70 



INTRODUCTION. 



cathedral to a bishop, all are nominated by the king. 

 In the distribution of this infinity of employs, of dig- 

 nities and honors, consists the grand bulwark of the 

 royal power in America.^' 



The catholic church in America was placed in a 

 singular situation by the revolution. It became a 

 question whether the pope should be regarded as the 

 head of the church, or whether the local authorities 

 should exercise the same jurisdiction as was pos- 

 sessed by the king. The bishop of Quito assumed 

 the pontificial authority at once, and when the pope 

 fulminated his excommunication against the insur- 

 gents, the bishop gave them a dispensation. At 

 Buenos Ayres, after a great deal written, pro. and con. 

 the following question was put by the junta, to several 

 of the most distinguished ecclesiastics: whether the 

 right of presentation ( real patronata J appertains to 

 the king personally, or as an incident of the sove- 

 reignty which he exercises? Another question was 

 proposed, properly a corollary of the foregoing, whe- 

 ther the junta had any right to interfere in ecclesias- 

 tical affairs? The learned clergy gave their opinions 

 at large, founded upon much curious reasoning, and, 

 as might have been expected, in conformity to the 

 wishes of the junta. The government of Buenos 

 Ayres is therefore the head of the church, which ha& 

 been made use of with considerable success, in pro- 

 pagating republican doctrines amongst a people, al- 

 ways accustomed to pay the greatest defference to the 

 instructions of their priests. The American clergy 

 engage in this work heartily and sincerely; not so 

 with the higher dignitaries of the church, who are, 

 however, sufficiently compliant in favor of the party 



