st the system of legislation introduced
into the Kingdom of Italy, and of the private intrigues carried on by
Cardinal Antonelli. In this despatch occur these words, which at the
present day read strangely appropriate:--

"His Majesty cannot behold without indignation, how that authority,
which was appointed by God to maintain order and obedience on earth,
employs the most perilous weapons to spread disorder and discord."

This appeal to the conscience of the Vatican remained of course without
effect, and things only grew worse. At the end of the same year Napoleon
published at Berlin his famous decrees for the blockade of England, and
the exclusion of all English merchandise. Whether justly or unjustly,
the Court of Rome was suspected by Buonaparte of not keeping up the
blockade (the most unpardonable of all political offences in his eyes).
At last, by a decree of the 2nd of April 1808, he removed the Marches
from the Papal Government, and annexed them to the Kingdom of Italy. The
legations, by the way, had formed part of that kingdom since the treaty
of Tolentino. This experiment proved unsuccessful. Napoleon soon
discovered, what his successor is also likely to learn, that the real
evil of the Papal Government consisted not in its territorial extent, but
in the admixture of temporal and spiritual authority; that, in fact, its
power of working mischief was, if anything, in inverse proportion to its
size. With that rapidity of resolution which formed half his power, he
resolved at once to suppress the temporal power of the Popes, and gave
instructions to Count Aldini to draw up the necessary decrees. The
Emperor was then on the eve of departure for the Spanish peninsula; and
it was during the harassing reverses of his fortunes in Spain, that the
following report of Aldini was perused by him:--

"Sire,--Your Imperial and Royal Majesty has considered that the time
is come to fix the destinies of Rome.

"You have directed me to examine which, amidst the diverse governments
that Rome has had during modern times, is most adapted for her actual
circumstances, while retaining the character of a free government. It
appears from history, that Crescenzius governed Rome for many years
with the title of Patrician and Consul.

"Pope John XV. having appealed against him to the Emperor Otho, the
appeal was dismissed, and Crescenzius was confirmed in his office, and
caused to swear a