clothed in horrors; the walls of the Inquisition are re-erected, and perhaps heightened and strengthened; its dungeons repaired, if not deepened; its bolts, bars, and shackles forged anew; emblazoned fiends begin to re-appear on its san-benitos; and its familiars are collecting stakes and piling faggots. -Under such circumstances we stand upon our guard, prepared to meet the worst; cheered nevertheless, occasionally, with a hope that those personages, in the two chambers of Parliament, who have heretofore attempted to explain away the errors and extenuate the crimes of Popery, will hardly again, for some time at least, bring its desperate cause under the contemplation of the legislature. After the treatment which Lord Donoughmore and Mr. Grattan have experienced at the hands of their unruly clients, we can scarcely conceive that any one will condescend to receive a brief, or submit to dictation from the Papists, or venture to molest the Parliament and disturb the peace of the empire, by reviving those extravagant hopes which the genius of the constitution, "fundamentally Protestant," must ever forbid to be realized.

THE

PROTESTANT ADVOCATE ADVOCATE

For OCTOBER 1813.

"Where we attribute to the King's Majesty the chief government; we give not to "our Princes the ministering either of God's word or of the Sacraments; but that "only prerogative which we see to have been given always to all godly Princes in Holy "Scripture by God himself: that is, that they should rule all estates and degrees com"mitted to their charge by God, whether they be ecclesiastical or temporal."—37th Article of Religion.

THE SPANISH REGENCY AND THE POPE'S NUNCIO.

On reference to p. 648 of the first volume, our readers will see that M. Gravina, the Pope's Nuncio resident at Cadiz, received his passports to remove out of Spain, and that his temporalities had been taken posses sion of, for having continued obstinate in his blameable conduct respecting the extinction of the Inquisition. We were desirous to lose no time in noticing that important fact; and we now add to the former documents recorded in our number for August last, (p. 566) those papers which have subsequently appeared relative to this transaction. The Journalist, in his eagerness to communicate early intelligence, is always liable to fall into error, by relying on the authenticity of the reports which reach him; and it often happens that he is obliged to correct his first statements, by ac counts which come to hand after a little time has elapsed. Here we throw ourselves on the candour of our readers, and entreat that liberal acceptation of our endeavours, to which it is to be hoped we are, as we conceive, entitled, ex necessitate rei. It appears that the Nuncio has not removed" to Sicily, on board the Sabrina [Sabina] frigate," as was stated in a paragraph of the Conciso, dated July 9th, but has betaken himself, in a vessel of his own providing, to Tavira in Portugal. We shall give this corrected intelligence, below, as it appeared in a paragraph in the Conciso of July 15th, with an observation on the important results to which the Nuncio's imprudence may lead.

VOL. II. [Prot. Adv. October, 1813.]

We first print an extract from a manifesto published at Cadiz July 7th 1813; which contains an able recapitulation of the whole affair.

"Extract from the Manifesto of the Regency of Spain, relative to the con

duct of the Nuncio of his holiness in these kingdoms, dated the 8th of July, signed L. De Bourbon, Cardinal de Scala, Archbishop of Toledo, President.

"The regency, it is said, would be wanting in the most essential of its obligations, if it did not put an end to the dangerous manœuvres of the Nuncio of his holiness in these kingdoms, D. Pedro Gravina, Archi bishop of Nicea. His political conduct has for a long time been such, that the regency almost considers it necessary to excuse itself for its long forbearance; but while there was a shadow of hope that he would discover his error, and not exceed the limits of his legitimate faculties, the regency, believed it ought to respect the name and dignity of this Prelate, and the representation of the Holy Father by whom he had been sent.

"The regency, moved by these powerful considerations, endeavoured to turn him from his purpose, first by arguments, and afterwards by remonstrances. Seeing the inutility of these, it intimated to him, though with great regret, that if he continued his rash conduct, it would see itself un der the necessity of removing him from these kingdoms. The Nuncio, however, obstinately continuing in his former conduct, a conduct incompatible with the public tranquillity, and destructive of the authority of Government; the regency saw itself under the harsh, but indispensable: necessity, of carrying into effect the banishment threatened, and the occupation of his temporalities as imperiously required by the sacred law, for the preservation of the State, and of individuals.

