Corruptions in Ireland enormous. 89 



people of Ireland were about to exchange that 

 which was light in the scale for many substan- 

 tial advantages ; yet the sacrifice of national 

 importance, national influence, and national 

 pride, required to be considerately received 

 and liberally compensated. 



The exterior form of the Irish government 

 was correspondent to our own ; but it was only 

 nominally the same. The popular part of it 

 depended not on the people, nor was the aristo- 

 cratical exclusively influenced by the real pro- 

 perty of Ireland. Its corruptions were as 

 enormous as they were notorious; and the 

 devotion of the government to one or other of 

 the prevailing factions, paralysed its efforts, and 

 stripped it of the respect and confidence of the 

 people. A very superficial knowledge of the 

 state of Ireland is sufficient to show that it 

 wanted all those counterpoises and balances 

 which are required to give a steady direction to 

 mixed forms of government; and by which 

 alone they are enabled to restrain the violence 

 of popular spirit, on the one hand, and to con- 

 troul the influence of an over-weening, over- 

 bearing aristocracy, on the other. The supreme 

 authority and administration of Ireland had the 

 outward form, but had not the internal spirit 

 the essence of the British constitution. The 



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