73'2 



xlNNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



tions. — What shall vie say of the 

 illustrious French clergy ? the scn- 

 timonts which they loudly expressed 

 ill our favour, were of that descrip- 

 tion that we know not how to ex- 

 press how deeply we have been af- 

 fected by SMch avowals. We are 

 also incapable of describing that ar- 

 dent zeal, that vigilance, those inde- 

 fatigable cares, with which the bi- 

 shops especially governed the flocks 

 entrusted to their cares, thus doing 

 honour to that religion of Mhich 

 they are the ministers, and ensuring 

 respect even from its enemies. Hav- 

 ing been ourselves witness, we have 

 judged it our duty to decree these 

 just praises, in the face of ihe uni- 

 versal church, to the meritorious 

 clergy of France. — Neither have wc 

 neglected, while at Paris, to fulfil 

 those duties which more j)roperIy 

 belong to our ministry. We as- 

 sembled, in conclave, our reverend 

 brethren, those cardinals who ac- 

 companied us, as well as those \t'ho 

 resided at Paris, and we presented 

 the hat to cardinal de Hdluy, arch- 

 bishop of Paris, and to cardinal 

 Canibacercs, archbishop of Kouen, 

 with those rites and so emnitics pre- 

 scribed by the apostilio tonstituti- 

 ous. We provided :he vacant dio- 

 ceses with new bishops, and we our- 

 selves have consecra:ed some of them 

 in the extensive charch of St. Sul- 

 pice, amidst an innumerable con- 

 course of the faitli.ul. A few days 

 previous to our departure from 

 Paris, wc pcrfonned the ceremony 

 of baptizing the prince Napoleon, 

 nephew to the emperor, with the 

 greatest maguifcence, and in pre- 

 bcuceof the great men of that splen- 

 did court, assembled at the palace 

 of St Cloud. The emperor liiu)- 

 self, and his august mother, in the 

 mob* devout aauucr, prcscutcU tiiu 



imperial infant at thd consecrated 

 font. — Such have been our labours 

 in France ; such have been the 

 works of the glorious emperor of 

 the Frcneh; such have been the 

 marks of the attachment of the 

 French for religion ; and, such are 



the results of our journey. Th© 



discussions being terminated, and 

 the return of Spring favouring our 

 journey, we deerhed it incumbent 

 on us to return to our city and to 

 our see. Having fulfdled our duties 

 towards the invincible ^emperor, 

 from whom we were now forced to 

 separate, and alter receiving from 

 him numerous testimonies of his fa- 

 vourable sentiments towards us, we 

 commenced our journey hither. At 

 Chalons we celebrated those days, 

 solemnly consecrated to the memo- 

 ry of the passion and the resurrec- 

 tion of our Lord. How inconceiv- 

 able was the ardent piety of the in- 

 habitants of the city, and those of 

 the neighbouring towns! What af- 

 fectionate, but respectful eagerness 

 to be near our person ! At Lyons, 

 file people manifested, if possible, 

 still greater veneration for our per- 

 son and sacred functions, than on 

 our first visit, and reiterated their 

 professions of love and devotion to- 

 ward the holy see. Our reverend 

 brother, the cardinal Fesch, archbi- 

 shop of Lyons, rendered to us, a 

 second time, with equal magnifi- 

 cence, the offices of hospitality. We 

 rejoice in this opportunity of pub- 

 licly acknowledging our gratitude 

 to his eminence. We should not 

 forget that, during our stay at Ly- 

 ons, the celebrated chapel de Tour- 

 vierc, dedicated to the Holy Virgin, 

 was re-opened by lis, in the pre- 

 sence of an incredible number of 

 the citizens, and restored, as for- 

 merly, to public worship. At Tu- 

 rin, 



