XLVII. Emmett Concerning this event, the date of which CHAP. lies not within the period of my history, I shall only remark, that, except the assemblage of a feeble mob in the metropolis, all efforts failed of the emissaries of rebellion to excite the people to arms: so much had popular discontent subsided by the dispensation of equal justice. Not only as a member of the public weal, but as an individual, I feel gratitude to this amiable viceroy, who admitted me to the honour of an audience, and behaved with that dignified urbanity which proceeds at once from great goodness of heart and the highest polish of education. Notwithstanding her incorporation, Ireland still Reflexions. retains a viceroy and a seperate exchequer. Her public revenue has increased to above five millions; and, in a war against France, which, except a short and insidious peace, has continued since 1793, her national debt to almost fifty-four. With a growing population of five millions, and, beside other great advantages of nature, a soil susceptible of prodigious improvement, what an accession of strength might Britain hence derive by a course of sound policy? The wealth of Ireland has augmented with rapidity since the relaxation of her commercial restrictions. To prevent a still more rapid advancement, since the removal of these restrictions by the union, some causes operate, particularly the remittance of money to England to pay the interest of her public debt contracted there. This inconvenience may hereafter be so far removed or balanc 2 ed, XLVII. CHAP. ed, when the British and Irish Exchequer shall have been blended into one, as not to affect this island more than a remote English county in proportion to its distance from the British metropolis. By the union we may hope that national jealousy in the people of England toward the Irish has already subsided, and internal dissention among the latter, the bane of their country, will through the wisdom of parliament be in time extinguished. Retrospect. The great leading characteristic of Irish history, from its commencement throughout, is the weakness of intestine discord. By the disunion and discordance of the ancient natives were small bands of Danish pirates enabled to conquer great part of the country, and to establish in it permanent settlements. From the operation of the same causes among these and the former, both were so overthrown by a few English adventurers as to give a strong colour to Voltaire's assertion, that Ireland was conquered by an English baron. By the neglect of the English monarchs the country was abandoned to a state of anarchy, the feuds of Irish chieftains and English barons acting as independent princes, and the factions of English birth and English blood. When the whole island was at length subdued by the arms of Elizabeth, and reduced under a wholesome and uniform plan of civil government by the arrangements of James, her immediate successor, the unchristian rage of religious hatred, mutual in catholics and protestants, continued to maintain a most enfeebling and melancholy division. In civil commotions the effects of this fell spirit are horribly dis played; XLVII. played; as even recently in the late rebellion, though CHAP. this had been originally planned on principles widely different. The projectors of this business, howsoever they might reconcile their consciences to the scheme, were as members of society highly criminal. Success at the best must have severed their country from Britain, consequently subjected it to France, and destroyed the finest constitution of government, the British, which could no longer be maintained. This lamentable success could not be atchieved without lamentable sufferings of their country in the struggle. Such were too forcibly experienced in their unsuccessful attempt. For the preservation of its own existence government was driven to the necessity of coercive measures. Its authority was abused by men, who, regardless of private distress and public calamity, sought their personal emolument under the mask of zeal. By the cruelty of these was excited a vengeful spirit in the sufferers and their friends, which caused insurrection in some places, at least greatly heightened the cruelty of insurgents. But the vengeance of the insurgents fell mostly on the innocent. The guilty had fled, as the defenceless alone were the objects of their fury; and if any of them were intercepted, to affect a zeal for one party might be as easy as for another. These gentlemen might have thus addressed the rebels with great plausibility. Dear friends, Dear friends, you have totally mistaken the motives, of our conduct. We saw that to excite you to arms against your tyrants, to the vindication of your liberty, and assuming CHA P. assuming of your proper place as an independent XLVII. people, affiliated on honourable terms with the History of a history. great nation of the French, was an object no otherwise attainable than by forcing you into insurrection by deeds of intolerable outrage. Having therefore, under pretence of zeal for your oppressors, acted in such manner as to rouse you to action, we will now co-operate with you to the utmost of our power to the final accomplishment of our great design." On the overthrow of the rebellion these men were ardent for prosecutions; and, as if they wished to monopolize the rewards of loyalty, they laboured to throw the stigma of disaffection on as many as possible, even on those who had been known to display the greatest courage in combat against the rebels, and genuine zeal for the established government. Their violence and intrigues filled the country with disquiet, and loyalty came to assume a new signification. This was attachment, neither to the sovereign, nor to the constitution, of which the sovereign is so great and essential a part, but to a party in the state. To favour the equal distribution of justice, without partiality to sect or faction, was to be disloyal. Thus Cornwallis was denominated a croppy, by some explicitly a rebel; and some doubts were hinted concerning even the loyalty of the king. In writing a history of the late rebellion to guard against deception was extremely difficult. A gentleman very fit for the task, as not being a factionist, nor in any dependent profession, had conceived the design, and was collecting materials, but found so strong XLVII strong a desire to mislead him in men of different CHA P. parties, that he relinquished the business in despair, protesting that he could not believe a sentence from either orangemen or croppy. From motives of a cogent nature I also undertook the design, though aware of the danger, and less fit than this gentleman from my situation in life. By the difficulties of investigating truth, to which I had been long accustomed, I was not deterred; and I had ample opportunities of enquiry, especially from loyalists who resorted to Dublin for claims of subsistence or compensation. In fact my whole employment for near three months in the metropolis was the assisting of this kind of people in the procuring of their claims; and, as my design of writing was unknown to them, their answers to my enquiries were less apt to be fictitious. A history of this history would really be curious; but to give it here would be improper; and to give it ever I wish to avoid, for the sake of men, who may I hope, be convinced of their errors by time and reflexion. A few words on that subject may at present suffice. When I had written a considerable part, I suddenly relinquished the design altogether for a great length of time, and again suddenly resumed and brought it to completion. It was deformed in its publication, and its second edition long delayed. I have been persecuted on its account by factionists in a manner which in another country, or at another period of time, might appear very strange. I thank God that I have as yet escaped with life, without material inLL jury, VOL. II. |