April1762. Profecutions against the Jefuits in France. mentioned, which fill a quarto volume, and were made by thirty members of par. liament, who were employed many months in this work.The King expreffed his furprise that his edict was not registered; but faid that he would examine the arret and the extracts, and afterwards let his parliament know his pleasure." "Paris, April 5. On the 1st inft. the Jefuit teachers were removed from their colleges in the jurifdiction of the parliament of Paris, which extends over a great part of the kingdom. The fame day new profeffors were inftalled in their room. This blow to the fociety was the more humbling, as the parliament was backed in it by the King. In confequence of it, all the Chinese whom the fociety educated through oftentation; all the Armenians whom they were paid for instructing out of a fund appropriated for that purpose by Lewis XIV.; in thort, all the young noblemen and gentlemen of fortune whom they had gained by feduction, walked out of the public fchools, amidst the acclamations of a multitude of people affembled on this occafion. There will be no more Armenian balls or Chinefe dances on the theatre of the college of Lewis the Great. That college, over the gate of which the Jefuits fubftituted, in the name of Jefus, the name of Lewis XIV. because they acknowledge no God but the latter, according to a stinging epigram on that occafion, Suftulit bine Jefum, pofuitque infignia Regis, Impia gens: Alium non novit illa deum." will have no longer a theatre, no longer dancers; nor will the best performers at the Comedie Francoife, or the opera, any longer give lessons there every fummer." "Hague, April 6. The following is the arret published the 27th of last month, by the parliament of Rouen, upon occafion of the edict issued at Verfailles in the fame month, tending to the re-establishment of the Jefuits. The court, in a full affembly of all its chambers, being conftantly affect ed by the motives which determined them to pass the arret of the 12th of Fe bruary laft; confidering that the inftitute, the ftatutes, the perfeverance in the fame conduct, of thofe who called themfelves heretofore members of the fociety of Jefus, do effentially oppofe the true maxims of government, and the common law of the nation; that no temperament can be capable of giving a regular confiftence to 207 a body, whofe conftitutions, differing from thofe of every other order admitted in the ftate, are invafive of the very conftitutions of the ftate; and that the precautions taken in the edict of the prefent month of March, would not be sufficient, even in any cafe, to fecure a fidelity, which neither the faith of engagements has hitherto been able to obtain, nor the fanctity of an oath, nor the authority of the laws, nor the imperious difpofitions of the irritating claufes rendered facred, in the year 1561, by the concurrence of the ecclefiaftical and civil powers, which were equally alarmed at the appearances of the first elements of an inftitute, and ftatutes, whofe political regulations, ambi tious privileges, and terrifying maxims, under the veil of religious expreffions, feem to be forging fetters for the whole world: The faid court, under the impoffibility of reconciling the fentiments of love, refpect, and fidelity, with which they are conftantly animated towards their Lord the King, with the inrolling of an edict which has, upon the face of it, all the marks of a furprife upon his confcience, have declared, and do declare, that they cannot proceed to the faid inrollment, without violating their duty and oath; accordingly ordains, That the arret of the faid court of the 12th of February laft fhall be executed pursuant to its form and tenor; and the faid Lord the King fhall be most humbly intreated, at all times, upon every occafion, to confi der, that the laws, the most fixed maxims of the public policy, the interest of religion itself, do not permit any tolera tion, not even a provifional one, of an inftitute, abufive in itself, of vows, as null, and as abufive as the conftitutions, which are the object, and rule of them, and which have been declared to be fuch in due form of law: That the mere fufpension of the arret which has prefcribed that abufe, would be giving a legal eftablishment to it for the future: That there are no poffible means of reforming a fociety, which is irreformable in its very efience; which reckons, in the number of the ftrange privileges fet forth in its conflitutions, that of being independent in the mode of its existence, and of having the power to reftore itself, by its own authority, to its firft ftate, whatsoever revocation or reformation might intervene on the part of any power whatsoever, fpiritual, or temporal: A iociety, which being convinced itself of the perverfeness of its conftitutions, has at all times accumulated the moft ftudied precautions for exempting itfelf from the power of the law, and for treating its wifeft difpofitions with contempt: A fociety accuftomed through prejudice, through cuftom, by its inftitute, and by its vows, to acknowledge no authority to which that of its own General is not fuperior; and which there can be no hope of fubjecting either to the hierarchy, or to any law, without previously annihilating the inftitute, and the vow, which exempt it from their jurifdiction: That there is no method of regulating and