$20 
plandcred, but it is a misnomer to call 
devastation and imposture govern- 
ment. The factious, selfish, bigotted, 
and irreconcileable, have divided her as 
a spoil; and government has not been 
ashamed to avail itself of the folly and 
cupidity of such instruments to pre- 
serve a precarious sovereignty, when, 
too, its frown would have made the 
same creatures, who were ready at any 
hour to sacrifice their country for a mess 
of pottage, instrumental to her pros- 
perity and happiness. 
The subject, however, is well under- 
stood: the public weal. Those classes 
whom it is alone worth the breath of 
our nostrils to preserve, have never 
been considered: they have been the 
victims of the passions and selfishness 
of their superiors, by whose aid the 
country has been governed on one sin- 
gle principle, influence ; or, perhaps still 
better, Ireland in the hands of England 
has been one long and enormous job. 
Having described the symptoms, I 
come now to remedies. ‘The state of 
Treland is alike afllictive to all classes, 
to the gentry no less than the peasantry. 
If the vices of the latter render them 
profligate and miserable, they tend 
equally to impair the enjoyments of the 
former, by placing both their properties 
and persons in jeopardy. Lect us see, 
then, by what means the double object 
can be attained, of giving security to 
the rich and happiness to the poor of 
the sister kingdom. 
The two problems to be solved are 
these: first, how can a mass of people, 
like the Ivish cotters, of degraded and 
vicious habits, be brought into more 
perfect social organization. Secondly, 
by what means can a community, dis- 
tracted by jealousies and animosities, 
be enlightened to its true interests, and 
brought to concur in measures for the 
general advantage. This is an epitome 
of Irish evils ; her misfortunes arise from 
the intellectual debasement of the 
lower, and the divisions of the upper 
classes; consequently, whatever tends 
to elevate the character of one part of 
her population, and conciliate the dif- 
ferences of the other, is the sure remedy 
for her maladies. J shall begin with the 
first. 
The worst, and most unmanageable 
symptom, is the superabundant popula- 
tion of Ireland. To restrain marriage 
by law would neither be just nor prac- 
ticable, and probably have an effect the 
reverse of that intended, by. accele- 
rating instead of retarding the increase 
On the Discontents and Distresses of Ireland. 
[May 1, 
of the people. But there is an indirect 
mode of proceeding much less objec- 
tionable. The cotter, doubtless like 
others, has a desire to his own welfare ; 
and, if he marry imprudently, and en- 
tail misery on himself and family, it 
can only arise from not being previ- 
ously impressed with the folly of his 
conduct. To enlighten him on this 
head, to impress the young and inexpe- 
rienced with the misery and degrada- 
tion of being the parents of an unpro- 
vided offspring, are the objects to be 
attained; and, for which, two means 
present themselves,—first, the exertions 
of individuals,—secondly, of govern- 
ment. What might not be done by 
the intelligent in every station continu- 
ally impressing on the lower classes the 
evils of premature marriage? And far 
more might be effected by government, 
for it holds the great springs of society. 
The magistracy, the judicial authorities, 
the Protestant clergy universally, and 
the enlightened and most influential of 
the Catholic body, might all be put in 
motion by its influence. How great 
would be the effect of such machinery, 
aided by the gentry and benevolent of 
all parties, and opposed only by the 
clamour of ignorance and misrepre- 
sentation. The result cannot be 
doubted, especially as it must speedily 
be manifest to the people themselves 
that their interests. concurred with the 
suggestions of reason and humanity. 
I come to tithes, a subject much 
more susceptible of legislative remedy 
than population. Were this the only 
grievance of Ireland, I should verily 
think it enough to keep her in a conti- 
nued state of discontent and turbulence, 
A system more repugnant to reason, 
more revolting to humanity, more op- 
pressive to the mferior orders, and more 
calculated to cherish hatred and dis- 
cord, cannot be conceived. The tithe 
is not levied on the rich, but on the 
poor, on the absolute necessaries of an 
indigent peasantry ; while the cattle of 
the opulent graziers are exempted, the 
pigs, poultry, and potatoes of the mise- 
rable cultivator are swept off with un- 
sparing rapacity. Then consider the 
uses to which this impost, cemented 
with the groans and curses of the cot- 
ter, is applied,—not to support a na- 
tional religion ministering comfort and 
consolation to the people, but to sup- 
port a faith from which four-fifths of the 
population dissent; whose ministers, 
many of them, do not even dwellamong 
them, but spend the revenue wrung 
from 
