been anticipated, and neatly and judiciously refuted by Mr. Spencer, in his elegant little work, "Thoughts on a Union." A period of ninety-one years has not paffed over the nations of Europe, without bringing in its train fuch advantages of every kind, and fuch increase of property and population, as have greatly altered the circumstances of men and things, in the two countries: Nor can I think, Sir, that you have been a jot more happy in your AMERICAN parallel, with which you proceed to fill the three or four next pages, than you were in your Sabine comparison, or your equally fortunate allusions to the Netherlands, and to the Cifalpine and Tranfalpine Republics. American confolidation can furnish no fair or just parallel to the cafe before us: Ireland and England are two feparate KINGDOMS, the States of America were thir teen diftinct REPUBLICS; the American Union was a federal one, the Union you propose for Ireland is, (if I understand it right) an incorporated, NOT a federal Union. Befides, no natural boundaries ever feperated the States of America; their feveral frontiers were in all parts arbitrary and artificial, and in fome, imaginary. We We come now to that part of the work, (page 19) in which our Author enters on a relative calculation of the quantity of property in Ireland, and the different religions of its prefent poffeffors: and ftates the number of Roman Catholic inhabitants of this kingdom to be, to the Protestants, in the proportion of four to one; while the property of the latter is estimated to exceed that of the former by the grofs amount of ten to one. Let us examine this ftatement: It is a point of infinite magnitude> and I much fear that a mistaken confidence on this very fubject has been one of the causes, (and perhaps not one of the leaft momentous) that produced thofe, claims and troubles, which have fo lately agitated Ireland. I know it has been but too frequently afferted, that the Catholics of this country are in round numbers three fourths of its inhabitants; yet I hope to PROVE, before I difmifs this position, that fuch a ratio neither is, or can be true. In the year 1731, a furvey of this kingdom was had, and a very accurate CENSUs of its inhabitants taken, distinguishing the relative proportion of Catholic and Proteftant occupiers in each district, in each county, and finally in each province. This : work work was executed by order of government, publifhed the following year, 1732; and the faith of the government of the country pledged to its veracity. The proportion of Catholics to Proteftants was therein ftated, and afcertained by documents which could not be refuted, to be on the scale of the whole kingdom as two and an half and a fraction to one, or in round numbers as five to two. Now if fixty seven years ago, when the power of the Pope was furely higher than at present, and when Ireland had not received the addition of the numbers of English Proteftant fettlers, traders and adventurers, who, with their families, have fince come over amongst us; I fay, if at that period, fuch was the proportion of the two religions, it is now fair reasoning to conclude that the excefs, inftead of encreafing, has been diminished. During the whole of this period, the proteftant has been pretty generally the perfuafion of the higher ranks of society; of course, it became fo of those whom their patronage biaffed, or their charity supported: befides, the Catholic, until very lately, laboured under fuch up his perfonal difabilities, that he could not breed fon to any of the learned profeffions; and the alluring profpect of glory and of rank by arms, fo attractive to enthusiastic minds, was to his view closed for ever: nay, he could not acquire, at least he could not retain, and tranfmit to his pofterity, being Catholics, ANY REAL PROPERTY. Now, I ask any man, who can keep his reafon unclouded, and his opinions unprejudiced, is it prefumeable, is it reafonable, or natural to conclude, that the coincidence of two fuch powerful principles could have continued upwards of half a century unconfequential and inoperative? I make no account of profelyteifm, or open recantations upon either fide; I am writing on no religious controversy: God forbid! I respect, I honour, and I love ALL good men of ALL perfuafions: yet I will venture to hazard the affertion, that Fashion has fome influence, even on religion; and that Self-intereft has more: the ftrict Catholic perfuafion was rather going out of fashion of late days, until religion became, unhappily, the handmaid of politics, and until fome very deep men, fome very ingenious, and fome very able men contrived to make even the prejudices of the most opposite tenets, auxiliary to the schemes of private ambition and of perfonal aggrandizement. He has read the history of his own times with ftrange inaccuracy, who can be ignorant of this; and he has confidered the human heart fuperficially indeed, who can deny it. If then, it be conceded to me, that I have deduced my calculation from pure, and undeniable facts; I must take leave to alter your proportion of the two religions, from one fourth into two fifths; and from the fame reasons I have mentioned before, I must use a similar liberty ftill further to reduce your affertion, that the Proteftant tenures at this day, are nine tenths of the whole property of Ireland. The Irish Catholic, at this day, can acquire, can enjoy, and can tranfmit REAL Property. The industry, the abilities, the good fortune, and the good fenfe, of numbers of that perfuafion, have enabled them to make large fortunes; they have seen their interefts, used their ability, and purchased land. But taking the cafe upon your own fhewing, and fuppofing the Proteftant occupiers to hold nine tenths of all the lands in the kingdom, would it mend the matter to fend many, or any of those very landlords off their own eftates, to serve in a British or United Parliament; and to expend the rents and produce of thofe very eftates, in the neceffaries, the manufactures, the arts, and the luxuries, not of their own tenantry, or of their own country, but of another people in another kingdom? Would it ferve to tranquillize the mind, would it conciliate the attachment of the Catholic tenant, 1 |