to the publication of tracts and books in the point around Italy that may ar

Italian language. L'Histoire de la Refor-persion; slowly, and in numbers imperceptimation,' by Merle d'Aubigné, and M'Crie's ble, they may reach the hands of those who VOL. VII.-No. II.

10

From the Westminster Review.

THE PAPAL STATES.

'Memorials of the Reformation in Italy,' are named as samples of the works to be translated. The third object of the fund is1. The Christian Alliance. Its Constitu-" laying before the American public the true tion, List of Officers, and Address. New

York. 1843.

2. Apostolato Popolare. London. 1842-3.

state and condition of the various Popish Countries, and the character of Popery as a system."

As far as set forth in the Constitution,' THE first of the above pamphlets contains and at more detail in the address which folwhat may be termed the "Constitution" of lows, the aim of this association is good, alan American Society, dating from the 12th though its plan is incomplete. It is solely May, 1843, which announces itself as esta- theological. "With questions properly poblished "to promote religious freedom, and litical," say its founders, "our association to diffuse useful and religious knowledge has nothing to do." Now, we acknowledge among the natives of Italy, and other Papal that in Italy, as every where else, the reliCountries." Each member of the society gious question surpasses in importance all is to contribute not less than one dollar an- others; but we believe that sooner or later nually to the formation of a social fund, the thinking world will be convinced that, in which is to be devoted-first, to the sending the present state of the Peninsula, it is ima judicious agent to all those localities of possible to get at the religious question North and South America, Europe, and the otherwise than through the political. To be African Coast, resorted to by large bodies of must precede to think; and Italy is not. To Italians, there to establish a correspondence, aim at her present progress towards religious and depositories for the sale of bibles and liberty would be to impose the task of phyother books, and to effect other arrange- sical motion on a prisoner bound hand and ments for the religious and intellectual im- foot. You may warehouse bibles, or copies provement of the Italian people; secondly, of Merle d'Aubigné and M'Crie, at every to the publication of tracts and books in the point around Italy that may favor their disItalian language. L'Histoire de la Refor-persion; slowly, and in numbers imperceptimation,' by Merle d'Aubigné, and M'Crie's ble, they may reach the hands of those who VOL. VII.-No. II.

10

have no need of them, of those whose souls | Italian question-an indifference which are already freed; but the mass, "the gay would be strange any where, but which is unthinking peasantry" of the villages of almost inconceivable as existing in the midst Italy, "the mechanics and shopkeepers of of a Protestant people, valuing liberty of her towns," will never hear of them. The conscience and proclaiming itself to be now gendarmes, the priests, and the Custom-house more than ever alarmed at the inroads of form, between them and the instruction you the Papal spirit. What! are we complainseek to afford, a triple wall insurmountable ing of the active propagandism of the Court to individual agents of a Transatlantic soci- of Rome amongst us-do we point with exety. Every theory of education, then, for the clamations at symptoms (whose more than masses of Italy, resolves itself into a pro- temporary importance, by-the-bye, is much blem of liberty. And well do her patriots exaggerated) of a return to war on the part know this. Since the founders of the of the Vatican, and are we forgetting our Christian Alliance wrote in their address most powerful auxiliary? Behold at the that "The patriotic minds of that glorious feet of that throne of usurpation, that exland are understood to have abandoned the hausts our anathemas, a people seeking nahope of liberating their country by insurrec- tionality, whose nationality recognized, tion and the sword," projects and attempts would be a final sentence to the power of of that very order have multiplied in a fright- enslaving Belief. We know that in 1831, ful ratio. Setting aside the address, how-in an effort of national organization, their ever, the Christian Alliance is a symptom first and spontaneous step was the abolition that interest is awakened in America for of the temporal power of the Pope; that is the misfortunes of Italy, and that the importance of that country in the European circle is felt and comprehended by our kinsmen across the ocean. The example shown deserves to be imitated on a larger scale among ourselves.

to say, the lopping away of half his strength. Almost all the leaders of this movement, since driven into exile, proclaim a creed diametrically opposite to that of which we dread the influence; and has it never struck us that if these men were free to express their present convictions, a blow would be struck at the very root of the evil? Obviously the Italian national question embraces the solution of the religious question, and our duty is at least to study it.

The Apostolato Popolare' is a periodical publication in Italian, published in London, of which twelve numbers have made their appearance; and it represents the opinions of the National Italian Association, known as "Young Italy." Bearing such a title, When, about a year ago, we heard that and were it only as the symptomatic "straw," some bodies of men had shown themselves it has a claim to be better known among us in the Papal States,-that an unusual ferthan it is. The religious question has often mentation pervaded Italy, and that a general been handled in it, and in a sense decided-rising was looked for, our indifference never ly opposed to Papacy. Though the positive for an instant forsook us. Although the titles doctrinal category of its conductors remains of Count and Marquis attached to the names hitherto undeveloped, we have evidence that of those who were designated as principals they are sensitively alive to the pre-emi- were of a nature slightly to jog our aristonence of the religious principle in the work cratic torpor, many among us waited the of social renovation. While deploring it, good pleasure of the Allgemeine Zeitung, they endeavor to make prominent the exist-ere we could even admit that, after all, this ing want of belief. They proclaim that the might be an outbreak-not of our old cirworld cannot live without satisfying this culating library acquaintance, the banditti, want; and they appear disposed to appeal-but of patriots driven to this extremity from the Pope to a Council,-but to a Coun- by the mal-administration of their country's cil faithful to its own convictions, charged affairs. Our journals recorded the facts to inquire into and direct the religious aspirations now stirring in the bosom of Humanity.

