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fhort space of little more than twenty years, had raised his country to a pitch of civilization, wealth and profperity, unexampled, for the time, in the annals of the world.

The first years which had elapfed after his return to Ireland, appear to have been principally devoted to the arduous duties of the miniftry, in the city of Cork, where the falutary effects of his evangelical labours foon became confpicuous in the happy change of morals which was obferved to have taken place among many of the lower claffes of fociety in that city; and where he confecrated by his indefatigable exertions, a houfe of worship to the fovereign God, which is ftill known by the name of Father O'Leary's Chapel.

It was not long however, before an occafion prefented itself for a more confpicuous difplay of his fplendid talents, in his Answer to a deiftical and blafphemous work, which at that time made its appearance, under the fpecious title of Thoughts on Nature and Religion.' Zealous as he had ever been to contribute to the happiness of his fellow-men, by pointing out to them the confoling motives of the chriftian religion, and directing their views beyond the limits of this world, to the cheering profpect of a more happy ftate of existence. in a world of immortality; he was rouzed to holy indignation by a work, which, by denying the Divinity of Chrift, cut off the merit of faith, the comfort of hope, and the motives of charity; and, by denying the immortality of the foul, degraded human nature, and confounded man, that nobleft image of the Creator, with the beat that perifheth; and thus, by tending to fap the whole fyltem of natural and revealed religion, tended at the fame time to deprive wretched man of the only

comfort that fupports him, under the manifold diftreffes and afflictions of this life.

This inimitable production wherein the zeal of an Athanafius feems to be united to the erudition of a Hillary, proved an effectual antidote against the virus that flowed from the envenomed pen of the modern Servetus, and recommended the author to the notice and intimacy of fome of the most enlightened and liberal characters of the country.

Soon after appeared his 'Remarks on the Letter of John Wesley,' &c. that celebrated patriarch of methodiftical enthufiafin, whofe writings evidently tended to rekindle in Ireland, the torch of civil difcord and religious fanaticifin, which had been but juft happily extinguished in this country, and in this metropolis, where its pernicious effects were legible in broad characters of confla gration and blood.

But the found argument, delicate irony, and ftrong point of animadverfion which pervaded the Remarks of our Irish Ganganelli, fo confounded his adverfary, and difconcerted the flagitious projects of faction, covering itfelt under the borrowed and facred name of religion, and whofe principles and practices the enlightened and liberal profeffors of that religion held in the utmost abhorrence, in common with all true friends of the country, and wellwithers to the peace and profperity of the empire at large, that it was then fondly hoped, that the demon of religious animofity, which had fo long deformed the fair face of Ireland, the deftructive effects of whofe malign influence on that country we had fince but too much reafon to

NOTE.

* Proteftant Affociation.

deplore,

274

Life of the late Rev. Arthur O'Leary.

deplore, would for ever be banished from her happy coaft.

The other literary productions of O'Leary, which in the elegant language of Lord Avonmore, flowed from the urbanity of the heart, were his Loyalty Afferte or a Vindication of the Oath of Allegiance, with an impartial enquiry into the PoPE's temporal power, and the prefent claims of the Stuarts to the English throne, proving that both were equally groundlets-His Addrefs to the People of Ireland, on occafion of an apprehended invafion by the French and Spaniards in July 1779. His Ejay on Toleration, tending to prove that any peculative opipions ought not to deprive him of the rights of civil fciety.

An Apology, occafioned by Thanderftruck's remarks on the mode of giving abfolution to Popish Criminals under fentence of death.

It was the intention of Doctor O'Leary to have compiled the hiftory of his native country, and for this purpose he was to have gone to Rome, where the best documents on Irish affairs are preferved in the Vatican. It is to be lamented that the infirmities incident to age, prevented this patriotic refolution, and Ireland has to deplore a lofs which perhaps may never be retrieved.

Dr. O'Leary was a profound politician. He faw his country paft and prefent-its hiftory was before his eyes-its diftractions, its fufferings, its animofities He underftood its natural and political advantages in all their bearings, and he wept for the infatuation, which kept difcord alive amongst its inhabitants. He knew the poiton which worked all thefe dreadful effects, and he fhewed himfelt one of the best benefactors of his country, by promoting a union of fentiment, and a brotherhood of affection amongst its people.

