Cushing to To the most eminent cardinals, the very reverend archbishops, the reverend bishops, and the capitular vicars, January 21, 1875

No. 522. Mr. Cushing to Mr. Fish.

Sir: I annex hereto a series of acts and decrees of the highest political importance, touching the relations between the new government of Don Alfonso and the Roman Catholic Church.

• Appendix A and B consists of original and translation of a circular, under date of the 2d instant, addressed to the Spanish cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and capitular vicars, assuring them that the accession of Don Alfonso involves the termination of all persecution of the church and the restoration of cordial relations with the See of Rome, and invoking their aid for the re-establishment of peace and order in Spain.
• To this circular most of the persons addressed have already responded in terms of cordial adhesion to the government.
• Appendix C and D contain original and translation of a decree, of the 9th instant, restoring to the church all ecclesiastical edifices or other property not disposed of by proceeding’s of desamortization, nor covered by concordat with the See of Rome, with exception only of such as have actually been applied to the service of the state.
• Appendix E and F consists of exposition and decree of January 15, appropriating the sum of 41,611,674 pesetas to satisfy the legal obligations of the government to the clergy for the present year, and providing for liquidation in due time of the long arrears due the clergy under the existing legislation for the secularization of ecclesiastical property, and the consequent undertaking of the state for the maintenance of the church.
• In addition to this, the government has ordered that the archives of all the cathedrals and collegiate establishments of Spain which had been taken away from them under the administration of Mr. Ruiz Zorrilla, and stowed away as old lumber in the cellars of the ministry of fomento, shall be restored to the ecclesiastical corporations to which they respectively belong.

I have not time to comment at length on these great measures, which, independently of their intrinsic interest, are expected to exercise potential influence toward putting an end to the war in the northern and northeastern provinces of Spain.

I have, &c.,