The Sun.
London, England, 1838-10-26 00:00:00

STATE OF IRELAND.

(FRAM OUR CORRISPONDLNT.)
" John Knox, as I recollect, used to say, art-r St. Paul,
that all things were for the elect, and that the people were t?/
elect; and thus, by a false assumption, and an abuse of Hell
Writ, he arrived at a political truth—but one wilich is never
reduced to practice."—Dr. DoTLE.

DUBLIN, OCT. 24.
In venturing to give some particulars connected with the
your
present state of Ireland, I do not profess to supplY
Journal with the earliest information of murder and public
meetings, which are by many folks regarded as the greatest
news, if not the most interesting intelligence. Such "in'
munications, however agreeable to many of your readers,
arc not within the scope of my undertaking ; nor were thel
contemplated by you when you expressed a willingness t°
render your independent and widely-circulating Journal the
medium of such sound and accurate information as w°llf
best illustrate public opinion in Ireland. Besides, all sort °f
news alluded to, both real and fictitious, is conveyed to the
metropolis and good people of England through other than;
nels. There are in this city and different other parts
Ireland some very respectable branches of the " Fourth
Estate," whose duty and pleasure seem to consist in elaho'
rate descriptions of the " State of the Country," made 111)
equally from facts and fictions. In the course of my 013 e
nervations I shall take the liberty of alluding to such fact
and fictions, only so far as they may serve to explain re.,l
object, IN-Lich is to give a fair and impartial report of pub°
opinion as it comes within my vier" at this critical period.
cal
I believe it is pretty generally admitted that the
condition of this country is in a state of transition, and the'
the future prospects of the empire at large depend yr!
the tranquillity of this and some other of its more importan,
members and dependencies. For some years past this vies,
of state affairs has been forcing itself upon the considea-
tion of all our politicians and economists ; and accordingly
we find at this moment no public writer or orator who does
not, by his essays and effusions, corroborate these iniPre.sci
sions. Indeed one of the evils apprehended by the rim
l
Tories, or which they affect to fear, from the rapid mare
of events, is the speculations arising out of this state
things ; for, the least alarmed and most rational of thel:4l
say,—What between railways, tithe-laws, poor-laws, ee
election-laws, we are likely to have established so mai;
agents, boards, and commissioncr.hips, as will lay the founee:
tion of more jobbing, canvassing, and corruption than
existed under the old system. That such evils are to he
apprehended, if not vigorously counteracted by the Or!,
vigilant spirit of Reform, no man can doubt ; and there 1
not, probably, in the whole catalogue of difficulties encenvo
passing the present Government, any one circumstance ,
embarassing as that involved in the suspicion that Tor/a
practices will become prevalent in the necessary machinery een.
workings of Reform. I repeat it, there is not any one circa:it
stance so likely to undermine the popularity of the Preseit,
Whig Government in Ireland, as the fact of their o'4:
tingly, perhaps, following the practice of their adversarled
in ti,e di-trA.u'ion of their patronage. In no other
can the Marquis of Normanby forfeit the well-earned °di
fiilence reposed in him by the people of Ireland. 130 t °net
is the state of things, that it will be difficult to avoid, se7of
or later, falling into an error which the best dispose it
his predecessors could not even for a season escape' er,
seems to be the fate of Ireland to be unsusceptible of ftio,
manent benefits, even at the hands of her most di