Shall then the coftly mausoleum be raised to the memory of the rich vulgar, who only vegetate and rot?' Shall the fculptured monument tranfmit to pofterity the hated nanies of thofe fcourges of mankind, who, with baleful afpect, and malign influence, dazzle, alarm, and vanish, and, like the flathes that :ffue from the thunder-cloud, terrify and blaft, and quickly disappear in the bofoni of the form; while not a ftone shall inform the inquifitive ftranger, that O'Leary was an Irishman. O'Leary whofe benign paffige through life was like the refreshing dew, or the vernal fun, cheering and cherishing every object within his fyftem? But though no fculptured brafs or ftoried, urn fhall recount to after ages his actions or his virtues, he has ereced in the hearts of a grateful peoplė, a monument more durable than mar ble or bronze, which fhall ftand unimpaired, when the stately monuments of human pride and wordly grandeur fhall crumble into duft.

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ledge it to be his, only that his cor-
refpondence with Reily the Editor
obliged him to acquiefce.
"Your inflammatory counter-ap-
" has been roared
peal,' fays Reily,
about the ftreets here all this day,

the commons were deprived of the power of chufing the city magiftrates, and that power was placed in the board of aldermen, fubject to the approbation of the Lord Lieutenant. He oppofed this with variety of ar gument and fome eloquence in a peri-" and fo inflaming it is, that Walter oical paper, entitled the Cenfor, against which Sir Richard Cox, under the title of Anthony Litten, wrote his appeal to the public, abu fing Lucas as an incendiary and a papift, and treating that defcription of people, and the bulk of the Irish na tion with the most unmerited contempt

Againft t is appeal of Sir Richard Mr. O'Conor wrote his counter-appeal, to fhew that fo far from being addicted to flavifh opinions, the Irish nation had, on the contrary, laboured under a long complication of evils refulting from licentioufnefs, and that it was their greateft political misfortune and the fource of all their calamities, that the excefs of liberty which prevailed among them was not tempered by ariftocracy in fuch a manner as to afford a folid fupport to monarchy on the one fide as well to freedom on the other.*

This pamphlet is dated from the town of Londonderry, Sept 30, 174 It was written in a hafty aegligent manner, merely for the conteft and the paffion of the day and Mr O'Conor would never acknow

NOTE.

What I have advanced, fays Mr. O'Conor on this fubject, I have extracted from our ancient M.S.S. the only, depofitories of the form of our ancient conftitution, and particularly from the M.S.S. of Cuan O'Loghan, who adminiftered the affairs of Ireland on the death of Malachy II. Ar. Dom. 1022.

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"Harris the hiftorian, told the "printer, Kelburne, he would be "funimoned to the bar of the house, "and fent to Newgate; for that it "is of a more dangerous tendency

than all Lucas's papers together. " he best of it is that Kelburne "himself cannot guefs the author;

fome fay he is Brooke, others "Lucas himself; but let them guess "on while they are fafe. You must "guard against Sir Richard's friends, "he is not only warm but malicious against Lucas.

"Your's, &c
"CIVICUS.”

Dublin, Cct. 12, 1749.

MR. O'CONNOR TO CIVICUS.

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"Your hints are friendly, and "demand my thanks, but I am by no "means interested, nor is any of our "unfortunate people in this affair of "Lucas, into which we are dragged by violent and wanton malevo"le: ce I have even some disgust to Lucas, on account of his Bar"ber's letters, a true patriot would not have betrayed fuch malice to "fuch unfortunate flaves as we. But "those boafters, the Whigs, are in "fearch of liberty, juft as Herod "was of Chrift, to crufh it in its in "fancy, and have all to themfelves, "Your's, &c.

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we Irish have a right to the laws "and conflitution of our fathers, or are we to live fubject to the dic"tates of an incompatible legifla❝tion ?"

The bug-bear of jacobitifm which was fo fuccessfully played off in thefe bigotted times rendered all publications favourable to Roman Catholics very dangerous to their authors, any thing that could tend to foften the rigour of the penal code was highly alarming, and every poffible ftep was taken to prevent the governing party's granting the falleft degree of tole ration to their Catholic countrymen. The hopes that their peaceable conduct and steady loyalty for the space of 70 years would ultimately liberate them, reconciled the unfortunate fufferers in fome measure to the horrors of their captivity.

