Star.
London, England, 1816-04-27 00:00:00

..

PRICE SEVEN-PLINCX.

curostances would no longer be considered an ob
sea cle.
The Petition was then read, and ordered to lie on
the Table.

STATE AF IRELAND.
9;r JOHN NEWPORT rose, in pursuance of hie
notice, to call the etteetion of the House to a veey
importentsubjecte-the state cf Ireland, internally,
and as it related to Ors country. Censiderine the
magnitude of this subject, it might heve been expec-
ted that some other snore able Member would have
brought it forward. He cold not, indeed, here
been looked upon as cempkent to such a subject ;
especially when it was perceived how many there
were who were much more able in every point of
view, ,whose talents, and whose Tele arch would have
enabled them toshave entered so much arlte confi-
dently upyn the task, and by whose genius it would.
have been so worthily illustrated and displayed. He
ought certainly to have lett the motion he intended
to submit in other hands; but, as he had been the •
means of bringing it forward, he felt it his duty to
proceed with it witle as much information as his exer-
tions and opportunities had enabled him to obtain ;
and as there were amongst his auditors many of those ,
riuen who had rendered themselves illustrious by their
conduct toweids their country, he had nn de'ibt but
those Meets would be supplied by them, which
might be perceived in his statements, and that they
would make full amends for his want of ability by
their superior information. He scarcely needed to
remind the Houie that the two Gentlemen to whom
he principally alluded were the Itilember for Dublin
and the Member for that City's University. To what
'then, he would ask, were all the calamities of Ireland
chiefly owing t Were they not the consequences of
mis-government He hoped he should glee no of.
fence by alluding to the conduct of former Admit:is-
trations, for it was impossible to produce a remedy to
the evils without examining first into their cons*.
quences. It would be seen, that for six centuries
most Ireland had been in a dreadful state of turbu.
lence and c illusion, and evidently from the fault
and miseonduct of her Governors. It was beyond
all doubt-that there must have been mis-government,
for except in this one instance; there never, were two
countries so allied as Euglend and I: eland were,
which had not become assimileted in manners, in ha-
bits, and in, interests. In examining intr., the Irish
history, great assistance was aft .rded from impartial*.
[historians, who, had fortunately handed do-en unretes.
' tionable testimonies of the state of the country at dif.
fermi. times; One of the first authentic and imear.
tial accounts which we had of Ireland was en the ac-
cession of. JaMes I. to the throne by Sir J. Davis,
whose statements had in gererel been friend :o etch.
rate and so strictly correct, that they require'd .no '
panegyric. That_hi, torian mentioned, that the eel.
versal wish of the Irish nation had been deniodehem
In more than •one instance; and was it t, be won-
dered at, he had said, in langUage whichs however
quaint, would be allowed to p4sess peculiar expres.
" when they were so treated that they should •
have pricks in their eyes and thorns in their sides ?".
The House, or at least such of the Members as had
°not seen the work he had been quoting, would be
surprised to hear, that when a man was murdered ig
Ireland, about the time when it was written,. it was
a natter in issue, whether the person murdered was
•" de Hibernico tanguine If he happened to be. so,
the murderer was fined five merits and discharged; ;f
the person killed was English, the murderer lost Ilia
life. When the Irish people were oppressed in evi-y
possible manner, they .were called vindictive; and
some had said that they woukt not obey the laws.
and had brought Sir John Davis as a pried of ,their
assertion. But Sir John Davis had stated the fact,
that they wanted to have a due and just administre-
tion of the laws, which they could never ohtein.-9.
The concluding of that historian deserved to be re.
membered," I know no nation,",he had seid, 46, who
love impartial justice more than the Irish, or who
are more ready to practise it." He then proceeded
to skew that they were a people most friendly, and
of a most generous disposition, I 4 provided they have
protection from the laws, when upon good grounds
they desire it." He would remind the HjUse, that
it was protection, and not punishment only which a
people expected from the laws; and it was trout thetr
being, as it, ware, under the protection of the I tw that
the people of a well-governed State beeline parties
to the proper administration of justice. It was true,
that under O'Neill and Desmond some misoidett
people had risen and had rebelled; but the hid' pea-
ple were as famed for their loyalty, and as exemplery
in their conduct, as a nation, as any peepie in any
country, either in ancient or modern times. With
respect to the system of coloniz it:oa which had bee%
put in practice about the time of those men, it was
rather like garrisoning an hostile country, than uni-
ting the people from one country with those of aeo.
then, as peaceable and mutually satisfied inha7sitaets
might have been expected to have. been united.. 'Fite
general conduct of the British was that of a country
against rebels, and there seemed a contest between
those who were to keep and those who Were to lose.
In various parts of the country there existed a system
of inquisitorial severity; and the smallest shadow was
seized on by the Minister:: with aeview of inimetlate
aggrandizement, or with an expectation of the iiijered
party coming forward to compromise with them .for.
the property of which they bad been deprived. There
were continual disputes between the Crown „and „the
people, or the Parliament. The country ,was the •
..victim of internal dissentioni. and intermit. artifices
and intrigues ; and though the people.were suing to
the quick, every .one deeply regretted that at ,{teat
time they. had taken up arms. It was theethat those
lamentable effusions had, been made which had deso-
lated and threatened destruction to die con9tririt
was then that she was plungol into scentis.p44l99d-
abed and horror which were too drea.itql.to44:de•
scribed; it was then that spelt coriteets,l4taiten
,place between tha Crown and :thee Paro4l9ol4t, aost
influenced, he
belwctu the Lard ,Lioutenautf sec