250 
Edward IV. [rom this regulation, 
which conferred an important benefit, 
while it tended to prepare an union, it 
may fairly be presumed that the Irish 
parliament was then understood to 
possess an independent legislative au- 
thority. 
To secure the dependence of the 
Irish parliament.on the British crown, 
Henry endeavoured to acquire a nega- 
tive before debate, a veto against their 
proceedings. T’or this purpose, he pro- 
cured from that assembly a regulation, 
that no parliament should be held in 
[reland, until the lord-deputy and his 
council should certify to the king and his 
council in England, the causes for which 
the meeting was to be called, and the 
bills which were therein to be enacted ; 
‘and that, unless the king’s leave was 
previously obtained, the transactions of 
any future parliament should be void in 
law. 
These regulations were frustrated in 
the reign of Henry VIII. by the power 
of the Earl of Kildare, who, uniting the 
office’of lord-deputy with great personal 
power in the country, conducted him- 
self in a manner contrary to the laws, 
and independently of the wishes of the 
English. Cardinal Wolsey ordered him 
to England: he was there committed 
to the tower. His son, lord Thomas 
Fitzgerald, who acted in his father’s ab- 
sence as lord-deputy, immediately raised 
the standard of rebellion. ‘Treacherous 
and cruel measures were resorted to for 
its suppression: the Irish nation was 
irrecoverably disgusted, and when the 
reformation of religion took place in 
England, the religious and_ political 
passions of the Irish nation were predis- 
posed by animosity to become inilamed 
against its reception. 
Under the catholic sway of Mary, 
some approximation was made to the 
policy of Henry VIL. It was required 
not only that the acts in contemplation 
at the mecting of an Irish parliament, 
but that those proposed after its assem- 
blage, should be certified to the king and 
council in England; and that they might 
not be put to yote, unless sanctioned by 
this preliminary approval. The friends 
of Irish independence eluded this regu- 
lation, by deliberating whether a propo- 
sal for a given bill should be certified 
to the king and council, which answer- 
ed the purpose of exciting public atten- 
tion, and of proclaiming their individual 
sentiments and arguments. 
“industrious inhabitants. 
HISTORY, POLITICS, AND STATISTICS. 
The protestant reign of Elizabeth 
produced no less than three rebellions 
in Ireland, which may be attributed 
‘chiefly to the state of religious opimions. 
By the union of the English and Scot- 
tish crowns in the person of James I., 
by the cordial acquiescence of the whole 
nation in the title of their n2w sove- 
reign, and by the entire subjection of 
the Irish chieftains completed by Lord 
Mountjoy, just before the decease of 
Elizabeth was evulgated, James found 
himself more favourably circumstanced 
than his predecessors for communicating 
to Ireland the benefits of English juris- 
prudence, and the advantages of civili- 
zation and regular government. It is 
surprizing that this prince should not 
have thought of allowinga catholic estab- 
lishment in Ireland: that was the na- 
tural religion of the people, as calvinism 
was of the Scotch and bucerism of the 
English. 
James effected much in Ireland. He 
approximated their tribunals to the Eng- 
lish plan, and extended his laws beyond 
the pale. The authority of the Brehons 
had still continued in force; and with 
it the feudal practice of mulcting dis- 
tricts for a murder, instead of punishing 
the culprit. The whole country was 
now divided into thirty-two counties, 
each under the superintendence of a 
sheriff, and subjected to the jurisdiction 
of itinerant courts, which proved a won- 
derful defence to the numerous classes 
against tyrannical exactions. Another 
important reformation was the settlement 
of landed property. From the frequency 
of rebellions and disorders many for- 
feitures had occurred. For putting an 
end to controversies that had arisen with 
respect to crown grants, certain .com- 
missioners were appointed to examine 
defective titles, and the possessors were 
invited to surrender their estates into 
the hands of the governor, in order to 
obtain a new and more legal. grant. 
This process was indeed contrived to fill 
the coffers of government, and to facili- 
tate the seizure of unoccupied domain ; 
but it was accompanied with the aboli- 
tion of tanistry, and other tenures unfa- 
vourable to the investment of capital 
upon estates, so that it really benefited 
Ireland. A vast track of northern terri- 
tory was thus usurped, and sold to the 
city of London, who colonized it with 
The confisca- 
tion of property, in cases of treason, is 
always a mischievous policy: rapacity 
a 
