and justice to the people, and by their examples add vigour to their precepts for fhould it even be suggested that the right reverends of Ireland, from their connections in this kingdom, are more prone to make themselves parties in our factions, and to exert an unconstitutional influence in our elections, than their brethren, right reverends, who are fent to us from England-I tremble to think of the confequences, as it may give a mortal wound to the future expectations of our own native clergy. Therefore, from every confideration, civil as well as religious, the inferior clergy fhould be left to their own judgments, and not be coerced by their prelacy, to give their fuffrages against their confcience. And, indeed, I cannot help remarking, that the country 'clergy are much more competent judges of the merit of perfons fit to reprefent us, than even the lords of the right reverend bench, who by feldom vifiting their diocefes, know but little of the lives and converfations of country gentlemen. Were this indulgence given by the diocefan to his clergy, then, indeed, they would be truly exalted, and looked upon, not as the flaves of their bifhops, but the friends of religion, and of their country.-It feems therefore to be a matter of the most important concern, whether the present tyrannical mode of difpofing of the votes of the clergy, may not futurely administer a very strong argument against the promotion of our own native clergy to any great spiritual dignities. A True Independent of the established Church of Ireland. POST SCRIPT. One word more, and I have done; and, therefore I fhall only obferve how hardly our minor clergy are treated ;-for what from the calls of nature to provide for his own children, nephews and coufins, and the duty of gratitude (the divineft of all virtues) to his own great patron, who is for fome time to be complimented with all the best livings in the diocese, the bifhop (however well difpofed) hath nothing to give the poor drudging labourer in the vineyard.-Whereas, if the parfon was left free to oblige fome honeft country gentleman, who is poffeffed perhaps of feveral good advowfons, he might have a tolerable chance to live by his calling; but at prefent all chances are taken from him, and he and his wretched family left to ftarve. Sat Verbum Sapienti. Το A To the EDITOR of the POLITICAL REGISTER. SIR, FTER perufing with equal care and impartiality, everyTM thing that has been written pro and con, relating to the case of the duke of Portland, I muft freely give it as my opinion, that it is one of the blackest and most villainous affairs that I remember to have met with in the English annals; one of the writers on this fubject has proved it beyond the poffibility of a doubt, that till the first year of queen Anne, the crown was poffeffed of an indisputable right of granting away its private property for ever; and that therefore, king William the third, might legally and conftitutionally grant the foreft of Inglewood to the first earl of Portland and his heirs for ever. This maxim, indeed, has been attempted to be refuted by fome hireling fcribler for the miniftry; who afferts, that the crown was never possessed of such a right: but if the principles he advances, were once generally received, it would follow, that no fubject in the kingdom has any property in land at all; but that the king is the fovereign lord and propri etor of every foot of land in England. William the conqueror, it is well known, was once fuch a proprietor; at least he granted away the lands as if he had been fuch a Proprietor. But, if neither he nor any fuch fucceffors had a right to make fuch grants, then all their grants are void and ineffectual, and the king is ftill the fole proprietor of land in the kingdom. Will the miniftry, or any of their hirelings, pretend to tell me, that no grant of the king is valid, unless confirmed by act of parliament; and that all grants of land, which former kings have made, and have not been so confirmed, are void and ineffectual? Perhaps they may; for their ignorance great as it is, is ftill exceeded by their impudence. I fhall then be glad to know, whether the grant of the hereditary Ranger- fhip, of Whittiebury-foreft, which . Charles the Second made to his baftard fon, the first duke of Grafton, was confirmed by parliament? If it was, let the prefent duke continue