Father Byrne, a Wexford priest, in a letter to Mr. Robert Donovan, an eminent attorney of Peter-ftreet, Dublin, dated 30th of Auguft, 1799, fays of his bishop, Dr. Caulfield," inftead of excommunicating the barbarous murderers of Scullabogue, he gave all his priests power to give abfolution for murder; a power which he ever till then reserved to himself. It is a common practice in the Romish church, for the Pope and the bishops to limit the common priests, in abfolving from urder, and other crimes of a deep dye, which they call referved cafes. Thus, in the bull which Pope Urban VIII. iffued in 1643, to encourage the Irish rebellion, he permits the priests to forgive-all fins, crimes, and delinquencies, how heinous and atrocious foever they be, not omitting thofe very enormities, in the most peculiar cafes, which were defigned to be referved to the ordinary and the apoftolic See." Strada, a learned Jefuit, who wrote the Hiftory of the Civil Wars in Flanders, tells us in it, that Jaurigny, one of the affaffins of William I. Prince of Orange, "expatiated the guilt of that crime, before its perpetration, by receiving the facrament from a Dominican friar.* In fhort, all the parricides of that day, who committed murders on the fcore of religion, and to extirpate herefy, fuch as Clement the Dominican, who affaffinated Henry III. of France, Chatel and Ravillac went to confeffion before they committed those crimes. Thuanus, a Roman Catholic writer, tells us, in his very excellent hiftory. that the Pope," in a long premeditated fpeech, applauded the virtue and fr.nnefs of the holy friar Clement, the murderer of his fovereign, declared that his fervent zeal towards God furpaffed that of Judith and Eleazar, and that this affaffination was brought about by Divine Providence." The fame hiftorian tells us, that Balthazar Gerard, one of the affaffins of William I. the Stadtholder, confeffed that he was affured by fome jefuits, that he would enjoy eternal happinefs, and be enrolled among the best of martyrs, if he murdered that prince. William Parry, a Roman Catholic gentleman, at the inftance of Palmio a jefuit, and Campeggio, the Pope's Nuncio confulted and undertook to murder Queen Elizabeth, and for that purpofe he obtained the Pope's abfolution through Cardinal Como; but, having been discovered and apprehended, he confeffed the whole plot, and his evidence was confimed by Como's letter, which was found upon him. Such are the horrid and deteftable principles which have difgraced Ireland for thefe 2; years paft, and by which England was agitated, while the fetaries of the Romish church were numerous in it! And yet it is melancholy to think, that the malignant efforts of perfons employed to mifreprefent the state of Ireland, and to calumniate the Proteftants thereof, have been fo fuccefsful in England, as to make the inhabitants of the latter believe, that the difturbances in the former arife from oppreffion and the privation of civil rights. Fatal delufion, that may in time shake the empire to its bafe! * See this letter åt large, in Sir Richard Mufgrave's Hiftory, Appendix, xxi. 9. + Non ante facinus aggredi fuftinuit, quam expiatam ejus animam, apud dominchanum facerdotem, cœlefti pane confirmaverat. APPENDIX. No. I. 1 HENRY ARCHER, captain in the Wexford militia, County of Tyronecame before me, one of his Majefty's juftices of the peace to wit. for the county of Tyrone, this day, and made oath on the Holy Evangelifts, that in the month of May 1798, he was a fubaltern officer in the Wexford regiment, and quartered at Ballymacoda in the county of Cork; that he received information against a man of the name of O'Neil, refiding near the village of Ballymacoda, of his being concerned in the murder of a man near faid place, being a foldier as deponent believes, in the Meath regiment of militia; that on deponent's apprehending him, he (O'Neil) on being promifed his liberty, if he gave fome good information concerning the murderers, informed deponent that Peter O'Neil, parish priest of Ballymacoda, was concerned in, and knew of the faid murder having been committed; that a committee, confifting of either thirteen or fifteen men, refiding in and about the village, affembled; that it was there determined the foldier fhould be put to death; that the committee then took the fentence of the court to faid Peter O'Neil,, who approved of