reducing to the public order, a body, whofe bare exiftence is a confufion in the public regulation and order: That the process which the court of parliament is at this very time inftituting against the Freres le Roux and Mauduit, is a new proof, that there is no degree of confidence, which can poffibly be repofed in declarations fo often renewed, and fo often falfified: That there is no faith poffible to be given zo promifes, which they have the art to elude by equivocations, and mental refervations, made ufe of even against the oath which they have taken to make ufe of none: That there is no hope of amending the doctrine and the morality of a body, which fo many cenfures of popes, of the bifhops of all Christendom, of the univerfities and faculties, and fo many arrets of the fovereign courts, have convicted of being equally, and perpetually, perverted, in all points of doctrine, and of morality; which knows no doctrine but its own; which prides itself upon the in variable uniformity of its fentiments; which, for two hundred years paft, has been in poffeffion of fubftituting probability to truth; of excufing impurities, perjuries, profanations, irreligion, idolatry, and all other kinds of crimes, and of pro. ving them innocent, either by the abfurd fyftem of philofophic fin, or by fuppofing an invincible ignorance even of the law of nature, which God has ingraved in our hearts, or by authorifing men to form fuch a confcience to themielves, as the fociety looks upon to be equally fafe and commodious. It fhall be alfo reprefented to the faid Lord the King, That there is no motive, no confideration, which can ever favour the re-establishment of a fociety, where homicide of all kinds, and the murther of kings is taught, and tolerated upon principle; which carries its wickedness and fanaticifm to fuch a pitch, as even to teach this kind of crime as a catholic article of faith; and which is not alhamed to precognise as faints the authors and inftigators of it: That the necellity of taking precautions against a body pretending to be a religious one, is of itself a public accufation of its conftitutions, an authentic judgment of its perverfity, a fcandal in the church, and in the state, and fo decifive a reafon for expelling it, as no other can balance, be its weight what it will, and the intereft, which fupports it, ever fo great: That if the faid Lord the King, diverted by a fentiment of goodness, from the thoughts of his perfonal fecurity, could lofe fight of this capital object, it is the indifpenfable duty of his parliament to reprefent to him, that his precious life belongs no less to his people than to himself: That all weakness of conduct, or falfe complaifance on the part of magiftrates, in fo effential an article, could not but be imputed to them as criminal, in the prefent age, and those that fhall fucceed it: That the prefervation of the facred perfon of the faid Lord the King cannot admit either fufpension or delay: That the affectionate anxiety of his parliament; the love of the fubject, to which the faid Lord the King cannot be infenfible; the common fecurity of all kings, amongst whom he holds the first rank, and whofe intereft is fo dear to him; the rights of the church, of which he is the eldest fon; the good of Christendom, fo precious to a Moft Chriftian King; the univerfal wifh of mankind, whofe friend he is; in a word, the voice of religion and of humanity do, and always will, oppose the restitution, confirmation, and legitimation, by any authority, of the radical impiety, acknowledged, judged, and from henceforth publicly notorious, of a conftitution and of a vow, which are equally injurious to the majefty of God, and to all earthly majeflies. Ordains, That collated copies of the prefent arret be fent to all the balliages and jurifdictions within the reffort of the parliament, to be there read, published, and inrolled: Injoins to the fubstitutes of the King's attorney-general to fee it be done, and to certify the fame to the court within the month. Ordains besides, That the prefent arret fhall be printed, read, publifhed, and put up, where-ever there is occafion. Given at Rouen, the parliament holding the chambers affembled, the 27th of March, 1762. By the court, [Signed] MUSTELL." Lond. Gaz. The April 1762. Memorials, France and Spain, against Portugal. The following memorials and answers, published in the London gazette, will authentically fhew how matters very lately ftood between SPAIN and PORTUGAL. Tranflation of a memorial of the Spanish ambaffador, and of the minifter-plenipotentiary of France, to his Most Faithful Majefty. DON Jofeph Torrero, ambaffador-extraordinary of the Catholic King, and Don James O Dun, minifter-plenipotentiary of the Moft Chriftian King, at this court, by the exprefs and pofitive orders of their mafters, declare, with the greatest respect, to the Most Faithful King, That the two fovereigns of France and Spain, being obliged to fupport a war a gainst the English, have found it proper and neceffary, to establish several mutual and reciprocal obligations between them, and to take other indifpenfable measures to curb the pride of the British nation, which, by an ambitious project to become defpotic over the fea, and confequently over all maritime commerce, pretends to keep dependent the poffeffions of other powers in the New World, in order to introduce themselves