THE 



MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 



VOL. III.] JANUARY, 1827. [No. 13. 



THE CATHOLICS OF IRELAND. 



IT is a heartless task, even for the most zealous advocate, to plead the 

 cause of any set of men, whose personal conduct, however unquestionable 

 their political claims may be, must, in the public mind, create a preju- 

 dice against them. Human nature is always slow to recognize how- 

 ever obvious the fact may be either title or virtue in the thing which 

 it dislikes ; and men may reasonably be difficult of belief, when any indi- 

 vidual comes forward complaining of injustice, whose general bearing 

 they know (practically) to be that of violence and offence. 



And in this predicament whatever may be the excuse set up for it 

 it is impossible to deny that the Catholics of Ireland now stand, Were 

 England the only party concerned, the cause of " Emancipation " might 

 be carried to-morrow. Our Catholic countrymen the poorest of them 

 are too far educated and informed, for us to be very apprehensive of their 

 being charmed with seditious insolence, or biassed by priestly craft. Their 

 complaints, until of late years, were little heard, because, individually, 

 they felt little inconvenience from their disabilities. And, as a body, they 

 had no "leaders," because they were hardly numerous enough to be created 

 into an " aggrieved faction," by brawling on behalf of which, obscure 

 people might erect themselves into notice. In Ireland, however, the 

 pressure of the " exclusions " operated differently ; and the temper in 

 which they were treated, therefore, took a different aspect. The heavy 

 amount of interests at stake, made the trade of emancipation, there, a game 

 worth following ; and these are not times, even in Ireland thanks to 

 the effect of our " general education " in which, when an opportunity 

 offers for six men to ride into consideration upon the shoulders of sixty 

 thousand, such directors are backward to be found. So that, in Ireland, 

 the fact being, that the " wrongs " of the Catholics have (perhaps fortu- 

 nately) placed a good number of persons on horseback, who must walk on 

 foot again whenever those wrongs cease to be discussed, it becomes tole- 

 rably certain that their discussion will never cease, short of their redressal. 

 And, however obstinately England may persist to exercise her power of 

 refusing concession, as long as " rent " can be collected, and the cost of 

 holding meetings, at which speeches can be made, sustained, she has 

 small chance of being delivered from importunity. 



For ourselves, we cannot stir one step upon this subject, without 

 plainly declaring, that we protest against any inference, that we couple or 



M.M. Neiv Series. VOL.!!!. No. 13. B 



