(Penalver y Cardenas), Bishop Luis
New Orleans, Louisiana

to Bishop John Car(r)ol(l)
(Baltimore, Maryland)

The frankness of Carroll's letter of October 17, 1798, received four days ago, obliges (Penalver) to answer with the same frankness. Carroll speaks of the old practice of priests of his diocese going from one side of the Mississippi to serve parishes on the other side which is in this diocese without permission from Carroll as in the case of Father Charles Leandre Lus(s)on who is now at St. Charles, Missouri. Not speaking of incidents before (Penalver's) coming to Louisiana and in the case of (?) Father Lusson, (Penalver) declares that he gave orders to his vicar general Father Diego Maxivel (James Maxwell) in the Spanish Illinois country to admit any priest of good habits, capable and with legitimate papers and to station him in St. Charles or St. Ferdinand charging him not to be hasty in taking someone who lacked these qualifications. If Maxivel urged Lusson to abandon his parish he acted very wrongly; he only told (Penalver) that he admitted him because of his fitness and good papers. He sent to (Penalver) various documents verifying his orders, among them one from Carroll of June 13, 1797 giving him a parish in the American Illinois country and two copies of letters to Carroll dated November 15, 1797 and May 6, 1798 indicating the impossibility of remaining in this position, adding that he had his dimission which had been mislaid. This last circumstance made Penalver not revoke the appointment by Maxivel as he saw Lusson as a priest whom Carroll had placed in charge of souls. But now that Penalver knows that he did not have this permission, he is disposed to dismiss him as soon as he receives Carroll's answer and to warn his vicar general as he wishes to preserve the greatest harmony between their dioceses and he wishes his pastors to observe the greatest consideration between brothers united by the same religion. The distance from here to the Illinois country which often takes three months to go up the river and sometimes six months pass without news, obliges Penalver to entrust to others what he would do himself. Therefore he asks Carroll to tell him which priests have passed over to Louisiana so that they may be watched and give no scandal. In Natchez and Colescree(k) there are two churches in the care of Jose Vidal, Spanish consul, who, if he finds a community of Catholics he is to persuade them to take over so that the church may not be profaned. Since Penalver is nearer than Carroll to these places, if they need the holy oils, he has given Father Fran(cis)co Len(n)an, pastor of Pointe Coupee, to assist any Catholic who has no pastor in the territory of Natchez, next to New Feliciana.

V-2-d L.S. Copy (Spanish) 3pp. 8vo.
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