also, in all probability, improve the affairs of the catholic gentleman, I think we have at once attained a most desirable object,-the summit of charitable ambition. Mr. Editor, I am just returned from a Midsummer jaunt; in the course of which I have been introduced into the families of many catholic landholders. On these occasions I have not neglected to inquire into their domestic policy, knowing how serviceable their prosperity may eventually prove to the catholic religion in this country. For, Mr. Editor, though from the want of ability I have seldom burthened you or any one else with the productions of my pen; yet, I assure you, I feel no ordinary interest in whatever tends to promote the exercise of our holy religion. During my visits, whilst I frequently admired the good order and discipline that reigned in every department of the house, yet I could not but express myself astonished at their apparent unaccountable predilection, that protestant tenants should occupy their land. This, however strange it may appear, was very remarkable; for upon an average, where a landholder had twenty tenants, I could not find five of them catholics. If this arose from necessity, because no catholics could be found willing to accept of the land on the same terms, it would be excusable; but frequent instances have occurred, to my certain knowledge, in which an arbitrary preference has been given to a protestant bidder. I do not allude to a solitary case of this say frequent instances of it have occurred, and to my certain knowledge, without any apparent reason. Is this agreeable to the admonition of t. Paul, hen he says, "Do good to all, ESPECIALLY TO THOSE OF THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH." I have often admired the answer to the question in the Doway cate sort. chism, when speaking of the love of of our neighbour, it asks,-" And who are our neighbours?"-Answer, - ALL mankind, ESPECIALLY CATHOLICS." Indeed, in what.consists the rationality of such a method of proceeding, I know not. The encouragement of religion, the interesting cause of charity, which always begins at home, but particularly their own profit and advantage, would dictate a very oppostie conduct. How many respectable catholic farmers are deprived of the means of attending to the duties of our holy religion, because they are obliged to rent their land of a protestant landlord, and consequently are at a very inconvenient distance from any chapel; whilst protestant tenants, who live in the neighbourhood of catholic landholders, refuse to accept of those means of salvation, which religion holds out as the peculiar privilege of catholics. Another most lamentable consequence is, that the poor children in the neighbourhood of a catholic 'squire, instead of becoming well instructed in their religion, either totally neglect it, or only attend to it so far as we should expect from those who serve protestant masters all the week, and are only seen by the gentleman's chaplain on a Sunday evening. is astonishing, that when our duty to God, charity to our neighbour and our own worldly interest and advantage dictate the same line of conduct, we are sometimes so blindly infatuated as to sacrifice ali, in order to indulge the silly caprice of pretended friends. This, I believe, is exactly one of those cases. we find that catholic gentlemen, instead of having their chapels occupied by catholic farmers, who would be capable not only of maintaining their own families, and of keeping their servants under proper discipline, but also of supporting those who have grown old and infirm in their service: instead of availing But it For themselves of these advantages, their chapels are crowded with the poor and the decrepit; of whom, I fear, it is sometimes too truly said, that they come rather to quench their thirst after the flesh pots of Egypt, than from a pure, unadulterated desire of serving that God who searches the hearts and the reins. Hence the whole weight of this heavy tax falls upon the catholic landlord; and there is scarcely a member of the whole congregation who is not dependent upon the family for the support of his children I do not speak at random. I say no more than what I have witnessed I know a very respectable catholic family, one for which in every other respect I entertain the highest esteem; in which, out of a congregation attached to it, consisting of about 200, excluding servants, there is not one among them who does not depend upon the bounty of the family for the means of subsistI admire such charity; but if its benign influence can be extended yet farther, why should we neglect the opportunity? I heartily wish that our catholic gentry would take this into consideration, and reflect that whilst they are suffering such a draw-back on their income, the profits arising from the cultiva-, tion of their lands goes to the support of protestant luxury, idleness, and irreligion. You see, Mr. Editor, that I have not said all that might be said on this subject; I have barely alluded to a few argu. ments which might be made more of; but sufficient has been said to furnish our catholic landholders with a salutary hint of the manner in which religion, charity, but above all, their own worldly interest and profit, would prompt them to act. A COUNTRY FARMER. ence. high trees, And the forest has lost half its gloom; O how sweet is the breath of the fresh mountain breeze, And the sight of the valley in bloom! Now winds the rough road o'er the rude one-arched bridge, And St. Bernard, far towering above the Where the torrent rolls foaming below: high ridge, Lifts his hoary old summit of snow. Can the wanderer advance without feelings of dread, 'Mid the scenes that now crowd on his sight; While the menacing clifts bend and frown o'er his head, And the cataract pours on his right: Where the pines of the forest are stunted and sear, And the rugged road seldom is traced, Where the rocks are all barren, the moun tain all drear, And the valley all desert and waste. For it foamed and broke over them all. It is passed-but the scene is more frightful and dreur, Not a pine rises over the snow ; ' Not a point of the grey granite rock can appears Not a flow'ret can flourish below. And the traveller advances with caution and dread, In his dubious and desolate way; For who knows, but the aveláncke may burst o'er his head, Or the snow-covered gulph may betray. Yet more steep is the mountain, more rude is the blast, More keen, more benumbing the air; Vegetation long since feebly bourgeoned her fast, And around—all is death and despair. high summit is gain’d—and fair Charity's hand Has invited the wanderer in: Who would hope she could dwell in this desolate