in poffeffion of it: but if it was not, let it be refumed from him; and it may certainly be refumed, as well as the foreft of Inglewood has been refumed from the duke of Portland. Aye! but I fhall be told, the cafes are very different. The hereditary Ranger-fhip of Whittlebury-foreft, was granted by a king of the true line, a king poffeffed of divine, indefeasible, hereditary right; and who therefore, might have granted away the whole crown lands, without being queitioned: whereas the foreft of Inglewood was granted by a king, who was not only not poffeffed of this divine, indeVol. III. feasible, feasible, hereditary right, but had even no right to the at all, and confequently none to the lands, and therefore could not grant away that, to which he had no legal title. And are these the maxims that are really embraced by our prefent minifters, or rather by our prefent minister ; for we now have, and for a long time have had, but one minifter? If they are, I pray to God, that they may foon break out into action? and that these actions may bring him. to the fate, which the many other crimes he has committed against the liberties of his country, have long fince merited! Lettre de M. de VOLTAIRE à M. le Chevalier VANSOMMER, à Londres. Monfieur, OUS favez fans doute que la paix eft faìte à Geneve: elle eft toujours le réfultat de la guerre. Après avoir bien chamaillé de part et d'autre, on revient toujours à des conditions pacifiques, en attendant quelque nouvelle rupture. L'homme eft un petit fouverain qui aime la paix pour fon propre repos, mais il incline fortement à la guerre pour troubler le repos des autres. L'Europe à du admirer la prudence des combatans Genevois et leur amour pour l'humanité durant les troubles de la guerre: pas une goutte de fang n'a éte répandue. Il n'en' eft pas ainfi de Neufchatel: la fcene y a été enfanglantée; l'avocat général Gaudot eft tombé fous le glaive des affaffins : fon corps percé de coups a eu à peine la fépulture; mais la paix n'eft pas rétablie par la mort de cet infortuné magistrat. Un corps de troupes qu'ont fourni les cantons de Lucerne, de Fribourg, et de Soleure garde la ville: le général Lentulus eft campé à Anet: le chevalier de Planta, major au fervice du roi de Pruffe, eft parti pour se rendre auprès de ce monarque, et je ne doute pas que ce prince ne reffente vivement l'outrage qu'on lui a faite dans la perfonne de l'avocat général. Le repos ne fera peut être pas rétabli à Neufchatel qu'en étranglant deux ou trois des plus coupables affaffins que ne peut-on le rétablir á moins de frais ! Le tendre citoyen gémit de la néceffité de févir contre des meurtriers. Mais tel eft, par malheur, le fort de l'humanité, un mal ne peut fouvent fe guérir que par deux maux, et ceux-ci par beaucoup d'autres. L'homme eft porté à la vengeance, et le perfécuteur devient fouvent perfecuté. La moitié du genre humain est fans ceffe en guerre contre l'autre elle ne connait point de treve. Pour concilier les hommes, il faudrait, pour article préliminaire, que chacun renonçat à fes intérêts particuliers: chofe impoffible. L'homme cefferait d'être homme, et deviendrait je ne fais quelle chimere qui n'a aucune réalité. : Le vieux Clément fait la guerre au jeune Ferdinand. Rome et Parme ne peuvent s'accorder, et le pape fe fert de fes fes armes ufées contre un prince qui a bayonnetes et moufquets. La France, l'Espagne, et le Portugal joignent leurs armes à celles du dernier et prouvent, par un argument ad hominem, que Clément radote, et qu'il doit fe foumettre en revoquant un bref qui fait la honte du Vatican, mais que le fouverain pontife regarde comme un foulagement à fa confcience, et prétend par fon opiniatreté joindre la couronne du martire à la tiare pontificale, comine fi Dieu aimoit affez les Jéfuites pour accorder la palme à leur grand admiral. Si des champs Romains nous jettons les yeux fur le Nord, nous verrons la Pologne en proie aux diffentions domeftiques, fous le nom de confédéré, detruifant le patriote, une partie de la nation foulevée contre l'autre, le patriote, et cela pour la gloire de Dieu et l'honneur de la religion, comme fi cette fainte religion n'avoit pas aboli les facrificateur's et les victimes. Mais ce qui doit intéreffer également les droits de l'humanité c'eft qu'une puiffance étrangere entre à mains armées, et force une nation libre, gouvernée par fes