The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-12-27 00:00:00

.

STATE OF IRELAND.
(FROM THE DUBLIN MERCANTILE ♦DVEETISEE•)

TO THF: MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE.
Mr Lorte,—The general state of Leinster does not differ
from that of Munster and Connaught. There are, however,
a few peculiar facts connected with this Province, which we
think It necessary to state.
While the South is OVIIITIM by the Whiteboy Association,
the Preview of Wenn le the scene, though not the eradies4l
of the Rinses System., The wildness an absurdity of th
Association, your Lordship will have gathered from the re-
ern rile in Dublin. One part of the oath of this Unto* is
allegiance to the King, another pert regards opposition to
Tithes, and, if we can believe the informers, there was a
third item In the oath, which certainly looked towards Re-
bellies. My Lord, we may take it upon ourselves to say.
that then is so feeling of this kind prevalent in Ireland.—
We believe that the Ribboomen were quite in t.
whoa they mete allegiance to the King—we believe, that
the Whitelnys, if celled upon, would light his enemies to-
morrow With as cheeredeed a fidelity as the Orangemen.—
la oath, there is no party so fraction of a party, and, we
firmly believe, uo imitetaisal to Ireland, that contemplates.
or wend wish, a separation from Distend. That prime.
pie, your 'Lordship will be glad to lure, even in the midst
of our desolatiou, has gone by. Still the country is full of
illegal Associations, because the country Is full bf !Amiens,
and grsianiug tinder cruel oppressions. One anecdote will
he better thee a laboured description. A man bad some
Corneal come Potatoes on his little farm. The Reat and
Tithi were applied for. He *ofd to the Landlord, "it is
only fale that you should km your rent x the produce of the
Corn. I know, will oot pay you. Take it, however, as far as
it will Fo. I have a pig and a eow,these mune° in satisfaction
f thetithe,whicht know ietheMirson'sdee.Theystrenet. !know
sufficient; but neither you nor be shall touch my potatoes,
if you do not take my life. 1 will stand by the pit (the
place where the potatoes are Icept after being dug ow),
and I will take the life of hits, or be shall take mine,
who attempts to deprive me of food for myself or my
children." We assure your Lordship that we state a
feet. The Speech was made in the presence of a thou-
'and parsons, and we Mate this fact because our orator
only repented the general feeling of the peasantry of
the country. This is • fearful state in so dense and
ieflaintaibfe a population as ours. 'f ous who must lire
in the !entre of it —who must witness the beeviugs arn;
d ;OLIVE' Of the billows, it is appalling. lu the midst
of itlferkine; in the most fruitful country perhaps in
the WM; the people may starve. But for Englen I
be adreils of thousands would have gone to their gr
last Spring and Summer. The failure of the potatue
crop will do it at any time. Can your Lordship he snr-
prised, therefore, that despair will force a population,
naturally fond of enterprise, into all sorts of absurd and
extravagant associations? The truth is. that such is the
state of the 'peasantry at this moment—so utterly reck-
less and desperate are they, that you must only be sur-
prised
.at the comparatively trifling excesses to which
nee, esity and ignorance are driving them.
Crest efforts' however, are made, and, in some de-
gree, successful efforts, to stem the progress of Itibbon•
tau--if your Lordship will allow us to use a barbarous
expression, too, well understood in our unfortunate
Country. The judicious and prompt administration of
justice, the character of the Lord Lieutenant anti the At-
torney Bennet, have done much. The new Constabula-
ry Bill, when it COMPS into fall operation, may do
more. But there are Penal and expensive restraints.
They may damn up a popular ebullition here and there;
but they will be found too weak for the rising tide, it
other and very diff-rept measures do net accompany
them. Morel restraints Ale. my Lore, talk of these
restraints some teenfyiran hence, when the People are
e;ucated.. But what . of• ileontl restraint:to a physical