it, and after the murder was committed on the body of the foldier, gave them all abfolution; on which information deponent took up priest O'Neil, and brought him immediately (with O'Neil before apprehended) into Youghal; deponent believes that O'Neil (not the priest) on giving bail was liberated, but has heard and believes, that he was afterwards taken up by Lord Boyle on different charges, and hanged at Cork. Sworn before me at Aughnacloy, April 14, 1804. THO. FORESYTH. Henry Archer. to wit. No. II. County of Tyrone, JOSEPH MEKINSON, fergeant-major of the WexJford regiment, came before me one of his Majesty's juftices of the peace for the county of Tyrone, this day, and made oath on the Holy Evangelifts, that he was prefent at the flogging of priest O'Neil at Youghal, the latter end of May or beginning of June 1798; that the prieft being asked at the triangles by Lord Loftus, if he knew any thing of the murder of the foldier belonging to the Meath regiment replied, that whatever he knew was told him at confeflion, and of courfe could not bet divulged; that on being flogged for fome time, he faid, that if his bifhop Coppinger was there he would tell all to him, on which the bishop was fent for but could not be found; that he then faid he would confefs to a priest in town, named McGuire; deponent was then fent by the commanding of ficer for father M'Guire, who begged not to be brought in fight of priest O'Neil, as he knew him to be a very bad man. Being asked by Lord Loftus, if he thought O'Neil was bound to conceal his knowledge of any murder, although revealed to him at confeffion? he replied, that it was by no means obligatory on him to conceal murder. On father O'Neil's being flogged ftill, he confeffed that he himself had chofen the committee, and had figned the death-warrant of the foldier, and that he deferved the punishment he had received, as he looked upon himself to be the real murderer. Sworn before me at Aughacloy, April 24, 1804. Jofeph Mekinfon. THO. FORESYTH. No. II. No. III. WILLIAM MERKLEY, drummer in the Wexford County of Tyron regiment of militia, came before me, one of his Ma to it. jesty's juftices of the peace for the county of Tvrone, this day, and made oath on the Holy Evangelifts, that he remembers the flogging of priest O'Neil in Youghal, in May or June 1798, that he himself was one of those who flogged him; that after receiving (as he thinks) about 300 lafhes at different periods, he heard him confefs to Lord Loftus, that he had figned the death warrant of a foldier who had been murdered fome time before. Deponent further fwears, that there was no wire twisted in the cats with which the prieft was flogged, but that they were the fame as were always ufed in the regiment. his William Merkley, mark, County of Tyrone, Į Sworn before me at Aughnacloy, No. IV. THO. FORESYTH. VALENTINE LOFTUS, private in the Wexford to awit. Sregiment of militia, came before me, one of his Majefty's juftices of the peace for the county of Tyrone, this day, and maketh oath on the Holy Evangelifts, that he was prefent at the flogging of priest O'Neil in Youghal, and that being then a drummer, was one of them who flogged him; that he heard prieft O'Neil confefs before he was taken down from the triangles, that he had figned the death warrant of a foldier who had been murdered fome time before. Deponent further fwears, that the cats with which the priest was flogged, were the fame as were always used in the regiment. Sworn before me at Aughnacloy, April 14, 1804. Valentine Loftus. County of Tyrone, to wit. No. V. THO. FORESYTH. THOMAS CUMMINS, drum-major of the Wexford regiment, fweareth, that he remembers the flogging of prieft O'Neil in the town of Youghal, in the latter end of May or beginning of June 1798, that after being tied up, and receiving about 50 lashes, Lord Loftus afked him, whether he would confefs any knowledge of the murder of a foldier, as deponent believes, of the Meath regiment of militia? if he would, the remainder of his punishment should be remitted; he the priest answered, that it was told to him in confeffion, and that he could not divulge it; on which the punishment went on. He then faid, that if bishop Coppinger was fent for, he could tell it to him; that the bishop was fent for, but could not be found; on which the priest said, that if father John M'Guire, parish prieft of Youghal, was fent for he would tell him; that M'Guire came, and feemed greatly agitated on feeing the priest tied up, and asked Lord Loftus if he had any thing against him? that Lord Loftus anfwered, he had not, and that he merely wanted him to take O'Neil's confeffion; that M'Guire requested not to be forced to have any communication with him, as he was a bad man, and a scandal *He fled from Youghal when the plot was discovered, and has not refided there ever fince. 