ERRATA to VOL. I.

Page 19, line 4, note, for exploded read explored.

102, note, for Ofm, read Orm.

199, note, for Somers read Somerville.

223, line 10, for for read of.

265, line 1, note, for from read againft.

358, line 15, for exceed read exceeded.

393, line 21, for indispensable read indisputable.

439, line 3, dele the word of.

479, line 7, for conftrained read conftrued.

541, line 10, for puint read point.

545, line 2, for redreffed read reduced,

In Appendix, p. 325, The Addrefs of Francis Dobbs, Efq. to the Belfast Volunteers is inferted by mistake, instead of his Letter to Lord North, which will be found in p. 865.

proximately led to the incorporate union of Great Britain with Ireland, which is the primary object of this publication.

Although the nature of man be homogeneous, yet different portions of the human race differ from each other by properties, qualities, and habits, fo strongly distinctive, as nearly to approximate to a difference of species. Many are the gradations and fhades of these diftinctions. True it is, that different political fyftems produce powerful effects upon mankind: they go great lengths, but not the whole way towards changing the innate genius, fpirit, and character, of nations. To a close and impartial observer, the original national character will manifeft itself, up to the remotest antiquity, under the ftrongeft influence of improvement or debasement. Without entering into a philofophical difquifition of the immediate caufes of a variety in national characters, we may be allowed to attribute much to the air and foil of particular countries, although, at diftant periods of time, many may be the instances of changes, fufpenfions, and apparent extinctions, of the most marked characters in the fame nations. Faintly, if at all, can we trace a fingle line of the old Grecian, Punic, or Roman character, through modern Turkey, on the coafts of Barbary, or in the territorial poffeffions of

"obftacle to the hiftorian of this country. Prejudices and animofities could not end with its dif"orders. The relations of every tranfaction in times of conteft and turbulence, were for many years dictated by pride, by refentment, by the virulence of faction, by the obliquity of particular "interests and competitions. It was scarcely poffible for a writer not to share in the paffions and "prejudices of thofe around him; or, however candid, difpaffionate, and accurate, still he muft "have done dangerous violence to their opinions and prepoffeffions. Time and reflection, and an encreasing liberality of fentiment, may have sheathed the acrimony of contending parties; and "those at a distance may look on their contentions with indifference. Yet, even at this day, the "hiftorian of Irish affairs must be armed against cenfure, only by an integrity which confines him "to truth, and a literary courage, which defpifes every charge but that of wilful or careless mifrepresentation. In several instances, the author may have stated facts in a manner different "from those writers ufually accepted as authentic. Had he, in fuch cafes, proceeded to a parti"cular examination of the opinions and affertions of other men; had he entered into a justification "of his accounts, or specified the reasons which determined him to reject, or admit, every par"ticular authority, his work must have swelled to an enormous fize. He was, therefore, obliged "to content himself with a diligent and attentive inspection of different evidence, with a careful " use of his private judgment; with exhibiting the authorities he chose to follow, without generally engaging in critical or controverfial difcuffions. They who are the best acquainted with "the materials of which this hiftory, and particularly the latter periods, have been formed, will "poffibly be the readiest to acknowledge the neceffity of this method." To these fentiments I unequivocally fubfcribe.

the

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the Bishop of Rome. But who fhall affert, that a melioration of the political fyftems of government in thofe countries, would not vivify the fmothered embers, and roufe into a flame that very spirit, which once was the dread of the day, and has fince been the astonishment of pofterity. Yet Ireland undoubtedly stands prominently confpicuous amongst the nations of the universe a folitary inftance, in which neither the deftructive hand of time, nor the devastating arm of oppreffion, nor the wideft variety of changes in the political fyftem of government, could alter or fubdue, much lefs wholly extinguish, the national genius, fpirit, and character of its inhabitants.

It would be useless to attempt any thing like a geographical furvey or defcription of the island. Sir John Davies, who was attorney-general in Ireland, in the beginning of the reign of James the First, applied his obfervations in a particular manner to its local, as well as its then political fituation. His report, from ocular teftimony, compreffes, in few words, the immense advantages and refources of this island in itself, and confequently its importance to the British empire at large *. During the time," fays he, "of

my fervice in Ireland (which began in the first year of his Majeftie's raigne), "I have vifited all the provinces of that kingdome, in fundry journies and "circuits. Wherein I have obferved the good temperature of the ayre; "the fruitfulnesse of the foyle; the pleasant and commodious feats for habi"tation; the fafe and large ports and havens, lying open for trafficke into "all weft parts of the world; the long inlets of many navigable rivers; and "fo many great lakes and fresh ponds within the lands, as the like are not to be seene in any part of Europe; the rich fishings, and wilde fowle of "all kinds; and, laftly, the bodies and minds of the people, endued with extraordinary abilities of naturet."

