220 
influence and command over their 
elergy. There are, consequently, 
in the French empire, four religions 
established by law, and pensioned by 
the state—the Catholic, the Luthe- 
ran, the Reformed, and the Jewish. 
No other modes of worship are 
legally tolerated in that extensive 
empire ; nor, we believe, suffered to 
be exercised in public; but no 
French subject is prevénted from 
following in private the dictates of 
his conscience, or conclusions of his 
reason; nor deterred by eivil disa- 
bilities from professing any religions 
er none. In this singular mixture of 
Taxity and strictness, of toleration 
snd intolerance, we discover the 
true character and principles of the 
present ruler of France. Careless 
of what faith his subjects may pro- 
fess, he is jealous of whatever may 
endanger his own authority. Indif- 
ferent about religious uniformity, he 
sas ambitious of power and influence 
ayer the priesthood, as those who 
have been most a ixious to maintain 
it. The church with which he is 
willing to form an alliance, is not 
one and indivisible, but manifold as 
the modes of faith among his sub- 
jects. But no sect, however harm. 
less its tenets, and innocent its prac- 
tice, is permitted to have public 
worship in his dominions, unless its 
spiritual directors are under his 
influence and controul. Liberty 
of conscience he affects to consider a 
patural right, independent of the 
magistrate ; but freedom of worship 
he holds to be a civil right, depend. 
ing on the permission of the magis- 
trate, who may grant or refuse it at 
his pleasure. . 
Switzerland, surrounded by France 
wod her allies, and cut off by the 
* Jn March. 
+ April 48th. 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
peace of Presburg from every power” 
that could assist her in re-asserting 
her freedom, affords us in the present ' 
year no events of importance to 
commemorate. When_ possession 
was taken of Neufchatel and Valen- 
gen by the French *, great quantities 
of English merchandize were seized 
in these provinces, where they used 
to be deposited by the merchants of 
Basle, till opportunities were found 
of introducing them clandestinely 
into France. Loud complaints of 
this illicit traffic were inserted in the 
Moniteur +, and a formal remone 
strance against it was presented by 
Talleyrand to the Swiss minister at 
Paris; upon which orders were 
issued by the Helvetic diet for sup- 
pressing it, and for putting a stop to 
all commerce in English goods 
throughout Switzerland. The mer- 
chants, whose effects had been seized 
at Neufchatel, having imprudently 
petitioned the French emperor to 
have them restored, were arrested at~ 
the requisition of his minister at 
Basle, and detained in custody till — 
they gave security to abstainin future — 
from this forbidden commerce. Si. 
milar measures were taken against 
the introduction of English goods and 
manufactures into the kingdom of 
Italy, and other states dependent 
upon France. 
The states of the church having 
become an asylum and place of ren- 
dezvous for the malcontents and 
insurgents of the kingdom of Naples, 
a severe edict was issued by the. 
pepal government t, ordering all 
persons of that description to be 
expelled from the ecclesiastical teTs 
ritories, and prohibiting its subjects — 
from affording them, on any pretext 
whatever, assistance or relief, 
t¢ Sept. 17th. ‘ 
Spain 