"The tribunal of the Inquisition introduced into these kingdoms by the Catholic Sovereigns, Don Ferdinand and Donna Isabella, having been abolished by the Cortes, after a mature and deliberate examination, they re-established in its stead the law of the Partidas, and ordered that the degree and manifesto, in which they explain the just and powerful reasons which had induced them to abolish that tribunal, should be read in all the parishes of the monarchy, in the offertory of the greater mass, for the in formation of the people. The Nuncio pretended that the inquisition could not be abolished without the consent of his Holiness, and made that representation to the regency on the 5th of March, writing at the same time to the Bishop of Jaen, and to the Chapters of the vacant Sees of Granada and Malaga, declaring his opposition to the decree and manifesto, exhorting them to conform to his dictate, and charging them to pro

See Vol. I. p. 570.

eeed with the greatest reserve. The regency, on the 23d of April, by the minister of grace and justice, admonished the Nuncio not to exceed his authority, since any excess in that respect on his part would be contrary to the rights and privileges of the crown; and to prevent any ill Impression, published a manifesto, directed to the prelates and chapters, informing them of the conduct of the Nuncio.

« The Nuncio, through the intervention of the Secretary of State, transmitted to the Government, on the 28th of April, a note, accom panied by copies of the letter which he wrote to the Bishop of Jaen, and to the Chapters of Granada and Malaga, and an answer to the official note communicated to him by the Minister of Grace and Justice, which con tains the following expressions, sufficiently strong to give offence to the Regency" that he could but believe that he was under an indispensa ble obligation to act as he had done in quality of Legate of the Pope, and in fulfilment of the duties of his ministry; that though he wished nothing more than the peace and tranquillity of the kingdom, and it was contrary to his character to intermeddle in other subjects than those belonging to the duties of his legation, yet in ecclesiastical matters he was obliged to engage in that correspondence and communication which was required of him by the duties of his office ;" and as if these words were not sufficient to offend the Regency, he adds, " that if the conduct of corresponding with the Reverend Bishops, and acting, as he had before done, gave any offence to the Cortes, they might act as they thought proper relatively to himself, as he believed that his conduct would meet the approbation of his Holiness, and that it would give him a great satisfaction to know that in support of the character of his representative his legate looked with the greatest indifference on his temporalities." He was answered in the dispatch of the 5th of May, that his surprise would have been just, if the note of the Minister of Grace and Justice had been in answer to his mamorial of the 5th of March, which he presented as Nuncio, but that in this note that subject had only been mentioned incidentally and relatively to the letters which he had written, as Archbishop of Nicea to the Bishop and Chapter, exhorting them to delay, and even refuse obedience to the decree of the Cortes, and in reference to the expressions which had called the attention of the Cortes, and of which they applied for an explanation. In his answer of the 9th of May he continued to insist on what he had before said, adding, that he considered himself as obliged to maintain correspondence with the Bishops and Chapters, at once to receive from them their explanations and elucidations, and to exhort them to the fulfillment

• See Vol. I. p. 369. .

of their respective duties, and of the oath which they had taken to defend the rights of the Church, and of the Holy Apostolic See; that such correspondence was necessary for the due discharge of the ministry of the Nuncio, and were authorized by the practice of all churches, who on this subject sent written letters to the Bishop and Chapters, enjoining them secrecy for maintenance of order and public tranquillity. The Nuncio adds, that the greatest part of the Bishops, even those who were resident in Cadiz, had made known their opinion on this subject, in the hope that, as legate of the Pope, he would take that part which he should judge proper, and that he had therefore been induced to give his advice and instruction to the Prelates and Chapters, which he had done in the manner suitable to his office: and that he should pursue the same conduct when ever similar subjects should be in question. ;

"This declaration took away all hope that the Nuncio would depart from his determination to offend against the rights and privileges of our captive King; and though the Regency was for a time restrained by its respect and reverence for the Pope, and the esteem and affection which it entertained for his Nuncio, after having heard the opinion of the Council of State, in defence of the imprescriptable rights and privileges of the Crown, resolved, authorized by the laws, and by the history of all Catholic nations, to direct that the following note should be communicated to the Nuncio :

"Note from the Minister of State, communicating to the Nuncio his removal from these kingdoms, and the occupation of his temporalities in them :

SENOR-The political conduct of your Excellency in respect to the decree of the general and extraordinary Cortes, abolishing the tribunal of the inquisition, obliged the Regency of the kingdom to adopt the measures it considered necessary to ensure the fulfilment of its orders, and prevent the public tranquillity from being disturbed. At the same time, in order to prevent a repetition of what had taken place, his highness made to your excellency, through the Minister for Grace and Justice, the requisite communications, and intimated that if your excellency did not desist from your design, his highness would see himself under the necessity of mak ing you leave the kingdom, and taking possession of your temporalities.

"The reply which your excellency gave on the 28th of April, in an official note, directed to the Minister for Grace and Justice, was a solemn declaration, that you were resolved and decided to act in the same manner, in the use of the powers which you believed belonged to you. Your excellency repeated a similar declaration in the note you were pleased to send me, on the 9th May, replying to mine of the 5th of the same month, in