216] ANNUAL REGISTER, ISli. 



May was made public a letter 

 sent to the Right Rev. Dr. Poyn- 

 ter from Monsieur Quarantotti, 

 President of the Sacred Missions at 

 Rome, communicating his opinion, 

 and that of a council of the most 

 learned prelates and theologians, 

 on the letters transmitted by Dr. 

 Poynter and the Catholic arch- 

 bishop of Dublin, relative to the 

 proposed bill for catholic eman- 

 cipation. Their determination was, 

 that the propositions should be 

 gratefully accepted, with an ex- 

 planation of the second article of 

 the oath, by which the clerical 

 person is bound to have no inter- 

 course with the Supreme Pontiff 

 or his ministers, which can direct- 

 ly or indirectly subvert or disturb 

 the Protestant church. It is ob- 

 served, that if this be construed 

 to prohibit all attempts to bring 

 back Protestants to the orthodox 

 faith, it cannot be taken ; but if 

 the meaning be only to interdict 

 all attempts to disturb the estab- 

 lished church by force of arms, or 

 by disingenuous arts, the oath is 

 unobjectionable. The remaining 

 articles of the bill ai-e declared to 

 be such us may be allowed by the 

 indulgence of the apostolic chair. 



A meeting of the Catholic Board 

 at Dublin being held on May 7th, 

 Mr. O'Connel made a speech, ex- 

 pressing great indignation at this 

 interference of the slaves at Rome 

 (as he termed them) to instruct 

 the Irish catholics concerninff the 

 manner of their emancipation. It 

 was on no theological ground, but 

 upon that of its danger to civil li- 

 berty, that he objected to the late 

 bill, which would place in the 

 hands of ministers a new and ex- 

 tensive source of patronage ; and 

 he would rather that the Catho- 

 lics should for ever remain as they 



were, than receive it on such 

 terms. He concluded with mov- 

 ing that a committee be appointed 

 to prepare resolutions for the ag- 

 gregate meeting, which was agreed 

 to. The Catholic priests of Dub- 

 lin also, on May 12, held a con- 

 vocation to take into consideration 

 the rescript of Quarantotti, when 

 tiiey declared it non-obligatory on 

 the Catholic church in Ireland, 

 and passed resolutions against the 

 granting to an anti-catholic go- 

 vernment any power, direct or in- 

 direct, with regard to the appoint- 

 ment of Catholic bishops. The 

 aggregate meeting was held on the 

 liJth, at which the rescript above- 

 mentioned was the principal sub- 

 ject of discussion. Mr. O'Connel 

 having proposed the following re- 

 solution, " That we deem it a 

 duty to ourselves, and to our 

 country, solemnly and distinctly 

 to declare, that any decree, man- 

 date, rescript, or decision what- 

 soever, of any foreign power or 

 authority, religious or civil, ought 

 not, and cannot of right, assume 

 any dominion or control over the 

 political concerns of the catholics 

 of Ireland," delay was recom- 

 mended by another speaker till 

 the opinion of the catholic bishops 

 was known. A great majority, 

 however, opposed delay, and the 

 resolution was adopted. The ca- 

 tholic clergy of many of the pro- 

 vincial dioceses unanimously re- 

 solved against the rescript ; and at 

 length the catholic bishops, at a 

 general meeting held at Maynooth 

 on May 25th, passed, among 

 other resolutions, two, of which 

 the first declared Quarantotti's re- 

 script not mandatory ; and the se- 

 cond resolved that a communi- 

 cation be opened with the holy see 

 on the subject of the said docu- 



