time, and passed. It received the royal assent at the close of the session.

On December 2nd, The Earl of Liverpool moved an adjournment of the House of Lords to the 9th of February next.

Lord Grenville said, that to this motion he must decidedly object. Their Lordships had been called together in times when legislative deliberation was more than usually necessary. There was hardly a branch of the public administration that did not require the materest consideration of parliament, yet under these circumstances an adjournment of from two to three months was proposed without a single reason assigned. His lordship then touched upon the subjects which peculiarly demanded their immediate attention. These were, the corn laws, the state of the circulating medium of the country, its finances, the reduction of the immense war establishments, and the war with America, which, from the demands advanced by us, appeared to be converted to a war of aggrandisement. Was this a situation of things in which, for reasons of private convenience, they ought to turn their backs on their public duties?

The Earl of Liverpool began by observing, that it was an error to suppose that the adjournment implied a waste of two or three months, since, until the last session, the House had long been accustomed not to meet before the middle of January, not more than three weeks preceding the time to which the adjournment was proposed to extend. With respect to

the topics waiting for parliamentary consideration, he was fully aware of their importance, but the internal concerns of the empire were too closely connected with the external, to be disposed of without reference to each other. On some of the points alluded to by the noble lord, he thought it best to keep silence; but with respect to the charge made relative to the American negociation, their lordships might be assured, that aggrandisement on the part of this country formed no feature of it.

The Duke of Sussex gave his opinion on some of the treaties with foreign countries which had transpired, and expressed his wishes with regard to several of the points to be settled at the congress.

The Earl of Donoughmore, in reply to the assertion, that the time proposed for the adjournment was not much beyond the usual period, observed, that the present was in no respect a usual time, and that the weighty concerns now under discussion at Vienna, were precisely a reason why parliament should be at hand to give counsel to ministers. But, (said he) their language to parliament is tantamount to this "You are very good instruments of taxation, but we do not want you as advisers."

The question was then put and carried.

The motion for adjournment in the House of Commons occasioned a debate, of which it is unneces sary to relate the particulars. A division took place on the ques tion-For the motion, 86; Against it, 23: Majority, 63.

May was made public a letter sent to the Right Rev. Dr. Poynter from Monsieur Quarantotti, President of the Sacred Missions at Rome, communicating his opinion, and that of a council of the most learned prelates and theologians, on the letters transmitted by Dr. Poynter and the Catholic archbishop of Dublin, relative to the proposed bill for catholic emancipation. Their determination was, that the propositions should be gratefully accepted, with an explanation of the second article of the oath, by which the clerical person is bound to have no intercourse with the Supreme Pontiff or his ministers, which can directly or indirectly subvert or disturb the Protestant church. It is observed, that if this be construed to prohibit all attempts to bring back Protestants to the orthodox faith, it cannot be taken; but if the meaning be only to interdict all attempts to disturb the established church by force of arms, or by disingenuous arts, the oath is unobjectionable. The remaining articles of the bill are declared to be such as may be allowed by the indulgence of the apostolic chair.

A meeting of the Catholic Board at Dublin being held on May 7th, Mr. O'Connel made a speech, expressing great indignation at this interference of the slaves at Rome (as he termed them) to instruct the Irish catholics concerning the manner of their emancipation. It was on no theological ground, but upon that of its danger to civil liberty, that he objected to the late bill, which would place in the hands of ministers a new and extensive source of patronage; and he would rather that the Cathobics should for ever remain as they

were, than receive it on, such terms. He concluded with moving that a committec be appointed to prepare resolutions for the aggregate meeting, which was agreed to. The Catholic priests of Dublin also, on May 12, held a convocation to take into consideration the rescript of Quarantotti, when they declared it non-obligatory on the Catholic church in Ireland, and passed resolutions against the granting to an anti-catholic government any power, direct or indirect, with regard to the appointment of Catholic bishops. The aggregate meeting was held on the 19th, at which the rescript abovementioned was the principal subject of discussion. Mr. O'Connel having proposed the following resolution, "That we deem it a duty to ourselves, and to our country, solemnly and distinctly to declare, that any decree, mandate, rescript, or decision what soever, of any foreign power or authority, religious or civil, ought not, and cannot of right, assume any dominion or control over the political concerns of the catholics of Ireland," delay was recommended by another speaker till the opinion of the catholic bishops was known. A great majority, however, opposed delay, and the resolution was adopted. The catholic clergy of many of the provincial dioceses unanimously resolved against the rescript; and at length the catholic bishops, at à general meeting held at Maynooth on May 25th, passed, among other resolutions, two, of which the first declared Quarantotti's rescript not mandatory; and the second resolved that a communication be opened with the holy see on the subject of the said docu

ment, and that two persons be deputed to convey their unanimous sentiments to the chief pas

tor.

