humility to our Redeemer?-Did he descend from heaven in the human form, that we fhould be members of his body; and fhall we fear to defcend from our chairs, to prevent his limbs from being torn by cruel divifion? "Perfonally we are only faithful and obedient chriftians. This we always are, but we were ordained bifhops for the chriftian people. As bishops, therefore, let us do what may benefit chriftian people, by promoting chriftian peace. If we are useful fervants, why fhould we prefer our temporal grandeur to eternal gain in the lord? The epifcopal dignity will be more fruitful to us, if by laying it down we collect the flock of Chrift, than if we fhould difperle it by retaining it; for with what face in fature can we hope for the honour promifed by Chrift, if chriftian unity is impeded by our worldly ho nour. As we cannot therefore doubt, when we reflect on your tried virtue and religion, that you will confult the advantage of the church, and the good of the faithful, while we implore the Almighty God to ftrengthen your virtue, that with more readinefs, as becomes willing givers, you may offer to him this gift; and while we promife, as far as in us lies, to take care that you fhall be hereafter provided for, we confer on you our apoftolic blessing, as a pledge of our paternal love. Given at Rome, at St. Mary Pius PP. VII. Monsignore Erskine's fecond circular Letter to the French Bishops refiding in England. My lord, In my letter of, the 16th inftant, with which I had the honour to tranfmit the brief of the fovereign pontiff, which I fent to you by the exprefs order of his holiness pope Pius VII., as well as to each of your colleagues refiding in this kingdom, I folicited your greatnefs, as well as your colleagues, to tranfmit to me that anfwer each individually would think proper to make. I have, however, heard it faid, that in confequence of the meeting held by your greatnelles, you intended to answer collectively to the paternal invitation of his holinefs; I therefore find myself ftrictly obliged, my lord, to inform you, and beg of you to intimate the fame to your colleagues, that by this means you will not fulfil the intention of his holinefs, who has precifely commanded me to tran(mit his brief to each of you, in order that you might feparately, and after you had invoked by your prayers the diftribution of underftanding, make fuch an answer as you conceive yourfelves in confcience to be infpired with by the Father of mercies. I am perfuaded, my lord, that you and your colleagues would experience an acute fenfation, if in the aufwer to his holiness you had adopted, even involuntarily, a method little conformable to the defires of the holy father, and which are not entirely congenial to the filial refpect which you have conftantly manifefted towards the fovereign pontiff. I flatter myself thereX 4 fore WE E will not conceal from your holiness the heavy anxiety which pressed upon our minds when first we received the letter of your holiness, dated on the 15th of Auguft, 1801, in the fecond year of your pontificate, which is indeed To great, that as we at all times thought nothing more incumbent on us, and had nothing more at heart, than zealously to promote, as far as in our power, your paternal councils, yet they fhould find us now not only uncertain and fluctuating, but, in a duty of this nature, compel us to be even reluctant to obey. Such is the force of these letters, that if that be done which they enjoin, all the epifcopal fees in France will be left vacant at one and the fame point of time. But by what means this fudden abdication of all the churches of that most extensive empire is to produce throughout France, the falutary effect of unity, and of preferving or restoring the catholic religion, your holinels has not informed us, nor, to confefs the truth, do we as yet fufficiently forefee. Trulythe very experience of all the ca-lamities with which our country. has been afflicted for many years, fufficiently fhews that it is not without reason we dread, that, by this voluntary and univerfal abdication of all the churches, more grie vous inconveniences would refult to the catholic caufe; for which, to acquaint your holiness with the means of prevention belongs only to a convocation of all the bishops of the Gallican church, Nor indeed do we mean to fay this, as if it would feem grievous or a hard hip upon us to refign our rank in thefe melancholy and troublesome times, but rather that it would, as much as poffible, conduce to the private happiness of each of us, to have our infirmity relieved from fo great a burden, if we may ftill think any thing of happiness or confolation with minds broken by the weight of fo many misfortunes. But the line of our duty feems to us fully to require that we should never suffer that tie which has bound us, and the churches immediately committed by the providence of the most great and good God, to our care, to be broken, We earnestly hefeech your holi nefs, that, in fome writing speedily to be drawn up, we may be permitted to difclofe and enter fomewhat more at large into the argaments upon which we thought right to act in this manner, and the grounds of our refolution. In the mean time, greatly confiding in the affection of your holiness towards us, we hope it will fo happen that nothing further will be determined in this business before you fall, in your fters rushed unpunished from the hands of justice to the commiffion of new crimes. Against this peft, so destructive of all fociety, it was neceffary to make ufe of other arms than the flow and gradual forms with which public juftice purfues folitary criminals, who conceal themfelves in filence and in darkness. Special tribunals were created, whofe powers, more rapid and more fure, might overtake and strike them. The great criminals have been seized. The witnelles have ceased to be mute. The judges have obeyed their confciences, and [All the other bifhops acceded to fociety has been avenged. Those the papal requifition.] View of the Republic, prefented in the Legislative Body, at Paris, on the 23d November, 1801, by the Counfellor of State Thibaudeau. IT T is with a pleasing fatisfaction that the government offers to the nation the picture of the ftate of France, during the year that has passed over. Every thing at home and abroad has affumed a new appearance, and whatever way we cast our eyes, a long perfpective of hope and happiness opens upon us, In the weft and in the fouth, remnants of banditti infefted the roads and defolated the fields invisible to the armed force which purfued them, or protected against it by the very terror with which, they infpired their victims. Even in the bofom of the tribunals, if they happened to be brought before them, their audacity froze with fear the accufers, the witneffes, the ju ries, and the judges, Thefe mon who have escaped from juftice, are fince flying from one hiding place to another; and the republic every day vomits from its bofom this laft fcum of the waves with which it has been fo long agitated. Still innocence has had nothing to fear. The fecurity of the citizens has not been