land, Where no creature, no comfort is seen. But the mountain's high summit no longer is drear, By Religion and Charity blest; Hospitality ventures to smile even here, And to soothe the worn traveller to rest. F. C. H. St. Mary's College, Oscott, **** July 15, 1817. EPITOME OF INTELLIGENCE. HE opposition of the Irish to the abhorrent measures in agitation of submitting the choice of their prelates to the ministers of the crown proceed with firmness and spirit, and there is now every reason to hope the intrigues of the perfidious Gonsalvi will be unavailing, in his irreligious attempts to subdue the independence of the Irish hierarchy, and place it under the control of an anti-catholic cabinet. The zealous and unbending agent of the Irish catholics, the Rev. Mr. Hayes, passed through London on the 19th Instant, on his return to Dublin, where he arrived on the 24th. The intelligence brought by him is of a mixed nature. He states the influence of the British government to be predominant at Rome; but, nevertheless, all the cardinals, with -the exception of Gonsalvi, are in favour of domestic nomination. We are not at liberty to enter into the plan devised and submitted to the propaganda for its sanction, which would have been formally obtained but for the unfortunate conduct of the Irish catholic association, in giving up their delegate to conciliate a party in their body, whose views have never tended to promote the cause of unqualified emancipation, but have always been productive of failure and disunion. Had Mr. Hayes met with that support which his indefatigable zeal and splendid abilities entitle him to, there is no doubt but domestic nomination, would, ere this time, have been, officially granted by the holy see, and the elections to future vacant dioceses in Ireland regulated on such canonical and constitutional principles, as to secure them alike from the intrigues of the court, the prelates, and the electing clergy, and thus have ensured to that catho lic country, a church the most pure, learned, and independent, in all christendom. Under present ciccumstances, it is not now to be expected that Rome will give a public decision on the question; there is, however, great reason to suppose, that so far from any opposition being experienced from his holiness to elections made by dean and chapter, the candidates thus chosen will be preferred to those (if any there should be) postulated in the usual way, as was the case with Dr. Walsh, the lately consecrated bishop of Waterford and Lismore, who was chosen by the great body of the clergy of the diocese, and the election approved by propaganda, notwithstanding another was postulated by the prelates of the province. Thus it appears that the subject rests with the prelates, and if they sanction the plan, and act upon it, the matter will be considered as decided so far as Ireland is concerned. In this case we should not be surprised to see an attempt made to create a schism in our body, by holding emancipation under veto restrictive clauses, for the purpose of bribing such amongst us as are willing to accept of a certain portion of their civil privileges at the expence of their religion. Should such a plan be acted upon, we augur that few individuals in Ireland would be found base enough to accept of temporal honours and emoluments on such disgraceful conditions; but we must not be surprised if the experiment is hazarded in this country, and it behoves us to be on our guard, to prevent, if possible, the evil consequences which must ensue from it. With respect to matters of religion on the continent, the information is not very gratifying. Ecolo den of the episcopacy, their modesty inducing them to dread undertaking its duties and responsibility. When do we meet with an instance of this kind in England? The Diaro of the 28th of July, announces the promotion of Mons. de Meau to the archbishoprick of Mecklin.--The re-establishment of the sees of Antwerp and Ruremonde, a measure respecting which there had been some discussion, has been determined on. The ec siastical matters are still in an unsettled state in most of the states of Germany; we, however, congratulate our readers on the conclusion of a concordat between the supreme pontiff and Louis XVIII. by which several advantages are secured to the church of France, and the most essential benefits to religion may be expected to arise from it in that country. Cardinal Brancadoro is appointed Nuncio at Paris, and invested with the necessary powers from his holiness to carry into effect the articles of the treaty. The most important object of the concordat is to restore to the church of France, a portion of its ancient splendour, by increasing the number of episcopal sees, and re-establishing many whose origin ascends to the birth of the christian religion in that kingdom. Previous to the revolution, there were 132 bishopricks, comprising the five in orsica, and four on the Comtat The concorda in 1801 reduced them to fifty, including in that number the see of Versailles, which was created at that time. It appears, according to the new arrangement, that a medium course has been adopted, and thus there will be 42 sees more than in 1801, and 47 less than in 1789. The nominations tonomy, by the abbé Genovesi. 2. the new and vacant sees which have transpired, seem to have obtained general approbation. The good and religious monarch is said, by the French papers, to have sought out concealed merit; and virtuous priests, who believed themselves unknown in the capital, were surprised in their retirement at finding they had attracted the attention of the king, and of the prelate to whom he en trusted this most important part of his solicitude.It is further said, and the circumstance proves how well those on whom the choice has fallen are worthy of that preference, According to an official declarathat several of these priests have de- tion issued by the minister of the clined taking on themselves the bur-interior, the names Protestant and An article from Stutgard, dated Sept. 11th, says, that more extensive establishments are training for the catholic church in the kingdom of Wirtemberg, and that a bishopric and a separate catholic ecclesiastical property is to be founded. clesiastical seminaries, both catholic and protestant, are represented to be improving and extending, having been relieved from many burthens to which they were formerly liable, but which are now borne by the public treasury. A decree of the congregation of Index, on the 23d of last June, since approved by his holiness, places the following among the number of interdicted books:- 1. Lessons of Commerce and Civil Eco Fraternal Advice to the Ultramon- |