530 Another Father tion of fimilar tinglal fome 1 fingul witho I c vation fumm spira nefty W strict cour titul in P whi to the profeffion he belonged to; Lord Loftus then asked him (M'Gaire) Sworn before me at Aughnacloy, April 10, 1804. Thomas Cummins. SIR, TO THE EDITOR. IN confequence of your commendation of Mrs. Crefpigny's Letter to her Son, I put that publication into the hands of such of my children as were old enough to be benefited by it. While they were perusing it with much attention, and, apparently, with confiderable advantage, it was reported, and generally believed, that at an entertainment given by Mrs. C. at her husband's beautiful villa at Camberwell, the received a lady who has long lived, and ftill continued to live, in open adultery with a married man. Scarcely was this circumftance known in my family, when I perceived that Mrs. C.'s publication loft its effect on the minds of my children. One morning, my ekleft daughter, feeing the book upon the table, afked me, with great fimplicity, whether her mama would on any account suffer hertelf to be vifited by a woman who had loft her character. I replied (of courfe) certainly not; for no woman of reputation, who had any relpect for virtue, or, indeed, for herself, would affociate with a female whole charac ter had been tarnished. My daughter then inquired whether rank and connection made any differeuce in fuch a cafe. I replied that the rules of virtue were the fame in all fituations of life, and could not admit of any exception; that a female of high rank who tranfgreffed thofe rules was quite as infamous, as one of meaner station, and abundantly more mifchievous, on account of the greater influence of her example; and that therefore those women who make an exception in favour of fuch a female, by admitting her into their fociety, prove their regard for virtue to be counterfeit, and in reality fix as deep a ftain upon their own characters as they would do by allo ciating with the lowest prostitute. exceedingly lament, Sir, that the usefulness of Mrs. C.'s Letters, in my family, thould be diminished by her conduct on the above occafion; the work, indeed, is not in itself, lefs excellent on that account, but unless moral preceptors enforce by their example the principles they inculcate, their leflons, however judicious and falutary, cannot be expected to produce much effect upon beings who are far more difpofed to be led by example even when good, and much more fo when pernicious, than to listen to admonition and advice. ACTING, new criterion of judgment on, 199. Addington, Mr. the affertion that he was Africans, and other inhabitants of the tor Alps, remarks on their fublime wonders, America, conjectures on its original popu Annual Review, ferious accufations against Apologues, or Fables, remarks on their ori- Articles of the Church, not to be Calvinif- thof: of Lambeth quoted, 357- new reason why it was firft inhabited, 407. Aftrology, project for the revival of that Aftronomy of the Hindoos proved to be of Austin, St. definition of his doctrine, 181. Bedford, the late Duke of, defence of, Mr. 210. Bok, one the production of a German, deemed worthy of a dedication to God, Britain, fketch of its political ftare in 179 Buffon, fome account of, and his writings, Burdett, Sir F. charged with being a mem- Burke, Mr. remarks on the verification of the Venetian territory, 192. 'his anfwer to the deputies talents, 249. 286. -, fome new anecdotes of him, --, conjectures on his religious Calvinifm, farther remarks on, 353. controverfy b. tween them, 333-the na Cape of Good Hope, its importance as a le- , remarks on the policy of making it ą ft teftic.lfketch of it, 149. its advantages to Great Erit in, 63. Catholics, fend a miffion in 1802 to Buo -, fpecimens of their loyalty and Celta, remarks on their origin, and on the Ceylon, acconnt of the natives of that island, Chapels, fashionable account of, and the M m 4 |