alarmed by the measures deftined for the punishment of their oppreffors; and the unfavourable prefages with which it was attempted to intimidate liberty. have been realized only againft guilt. From the month of May in the 9th year, to the 23d September in the 10th year, feven hundred and twenty-four judgments have been pronounced by the fpecial tribunals; nineteeen only have been rejected by the tribunal of appeal, on the ground of incompetence. They cannot, therefore, be reproached with excefs of power, nor with any violation of ordinary juftice. The government, from the first day of its inftitution, proclaimed liberty of confcience. This folemn act calmed the minds which had been frightened by imprudent ri gours gours. The ceflation of religious diffenfion has been fince announced, and in fact measures have been concerted with the fovereign pontiff of the catholic church to reunite in the fame fentiments thofe who profefs a common belief. At the fame time a magiftrate, charged with every thing that concerns public worship, has attended to the rights of every fect; he has collected, in conferences with the Lutheran and Calviniflic minifters, the information necellary to prepare regulations, which will fecure to all the liberty which belongs to them, and the publicity which the intereft of focial order gives authority to grant them. The fupport of all modes of worfhip will be provided for by equal means; nothing will be left to the arbitrary difpofal of theirminifters, and the public treafure will not feel any increase in the burden of the charge. If fóme citizens have been alarmed by empty rumours, let them quiet themfelves; the government has done every thing to reconcile the minds of the citizens: but it has done nothing that could wound their principles, or the indepens dence of their opinions. The continental peace fet at reft whatever inquietude, whatever vain fears still remained already bleffed with the happiness of which they had fo long been in expectation, the citizens repofed on the bofom of the conftitution, and attached their whole destiny to it. Enlightened and faithful minifters have feconded well this difpofition of the public mind; every exertion of authority exercifed by them has met nothing but zeal, love, and gratitude. Hence the government has ac quired that fecurity which makes its ftrength; it has no more doubt of the opinion of the public than its own intentions, and has dared to appeal to it without dreading its reply. A prince, ifting from the blood which reigned over France, has traverfed our departments, has fojourned in the capital, has received from the government all the honours due to his crown, and from the citizens all the refpe& that one people owes to another in the perfon who is called to exercife its government, without a fingle fufpicion to alter the calm of adminiftration, or a fingle rumour to disturb the tranquillity of the public mind. The countenance of a free, and the affection of a hofpitable people, have been féen throughout: foreigners, and the enemies of the country, have perceived that the republic was in the hearts of the French, and that it had already acquired there all the maturity of agés. The return of our warriors into the French territory has been a fucceffion of fetes and of triumphis. Thefe conquerors, fo terrible in battle, have been as friends and brothers among us; blessed in the public happinefs, enjoying, without haughtiness, the gratitude that they deferve; and, by the most fevere difcipline, proving themselves worthy of the victories which they had obtained. In the war that remained yet to be carried on, events have been chequered with fuccefs and reverses, Reduced to the neceffity of firuggling against the marine of England, with an inferior force, our navy has shown itself with courage in the Mediterranean, when that fea was covered with the fleets of the enemy. Off the occan it has recalled fome remembrance of its ancient ancient fplendour; by a glorious refiftance it has afonified England, collected on her coaft to be witnefs of her own defeat; and if peace had not been reftored, there was no reason to hope that it would avenge its paft misfortunes, as well as the faults that had produced them. In Egypt, the foldiers of the army of the Eaft have yielded; but they have yielded rather to circumftances, than to the force of Turkey and of England, and certainly they would have conquered, if they had fought united. At length they return to their country, and they return with the glory which is due to four years of courage and of Jabour. They leave in Egypt an immortal memory, which will, perhaps, one day revive there the arts and inftitutions of fociety. Hiftory at least will not pals over in filence all that the French have done to introduce into that country the civilization and improvements of Europe. It will relate by what efforts they conquered it, with what wildoin and what difcipline they fo long preferved it, and, perhaps, it will deplore their lofs of it as a new calamity to mankind. Twenty-eight thoufand Frenchmen entered Egypt for the purpose of conquering it; more have been fent there at different periods fince, but others have returned to nearly the fame number. Twenty-three thousand re-enter France, after the evacuation, without including the foreigners who have followed their fortunes. So that four campaigns, a number of battles, and the effects of difeales, have not altogether carried off one fifth of the army of the Eaft. After the continental war, every reduction in the army that circumftances would permit, has been carried into effect by the govern ment. Unconditional difcharges are granted; they are granted without preference, without favour, and according to an order irrevocably fixed. Thofe who have first taken arms in obedience to the laws of the requifition, obtained them first. In order to fill up the vacancy which thefe difcharges will leave in the army, it will be neceflary to call upon the confcripts of the ninth and tenth years; and, in the courfe of the prefent feffion, a project of a law will be propofed to the legisla tive body to place them at the dif pofal of the government, but the government will only call upon the number ftrictly neceTry for maintaining the complete peace establish ment of the army. We will enjoy the peace, but the war will leave us a burden, which will, for a long time, weigh heavy on our finances, to pay off expenfes which could neither be forefeen nor calculated, to recompenfe the fervices of our defenders, and to reanimate the works of our arfenals and our ports, to restore the French marine, to create anew all that the war has deftroyed, all that time has confumed, in fine, to carry all our eftablishments to the point which the greatnefs and the fecurity of the republic require; all this cannot be done without an increase of revenue. The revenues will increafe of themselves with the peace. The government will manage them with the most strict economy; but, if the natural increase of the reve nues, if the moft ftrict economy, fhould not be fufficient, the nation will judge the wants, and the go vernment |