56 Lord Wellesley's Administration in Ireland. JAN. 



ground, and every man in Ireland attached himself to one party or the 

 other. But as conciliation was a harmless principle, and the adminis- 

 tration was nearly a negative, there was less violent opposition to govern- 

 ment than the circumstances of the times might have justified. 



Again the question was discussed, or rather a motion made to discuss 

 it, which was thrown out by a majority of the House of Commons. This 

 seemed to be the consummation of Irish disappointment : a fate seemed 

 to impend over the affairs of that distracted country ; and men who had 

 long reflected upon her condition, now abandoned it, hopeless of the pos- 

 sibility of adjustment. Lord Wellesley's government ceased to excite 

 attention ; it was of no consequence whether he meant well or ill, since 

 the legislature stood opposed to the permanent good of the people ; systems 

 that only diverted the pain, had now lost their power of misleading the 

 attention of society ; and a crisis was at last atchieved in Ireland when the 

 multitude was not deluded by blandishments and promises. 



From this chaos of fluctuating events and passions, Lord Wellesley 

 retires, and the nation will pronounce upon the merits of his vice-reign. 

 There can exist no doubt that he studied the real interests of the country 

 he was appointed to govern, and that he would have bequeathed to her 

 some lasting memorial of his wisdom, if the left-legged policy of a divided 

 cabinet had not frustrated his views. But it must also be observed that he 

 knew the machine he had to work, and that in encouraging expectations 

 which he could not realize, he, in effect, produced consequences of the 

 very worst description. There was a weakness too, in assuming as the 

 leading principle of his government the doctrine of conciliation, because 

 it was addressed to a country in which the elements of division formed 

 the basis of public and private life : to conciliate, therefore, where the 

 laws, the habits, and the institutions had sown inveterate distinctions, 

 was mockery, and instead of seeming to be the first advance of a new 

 theory, had all the characteristics of a fresh trifling of the old. Had his 

 administration been a necessary commencement of a change of policy, it 

 would have been successful, but it unhappily developed in its progress 

 too many of those marks of former misgovernment to entitle it to con- 

 fidence ; the Catholics reflect upon the acts it originated, and denounce 

 it : the Protestants, disappointed, say that it wanted energy to be useful ; 

 and because it stands in an unfortunate mean between either party, it has 

 lost the approbation of both. 



When Lord Wellesley went to Ireland, he found it occupied by two 

 great bodies both intolerant, the one from long oppression, the other 

 from long impunity. That oppression and that impunity had arisen from 

 legislative, not executive sources the executive, therefore, possessed no 

 internal power of redress. All intelligent men now perceive that, pro- 

 vided the Lord Lieutenant be merely an honest man, it is of no conse- 

 quence to what political creed he subscribes : he cannot remove the per- 

 manent causes of disunion, although no doubt he may exasperate them. 

 To have performed the great negative duty of preserving the peace of 

 society, and ameliorating the local condition of the people, is the utmost 

 applause any Lord Lieutenant can receive. Has Lord Wellesley done 

 this? 



His administration produced the Tithe Adjustment Bill, which has 

 literally failed of satisfying popular opinion. It produced the Burial Bill, 

 by which a Catholic corpse was rendered eligible to the rites of religion 

 at the grave, under the permission of the Protestant curate. And what 



