The Statesman.
London, England, 1824-02-04 00:00:00

PIaCE

agrte;l.tural intern r. too, which had for some time been
depressed, was rapidly reviving, and the general aspect of
our affairs afforded the cheering hope that the coaotiy
would very soon overcome all the difficulties which hue
had to encounter at the termination of the arduous strug-
gle in which they had been so long engaged. He :Millis .•
indeed well congratulate their Lordships on the arrival of
a new and glorious era. But these subjects had been no
forcibly and so eloquently treated, by his Noble Frieftel
who held preceded him, that he felt it quite unnecessary
for him to do more than merely to advert to them in ge-
f
neral terms. There was one topic, however, in the Speech,
on which he might he permitted to say a few words, and
with respect to which, as an Irishman, he must feel lee lv
interested, He trusted that nothing like party spirit
would operate in the minds of Noble Lords, in considering
the present state of Ireland; •and he entreated their Lor.•!-
ships to preserve their understandings unshackled, while
speaking of evils, the causes of which were heyosifl the cult-
troul of Government. 'Fite first and greatest evil was to
be found in the moral state of .e people. who from their
na-
'tural indotemeins might he made the strength and oroa-
ment of any country, though they were now sank to the
lowest pitch of degradation and debasement, solely front
•the want of those endowments being duly cultivated and • 014
-Improeed. (Hear, hear.) The case was very different in
England, where the pivulalonsits in the highest state of
eiviliz,:tinn and moral improvement. Great allowance.c
ought therefore be made for this unhappy country, in
which there Was a determined Nsistance offered to the
progress of educatiou and the distribution of the Scrip- • 1
tures. The consegnence was, that the great tuajiiiis tkti4e. ; q*,
the people indulged in the grossest superstitions, a
minds were so einititt-red through the influence of dem.... ••
gogues, that they placed themselv,s in hostile array against
the religion and Constitution of the land. The Noble
Marquess now at the head of the Irish Government, had
greater difficulties to combat than any man who was
rvor placed in a similar situation. Howev-r, he devotecfii e.
all his splAndid talents to the ardoons task, and much good
had a!ready been done under his Administration. Their
Ltrtls`dpe !mist be aware that the most pernicious means
were resar ed to by domagogites in Ireland, with the view
of perverting the public mind. There was in that country
a sort of i.nperinin in imperio, which, must be put down
berore any perm ',tent cure could be sfrecterl. The popu-
list:on of Ireland eas immense, and the povrty of the
lover orders was ma;niy t he at; tihute.l to the absentee
system. It was a well known fact, that the property drawn
from I viand by abeentees, amounted to 2,000,0001 Theist
were two classes of absentees, one of which he should de-
signal • the legitimate end the other the illegitimate clasp.
Time (Lost . lass nos rocnposed of persons ulna had large
estates in Ireland in addition to their hereditary estates its
Rnglatdi, and bad a fair eacuse for residing in the latter
country. lint still they ought not to forget the duties im-
pose! upon them as Irish landlords ; and above all, they
ought to b. most particular as to the persons they selected
to represent them and manage their afiairs. In some few
instances he was happy to say, that the proprietors of the
soil had themselves attended to the interests of their te-
nantry ; and he was happy to recognise now before him
cat sin Noble Lords who needed no impulse from him, in
order tamake them consult the welfare and prosperity of
those who held land nnder them in Ireland. The second
class of absentees consisted of persons who had no heredi-
tarisroperty is England, and who consequently hod no
excuse for leaving their native country. They certainly
wou'd derive ninth snore importance from residin:r on their
estabm, and minismring to the wants of their tenants. le-
deed, be had Lard that same of them had lately returned,
en I that good effects had resulted from their having once

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