guished and devoted friends. cur
These thoughts have been suggested by the dailY.°°- of
e
rences happening in every part of the British domle!negae-e
which, however, the most important and interestinb,r-be
those domestic ones under immediate observation. , r,sl,
Acts of the last session of Parliament, relative to Ire'a-ey
though unquestionably devised and passed with there leer
best intentions, are likely to produce but a small shaer
that immediate quiet and content which their framers „core
templated ; and the reason is simply this—because the/ to
but niggard instalments of the long debt of justice due (10
poor Ireland. For, unless something like a generous COea
of civil, religious, and municipal rights be conceded' and
the whole system of administration here be altered, coo
fundamental abuses, from which the minor grievsl3tbe
issue, be eradicated, and the Go% ernment exercised fer fee
good of the people at large, instead of for the benefit of ties,
who happen to become personally known to the authoo
re,
there can be no lasting peace, confidence, security, 1101. in
pose. No Government seeking to administer the laws of
the present state of society can retain the charaeter etbe
thought or wisdom ; because these laws, falling t shortot or
tea
just demands and wants of the nation, are not tto
with even that moderate share of respect and gratituo°„ie
which they are fairly entitled. I should except from 711,
denunciation the provision for the poor, which, On' to
standing some new grounds of prejudice, to be adverted re.
presently, is very acceptable to the most industrious an, jai,
fleeting part of the community, and will meet a fair 'rity
But the proof ofmy general proposition is visible in the ala,,er,,,
with which the whol country is responclng to Me
nell's call for further agitation. When he first annoutle:
his intention of formine the Precursor Society, the PrePrLeas
was treated with comparative coolness anti indifference. 4'6
soon, however, as the nature of the new Tithe-law becalo
generally known, and it was discovered that amongst th
eight Assistant Poor Law Commisioners four only wer
Irishmen, and none of them of the religion of the peogie
on whom the burden of taxation must fall most heal
though some persons of that persuasion, with confe.st,7l,
superior qualifications, are known to have been candida
t
as soon as this information went abroad it is incredible :00'e
a change came over the minds of the nation.
great body of the people, always ready to adopt anY
gestion from Mr. O'Connell, but persons adverse feltnitwit
of his proceedings, and to the agitation of Repeal, iiget
there was still occasion for its continuance. A new .eible
seems to have broken in upon us, showing how imP'earsy
it is for any, even the best-disposed, Government to :qui,
into effect the quantity of Reform and improvement roll's
site for the permanent tranquillity of Ireland. OConoto
carver for some time past has gone far to remove the
has eentorod
Not onlYsor
prejudice against him ; his late letters, and particularieree
last, in which he lays down the principles on which the. _tea
cursor Society is to be established,
very much to this, and many persons nolvi rtties
him as deserving to be the arbiter of the °ease ad
of this country. He invites Liberals pf every sbaTreisoti
colour not et satisfied with the reform granted to 'OO5
to join him; and he requires only two millionslof Prtation'
in order to attain his objects. From the best infor; elist
from all parts, I am enabled to state that he will he: eel it
number before the middle of the next Session. Su°, tat
be insufficient, it is probable it will be doubled befer e
av st
year 1840. With such numbers, then, knocking.l°;:os os..
the portals of the Constitution, and under a inclicto f°rre
ministration of the funds supplied by them, it is easy -oritise
see the concessions which must be wrested from any peetr
Cabinet, no matter how composed ; for the greates arties
liarity in the features of the present time is, that Ptta, Pcji
admit the necessity of a new order of things in 1r10,0%
fact, some persons say that Whigs have become .I°-cert'
Tories become Whigs. And this is proveable to sol6
extent, by the declarations of Sir Robert Peel, grbeetle•
and other of that party. The former Right 11°The
man boasted on a late occasion, that, standing on ""P oft
site side of the house, lie was supporting the veryape
ciples which the Whigs, when out of office, used todsoissioos
from the very same benches. Mr. Shaw's of bele
amounted to the same thing, when, in the diselt°r%-eott,',l
civic. duties the other day, he told the Lord leiente:eclece'
times had passed away when such a policy as that in
1" t°
by Henry 11., in appoietieg " his men of Brio)
tobei f
the Corporation of Dublin, need be any longer bothr °
These are admissions and declarations indicative sotil
the signs of the times and of the Tory tact in Porer,
on the nation's credulity. The Spectator 110151)9;v 111,-ai,
many other branches of what was once deemed t 10.'0
pendent Bess, have taken much pains of late lea tr-
cate the same doctrine throughout the country' ee
people should be put upon their guard against s jastre,
tion.,ern
sions ; and they are quite awake, ready to reeeireseot heir
meTntheaynmd progress' wolveg
aythbeierconmeecedssisasrailtyisfiseidowwith the Prehet teia
ssittiereelpecsneevinetrhwinigll, beor prrrt:,vraici.lsedpruopf%nsintog. toleratewi prin,iciPthied
heoe late
Irishmen, at least, will be long grateful for the
ss the ,
have received front their present rulers ; and un,,lre °Joe
ter fall too deeply into Tory practices, they nev-eeleit° our
don them for their adversaries. While we r s-essiotbe to
disappointment at the Tithe Act of the list gjoiStriheir
cannot be insensible to the effects of the present toe t''„er,
obtain for us better terms ; and provided they °fie coupe it
desire to increase measures of melioration to tn.eo
the people will never desert them. At tho sir;eoee see
must confessed that there is a spirit of intel iseveill4l3hy
independence now in existence under the tublic do,
of which no Government can delude the tr to en'
false profe.sions, as they heee been w°llo be and
On the other heed,
limo rople will se.,_°oooe_te
abled to select from the st honest, enlighuose privt7ci
independent men of all parties, those men ri ir eMeieets
and public lives are the best guerentee
in the public service. While the of ti fe their 11111 0
preVaICOCC of fort oof
and principles excludes no man, they should
a.topetersped
encouragement to the mere " drummers and t.' be 11° tee
k t toe
party to desert their old comrades. /a.m. it those _
in
that when the time for choosing shall arriivi
Lave bebentbe
hers only of the Whig party whose favourpractic'
keeping with their professions, will find
elate rrithef
of th tiVe
public.
There is one circumstance arising out redo lona,
Commutation Act, which will be prob.ti.lely.,Pof the ~ are
some advantage to the Liberal cause. Ateaeujeerneeenet
vves
lords of Ireland favourable to the present
etericY6t
than it
about to convert this law into it greater
.b,cadi, heepe_de,
at first expected to be to the country. I._.l,leizat end in
of the most respected gentry of the et.v":eteetioli'
Wexford signified their
pendent County of