1825.] 
written in blood, allotted the punishment 
of death for this enormous offence. Mr. 
O’ Hagan was obliged to quit the country.” 
‘The following also may. be food for some 
reflection :— 
“A settlement of the order of the Je- 
suits is about to be established in nearly the 
very centre of Ireland, and for this purpose 
an estate—an entire parish, has been pur- 
chased, and it is said £21,300. of French 
money has already been paid as the amount 
of purchase! The circumstance is simplyas 
follows :—an estate, situated near Cashel, 
having been advertised for sale by auction, 
several gentlemen attended as willing pur- 
chasers; the land included an entire parish, 
and measured about 1,200 acres; £20,000 
was offered for the property by one gentle- 
man; another offered something more ; 
when alittle black-looking man, with coarse 
worsted stockings drawn carelessly over his 
legs, and whose entire dress did not appear 
worth ten shillings, but who afterwards 
turned out to be a Roman Catholic, Priest, 
offered £21,000, and finally bought it for 
21,300; and, on being asked the name of 
the purchaser, in order to its being inserted 
in the title-deed, mentioned the name of a 
gentleman in France; and, as if afraid the 
property might not otherwise be secured to 
him, quite contrary to the general usage, 
paid the entire amount (£21,300) into 
Court, although the title-deeds are not yet 
perfected. As we have already observed, it 
has since been ascertained that the property 
is to be converted into a Jesuits’ establish- 
ment.’’ If sincere and zealous Protestants 
should feel any apprehensions of the pro- 
gress of Popery from this statement, let us 
conjure them to reflect, that the danger 
must be met by more just and rational 
means than by perpetuating invidious dis- 
tinctions and monopolies ; and pampering 
a flockless clergy with inordinate revenues : 
which allure to voluptuous and ostentatious 
indolence, those who ought to be seconding 
their spiritual exhortations and pastoral as- 
siduity, by the sanctity, correctness and 
humility of their own example.”’ 
FRANCE AND SPAIN 
May now be coupled together, if not as 
one political integer, as sovereign state and 
troublesome dependency : at least, with re- 
spect to the former, there is nothing that 
demands attention (except the perplexing 
project for indemnifying its runaway emi- 
grants), but what is connected with the 
ambiguous destinies of the latter. 
A new convention (as it is called) has been 
concluded between: the beloved Ferdinand 
and the protecting Charles X., by which 
the quota of French troops, to be left to 
keep the peace in Spain, is augmented to 
40,000 men, including two regiments of 
Swiss guards, who are to have the honour 
. of insuring the love and affection of the 
Spanish people to the royal person. ‘To 
Political Affairs in January. 
87 
this it seems, however, that the Swiss them- 
selves have some foreboding objections. 
PORTUGAL: 
It would appear that some apprehension 
prevails of disturbances at Lisbon, between 
the respective parties of the King and 
Queen. 
The Parisian journalists would fain per- 
suade us that Sir Wm. A’Court has de- 
manded peremptorily of the Portuguese 
Goyernment, what course it would pursue, 
if war broke out between England and the 
Allies. 
That Portugal is distracted by domestic 
intrigues and conspiracies, seéms evident ; 
and perhaps the King may, by this time, 
have discovered that it would have been 
better for his peace, to have remained faith- 
ful to his constitutional oaths, than to have 
suffered himself to be made the perjured 
puppet of an imperious Queen and a ata 
lent and ambitious son. 
ITALY 
Slumbers in her bonds, and seems to have 
ceased even to dream of independence. 
Ferdinand IV. King of the Two Sicilies, is 
dead ; and his son, Francis I. on ascending 
the throne, has issted a decree, confirm- 
ing all the existing authorities in their re- 
spective functions. But the tale seems to 
have excited no more attention or enquiry 
than would the death of one of the lazza- 
roni. 
The Pope, however, seems awake to the 
advantages that may accrue, by alluring the 
faithful of all nations to visit, in holy pilgrim- 
age, the shrines of Rome, 
«* The holy blissful martyrs for to seek, 
That them have holpen when that they’ were sike !” 
He has, by “ Bull of Indiction,” pro- 
claimed the year 1825 a year of Jubilee, 
and invites all_good Christians to purchase 
absolutions and indulgences by pilgrimages, 
to Rome, and thirty days of visitation [and 
offerings ?] to certain shrines and pheahaae 
there. The Popé has also published ano- 
ther bull, and the Mufti and Sultan of Con- 
stantinople have done the same, against the 
exposures of female costume. 
GERMANY, &c. 
The Holy Alliance seems to be amusing 
itself with projects for reducing the revolted 
States of America to legitimate obedience, 
and for settling the affairs of Greece. In 
the mean time, they are not neglecting their 
benignant attention to the suppression of 
the naughty progress of human intellect. 
For a glimpse of the probable consequences 
of allthis, see extracts from Lord J. Russell’s 
Memoirs of Europe, in our Supplement to 
Vol. 58. Yet in one instance, even Aus- 
tria shews some better wisdom. She pro- 
tects alike the Catholic and the Protestant, 
and puts neither restraint nor stigma upon 
either; and some whole villages having 
lately gone, voluntarily and publicly, over 
from the former to the latter persuasion, are 
supplied accordingly with pastors of the same 
religion 