there, either by an underhand ufurpation, or by conquest. That the first measure which the Kings of France and Spain agreed on, was, to have the Most Faithful King in their offenfive and defenfive alliance, and to defire him to join their Majefties forthwith: That they expected, that the Most Faithful King would acquiefce therein, conformably to what he owes to himself, and to his kingdom; fince his fubjects feel, much more than other nations, the yoke which G. Britain lays, and which The means to extend over all thofe who have poffeffions beyond fea; and that it would be unjust for France and Spain to facrifice themselves for an object, in which Portugal is fo much interefted; and that, instead of affifting them, they fhould make it impoffible for them to fucceed, by allowing the English to enrich themselves by their commerce, and to enter their ports, not only to make use of them as an afylum, but to be more at hand to hurt the defenders of the cause of Portugal. That, in this fpirit, the ambaffador of Spain, and the minifter-plenipotentiary of France, defire the Moft Faithful King to declare himself united with their Catholic and Moft Chriftian Majesties in the prefent war against the English; to break VOL. XXIV. 209 off all correfpondence and commerce with This declaration made by the two mo- Thefe confiderations are so strong, that the Catholic King thinks, there can be no doubt, but that the Moft Faithful King, his brother-in-law, will yield to them, without ftopping a moment; lo much the more, as his Catholic Majesty, before making this invitation, and in order to prevent the danger which the ma Ff ritime ritime places of Portugal might run, when the part taken by his Most Faithful Majesty fhould come to the knowledge of the English, his Catholic Majefty has cauled his troops to march to the frontiers of Portugal, fo that, in a very few days, they may garrifon the principal ports of the kingdom; and they will do it, after the answer of the Moft Faithful King, which, doubtlefs, will be as fpeedy as clear, and as decifive as the neceflity, and the pofitive determination of his Catholic Majefty to prevent the defigns of his enemies, require. Lisbon, the 16th of March, 1762. DON JOSEPH TORRERO. JAQUES BERNARD O DUN. The two minifters added to this memorial, That they were ordered by their courts to demand a categorical anfwer in four days, and that every delay beyond that term would be confidered as a negative. Tranflation of the answer of the fecretary of State of his Moft Faithful Majefty, to the memorial of the Spanish ambassador, and the minister-plenipotentiary of France. DON Lewis da Cunha, fecretary of ftate to the Moft Faithful King, having laid before his Majesty, the memorial which his Excellency Monf. Torrero, the Catholic King's ambaffador, and Monf. O Dun, minifter-plenipotentiary from the Moft Chriftian King, at this court, delivered to him the 16th of this month; wherein, after having declared the realons of the prefent war broken out between the faid two monarchs and England, his Moft Faithful Majefty is invited to unite himself, by an offenfive and defenfive league, to the two courts of Versailles and of Madrid, against England; to break off all communication and commerce with the Englifh; to treat them as common enemies, not only of the three allied powers, but of all the other maritime ones; to drive them from his ports; to fhut them a gainst all fhips of war and merchanthips; and to join the Portuguese forces to those of France and of Spain, to obtain, by this means, the object of the faid war; the ambaffador of the Catholic King finally declaring, That that monarch, before he caufed the above-mentioned memorial to be prefented to the King, had ordered his troops to march to the frontiers of Portugal, to prevent the defigns of the English, who might have surprised the maritime places of this kingdom, when the offensive union of his. Moit Faithful Majefty with their Catholic and Moft Chriftian Majefties fhould come to their knowledge: The King having taken the contents of the aforefaid memorial into ferious confideration, in the precife term of four days, has ordered his fecretary of state to answer, That his Moft Faithful Majefty is fenfibly affected, at feeing the flames of war kindled between the powers with whom he is clofely connected by ties of blood, and of friendship, and by folemn treaties, fuch as Spain, France, and G. Britain: That his Moft Faithful Maje fty wifes, that thofe fame ties, and the neutrality he obferves, may enable him to propofe, by his mediation, a renewal of the conferences broken off at London fome time fince; and to fee, if, by this means, it be poffible to reconcile interefts and minds; fo that, without further effufion of human blood, an advantageous, neceffary, and useful peace may be obtained. That his Moft Faithful Majefty, difpofed as much as poffible to comply with the propofal made on the part of the Catholic and Moft Christian Kings, defires them nevertheless, to reflect on the infurmountable obftacles which hinder him? from entering into the offenfive league propofed to him. That the court of Por tugal having ancient and uninterrupted alliances with the British court, for many years paft, by folemn and public treaties, purely defenfive, and, as fuch, innocent; and not having received any immediate offence on the part of G. Bri tain, to break the