GENERAL HISTORY. 



[S17 



meni, and that two persons be 

 deputed to convey their unani- 

 mous sentiments to the chief pas- 

 tor. 



The proceedings of the Catho- 

 lic Board had been so intempe- 

 rate, that it was not to be won- 

 dered at, in the disturbed state 

 of part of Ireland, that govern- 

 ment should at length exercise its 

 authority to suppress it. On June 

 3rd the lord lieutenant, with the 

 advice of the privy council, issued 

 a proclamation, declaring the 

 board contrary to law, and giving 

 notice that it' it should renew its 

 meetings, all the members would 

 be proceededagainst legally. This 

 attack produced an aggregate 

 meeting of the Catholics in Dub- 

 lin, the Hon. Thomas French in 

 the chair, at which Mr. O'Con- 

 jiel moved certain resolutions, 

 which were passed. One of these 

 was, " That we utterly deny that 

 the Catholic Board is an unlaw- 

 ful assembly, either within the 

 provisions of the Convention Act, 

 or otherwise ; and more especially, 

 as that act contains a saving pro- 

 vision, that nothing herein con- 

 tained shall be construed in any 

 manner to impede or prevent the 

 undoubted right of his Majesty's 

 «ubjects to petition his Majesty, or 

 both houses of parliament, for the 

 redress of any public or private 

 grievances." A congratulatory let- 

 ter was presented to Pope Pius 

 VII. from the Catholic prelates of 

 Ireland, dated from Maynooth 

 College, June 27. It does not 

 touch upon any of the disputed 

 points, and is chiefly remarkable 

 for the inflation of its language. Of 

 the negociations of the Irish ca- 

 tholics with the holy see we have 

 no direct accounts ; but in the 

 Dublin Evening Poit, about the 



beginning of November, it is as- 

 serted that the titular archbishop 

 of Hierapolis, Dr. Murray, has left 

 Rome on his return, and that the 

 Pope has issued bulls for the va- 

 cant sees. The Irish Catholic 

 church is moreover congratulated 

 on a declaration to which the car- 

 dinals have unanimously come, 

 "That they will for no tempo- 

 ral advantage accede to the Veto ;" 

 for to this (it is said), though ex- 

 pressed in other words, the decla- 

 ration amounts. 



On December 13th, a meeting 

 of the Catholic committee took 

 place at the house of Lord Fingal, 

 at which some who had formerly 

 seceded were present, his lordship 

 being one. It appears that con- 

 siderable difference of opinion and 

 debate occurred respecting the 

 aggregate meeting, but at length 

 all parties agreed in the propriety 

 of abstaining from any irrelevant 

 matter, and that the business 

 should be confined to mere peti- 

 tion. The assembly closed with a 

 requisition for an aggregate meet- 

 ing on January 24th. 



The situation of the Princess of 

 Wales was again unfortunately 

 made a topic of public discussion, 

 in consequence of a declaration 

 from her august spouse, of a na- 

 ture which appeared to her to jus- 

 tify an appeal to the great coun- 

 cil of the nation. Her Majesty 

 intending to do honour to the illus- 

 trious visitants of this country, by 

 holding two splendid drawing- 

 rooms in the month of June, an 

 intimation was given of a purpose 

 entertained by the Princess of 

 Wales of making her appearance at 

 one of them. In consequence, 

 the Queen wrote a note to the 

 Princess, in which she represented 

 it a« her duty to acquaint her with 



