2 Irish Parliaments, and [July, 



" Hereditary bondsmen, know ye not 



" Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow?" 



We hear of a long succession of acts, the least of which has, at all times 

 stimulated the populace into excesses. Yet, what stop has been put to 

 his career ? What attempt has been made by the authorities to restrict a 

 conduct, which, in the case of Hunt, and other demagogues, had 

 instantly brought down the most angry grasp of law ? Of tlie Duke of 

 Wellington's conduct in the popish question, we have already given our 

 opinion more than once. We think that his views of the true pohcy 

 were altogether in en-or. But it would be absurd to suppose, that, with 

 his abihties, and his eminent share in the triumphs of the country — a 

 share which we are as ready to acknowledge as the most prostrate of his 

 poHtical adherents — he must not look to the progress of those rash and 

 violent proceedings with anxiety. We are satisfied that the true means 

 of conciliating Ireland have been infinitely mistaken. But we are con- 

 vinced that the Duke of Wellington Avould resist to the uttermost the 

 dismemberment of the empire. We call on him to exert his powers, 

 before all exertion wiU be too late. That we are not in love wth the 

 present Cabinet, is tolerably well known. But we are no lovers of 

 tumult : we think that obecMence to the laws is a paramount duty ; we 

 tliink that it is the corresponding duty of every government to protect 

 the subject from violence of all kinds ; and we shall not regret to see the 

 utmost activity of the Duke of Wellington's government exerted to sup- 

 press the disturbers of our Protestant brethren in Ireland. We are, there- 

 fore, compelled to ask, why are these things suffered .^ The violence has 

 uprisen again ; the Association is recovered ; the orator harangues ; the 

 multitudes assemble ; the villages are traversed by furious crowds ; the 

 hills are covered by i)eacons and signal-fires ; the new and deeply intel- 

 ligible feature of feuds among the soldiery is introduced ; the whole 

 ancient apparatus of " agitation" stands forth reinforced by military 

 partizanship. We shall say no more. Let those who know the history 

 of the human mind conjecture for themselves. 



To Mr. O'ConneU, and the faction whom he guides, we impute compa- 

 ratively but little blame. They have never deceived us ; for we never 

 believed them. Yet they can scarcely be charged with hypocrisy ; that 

 basest of all the vices they left to the smootli-tongued servitors to whom 

 education could not teach honour ; nor public favour, gratitude ; nor 

 height of power, dignity of mind ; nor the consciousness of having the 

 noblest treasure of national rights and memories committed to their keep- 

 ing, inspire with a sense of fidelity, manUness, or honest pride. 



Among those men we certainly see no twenty years of game of mis- 

 creancy — no systematic and contemptible trickery. They spoke false- 

 hoods when falsehoods would serve their purpose ; but they were too 

 confident in the pretence and rottenness of those with whom they had to 

 struggle, to think it worth their while to suppress their conviction of the 

 final and rapid victory of their own abomination, the natural delight 

 with which bold ruffianism tramples on timid artifice ; or the daring 

 determination to hazard all, and have all, even to the utmost possession 

 of the most extravagant desire of bigotry, popular faction, and personal 

 lust of power. 



We call the attention of our conciliatory Cabinet to the speech which 

 Mr. O'ConneU is stated, in the newspapers, to have made to the mob at 

 Tulla, a town in the county of Clare, on his way to the hustings. In 

 that speech we find the following language : — 