fame treaties; his Moft Faithful Majesty could not enter into an offenfive league against that court, without being wanting to the public faith, religion, fidelity, and decorum, which are the invariable principles of his Majefty's mind, and of all religious and magnanimous princes, fuch as the Ca tholic and Moft Chriftian Kings. That, befides thefe confiderations, his Moft Faithful Majesty, loving his fubjects as a father, and being obliged to attend to their prefervation as king, it is eafy to fee, that he would be wanting both to one and the other, if he fhould oblige them to endure the calamities of an offenfive war, which they are not in a condition to fupport, after the misfortunes which have happened in Portugal, by the Yong April 1762. Memorials, France and Spain, against Portugal. long fickness of the late King, his Majefty's glorious father; by the earthquake in the year 1755; and by the horrible confpiracy of 1758. That his Moft Faithful Majefty, upon thefe principles of religion, humanity, and public faith, having embraced the fyftem of neutrality, has given orders to repair his ports and maritime places, and to provide them with every thing neceffary, and to equip a fufficient number of fhips of war to protect them; he has caused his troops to be held ready, and at hand, to prevent, in the said ports and maritime places, thofe accidents which might happen there: all these difpofitions having been made for the common advantage of the powers who are at war, without diftinction of any; and in order that the fubjects of the fame powers may enjoy the protection and hofpitality granted, and religiously obferved in all times, in the ports of this kingdom, according to the common rule of the law of nations, and the practice of all the courts who have no intereft to take part in the wars which are kindled between other nations. In fhort, the above-mentioned fecretary of state of his Moft Faithful Majefty, has the King's orders to tell his Excellency Don Jofeph Torrero, in order that he may tranfinit it to the King his mafter, That his Moft Faithful Majefty, fince the acceffion of his Catholic Majefty to the throne of Spain, has always given him the moft diftinguished marks of a brother who loves him, of a brother. in-law who esteems him, of a fincere friend, and of a neighbour, who has forgotten nothing to cultivate an intimate correspondence with him, even fo far as to ftipulate by the laft treaty of the 12th of February of the preceding year, even when the acquifitions of the King were in question, "That he preferred to every other intereft, that of removing the fmalleft occafion that might become an obftacle, to, or alter, not only the good correspondence due to his friendship, and to the ftrict ties of blood, but that might prevent an intimate union between their respective subjects." The King hopes, that the moment his Catholic Majesty fhall have reflected upon all thefe marks of love, of friendship, and of uninterrupted difpofitions to pleafe him, and hall have weighed them with the force of the reafons above cited, he will fee, on the one hand, that thefe realons as 211 lone, which exceed the limits of the King's power, hinder him from entering into the league proposed to him; and, on the other hand, he will alfo fee, that it is imposible for any thing to be done in the ports of this kingdom contrary to the interefts of his Catholic Majefty, and to the firm neutrality which this court confiders as a neceflary principle of her fy ftem. Palace, 20th March, 1762. DON LEWIS DA CUNHA. Tranflation of a memorial of the ambassador of Spain, and of the minifter-plenipoten tiary of France, delivered to M. da Cun ha the 1st of April 1762. DON Jofeph Torrero, ambassador of the Catholic King, and Don James O Dun, minifter-plenipotentiary of the Moft Chriftian King; the firft, in virtue of new orders which he has received from his Catholic Majefty, after he had seen the answer given by his Excellency Don Lewis da Cunha, fecretary of state to the Most Faithful King, dated the 20th of March laft, to the memorial which the two minifters delivered to him; and the fecond, in confequence of the system which the King his mafter, and the Ca-. tholic King his coufin, have embraced, to keep themfelves fo united, that the intereft of the one may be the intereft of the other: the faid ambaffador and minifter-plenipotentiary, with the profound refpect due to the monarch of Portugal, defirous to fatisfy the reafons fet forth, by his royal order, in the faid anfwer of his Excellency Monf. da Cunha, of the 20th of March laft, and at the fame time, infifting on thofe which they produced in their memorial of the 16th of the faid month, they humbly declare to his Moft Faithful Majefty, That their Catholic and Most Christian Majefties are thoroughly perfuaded, that the misfortunes of the war, which they fuffer, are not indifferent to his Mot Faithful Majesty, and that he would have wifhed to contribute to the happiness of peace; but unfortunately it is not in his power to do it, except by force, (and that is what they invite him to), in or der to reduce the enemy not to despite propofals of accommodation, as they have hitherto done. That if there fhould be a new negotiation for peace, their Catholic and Moft Chriftian Majefties would accept the mediation of his Moft Faithful Majefty, out of regard to his facred perfon, Ff2 but |