Star.
London, England, 1831-01-20 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE JOURNALS.

Ciraourcz.z.—The Catholics in Ireland cannot well carry pressen-
don farther than the Protestants did. The Protestants set son against
father, and beadier against brother. They deprived the Catholics of in-
@auction, forced the Priests to skulk amidst bogs• and woods—and yet
the Catholics increased and multiplied. As to Spain, Portugal, Bel-
gium, and Italy, Protestantism never was extinguished there, for it
was suffered to take root. But throughout C3temany, France,
and Switzerland, the proportions of Catholics and Protest-
ants have long been tolerably constant. The higher ranks of Pro-
testants in France became mostly Protestants, because the higher ranks
of all countries have little religion, and think with Marshal Turenne,
that no man can be wrong in his creed who has 100,000 soldiers to sup-
port it. The aristocracy of a country seldom bold out hag against a
church which has rich livlng4 for their children. If the tithes and
rich livings were given to the Irish Catholics, the Protestant nobility
and gentry might turn Catholics, but the poorer Protestants would re.
main firm in their faith.

Tzarles..—We have inquired amongst Irish gentlemen of all parties,
what was the state of their country before the Union ; and we have been
ensured by the oldest and most intelligent amongst them, that they do not
remember the time when Irish "absentees" were not spoken of as an
evil which all men deplored, but which none knew how to remedy. That
Ireland suffers dreadfully in a moral, if not In a commercial point of
view from the absence of a resident and influential gentry, is a truth
which every body but an Irish landlord or an abstract pedant will at
ones allow; but the &Scatty is bow to force residence without interferng
with the great principle of fine agency and the privilege of loco.modoci.
Tou cannot make a selfish race padml by set of Parliament. Be.
sides, how is the act to operate ? To what distance might an Irish gm.
demon betake himself with impunity ? If he should happen to possess
an estate in Antrim, and one in Berty, on which must be reside, or which
must he sell ? Are we to understand that lay pluralities would be per.
misted ? Or is no man to have more than a single stake in the country,
and must be be " tied to that stake P"

Ezaasc....lf the Polish revolution had not opportunely happened
to disturb the plans of the Muscovite tyrant, France could not, at the
present moment, entertain any doubt as to whether her duty was peace
or war—she could have no alternative but either to fight for her eats.
tame, or see barbarians trample under foot the liberties for which the
heroes of July had bled. From the moment that the Autocrat heard of
the successful resistance to the ordinances which were intended to
make the Court of the Tanaka as despotic as that of St. Petersburg,
there was nothing honest in his proceedings except the first violent and
indiscreet ebullitions of his rage. Those gusts of pasion having sub-
sided, under the influence of which he prohibited the French colours
fain on his ports, and recalled his 'objects from a country where
Sisk p • .i*Wm might be tainted by the air of fteedan, his epirit settled
dots into calmer hate, and, affecting peaceful inclinations, meditated
ragmen. To make that rages= sure, it was necessary to beguile
the prey into blind security, and then rush upon it unprepared. To un-
&Wailed indignation succeeded diplomatic hypocrisy. He made a
show of negotiating with the Court of Franca while he was arming against
the French people. His embarks found the French Government weak,
credulous, and willing to be duped. They thought of nothing but obtain.
lag what Bonaparte ailed • " certificate of existence" from the bar-
barian Fispesor ; and the prospect of a " recognition" which would
give Looks-Pldlippe • station among the legitimates so dueled their
eyes, that they could not see the object of the vast armaments which
Aussie, and here allies of the" Holy Alliance," collected, was the in.
vision of Frame. To all men of tie less' observation it was evident
that the human military preparations of the Cu.,, anaectettwith those
in the Rhenish provinces and the Austrian depawlencies, bad one
common and that purpose a new ausade against a nation'
whose voladon net a " bad ample" to the degraded mil.
lions of the confederated had the Scythian deserts
poured forth their armed myriads towards frontiers, and the" living
cloud of war" darkened on the stormy borbon, whence it would have
burst upon devoted Frage, bad not the insurrecdon in Poland attracted
its llghtninp la a new diroctios. Then, but not till then, the alarmed
and crafty Autocrat recognised the French Government, which he had
hoped to sweep from the face of the earth ; and it may be easily ima-
gined that his reason for assamlng anew and asiissee saw towards a
Hag who had no other title to a throne than the rare' disks, was the
dread lest that King and that people should mist ehe !bass in their
&dogs fee the recovery of their oddest flake. Thus have the
Poles mod nines for the present, and if the Psis* Assert she Polish
muse they will desert their own. If Maio sums& is sainsiag
Warsaw to a heap of miles, and ex termlwinit the basis dislimdees of
the land of Kosdusko, will be stop them? WM his Ascots, imbed
with victory, retreat into their from wilds ? Will the Torten of the
Desert be satiated with the eamorined spoils if vanqubbed P..
land, and seek not a more tompting scene for rapine and dew-
sedan in the facile field' end vineyards of France ? Those who
know the ambition of the Cabinet of St. Petersburg, and the
quendsless hate which its despot bears to liberty, will not be at a lose for
an answer. We have not the hers lise Poland that many entertain ;
but, single-handed she must enter the field with such disparagement of
force as must naturilly excite some anxiety for her fate. Greece hail
her Marathon, Francis ha Jemappe, and the Poles have shows them.
selves capable of emulating such examples; but humanity shudders a
the ides of the corms of which such a conflict must be productive
and which France,_ by a resolute and determined attitude, might peas
bly avert.

