men? Between the heirs of those Catholicks, who were driven forcibly by Ludlow into Conaught and Clare, and of the Catholicks who were difpoffelfed by thefe involuntary ufurpers?" By a proclamation of Cromwell and his Council, printed at Dublin, by William Bladon,in 1654, they were commanded to tranfplant themfelves, fays Walsh's Reply, p. 33, before the ift of May next enfuing, into the province of Conaught, and county of Clare, according to former declarations; and this upon the highest penalties ---the rigorous execution of this proclamation did manifeft itself, in the long imprisonment of fome, the exporting others to Barbadoes, and in the death of Mr. Hethrington in the market-place of Dublin, for not obeying it, as the paper affixed on his breaft when he was executed, did express the cause of his taking off."-And my Lord Clarendon writes, Vol. II. p. 116, that "Cromwell and his council, in Munfter, finding the utter extirpation of the nation, which they had intended, to be in itself very difficult, and to carry in it fomewhat of horror, that made an impreffion upon the moft ftony hearts, after fo many thousands deftroyed by the fword, fire, famine, and the plague, and after fo many thousands tranfported into foreign parts, found out the following expedient of transplantation.-There was a large tract of land, even to the half of the province of Conaught, that was feparated from the reft by a long and large river, and which by the plague, and MANY MASSACRES, remained almoft defolate : -Into this fpace and circuit of lands, they required all the Irish, (whom Cromwell, fays Dr. Leland, Vol. III. p. 409, had declared innocent of the rebellion) to retire by a certain day, under penalty of death; and all who fhould be found in any other part of the kingdom, man, woman, or

child, might be killed by any body who faw, or met them.". "Yet even these unhappy gentlemen, fays Carle, Vol. II. p. 216, who were thus violently driven from their own fair eftates, into Conaught and Clare, were all declared by the Council innocent of the rebellion, after a moft rigorous inquifition."Notwithstanding which, "in this deplorable condition, fays Clarendon, p. 118, they found themselves obliged to fubmit to the hardest conditions of their conquerors; and after figning conveyances and releases of their lands, which they had left, to go and enjoy LANDS WHICH BELONGED TO OTHER

MEN.

Obferve, " lands which belonged to other men: -The adjustment of territory, therefore, in Conaught and Munfter, (in confequence of this dreaded parliamentary enquiry after ancient proprietors) will be as whimfical, as it will be fubtle and complicated.-Catholicks muft drive Catholicks back again out of Conaught into Munfter, whofe ancestors, one hundred and fifty years before had croffed the Shannon, "to feize and enjoy lands which belonged to other men:" -and thefe Catholicks thus ejected, are to affault Munster and difpoffefs the debenturers of Cromwell; to whom one hundred and fifty years before, their ancestors " had perfected deeds of conveyance and releases of their lands:" which deeds of conveyance, not forty years after, were conftrued and conceived to be fo valid, by James the Ild's wife and illuftrious parliament, as to induce the Court of Claims to refolve that compenfation fhould be made for their value."

But the final reply to this imaginary apprehenfion, is obvious and conclufive.Poffeffion and opu

lence

lence create, and continue power; and thefe, out of all competition, the prefent Proteftant occupiers enjoy.Union of all, alone can render the Catholicks ftrong; and a hint of forfeiture cuts afunder the bonds.-The union of this ifland cannot remove Great-Britain a furlong from our fhores; and a defperate appeal to her, by either Irish party, demolishes at once the project of forfeiture, and THE STRUCTURE WHICH LIBERTY RAISES TO PEACE, erected by the united operations of both,

Nor will the body of either party, Proteftant or Catholic, upon a happy junction in a future fenate, entertain any exclufive, or too extravagant golden dreams-MUTUAL INTEREST, the fole bond of union among a people, will govern the councils, and direct the measures of that novel, cautious, and quickfighted affembly.-External commerce, domeftic manufacture, tillage, navigation, and revenue; equal protection for the mode of worfhip of every Irishman, and unfhackled regulations for the education of their offspring; thefe will be the fubjects which will arreft the deliberations of both Houfes of the Legiflature; and into which they will ruth like a torrent with then unfettered hands. The undue British influence having then declined to its termination; dreamers about ancient poffeffions, like fifth monarchymen in the ufurpation, may arife in the Affembly, but they will be fubdued into filence, by a general, and a deterring forbiddal: Proteftant Sacheverels will exprefs apprehenfions for the church, and its poffeffions; and, like him, be filenced into oblivion, never to be heard of more desperate declaimers may propofe hofti

lities with England; and an address of perpetual union and amity will be the reply.

In urging the repeal of ftatutes of penalty and difqualification, we do not feek to introduce novelty or innovators upon the conftitution, but to repeal the innovations of 1680, and 1703; and to reftore to the Catholics their long accustomed rights!

We do not feek to alter the monarchical form of our government, and to erect a republic upon its ruins-we feek for juftice to our countrymen !

We do not feek to pillage, or to humiliate the Proteftant clergy, and to fubftitute another clerical order in their room-we feek for juftice to our countrymen !—

We seek to renovate three millions of Irish, who now compofe an inert and inactive mafs, into one vigorous body of active citizens, endued with intelligence, and useful to the ftate!

Conqueft is neither our object, nor our intereft; we have a rich country-an able peafantry-are poor, but are out of debt ;-we luft not for dominion-we are fubduing no native princes in the provinces of India; alas, that game was once played too fatally against ourselves at home! Nor are we fupporting, in any corner of the whole earth, an ufurped authority, in blood;-we are oppreffed men upon our native ifland, more finned againft, than finning!-We afk but for our own-to be free in the land which gave us birth-to earn our property with the labour of our bodies ;-when earned,

to

to have a furety that it is our own—and to have a vote in its difpofure, when a portion of it may be neceffary to the exigencies of the state.

What man will speak to me touching these points; or maintain that they are factious, unreasonable, or wicked?then what are they, who reply-" It shall not be-"

"But the Catholic peafantry are barbarians, and uncivilized," fays fome accomplished lawyer, just got into the Houfe, and finished, from his travels-through the lanes of London

If they be barbarians, they are virtuous !----hardened into men, by difficulties and labour: not civilized into foftness, nor refined into profligacy; nor have they yet learned to idolize commerce as a God, at whofe fhrine is to be facrificed both liberty, and manhood; like too many Proteftants of thefe fifter iflands.

Had the Roman plebeans resembled our Catholics, at the pitiable affaffination of the amiable but guilty Cæfar, Rome had proved herself capable of liberty, and her unvitiated peasants would have afferted a conflitution !--There is ftuff to work upon in fimple barbarifm, there is none in refinement, corruption, and effeminacy.

To the good fense of these barbarians, their difpofitions, and their docility, authorities are not wanting at a much earlier period than to-day: When Sir John Davis was Attorney General to James I. a great authority, and not their friend, he thus concludes one of his divifions. [Davis's Ireland, p. 121. Dub. Edit.] " "when these fix forfeited thires were to be difpofed of, and planted, his Majefty did not exclude the natives from this

plantation