640 Retrofpelt of B ome/tic Literature.— Political Economy, &die, 
teftant Baronet, has, in a * Letter on Iri/h 
Affairs, evinced himielf a gencrons and 
powerful advocate for the Cuticle Eman- ~ 
cipation, A. Prefbyter of the Church of 
England, in an “ Bffay on Toleration,” 
ftremuc sufly contends, that the cafe of the 
foul dees not appertain to the Civil Ma- 
giftrate, that religion fhould be left to 
itfelf, and all fe&s and parties ftand on 
the fame level. The Hon. Henry Av- 
Gusrus DitLon’s © Letter to the Nodle- 
men and Gentlemen who compofe the oe 
putaiion from the Caibslics of Ireland,” i 
amply entitled to perofal: he chistes 
lates the gentlemen to whom his letter is 
addreficd, on the majority of argument 
difp: ayedt by the minority in number jn 
the debates in Parhament. He stciewise 
the objections agaiift Emancipation, as 
being incompatible with the Biilof Rights 
and the Coronation Oath, aad contenJs, 
with much force, that in order’ to tran- 
guillize Treland it is neceflary to win the 
aficctions of the majority of the people. 
It is unreafonable, fays he, to fuppofe 
that the Catholics oil fight for a religion 
of difabilities, and a conititution of ex- 
clufion. 
The ‘© Correfpondence” is publithed be- 
tween Lord RepesDALE and the Earl of 
FinGatt. The pith and marrow of thefe 
inverciting letters have long ‘ince appeared 
in our newfna ers. 
Some ‘ Refle‘Hions on the Policy and 
J. Ro 
ite Catholics of Ireland and England ;” 
by fhe late Lord PeTre, have been re- 
pire! edited. 
is is a very feafonable publication. 
: P. wes univerfally acknowledged to 
man of clear found fenfe, a and his 
n on any fubjedt is reparded with 
deference and refpect. : 
The author of  Strifures’” upon Mr. 
Pi.cwDzn’s Hiftcrical Review of the State 
ci Ireland has endeavoured to juftity the 
conduct’ of the Englifh Government -in 
that country from the reign of Henry IL. 
to the period of the Union. The pam- 
phiet 18 written with great afperity of 
temper, but the author fhews himfelf to 
be weil read in Irifh hifory, and certainly 
his penetration in deteGtin'g fome inatten- 
tions and inaccuracies, on the part of Mr. 
P. has been exercifed with fufficient acute- 
efs. Ina“ Poffliminous Preface” to his 
work Mr. P. has animadverted upon fome 
of “the more exceptionable. parts of thefe 
Sinctures, and given to the public a cu- 
rious and not altogether unimportant ftate- 
meni of his conference with Mr, Adding. 
$ 
ne 
Eor 
Fufice af an immediate Emancipation of 
ton, while Minifter, and fome of his cof= 
leagues, upon the fubjeét of his work. 
Mr. Bett has favoured the public. 
with a very interefting “ De/cription of 
ihe Condition and Manners of the Peafan- 
try of Ireland;”’ fuch as they were be- 
tween the Viats 1780 and 3790. 
If the auther has not overrated the 
former well-being of the pea!antry, it ap- 
pears, from. the account of their actual 
manners. and condition, that they muft be 
much deteriorated. He fays, that per- 
haps there never was a race of men who 
had a ftronger defire, and lefs means of 
procuricg. a L (cholaftic education than the 
wretched peafantry of Ireland. The old 
rulers, with a degree of fottifh bigotry, — 
of ftupid pride, and a€tive malevolence, of 
which, fays Mr. B. a parallel is fcarcely . 
to be found in Turkifh hiftery, not only 
. forbore to encourase public inftruction, } 
but did every thing in their power to crufh 
and check it. Mr. Bell notices the laws 
pafed in the reign of William and Anne, 
with a view of convertiag, by force, the 
natives'of Iveland from the Popith to the 
Proteftant religion. The direé&t and avew- 
ed object of thefe laws was to fhut out all . 
kisds of inflruétion from Irith Roman 
Catholics. . So trong, however, was their 
love of learning, that the people openly 
violated all laws that forbad them to be - 
inftruéted. “Teachers they, would have, 
but it too often happened that thefe were 
of the loweft clafs in fociety, and even 
one who could read a little Englifh, write, 
and was acquainted with the common 
rules of arithmetic, thought him(elf qua- 
lified for a {choolmatter. Books, inde- 
cent and immoral, were put into the hands 
of the peafants, and it very often hap- 
pened that the impreffion they received 
from the only reading to which they could 
gain accefs was debaling and injurious ta 
the laft degree. Such was the talie, how- 
ever, and love of feience, {ays Mr. ae 
that the fons of the moft indigent and ob-, 
{cure peafants in Ireland, were able to 
ftudy and become acquainted with the - 
beft Greek and Roman authors; that they 
had tafte to difcriminate the beauties cone 
tained in them, and frequently converfed 
with each other in’ the Latin language 5 
which (by the bye) they fpeke much 
more correctly than Englifh. It was ne 
uncommon thing to fee poor lads whe 
had left their ‘homes without fhoes or 
flockings, or perhaps the imalieft fum of 
money in their pockets, wandering through 
the country in fearch of feholafiic inftruc- 
tion, and living on the bouaty of thole 
whom 
% 
=~ 
ac elias 
’ 
