"V. The Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church of Mohilow shall not receive any order from any person whatever, besides us and our Senate 75.

"VIII. The appointment of Superiors and Heads of Convents, of Curates for the parishes, and of all other promotions to the ecclesiastical degrees of the Roman Catholic Religion, shall be dependent, in all the extent of the Russian Empire, on the will of the Archbishop whom we have appointed 7: and we order him to examine, either personally, or by means of his co-adjutor, all the aforesaid superiors and curates; to let those remain who were born our subjects, or are become such, to appoint others that are so, and to dismiss and send away those who may have come from foreign countries, and not to suffer any of them to come in for the future, forbidding them to return, under the penalty of being juridically prosecuted for having disobeyed the decrees of the Supreme Government 77.

"X.-We confirm the prohibition expressed in our decrees of July 3d, 1779, addressed to the Governor-General of White Russia, and of Jan. 31st, 1780, to all the Governors General, not to permit the entrance within our frontiers, of ecclesiastics of foreign appointment 78: and we direct that, where

75 Here the interference of the Pope in the Russian Empire is prohibited altogether.

75 Thus the Archbishop of Mohilow was made Metropolitan of all the Russians professing the Romish Faith, And, as by the fifth Article he was forbidden to receive any order from any person whatever, beside the Empress and the Senate, he became a Metropolitan perfectly independent of the Pope.

77 A very wise measure for the prevention of foreign interference, and foreign intrigue.

78 Here is a total end of the Pope's appointment.

ever any of them appear, they shall be sent back, and threatened with being delivered over to the Tribunals of our Departments, to be judged according to the laws: and finally, those who, contrary to this decree, receive them, without the permission of the Archbishop, shall be sent to the competent tribunals, to be there judged according to the laws.

"XI.-We command that all the Religious Orders of the Romish Religion shall only be dependant on the Archbishop of Mohilow, on his co-adjutor, and on his consistory, without daring to submit to any other ecclesiastical power out of our Empire 79, to send to such power any portion of their incomes, or to have any connection with it, under the penalty of being juridically prosecuted for disobeying the laws of the Supreme Government.

"XIII. We confirm our preceding Decrees, which prohibit the reception of any Bull from the Pope, or any other writings sent in his name; ordering that the same shall be sent to our Senate, who, after having examined their contents, and particularly any thing that may be found contrary to the laws of the Russian Empire, or to the rights of the Ecclesiastical power which we have received from God, shall be obliged to communicate to us its opinion, and to wait our permission or prohibition in rendering public such bulls or writings

80 "

79 Here is a total overthrow of the Pope's pretended supremacy. 80 Though the Empress had already prohibited the reception of any Bull from the Pope on the part of the Metropolitan, yet as she could not prevent the Pope from sending, it was a wise precaution to direct that if in case a Bull should be sent, it should be received only by the Senate, who should make their report to

her

By this master-piece of policy did the Empress Catherine divest herself at once of that foreign interference in the spiritual concerns of her dominions, of which she well knew the destructive influence. It is true, that the Pope was permitted to send a Pallium to the new Metropolitan by the hands of Cardinal Archetti. But such ceremonies are as insignificant on the one hand, as they are splendid on the other. Whether adorned with the Pallium, or clad only in the robes of a Bishop, the Metropolitan of Mohilow owed his real elevation to the authority of his lawful Sovereign. But lest the ceremony should be misunderstood or abused, the Empress took care to be present on the occasion.

It appears then, that there are no more Papists in the Russian dominions, though probably in their own estimation they are as good Catholics, as before. The Metropolitan of Mohilow, by consecrating other Bishops, can perpetuate Episcopacy, in its spiritual sense, as Episcopacy is perpetuated in Protestant countries. And the aid of the Pope is no more wanted for the Catholic Bishops in Russia, than for the Protestant Bishops in England and Ireland. Nor would it be wanted for the Catholic Bishops in our own country, if they would consent to put the government of their Church on the same footing as in Russia, in Prussia, and our own Province of Canada. The examples of three different Sovereigns, not in communion with the Church of Rome, having the sole appointment to Catholic bishopricks, might

her Majesty. And then if she permitted the publication of any such writings, their authority was derived from the Sovereign of the country, and not from any foreign potentate,

R

surely be sufficient to remove their religious scruples. But the resolutions officially published by the titular Bishops of Ireland, to say nothing of Dr. Dromgoole's Address to the Catholic Board", afford no hope, that they will ever admit an accommodation so necessary to the welfare of all parties. For it is wholly impossible, that they, whose allegiance is divided, should be as good subjects, as they whose allegiance is entire.

The question of Church-authority, as exercised by the Church of England on the one hand, and by the Church of Rome on the other, is now brought to a conclusion. And no doubt will probably remain, that the authority, exercised by the latter, is incompatible with the welfare, both of other Churches, and of other States. In conducting this proof, I have been led by the connection between the Church and the State in this country to the examination of subjects, not promised in the title of the Chapter. But their importance at the present period makes it unnecessary to apologize for their introduction.

31 See Nos. VI. VII. of the Appendix to Sir J. C. Hippisley's Speech of 1810,

82 Dr. Dromgoole's Address to the Catholic Board, on the 8th of December 1813, which was originally printed in the Dublin Evening Post, was re-printed in the Protestant Advocate for February 1814. It well deserves an attentive perusal, though it is much too long to be inserted here.

APPENDIX.