The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-05 00:00:00

LONDON :
FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 1639.

Never was there a more correct description of
justice as administered in Ireland forty years ago,
than is contained in the above stanzas. Protest-

antism was then a rare exotic ; the culture of which
.was paramount to`all public duties ; gvhereas Pa-

pac.y,was a weed of spontaneous growth, the uproot-
jug of which was as meritorious, and often as profit-
able, as was once the destruction of wolves in Eng-
land. Whether " sinned against or sinning," the
general rule was to punish the Catholics. They
ipate numerous and could afford victims ; whereas,
, the Orangemen were but few, and according to the
erroneous calculation of Governments blinded by
ti,,.,ir bigotry, necessary instruments of the subjec-
tion of Ireland to the domination of this country.
But though impartial justice is as yet a novelty to
the people of Ireland—though the placing of Ca-
tholics and Protestants on an equal footing before
the law, only became universal during the popular
and patriotic administration of Lord Normanby;
the proceedings which took place at public meetings
of the citizens of Dublin, arid of the inhabitants of
the county of Kildare, on Monday last,----of which
an abridged report will be found in our columns
' of to-day,—ought to convince the British Parliament
that, to preserve the connection between the two
countries, Lord NortmANßy's just and enlightened
policy must be the rule by which the present Lord
Limtenan,t and his successors in office shall in-
vac:ably be guided. There begins to be conditions
oni':exed to the expression of Irish gratitude, indi-
cative of a complete change in the nation's appre-
dratiln cif the value of public services. The people
of Ireland are rapidly acquiring a knowledge of
their rights—they are fast assuming the indepen-
dent part of freemen ; and having, under the hu-
mane and meniful administration of Lord NoR-
I enjoyed the blessings of good Govern-
merit, any attempt to coerce them by brute force,
will only lead to a disseverance of the connection
between them and Great Britain. To Lord
Nonma.NßY the people of Ireland unquestionably
i• ow is deep debt of gratitude. As was well observed
by Lord AILL-rowN, his Excellency was the first
to substitute for the pitch-cap, the triangle,
and Ore riding-house coercive system of Irish
policy, a merciful regard to the wants and
condition of the people. Others had mad-
dened them by cruelties ; he soothed them by con-
descending, to appeal to their reason, and by
tempering even in punishments the administration
I
t
1 of justice with mercy.
.I,.We trust, for the sake of England, no less
1t ' 1 Ireland, that Lord FORTESCUE will
"irefully abide by
k 0 happilyhe sy
Y stem of policy
commenced in Ireland by his illus-
tr:-)as predecessor. The nation has confi-
d .ice in him, . and his past life is a guaran-
tee
that he will neither abuse it himself, nor i
. b, those who *dance
4#11414ar_.!, t - , attendance about
(. ,•• ~,,,.-suckers, in Court dis- ,1

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The particulars of the Revenue, the quarterly
racriP.3 of which are to be made up this evening,
;Ie not yet accurately known ; but we are given io
!.v(l,rs-tand that they are more favourable than, con-
tlie circumstances of the last harvest and
the present spring, could have been expected.

The severest satire which the people of Ireland
—sharp-witted as they are—could make upon the
G orornment of this country, would fall far short in
)ignancy to what is implied in the reports of the
ir-wations making to give a cordial reception to
- new Lord Lic.uterrant, Baron FORTESCUE, on
ExcEllency's arrival in Dublin. Justice cm-
' Ld with me:ey is so rare a commodity in Ireland,
that the appointment of a Nobleman of unblemished
el,araeteirc- and incapable of misrepresenting in his
administration the attributes of the Sovereign
vvhose deputy be is, calls for the expression of a

~ cation's gratitude ! Previous to the Lieutenantcies
of Lords WELLESLEY and NO RMANBY, Irish
justice consisted in the punishment of Catholics for
their 'own of errece and those of their Protestant
fellow-country men. The letter were before always
deett with by the Of.overnment as if they occupied
- the enviable position of the Preaching Cobbler, so
fwittily tlescri6ed in Huclibras :
" Justice gires sentence many times
On one man for another's crimes,
As lately bappencd in a town,
Where lived a Ccblcr, and but one,
What out of doctrine could cut Use,
And mend men's lives as well as shoes.
T4is precious brother having slain,
In times of peace, an Indian,
The mighty Tottipottimoy
Sent to our Elders an Envoy ;
Complaining sorely of the breach
Of league held forth by brother Patch,
For which he craved the saints to render
Into Ms hands, or hang th' offender.
But they maturely Laving weighed,
They had no more but him o' th' trade ;
(A man that served them in the double
Capacity, to teach and cobble),
Resolved to snare him, yet to do
The Indian _Hogan Megan too
Impartial justice, in his stead did
Hang an old weaver that was bed-rid."