724 



ANNUAL REGISTER, ISOJ. 



*' which we are penetrated for you, 

 *' and with what gratitude we re- 

 *' member the things yon have done 

 *' in France, in favour ol the Ca- 

 *' tholic religion, and the proofs of 

 *' love and respect which you gave 

 *' us during our stay in Paris ; you 

 *' can then readily comprehend 

 *' with what interest we have learn- 

 *' ed. tiiat the regal dignity was 

 *' unittd in your person to the ini- 

 " perial dignity, with which you 

 *' were already invested. Tlie re- 

 '' ciprocily of our love, and that 

 " paternal tenderness which we 

 *' feel towards you, render very 

 *' dear to us, wliatever is glorious to 

 '^' you. We should have sent a par. 

 " ticular nuncio to testify to you 

 *' these dispositions ; but, knowing 

 *' all your benevolence towards our 

 *' dear son, Jean Bapiista Caprara, 

 *' cardinal priest of the holy Ro- 

 *' man church, archbishop of Milan, 

 " we have not hesitated to believe, 

 *' that the testimonies on our part 

 ^' could not be better received, than 

 *' when presented by him. We 

 *' have then charged him to present 

 *' himself before you, and to impart 

 *' to you all the sentiments of our 

 *' heart, on this occasion, in which 

 *' you receive a new dignity. It 

 *' is he who will present to you 

 *' this letter, and we arc sure that 

 *' the congratulations he will make 

 *' to you in our name, will be ac- 

 *' cepted by you with benevolence. 

 ** In fine, we doubt not but you 

 " will employ all the authority you 

 '*' are invested with, to secure, in 

 " your new kingdom, all theadvan- 

 *' tages of religion, which is the co- 

 *' lumn and the support of all king- 

 *' doms ; and we fcave the farther 

 *' oonfidence that you will continue 

 '• t» give us thos c marks of love and 

 " filial respect, which we have al- 



" ways received from you. In the 

 " mean time we give, from the bot- 

 " torn of our heart, the apostolical 

 " benediction to your imperial 

 " majesty, in pledge of our pater- 

 " r.al benevolence. Given at Rome, 

 " at Marie Maggiore, under the 

 " ring of the fisher, the 20th of 

 " May, 1805, in the sixth year of 

 " our pontificate. — John, Archbi- 

 " shop of Carthage." — On the 26th 

 of May the ceremony of the coro- 

 nation of the King of Italy, was 

 performed with the greatest pomp, 

 and the most imposing grandeur. 

 The fineness of the weather, the se- 

 renity of the sky, and the splendour 

 of the sun, contributed to render 

 this solemnity most brilliant. At 

 half past ] ] her majesty the em- 

 press, preceded by her imperial 

 highness the princess Eliza, repaired 

 to the cathedral, along a gallery ele- 

 gantly adorned, and was conducted 

 under the canopy to her tribune, 

 amidst the liveliest applause. At 12 

 o'clock his majesty the emperor and 

 king left the palace by the same 

 gallery, wearing upon his head the 

 imperial crown and that of Italy, 

 liolding in his hands the sceptre, and 

 the hand of justice of the kingdom, 

 and clothed with the royal mantle, 

 carried by the two grand gentlemen 

 of the horse. His majesty was pre- 

 ceded by the hussars, the heralds at 

 arms, the pages, the aids-de-camp, 

 the masters of the ceremonies, bv 

 the grand master of the ceremonies, 

 by seven ladies carrying offerings, 

 by the honours of Charlemagne, of 

 the empire, and of Italy, carried by 

 the grand officers of France and 

 Italy, and the president of the three 

 electoral colleges, accompanied by 

 the civil officers of his majesty. All 

 the ministers, grand officers, French 

 counsellors of state, and the officers 



of 



