other in countenance, whilst the worst passions and unworthy actions are put into operation. The want of public opinion, always despised if it dare raise its head at all in a land of slavery as ours was, gives life to this, and vigour beyond what it can have in free countries such as England; but it was a hotbed for numerous crimes, of which public profligacy is the centre, but you must find out a circumference to it yourselves.

The so-called Parliament of Ireland was indeed no parliament, constitutionally speaking. It had no sympathy with the people: it was no way representative, till a short time before its annihilation. It declared itself so, that is, unrepresentative, as we shall see in another place; nor did it much need this self-condemnation, when we remember it was coëval with the monarch-that is, the same parliament continued during the whole reign, however long, till that of George III. made a little alteration. Those gentlemen, therefore, who had no constituents they cared about, to call them to account, nor any period for it, perhaps, during a long life, nor any controul or anxiety from feelings out of doors, were naturally occupied for themselves. There was no fear of public exposure nor execration; were there any whisperings outside about blame or delinquency, each member could easily explain away that from him

self to some one else; indeed, the temptation was so great, the crime was inevitable—that of political profligacy.

We know well what we every day and night commit in bodies-our wickedness and crimes as factions at fairs-though many of us the day before, as individuals, were as meek, mild, soft, and inoffensive as a girl, yet in a few short hours, we get together and form that frightful monster called a "faction." The darkness of the night makes it still more hideous, even so to the parties themselves, many of whom have gone out a Whitefeeting through kindness to some soliciting acquaintance, but never again returned home, afraid of being there haunted by the horrors which they witnessed, and in which they might have been an unwilling, weeping, but a guilty party.

The Beagle we all know-it is an animal beautiful, clean, kind, faithful, loving, and beloved, inoffensive about a house, as the very children it plays with. Call, and pack, and whistle, some wretched animal called game is pursued, taken, and instantly torn to pieces; and the beagles return to their individual, harmless playfulness, from this horrible deed of mangling, apparently satisfied that they have discharged but a duty.

Excuses may be made for our parliaments, under the management, as they were for many

years, of such an extreme bigot as the Duke of Ormond. They might have been more cruel; and we see, in his case, what has been often observed, "that extremes are much nearer to each other than most people often could suppose." This man, from being the hunter of Papists, yet we may suppose so fond of the breed, that he goes to fetch a royal one at the risk of his life from a foreign country; and he did fetch him, but not to us—we would not have him, (I am talking of the first Pretender in 1715,) but he took him to Scotland, who thus lost, through Ormond's instrumentality, much of her best blood, many of her good and amiable men, sacrificed to his restless. intrigue and boundless ambition.

CHAPTER II.

Truth taken as an insult to Ireland by Irishmen-Duelling -Knowledge is Strength-Genius and Discretion-Gold andGenius-Independence-Liberty-Treachery in gaining them-American War-Parliament cowardice and compulsion-Accession of Geo. III.-Declaration from the Throne-Revival of Liberty-Royal Promise and White Boys-The Pope and Pretender-Subornation-Dr. Butler, titular Archbishop of Cashel, Commissary-in-Chief -Association of the names of His Grace, James Butler, Archbishop, and of His Grace, James Butler, Duke of Ormond-Bad Kings and good Subjects-Butler's Catechism—1773—Bribery and Benevolence of ParliamentSuccess Papist-money on Mortgages-Modern Legislators -Public trust for private benefit-Omnipotence of Parliament includes injustice-Mr. Stanley's deception-Landowners' hopes therefrom, by right, to pocket the Tythes with their Rents-Their notion of annihilation-A shakehands at parting with the Parsons-Catholic interference in Protestant affairs-Honourable Mr. Petre-Cry of murder a remedy for death-Convention Act-Meetings illegal and criminal-An object for abrogation-Sophistry nonsense-Law a Lady-Abolition of Tythes-Protestantising Ireland-Protestant Clergy, their character-Colonels entrusted with regiments to plunder, for themselves, a section

of the people-Lord Lieutenant Harcourt's repeated orders-His efforts and success-Oath of AllegianceVolunteers-Dungannon and Delphi-Congress-Voice of one hundred and forty-three Delegates in two Resolutions-Forgotten-Gratitude-Virtue-Vapouring and Rent-Mr. Gardiner's Three Bills-Limerick and Galway -Privateering-Horses valued at 57. 18.-Converts-A Requiem Provincials recommended by the PopeDraco's bloody Code-Dublin Parliaments bloodier.

AFTER posting hither through these pages, of my readers who are Irish, many will at once discover an attack on our country's honour, who never discovered any great desire to promote her substantial advantages, and who will declare this an insolent and intolerable, if not libellous, exposure, on the principle perhaps on which a lover and teller of truth is summoned to the end of a pistol; but if he declines being put in a position to be shot by a liar perhaps, he will be posted as a coward, and the mob, as they lose their pleasures through the coward, will be likely to think more unfavourably of him than of the former. But we value not such postings, nor boastings, nor bouncings. In my love of Ireland, I am enthusiastic too; but I think she cannot assume her proper dignity till she knows herself, and gets out of her leading-strings. This is the object in view; to dissipate delusions and point out defects; and how are we to arrive at it without referring to the