98] 
with respect to the body of the 
laity; but among the high clergy, 
whose prejudices and interests 
combined in the support of the 
ancient system, there existed all 
the former repugnance to admit 
a principle equally hostile to both. 
The operation of these combined 
motives was remarkably mani- 
fested by the publication of an ad- 
dress from certain of the Belgian 
prelates to the King of the Ne- 
therlands, dated July 28th. Be- 
ginning with the king’s assurance 
in his proclamation of confirming 
to the catholic church its estab-' 
lishment and privileges, they af- 
firm that these are inconsistent 
with an article in the plan of the 
new constitution, by which equal 
favour and protection are promis- 
ed to-all religions. They next 
endeavour, historically, to prove 
the incompatibility of such a to- 
leration with thecanonical lawsand 
fundamental principles of the ca- 
tholic church. They say, “ We 
are bound, Sire, incessantly to 
preserve the people entrusted to 
our care from the doctrines which 
are in opposition to those of the 
catholic church. We could not 
release ourselves from this obli- 
gation without violating our most 
sacred duties ; and if your Ma- 
jesty, by virtue of a fundamental. 
law, should protect in these pro- 
vinces the public profession and 
spreading of these doctrines, we 
should be in formal opposition 
to the laws of the state.” In a kind 
of menace, they proceed to inform 
the king, that such regulations, if 
confirmed, could only lead to a 
renewal of the troubles which de- 
solated these provinces in the 
sixteenth century, and that they 
kiust, soonerf or later, alienate the 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1815. 
hearts of his faithful subjects in 
this part of his kingdom, * with 
whom, attachment to the catholic 
faith is stronger and more lively 
than in any other country in 
Europe.” From these purely re-, 
ligious complaints, they turn to 
another of a civil nature. ‘ The 
clergy of these provinces have ob- 
served, not without pain, that 
your Majesty has been persuaded 
to exclude them from the assem- 
blies in which the great interests 
of the state were discussed ; that 
the plan of the new constitution 
contains honourable distinctions 
for the nobility ; and that the 
clergy, one of the first class in 
the state, are deprived of them; 
that they will not even have the 
right of being represented in the 
provincial assemblies ; that their 
influence on the acceptance of the 
new constitution is carefully re- 
moved, so that the most distin- 
guished members of the clergy 
are not, according to the expres- 
sions of your Majesty’s procla- 
mation, among the persons most 
worthy of the confidence of their 
fellow-citizens ; lastly, that they 
are not allowed to inscribe their 
dissentient votes on the lists of 
the notables.” This address, 
which contains many other re~ 
marks of a similar nature, was 
signed by the bishops of Ghent, : 
Namur, and Tournay, and the 
vicars-general of Liege and of 
Malines. An ecclesiastical pro- 
test of this kind was capable at a 
former period, of lighting up a 
dangerous flame; at the present, 
it was more likely to throw dis- 
credit upon the religion of which 
it was the advocate, as being ra- 
dically intolerant, and admitting 
no union with other forms of, 