And no doubt it is one of the greatest alleviations of mifery that the, unfortunate are ever confoling themfelves with imaginary profpects of their own creation, that what we with fhould happen, we believe will come to pass and that though we are almost always difappointed, we al ways fancy to ourfelves a new horizon which hope brightens up and imagination endeavours to realize even by the most remote and unconnected incidents. Such was to the miferies of the Roman Catholics of the province of Connaught the arrival of Lord Dillon from France, in 1752. Those families particularly whose children served in the armies of France, flattered themfelves with the pleafing illufion that his Lordship's arrival would give rife to fome new incident, and occafion fome change for the better in their affairs. As the Irish regiments had behaved gallantly in the fervice of our enemies on the Continent, they hoped that, fince it was the intereft, fo it would be the policy of the English govern

ment, to repeal thofe laws which obliged them to ferve a foreign government against their own. The O'Connor families were at this time very numerous in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Ireland; they paid clofe attention to every circumitance that appeared any way conducive to an alleviation of their diftreffes. Family pride united with poverty has a much greater influence on the human mind, and sharpens invention in an age of chivalry more than we who live under the influence of metaphyfical calculations and mercantile measures, can well conceive. The Chevalier O'Conor who was at the head of those families in France, wrote to Mr. O'Conor of Belenagare, to request he would prevail on their various connexions to equip themfelves as decently as poffible, as you are very popular among them,” fays he, " on account of your patriotic efforts, you will eafily prevail on them to affemble at Cloonalis, in order to procure his Lordship's attendance at a General Meeting of your adherents, relations, &c. and through him, who is an old Roman Catholic nobleman, to make a tender of your loyalty and fervices to your king and country.".

and

Lordillon arrived, but the meeting was not countenanced; the Irish government had no occafion for the fervices of men who were fuppofed to be in combination against it, and the influence of its laws fomented animofities among them which put an end to their union by encouraging fome acts which excited the rebellion_of children against their parents. Governments feldom make concessions from pure benevolence, Kings may, and often have; I could fhew many examples of the latter, not one of the former, "and it would be as wife," fays an ingenious writer (Mc. Kenna,) "to reft our hopes on a miraculous deliverance,

thufiafm of their fathers which looked to Ireland, as that of the fons of Sion on the Euphrates looked to Jerufalem, had evaporated before the manners of a French court, preferments were bestowed by the interest of fine ladies, on men who were not entitled to them; the noble principle of family honours, and the high martial spirit of hereditary glory which was the pledge of an elevated conduct, was thus in a great degree deftroyed; for our native country is foon forgotten when we have nothing to attach us to it, and military difcipline is enervated when long fervices are not rewarded, and preferments are bestowed by intrigue on the un

deliverance, as to expect Governments would do any thing for us, except under a conviction of its being expedient; it is therefore our own intereft to create this expedience by unremitting application to induftrious parfaits." The goodness of Mr. Conor's heart did not allow him to fee the juftice of this obfervation antill he had spent the greatest part of his life, trying in vain to foften the hearts of men in power, by painting the calamities of his countrymen. It was only towards the end of his life that he faw his puerility in this refpect, and then he would fay with a fmile, "Let us fee will they pafs an act to prevent the encrease of population. The day is approach-worthy and the effeinate. This reing faft, when our fwarms will be as numerous as the locufts on the banks of the Nile, and then we will fee how it will anfwer with thofe politicians to mock the miferies they have created themselves."

He died before that day came; he was allowed to fee it at a distance, as Mofes faw the land of Canaan, and when by his exertions with Lr. Curry, Lord Taafe, Mr Wife of Waterford, Anthony Lermott, and Lr. Carpenter, he had prepared the way for a rifing generation, he made room for thofe illuftrious characters, of whom Major Sweetman fays, "that they caft the foundation of Catholic liberty amidst the intrigues, and lies, and calumnies and menaces of their enemies."

Thus difappointed in their hopes, the ill-fated natives were obliged to continue the old fyftem of fending their children to the fervice of France -a forry expedient-attended with many evils, and few advantages. At this time the Irish Brigade was no more what it was at Fontenoy than the Irish nation what it was in the 6th and 7th centuries, most of the officers were born in France, the ea

volution in the difcipline of the Irish Brigade which commenced about this time was procured from Ireland, on account of the fufpicious vigilance of Government, they therefore levied in Liege, where they could be procured cheap, for Liege was a fecond afylum of Romulus in which robbers and criminals from all parts of the world found protection Thus the Irish officers fome of whom were men of great a ilities and unfhaken honour, were obliged by stern neceffity to entrust to a banditti thofe laurels which had coft their fathers fo much blood, and their families fo much property. Thofe officers who had ftill an enthufiaftic attachment to Ireland, mention this circumstance in their letters to their friends, with an emotion which is the refult of manly bravery and amiable feelings.

"lo die in a foreign land," fays one of them to Mr. O'Conor, "even though it fhould be far from you and all my friends, would be tolerable; but to be profaning the name of my countrymen by giving the title of Irish Brigades to outcafts from fociety who have no principle of honour or religion, is fo mortifying,

that

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