The proceedings of the Catholic Board had been so intemperate, that it was not to be wondered 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 if it should renew its meetings, all the members would be proceeded against legally. This attack produced an aggregate meeting of the Catholics in Dublin, the Hon. Thomas French in the chair, at which Mr. O'Conuel 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 provision, that nothing herein contained shall be construed in any manner to impede or prevent the undoubted right of his Majesty's subjects to petition his Majesty, or both houses of parliament, for the redress of any public or private grievances." A congratulatory letter 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 catholics with the holy see we have no direct accounts; but in the Dublin Evening Post, about the

beginning of November, it is asserted that the titular archbishop of Hierapolis, Dr. Murray, has left Rome on his return, and that the Pope has issued bulls for the vacant sees. The Irish Catholic church is moreover congratulated on a declaration to which the cardinals have unanimously come, "That they will for no temporal advantage accede to the Veto;" for to this (it is said), though expressed in other words, the declaration 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 considerable 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 petition. The assembly closed with a requisition for an aggregate meeting 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 nature which appeared to her to justify an appeal to the great coun cil of the nation. Her Majesty intending to do honour to the illustrious visitants of this country, by holding two splendid drawingrooms in the month of June, an intimation was given of a purpose entertained by the Princess of Wales of making her appearance at oue of them. In consequence, the Queen wrote a note to the Princess, in which she represented it as her duty to acquaint her with

a communication she had received from her son, the Prince Regent, stating the necessity of his presence at her court, and that he desired it might be understood, for reasons of which he alone could be the judge, to be his fixed and unalterable determination not to meet the Princess of Wales upon any occasion, either public or private. Her Majesty was therefore under the painful necessity of intimating to the Princess the impossibility of receiving her Royal Highness at her drawing-rooms. A correspondence between the two illustrious personages was the result, which the Princess desired the Speaker of the House of Commons to lay before that assembly, and which was productive of a debate reported in our summary of parliamentary proceedings. The letters themselves will be found among the State Papers. A motion for an increase of the allowancè of her Royal Highness occasioned other parliamentary discussions, which we have also reported. In conclusion, the Princess finding, doubtless, her situation in this country uncomfortable, (for influence had been used tó prevent her from receiving even the slightest mark of respect from the great strangers), she asked and obtained permission to make a tour to the continent, and first visited her brother at the court of Brunswick. She then proceeded to Italy, every where receiving the honours due to her rank; and fixed herself for the winter at Naples. Of her return to England there are at present no indications.

The Princess Charlotte of Wales became in this year a subject of that interest to the public which

must necessarily attend any extraordinary occurrence relative to the presumptive heiress of the crown. It was expected that her union with the hereditary Prince of Orange, to which his father had alluded as a determined measure, in a public address to his States, would have been declared, and perhaps brought to effect; but for some reason, of which the public are left in ignorance, the negociation for that purpose was entirely broken off. Whether or not this circumstance was connected with what followed, is matter of conjecture; but it appears that the Prince Regent, accompanied by the Bishop of Salisbury, repaired to Warwick House, his daughter's residence, on July 12th, and announced the dismission of all her attendants, and his intention of taking her with him to Carlton House. This declaration, probably joined with paternal reproof, had such an effect on the young lady's feelings, that requesting leave to retire, she took the opportunity of escaping by the back stair-case, and rushing into the street, where she got into a hackney coach, and drove to Connaught House, her mother's residence. The Princess of Wales, much embarrassed by this unexpected visit, immediately drove to the parliament house to consult her friends what was proper to be done on the occasion. The result was, that the Princess Charlotte was persuaded to accompany her uncle, the Duke of York, to Carlton House. After remaining there some time, she was removed to Cranbourn Lodge in Windsor Forest, where she was placed under the care of her new attendants. A complaint in one of her knees