want flow are moral instiaints IMO operating. or ri•
thee how will they operate in eight or min months time
on the distressed and ruined Farther' of England: Did
mita! restraints ever operate upon the raging hunger of
shiiewrecked Mariners 1 . It is easy to talk of moral
iestraluts by our tire sides. and in our snug parlours.
It i< Gr. ek—it is Heathen Laegnage to the wretch who
is planted in his mud cabin by the side of • bog—who
sees the county taxman seise Lis pig fur the Rate, sod
the Careen seise Isis potatoes fur the Tithe. I: is really
insulting in tell such a man that it is his interest to obey
the leer. What interest has heist the law ? The law of
tithe has been to him a curse, and a scourge —the cotan•y
lets to him is a grieyous and intolerable tax, fur which
I.a receives no equivalent whatever. Moral restraint-,
indeed ! lie can only be restrained by a fear of death.
If fandueleocks at his dour, that fear vanishes. We are
witnessing the consequences in every part of
I eland —awl' much more we shall have to witness before
the spriag leirorer.
Still however. one Moral restraint has been tried.
and, to acerfain extent, we know, has succeeded. It is
a pasinikl lldrebs of Doctor Doyle, the Roman Catholic
Eashol of Kildare lend Leighlin, addressed to the Rib
busmen in his, Diecase. The Address your Lordship will
have seen in the. Dublin Newspapers. You will read it,
with attention, and We are nee, with admiration. It bag
feacceetied to a certain extent.
• The primary visitation charge of Doctor Laurence.
Archbishop Of Cobol, has Also been of great service.,
even apoitg the lower ranks of people. This charge
hr .-allies the spirit of peace and christian meekness,
Aral means have, we onderstand,.beeu taken, to have its
*Mummer communicated. These, and such prelates as
these, will do more to soothe the irritated feelings of
the p .ty, than all which has been done for years.
Bet swindling, tie repeat it, besides moral instruction,
is neceassary, end it is for your Lordship to apply your
great luleots in the discovery of a remedy, and in
cretinous advocacy for its adoptins.
The State of the Landlords is, in some degree, quite
as desperate as that of .the Peasantry. In Wexford, the
Sheriff, from being the busiest man in the would, has
now little substantial .business to perform. But. in-
deed, we shouhl only repent ourselves by going through
the coenties regularly. Th. picture of one is the pic-
ture of all. Our Proprietor in*Kildare has 20,000 acres
en Land. In the King's County there was a sale by
A unction the other day. The mock three years ago (in
declining times) was worth at, least two thousand
pounds. It was driven to Fair and Market, but the Far-
mer, being q man of sense substance, held back. A
rent became due. lie was not forthcoming with
the money. nor with any of it. Whether he was disho-
nest or unfortuoate, or both, we shall net say; but the
llandlord, a worthy man, and no grinder, could not get
a sixpence atom him. lie put an Execution in the She-
rifts basil, and the Corn and Cattle were brought to the
hammer. No one worth! bust. 'fhe Sheriffs orders,
however, were peremptory. The Corn and the Beasts
were put up. A Dlilch Cow was bought for half a gui-
nea, end a Ifunter, worth stf gnineas, for 40 shillings.
The Stock was removed to a neighbouring farm. It
Freught 1501, one hundred of which went to the Sheriff
and his Officers. The man quitted the Farm. It is now
Ltitenanted, and the 'tenant and his Landlord are both
in Gaol. 'llse 'tenant will get out under a particular
41.inse in the Insolvent Act. The Landlord is a Tenant
for life.
We shall not apologize to your Lordship for the fmni•
tinily With which these statements are made. If we
were even capable of writing in what is called an ele-
gant style, to which we bare no pretensions, wedo not
know that we should be capable of culling ph ,or
of balancing periods, on any subject that resembles.
this.
These inky do very well for an essay on the state of
Europe. or an attack upon a powerful Minister ;but they
are useless to the misery and desolation of this country.
What England may expect, indeed time Omit to which
she is tending, has been Embed this Winter by Ire-
land.