Casoinct.o.—Tbe French feel, that, however meek might
object to $ Russian army an the Rhine to establish the of
the Knout, their objection would any little weight with ly Ism
ported by their area. It is the dilkohy of his and
moments existing together width hods tee Fran& tee sod
the Russians to the Rhine. The almohdo Geemossemi him
the instinct of self.preeervatico, would pet dews el Omme7
mints which bold out to their subjects an simple whish they may feel
tempted to imitate. Free domenasms, se die ether b.d, Imes that
absolute Govenmenes are in a ammo asehoe dims, sod dh-
posed to seise the het favourable mom lee . Boom the into-
est, fee the sake el seestiry, of the Foss* to establish as esameively as
melds Caustitedsoel Cievermisoft s sod lessee the intsoole of the
Aostrims and Illsoime to pot dews all Censtitutimed desionments.
This fear and jealousy mesa the adthadon of the ame of poses
Meet, we dense bellem that Europe will know pease we Nasky till
either absinthe or Inseam pies the day is the raw pert of its
Idaho's. The very pried* of alsoludme is use et damps. The
seenrity in the eae of osmosis@ is is the publeity of tometehms.

When every subject b disomesd, time is se wen Ow bungles Ns-
lions, too, have no interest is lash when But absolute
Governments may rimy* bine Who ihoir adthhowsw•--
The Soversign,too, feels diersood to consist ea thepsindpie of property,
for he who is the Led of twenty sallies@ ef human rattle is
greater, in the prowietesy some, than he she is the Lord only of ten
millions. Another arguninnt, too, egoist the existence of arbitrary go.
Vaninctits is, that they subsist by assies. The principle of
free government supposes tbe define ensussed to National
Guards, who are only available kr deism. t suredbig swan are a
source of apprehension to that neighbours An aireebene swernment,
therefore, is a nuisance which thud ihse is are in.
terested in putting down. The ef Is a isod
one, but who shall answer for its okeervenos P It has never been
heard of till the French secured their freedom. The Holy Alliance set
it at defiance. It wu violated in the case of Spain—it was violated In
the case of Piedmont—it was violated in the cue of Naples. England
looked on cattily while one constitution was overturned after another.—
France, to be sure, is too 'powerful to be attacked rashly. But even
France was threatened by the hordes of the Northern Barbarian. And
France knows that the principle of non-intervention would not have kept
ourOovernmentiftoro attacking her,if the opinions of the people through.
out Europe were not in her favour. Poland has truly thrown itself be-
tween Russia and France.