The absolute ignorance of the English public with regard to the contents of the few publications that from time to time throw a ray of light on the situation and tendencies of the Peninsula, is but a result of the indifference that prevails upon the

without comment. Their editors did not give themselves the trouble of examining if this were the last throe of the dying, or a signal of the uprousing of a great people. None thought of inferring from the Counts and Marquises, valued at so much a head by the Pontifical Government, a new proof that the nobility fraternized with the people in these unceasing aspirations of patriotism.

None thought of seeing in Dr. Muratori's [plicit,* by which there was conferred on the band, that kept in check for six weeks all Pope a right of suzerainty and the tribute, the forces of the Pope, Swiss or native-or reserving to themselves the uncontrolled adlater, in the bands of Calabria, when the ministration of the finances, the choice of agitation had reached Southern Italy-a magistrates, the power of making and dissymptom of progress in insurrectional in-solving alliances,-all in a word that constitelligence, a practical programme of the tutes bona-fide independence. Afterwards, destined war on the foreigner, drawn up by devotion to the Holy See, the splendor nethe most devoted among the Italian youth.cessary to the centre of Christianity, the neWhen, in the sequel, we heard that the cessities of the Church reforms to be acbrothers Muratori had taken refuge in exile; complished, petty tyrants to be put down, that the brothers Bandiera, and some others furnished so many bases for the profound with them, had encountered martyrdom, and Machiavelian system of usurpation, conthe sole conclusion drawn was—. -All is end-summated by Alexander the Sixth and Cleed; and the trifling amount of attention, of ment the Seventh. One by one the popular curiosity, that the troubles had excited liberties were swallowed up: those that were among us, immediately subsided. nominally spared were rendered nugatory. This is to treat somewhat too lightly both Thus, a Council and a Magistracy were left the cause of a people to whom Europe owes in the towns, possessing the right of voting its civilization, and the efforts of those on municipal matters; but the Sovereign rebrave men whose object is to give that peo-served the power of appointment to the ple new life.

Yet nothing is ended; the ground beneath trembles to-day just as yesterday. The symptoms of fermentation continue; and it requires no very practised eye to foresee that important events will come to pass in Italy, perhaps very soon. The struggle, obstinate and prolonged, that for thirty years has periodically driven to the dungeon, to the scaffold, or to exile, the élite of her educated youth has not yet terminated.

Council, the choice of the heads, the fixing of the time when and the matters on which they were to deliberate. If local statutes were conserved, they were those which might tend to maintain division and rivalry between city and city, and which, such as the difference of weights and measures, were bars to commerce and intercommunication. Deprived of liberty and political life, and under the thousand ills notorious as inherent to ecclesiastical government, the RoThe map of Europe has to be re-model-man provinces had attained, at the time led. New nationalities appear to be es- of the French Revolution, the wretched tablishing. The part of statesmen should supremacy of Italy in misery and misgovbe to prepare for England a new political ernment. and commercial existence by cultivating the germs of sympathy and alliance with the new Powers that will spring out of the crisis. If the present Cabinet neglect this office, let us ourselves, as far as possible. discharge it. Hereafter Englishmen will

thank us.

Under Napoeleon, the Marches and Legaions formed part of the kingdom of Italy, as they had before been comprised in the Italian Republic. An enlightened public administration, the subversion of every feudal privilege, the abolition of the old law, and the substitution of codes more adapted Those who would seriously investigate to the times and manners, the equality of all the present condition and prospects of the in the eyes of the law, the diffusion of eduItalian people should commence their in-cation, military rank open to all classes of quiry with the States of the Pope. Dis- the youth, and lastly, Nationality beaming content is there most menacing, and the brightly before the eyes of all as possibly to religious question, which is there located, be realized at no distant time, rapidly elethe Papal States the most directly import-vated these provinces from their sunken

ant.

Our readers will recollect how the dis*The formally-signed charter regulating the retricts which now form the territories of the lations between Bologna and Nicholas the Fifth is well known There is preserved in the archives of Pope accepted his authority in the middle Ancona a letter from Clement the Eleventh, enages as a power protective of the spirit treating the consent of the Municipality to a tax of of democracy and of the municipal fran-one quattrino (less than half a farthing) per pound chises, against the despotic usurpation of of butcher's meat, and this request, made at a time when the usurpation was already complete, enaforeign emperors. Originally, it was a sort bles us to judge of the limits of preceding convenof synallagmatic contract, more or less ex- tions.