Mr. Hussey attended, by the desire of the committee, and was informed of the above resolution, and accepted the deputation, and desired minutes of instructions might be drawn up and given him for his conduct.

At a meeting of the committee on the following day ;Present,

Dr. Charles Berington,

Mr. Wilks,

Lord Stourton,

Lord Petre,

Sir Henry Englefield,
Mr. Throckmorton,

Mr. Towneley,

Mr. Hornyold:

It was moved, and unanimously resolved, That the following instructions be communicated to Mr. Hussey; and that he should be requested to attend the meeting of the following day.

"Mr. Hussey will make every prudent exertion "to clear up any misrepresentations, and to give an "accurate account of the state of the catholics in "this country.

"The main object, which he is requested to keep steadily in view, is, the necessity the English "catholics were under, of vindicating the integrity of their principles, repelling the slanderous

"centuries past, and of removing those penal and disabling statutes, which have been gradually "undermining their body, and must, at length,

operate almost a total extinction of the catholic "religion in these dominions. He will represent, "that religion has always been supported, and is "at present every where supported, except in some "few populous towns, entirely by the voluntary "munificence of the nobility and gentry; and, "unless they recover their rights, there is immi"nent danger of the catholic religion's declining "with great rapidity.

"He will take an opportunity of expressing the "surprise and astonishment of the peers and gentry, "who never received any answer to the applica"tion, they made on the election of Mr. Berington. "He will explain the rise and progress of the pre"sent business; and show that the protestation " was not a voluntary offer of the committee; but

a pledge of uprightness called for, by our pro"testant fellow-subjects; was not attempted to be "carried into execution, as a basis of public mea

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sures, until it had been approved and signed by "the apostolic vicars, the far greater part of the clergy, and most of the respectable laity in the "four districts; that it has been already presented "to parliament, and therefore, if the present form "be not perfectly correct in the wording, the com"mittee are not to blame, because no alterations "were previously called for by the clergy, and the "deed having gone before parliament, it cannot

"Mr. Hussey will be pleased to insist, if necessary, upon this principle, that what has been "done, cannot be undone; and to explain, that "the protestation was not intended to hurt religion, "but to serve it; not to infringe the communion "of English catholics with the holy apostolical see, "but to render that communion less odious,-not "to prejudice the character of the first pastor of the "church, but to rescue it from obloquy and abuse. "If the oath is called for, Mr. Hussey will re

present, that the catholics of the present times, "are only responsible for the protestation, the "oath of allegiance and adjuration having been unequivocally taken in 1778; and, of course, "the deposing doctrine having been solemnly re"nounced and abjured, we could not hesitate to "adopt the qualifying terms, especially as the "Sorbonne in 1680, and again in 1695, had in"formed us that we might safely declare it impious " and heretical.

"If any scruple be raised about the act of settle"ment, and limiting the succession of the crown "to the protestant line, Mr. Hussey will not permit "that subject to be discussed; because we acknow

ledge no authority to interfere with the succession "of our kings, but the law of the land; the au"thority of which law we have already solemnly " acknowledged by our oath of allegiance.

"Mr. Hussey will bear an honourable testimony "to the character of Mr. Berington, and insinuate "that any doubts about his character, must reflect "on the secular clergy, who elected, the regular

"clergy, who expressed their satisfaction on hearit ing of that choice, and on the nobility and gentry, who ardently desired that election to be "confirmed.

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"Mr. Hussey will endeavour to pave the way "for having bishops in ordinary elected by their clergy, on two grounds; 1st, On account of the great utility of the change in the present circum"stances of the English catholics; 2d, On the supposition that the legislature may soon require "that change to be made."

The intended deputation of Dr. Hussey did not take place. He was chaplain to the Spanish embassy, and, in consequence of it, could not engage in the proposed journey without the leave of the ambassador; and this leave, his excellency refused.

In addition to what the writer has said respecting Dr. Hussey's designed mission to Rome, he begs leave to observe, that no reason was ever given by that eminent prelate for declining it, than the refusal of the Spanish ambassador, whose chaplain he was, to permit him to undertake it. To the last, Dr. Hussey adhered to the principles of the committee: on the discussion for depositing the protestation at the Museum, he not only voted for the measure; but, with his usual animation and eloquence, advocated and eulogized the conduct of the committee.

Dr. Hussey was also present at a meeting held in Castle-street, on the 21st of February 1799, at

rev. Mr. Brown, the rev. Mr. Strickland, the rev. Mr. Wilks, the rev. Mr. Barnard, (the vicar-general of Mr. Douglas), the rev. Dr. O'Leary, the rev. Mr. Meynel, the rev. Dr. Rigby, the rev. Dr. Belasyse, and the rev. Mr. Archer attended.-The five following questions, among others, were put by Dr. Berington:-" 1st. Did all persons present sign the protestation? 2d. Did all sign it as a "civil test merely, without meaning to infringe on "the pope's spiritual power, or the spiritual power "of the church? 3d. Do any persons here present "think themselves obliged in conscience to recede "from it? 4th. Can the catholic clergy, gentry, "&c. who have deliberately signed it, recede from "it now, consistently with their characters as men "of honour, and without bringing odium on religion. 5th. Whether any public receding from "the protestation at present will not tend to con"firm the stigmas and odious imputations with "which the catholics have hitherto been aspersed." All the persons present answered the first, second and fifth questions unanimously in the affirmative, and the third and fourth unanimously in the negative. The high respectability of all the clergymen present at this meeting is unquestionable.

LXXXII. 8.

The Act passed in 1791, for the Relief of the English Catholics.

THE Committee thus persisting in their refusal to take any active part in procuring an alteration of