Dr.

* A Discoverie of the true Caufes why Ireland was never entirely fubdued, &c. by Sir John Davies, Part 1.

† It is well known that Camden, though entitled generally to high hiftorical credit, yet laboured under ftrong prejudices againft the Irish: fuch, indeed, was the prevailing fashion or spirit of all the English writers of his days. His teftimony, therefore, in favour of the Irish, is of double force. It was faid of him, by an Irish author, not impertinently,

Perluftras Anglos oculis Cambdene duobus,

Uno oculo Scotos, cæcus Hybernigenas.

Thus then Camden fpeaks of the Irish (Brit. p. 680.) "Bellicofi funt, ingeniofi, corporum " lineamentis conspicui, mirifica carnis mollitie, et propter musculorum teneritudinem agilitate incredi

B 2

bili."

Dr. Leland, whofe Hiftory of Ireland claims claffical pre-eminence amongfi the modern productions upon this fubject, has favoured us with the following characteristic of the people of Ireland*. "A robuft frame of body, a "vehemence

bili." And (p. 789), " In univerfum gens hæc corpore valida et imprimis agilis, animo forti et elato,

ingenio acri, bellicofa, vitæ prodiga, laboris frigoris et inedia patiens, teneri indulgens, hofpitibus perbenigna, amore conftans, inimicitiis implacabilis, credulitate levis, gloriæ avida, contumeliæ et injuriæ impatiens, et ut inquit ille olim, in omnes actus vehementiffima."

The fingular phenomenon of reptiles, which are elsewhere venomous, being deprived of their poison and fting in Ireland, is too curious, and too generally spoken of as fabulous, not to be noticed. The native Irish have ever attributed this fingularity to the prayers of St. Patrick, in whose days, they affirm, the ifland to have been over-run with these noxious creatures. The fact has been recognised by men of the highest authority. Venerable Bede, in the beginning of the eighth century, faid, Nullus ibi ferpens vivere valeat. Lib. i. c. 1. And Camden, in his Brit. 727, alfo fays, Nullus hic anguis, nec venenatum quicquam.

*The attempt to write the hiftory of the union of Great Britain and Ireland, in a manner unexceptionable to all parties, though perhaps unattainable in fact, is not of so desperate a nature as to be abandoned in the first inftance. I readily admit, that whatever may be hazarded in this work as matter of opinion, is fully open to controverfy; and that general prefumptions will reasonably bear hard against a perfon, who can prove but little by the teftimony of his senses, either of the nature of the country, or the difpofition of its inhabitants. Upon these two points, therefore, I have adopted the opinions of Sir John Davies and Dr. Leland as unexceptionable; inafmuch as they both lived many years in the country, and applied their minds to thofe objects with peculiar attention. I have, therefore, fubmitted my own opinions, whatever they might have been, in these two points to thofe of others, in every way more competent, from perfonal experience, to judge rightly of them than myfelf. But as to all public documents and proofs of hiftorical facts, every man that undertakes the functions of an hiftorian must be supposed competent to judge; and by that competency will he form his judgment. Et cum oportet effe gnaciter impudentem, who, in defiance of fuch public documents, fhall wilfully attempt to misreprefent the truth. I have, moreover, perfonal reafons for adopting the opinions of others, on these two points, in preference to my own. About ten years ago, before I had ever been in Ireland, I published a pamphlet, on the occafion of the pafling of an act of parliament in Great Britain in favour of the English Catholics: it was alfo at the time when Mr. Paine, and his profelytes, were induftriously propagating the doctrines on the abftra&t Rights of Man. In that work, I said: "The lower clafs of the Irish, I understand, to be a race robuft and hardy, and of a very irritable difpofition and nature: they are now indolent in extreme poverty, from being debarred the common refources of induftry; and are averfe from all laws, from having felt the conftant preffure of fuch only as are galling and fevere." And I concluded, that the zealots for fedition and anarchy found them ready materials to work upon.--Sir Richard Mufgrave, in the additional Appendix to his Memoirs of the Rebellions in Ireland, has chofen to conftrue these words into a strong incitement to difloyalty and infurrection; and he adds, in a note, that if this gen

tleman