"28 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



cil to us from that journey. Ne- 

 vertheless, we are not yet fully able 

 to gratify those oui anxious wishes, 

 because various matters relative to 

 the churches, respecting which we 

 had made propositions, have not 

 } et been settled, nor have the exa- 

 minations of the bishops, on whom 

 those churches ought to be conferred, 

 Leen yet completed. We, however, 

 congratulate ourselves in being able 

 to communicate with you this day, 

 i>o near the so'cmn festivals of the 

 holy Apostles, Peter and Paul, in 

 order that, after having described 

 the benefits we have experienced 

 chiefly by their holy assistance, we 

 may proceed to celebrate the memo- 

 ry of those glorious martyrs, with a 

 jjiety the more ardent, and with 

 *ouls overflowing with graiitude. — 

 The 2d day of November last year, 

 ■we departed from Rome. You will 

 remember, on that occasion, the 

 fervent wishes expressed by the Ilo- 

 man people for our welfare; and 

 ♦ he numbers, who, inspired by a 

 holy aifection lor our person, ac- 

 companied us many miles on our 

 route. These excited in our breast 

 the liveliest emotions of paternal 

 love, and were considered by us an 

 auspicious omen, for the success of 

 «>ur journey. — On the fron^ers of 

 Etruria, and more ])articularly on 

 our arrival at Florence, we are un- 

 able to express the satisfaction we 

 then lelt, on beholding such a con- 

 course, such myriads of people, who 

 came to venerate, in an humble per- 

 son, the successor of St. Peter, aud 

 the vicar of Christ on earth. Among 

 the foremost to show us marks of 

 Teueration, was our daughter in 

 Christ, Maria Louisa, queen of 

 Etruria, who not only, in the most 

 solemn manner, manifested her pious 

 aifectipu for us^ but entreated us to 



take the t)pportunity of conferring 

 the sacrament of conhrmation on her 

 dear son, Louis, king of Etruria. 

 This sacred ceremony was solem- 

 nized with appropriate magnificence, 

 and we had to admire on the occa- 

 sion, in common with all present, 

 the becoming piety of the mother 

 and the son. — In continuing our 

 progress through Italy, we received 

 the most consoling proofs of a ge- 

 neral veneration for our sacred func- 

 tions, as well as attachment to our 

 person, particularly at Modena, at 

 Reggio, at Parma, at Placentia, at 

 Tortona, at Alexandria; oil our ap- 

 proach to Turin, our reverend bro- 

 ther, his eminence the cardinal Cam- 

 baderes, and our dear son Salmato- 

 ^is, advanced to receive us, and, in i 

 the name of the emperor ol the | 

 French, to wish us a happy arrival 

 in France, and to express the em- 

 peror's wishes for our presence in 

 his dominions. In ellect we were 

 then in France, and the people of 

 that illustrious nation rejoiced at 

 our arrival among them, gave the 

 most striking manifestations of their 

 jjiety and their religion, not only in 

 their professions, but in every mark 

 of their respect and aliection. in 

 every part of the empire through 

 which we passed, the prefects of 

 the provinces, and all those invested 

 with civil or military authority, de- 

 livered the most affectionate and 

 respectful addresses, as well towards 

 our person, as to the concerns of the 

 holy see. At Lyons, we were re- 

 ceived by our reverend brother, bis 

 eminence cardinal Fesch, the arch, 

 bishop of that province, with a mag- 

 nificence the most generous, with the 

 most affectionate hospitality, and 

 with an anxious solicitude for every 

 thing attached to us, in a way beyond 

 our powers to exjDress, The con- 

 course- 



