Star.
London, England, 1829-09-05 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

--.61.
WYSE'S HISTORY or rut CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION:

Coszu aii.

We promised some time ago, after the insertion of so
much preliminary matter as should make our future quo-
tations intelligible, and give a connexity to them, to ex-
tract at least one passage from each of the FIVE EPOCHS,
into which Mr. WYSE divides his History of the Origin
and Progress of the Catholic Association. That which
we now present to our readers relates to the period of its
original form►tion in 1759: it possesses au uncommon
interest. Three gentlemen, Mr. O'Cowou, Mr. Wyatt,
and Dr. CURRY—whose patriotic spirits had been
roused into energy and action, at the sight of the conti-
nued oppression under which their fellow-countrymen(
groaned, without any prospect or hope of redemption—
were nll brought into accidental union and co-operation
for the common cause. These gentlemen were, in fact,
the Fathers of that Association, which was revived under
more auspicious concurrences, and with such triumphant
efficacy, in 1823, by DANIEL O'CONNELL ; of that
Association, which—knitted at last into one indissolub:e
compages by his master-spirit, and made available even to
the overawing of an empire by the wonderful principle of
agitation—was embodied only to fulfil its high destiny,
and resolve itself into the mass of its free accord, when
the great deliverance for which it was banded together
was accomplished. After vainly endeavouring to rouse
the Aristocracy and the Clergy to take up the cause of
their persecuted body, they turned at length to a set of
men, in whom the salvation of states has been found often
in trying circumstances to reside : we mean, the Catholic)
Merchants.

- - -
There was no people to appeal to ; the body of the nation still
slumbered; but they had that knot of high-spirited commercial
men, from whom all the lights of freedom and instruction in a state
generally emanate, and have always emanated, in every country
not absolutely and i ieveably a despotism. Constitutions are
the children of quiet and almost imperceptible moral revolutions.
The great epochs which mark them to the readers of history, are
only the final and definitive expression of opinions and feast gs
which have been growing up under the sacrifice of the state for
many years betore. These are the revolutions which endure ;
they have not been suddenly brought forth in pangs and convul-
sion on the wild or the mountain but peaceably cradled and pa-
tiently nursed in the communion of man with man, in the combi-
nation of mind with mind, in thronged and in thriving cities. An
Assoc Union was planned for the management of Catholic concerns.
It bad sprung out of the rejection of the suggestions of the circular
letter, communicated at hist to the aristocracy and clergy. art the
very circumstances (as Mr. O'Connor fully explains them in his
correspondence) which produced this rejection, the original
society to very few. The tuerchat.ta ut Dublin were its hr►t, and
for a time in sole members. It was the first collection of halivi-
dual Catholics, since the Revolution, who dared to meet and con-
,

