tions, and justly appeal to the tests, by which they "have solemnly disclaimed all the noxious tenets "which have, in former times, been imputed to their "church ;—whilst they declare that they owe no "obedience to the pope, inconsistent with their

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duty as good subjects, and that their allegiance "to the external head of their church is purely "spiritual, and restricted to matters of faith and