lois, à recevoir celles qu'elle lui impofe bayonnete au bout du fufil. Que diroient les Ang ais, fi le roi de France, à la tête de cent mille hommes venait impofer des lois à l'Angleterre? Serait-il bien reçu par cette nation fi jalouse de ses droits et de fes privileges? Ne lui dirait-on pas, en lui jetant quelques barrils de poudre au travers de la phifionomie, Sire, de quoi vous mêles-vous? Avez-vous quelque chofe à ordonner ici? Retournez dans votre royaume, vous n'êtes point lêgiflateur dans le nôtre. Soyez defpote chez vous, et laiffez nous jouir de notre liberté; mais les Polonais font faibles, et Catherine a de fortes raisons à leur oppofer, témoin l'évêque de Cracow qui fut enfermé a Schluffelbourg dans la même chambre où le Czar Pierre III. finit fa carriere. J'ai l'honneur d'être, Monfieur, Votre trés-humble Serviteur, VOLTAIRE. A Letter from Mr. VOLTAIRE to the Chevalier VANSOMMER at LONDON. SIR, You OU know, without doubt, that peace is made at Geneva. It is always the refult of war. After tilting at one another for fome time, men always return to conditions of peace, in expectation of fome new rupture. Man is a little fovereign; he loves peace on account of his own tranquility, but he has a strong propenfity to war to disturb the tranquillity of others. Europe ought to admire the prudence of the Genevefe competitors, and their regard for humanity during the confufions of war: not one drop of blood has been fhed by them, We cannot fay the fame of Neufchatel a bloody fcene has been there. Gaudot, the attorney general, has fallen by the iword fword of affaffins. His corpfe, pierced with wounds, could fcarce obtain a burial. But peace is not re-established by the death of that unfortunate magiftrate. The cantons of Lucerne, Fribourg, and Soleure, have furnished a body of men, which guards the town: general Lentulus is encamped at Anet: the chevalier de Planta, a major in the service of the king of Pruffia, is gone to that monarch; and, I doubt not but that prince will strongly refent the outrage, which has been done to him in the perfon of the attorney general. The repofe of Neufchatel will not be re-establifhed without ftrangling two or three of the ringleaders. The humane citizen groans at being under a neceffity to ferve against the 'murderers. But, by mifchance, fuch is the condition of humanity, that one evil can feldom be remedied but by two others, and those again by a great many more. Mankind is propense to revenge, and oftentimes the perfecutor himself is perfecuted in his turn. One half of the world is inceffantly at war with the other: there is no fuch thing as a truce between them. To conciliate their affections, it must be laid down as a preliminary article; "That every one fhould renounce his particular intereft;" but this is an impoffibility; For then mankind would cease to be men, and become a chimera, which has no reality. Old Clement is at war with young Ferdinand. Rome and Naples cannot agree, and the pope makes ufe of his worn out arms against a prince who has bayonets and muskets. France, Spain, and Portugal join their arms with the latter, and prove by an argument ad hominem, that Clement dotes, and that he ought to fubmit, fo as to recal his bull, which is the fhame of the vatican. But the fovereign pontiff regards it as a point of confcience, and intends, by his obftinacy, to join the crown of martyrdom to the tiara of the pontiff, as if God loved the jefuits well enough to grant the palm to their grand admiral! : If, from the fields of Rome, we turn our eyes toward the north, we fhall fee Poland a prey to domeftic diffentions. One part of the nation in arms against the other: The patriot, under the title of confederate, deftroying the patriot; and all this for the glory of God, and the honour of religion as if that holy religion had not abolished both facrificers and victims. But what ought equally to engage the rights of humanity, is, that a foreign power enters in arms, and forces a nation, which is free, and governed by its own laws, to receive thofe which it impofes with bayonets fixed, What would the English fay, if the king of France fhould come at the head of a hundred thousand men to impofe laws upon England? Would he meet with a favourable reception from that nation, fo jealous of its rights and liberties? Would they not fay to him, after throwing a few |