"This address of 1759, or rather the answer which was returned
to it, was undoubtedly the first positive signal of the future emit,-
cipation of the Catholics, and may be considered the outset of that
magnificent cause, which, whether the Intellectual might of its
advocates, the numerous splendid names, each recommended to
posterity by achievements of the highest political benefit to their
country, with which it is connected, or the gradual awakening of
an entire people to the knowledge and enlivening sentiment of their
own rights and grievances, be regarded, was unque►tionably one
amongst the first of those great moral revolutions which Illustrate
and dignify the pages of recent history, and which in the midst of
the massy grounds which a patriot has for despondence in the cor-
tuptions which surround him, leave him still the hope that there is
a redeeming spirit in our institutions, which will always re-assert
its power, and purify them, certainly though slowly, with whatever
vices ..nd abuses they may be temporarily overgrown. After a long
delay and suspense, during which the addressers had almost re-
pented of their effort, and the anti-addressers had already begun to
triumph in this compensation to their wounded pride, over the
mortification and disappointment of their opponents, an answer was
at last returned, on the 10th of December, by the Lord Lieuten-
ant, through the Speaker, to Mr. Ni•Dermott, and afterwards or-
dered to be inserted in the Irish Gazette. It conveyed "assur-
ances that the zeal and attachment which the Catholics professed,
could never be more seasonably manifested than in the present
conjuncture" (Lord Delvin was not answered in this manner) ;
•" and that as long as they conducted themselves with duty and af-
fection, they could nut fail to receive his Majesty's protection."
These were the first words of encouragement given by the House
of Hanover to its oppressed Irish subjects. They diffused universal
joy. Addresses poured in from all sides; but so debased by the
most servile adulation of the reigning power., and by ungrateful
vituperation of the French, to whom from the treaty of Limerick
up to that hour, they were indebted for every benefit ;—the
exile for his home ; the scholar for his education ; their
ancient and decayed aristocracy for commissions in the army for
their younger sons ;•—that their freer descendants blush in reading
the disgraceful record, and turn aside in disgust, front the melan-
choly evidence of the corrupting and enduring influeaces of a long-
continued state of slavery.t
" If the anti-addressers till this event had testified bow much In-
disposed they were to the more active portion of their body, the
success of their last measures fully determined their total separa-
tion. Their sagacity was questioned, their pride was deeply hurt.
They seceded altogether front " the merchants," and from thence-
forth refused all co-operation whatever with the Association.
" But the impulse which had just been given would have subsided
probably in the very circumstances which had given it birth, had
not the more judicious leaders of this small but independent party
taken advantage of so unexpected a circumstance to give it a per.
manent and practical form. Nothing could be done without a
working and efficient machinery. The spirit was good, but it
should not be suffered to escape in idle and useless acclamations.
They were only at the beginning of a struggle, which demanded
combination and concert as well as determination. Circumstances
favoured the execution of a project which had suggested itself muse
than once in the course of their proceedings. The address just
alluded to had been originally discussed amongst a few individual.
in private houses.i The number of persons who approved
of these proceedings gradually increased, the discussion was trans-
ferred to a more public apartment, and the address was finally
drawn up, and passed in a series of public, though separate meet-
ings, at which were permitted to assist whatever per-ono bad the
courage and independence to present themselves to the deliberadeos
Mr. Wyse, who had taken an active part in all these transuding,
first seised these elements, and combined them into lasting utility.
To him the Catholic Body is indebted for the first uniform or gra
neral plan of a convention or association. He fully saw (as g!'
pears from his private correspondence) its numerous intooveniencess
but he was still more deeply impressed with its absolute necessity.
He communicated with Dr. Curry and Mr. O'Coto►r ; he met
with their concurrence ; but he carried his views far beyond either
—he attempted to embrace the people. He conceived the project
of a great representative body, formed on general and permanent
principles, and which, far from affecting to limit its representation
to the interests of the aristocratic class, or to that of the merchants
only, should extend its delegation to every rank of the community.
The plan, after basing been matured in solitude, was finally sub.
mitted to the few gentlemen Mr. Wyse could collect together in
Dublin, in March and April,l76o. The first meetings were held
in the Elephant Tavern, Essex-street. Not more than three or
four were found willing to attend them. The walls of Rome were
not yet built; a child could leap over the int:carbonate In how
few years these three o► four persons were destined to increase to
hundreds, the hundreds to thousands, the thousand to millions, until
they at last took in an entire people ! At one of these meetings Mr.
Wyse proposed his plan. It was adopted with some slight altera-
tions. The reader will see later how far it formed the principle of
the various associations, boards, and committees,which were after-
wards successively adopted. It particularly suggested the improved
one of 1791. It the meuopolis it was carried into immediate effect.
1)r. Curry was elected delegate for one of the parishes, and men
every way meriting the confidence of the body by their virtues and
their talents were soon chosen for the others. Bet in the country,
Air. Wyse soon discovered he had calculated much too highly on
the energy and intelligence of his countrymen. Secrecy was still
requisite, even in the metropolis. This, with the general appre-
hensions then prevalent in the island, from the invasion of Monsieur
Thurot, rendered it extremely difficult to bring the project into
general play. Mr. Wyse, however, and the few other country
Gentlemen who were elected for the counties, together with the
Representatives of Dublin, met at last in committee, and took
upon themselves the management of Catholic affairs, in which they
had been now so long and so basely deserted by the rest of the
Aristocracy.
" To Mr.Wyse,and to Dr. Carry in concurrence with him, the
Catholics are thus indebted foe the establishment of their first
associstios ; and, " if the obstacles they had to eocounter," says

• Par des calctes etreelsetchesfaites au Bureau de la Guerre, on
a trouve, qu'il y strait eu, depuis l'arrivee des troupes irland.sises en
Paris en 1691 jusqu'en 1745 que se donna la bataille de Fontenoy,
plus tic 450,000 Irlandais morts so service de la France.-444/4
AP Geoghegan, lAA d'lrlande, 5. 3. p. 754.
Mr. (YConor, in his letter of Dec,. 1759, does not spare these
addressers. " I return to the addressers from the remote cities:
some of these gentlemen scold those unfortunate ancestors whom
you have so well defended ; ethers, again, scold the French satiny,
who from these at least base deserved better quarters. France, the
asylum of our poor fugitives, lay and clerical, for seventy years
past!—should that nation (or the future stop up those fountains
from which our exiles derived their existence, or should they open
their charity to mere deserving objects, would they be much to
blame?" But the Catholic was still essentially a slave. " Some,"
says Mr. O'Conor a little lower, "declare themselves so happy!! as
to require a revolution in their private oppressed state, as little as
they do a revolution in government."

The first address (I believe Lord De'yin's) was the original
cause of this feed. In Primate Banker's letters may be seen the
numerous jealousies. which even then divided the Catholic body,
and through various channels have transmitted their poison very
nearly to our own time. The first use the captive usually m• de of the
least relaxation in his punishment was to strike his fellow captive
with his chain.. The aristocracy, however, had no share in the
original formation of this address. It was first proposed and nas•ed •
by Mr. O'Costor, at a meeting of citizens in the Globe Tavern,
Essex-street. It has been preserved in the " Appendix to lord
Taaffe's Observations oa Ireland." The original of the plan for
the establishment of the Association is in Mr. Wyse's hand-writing
in Stowe Library. It has been published by Plowden (vol. it.
Hist. Review).

r

•
•• .•
•

'Sr'

. •
a late writer,§ whose researches and patriotism are fully commen-
surate to the hereditary honours of bis name, "and the danger
1 hey had to risk, be fairly estimated by the circumstances of the
tu..es—the depression of the Body—the opposition of the Gentry—
and the visilance of their enemies—it will be acknowledged that
abilities, perseverance, and courage, are above all praise ; and
their memories should be embalmed in the eternal gratitude
-brit countrymen."
§ O'Conor.—.

the Irak

PHILOLOGY.

vol. I.

A knowledge of the proportions of the letters which
~,rose the alphabet of different languages is useful to the printer
•ml interesting to the philologist. To this, recourse has been had
ii r he purpose of deciphering, with uniform success ; and as these
peoportions are not generally known, we subjoin them for there
foreign languages most in use :
Mph. Dutch. French. Italian. Alph. Dutch. French. Italian.
A 513 456 763 N 563 404 610
Ii 82 46 70 0 500 312 730
72 153 277 P 45 138 230
245 175 193 Q 0 71 52
1000 1000 1000 It 337 294 517
30 61 67 S 180 488 340
t; 175 41 200 T 277 367 43Q
11 152 33 90 U 117 398 100
1 218 361 807 V 105 78 243
5 31 0 W 113 0 0
K 12.5 0 0 X 0 16 0
1. 168 298 410 Y 118 12 10
M 112 127 217 Z 70 1 50
''he letter e is of most frequent recurrence, and the above results
• ;press how often the other letters recur as compared with this.
is, however, to be remarked, that these proportions vary not
• ily in passing from one language to another, but in the same lan-
. 4age, in passing from one branch to another—from poetry for es-
.-nple, to prose, or front history to the sciences—even from one
.athor to another, although the variations are then very much less
..,,preciable. The following proportions may also be deduced from
.'ke above :
Dutch.
2066
2854

Vowels
Consonants

French. Italian.
2519 3410
2824 3966

I n the three languages, the number of the consonants exceeds that
.+f the vowels, and for 1000 letters of the first species, there are
°4 of the second in Dutch, 882 in French, 860 in Italian.—New
Abut* Magaune.