Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-05-24

The C0nnlttee tnen Tost, anu TPpOTted the hill
as amended; and the House then adjourned
Character Of the Irish.-Cobbelt is strong and
vigorous writer, and attracts attention BY Tho
force and energy with which he composes H,
style is coarse, but he draws his words and sY.
pressons from the swell OF English unde6Iedr
We copy from a late letter of his to the King. an
extract, giving a character of the Irish people.
which will please the natives Of the Emerald
Isle.
"As to the character Of the Irish," writes Mr.
Cobbett. ''your Majesty yourself has witnessed
their ardor and thei gratitude. Their quickre,,
of conception certainly surpasses that of any OH.
er nation Of which have any knowledge. They
are not remarkable for the sly and selfish QuaIty
Of prudence; but their generosity, their franknes,
and above all things. their cheerful readiness 70
labor, amply compensate for the snivelling viz.
tue, which may be the companion to all the black
est vices known to the heart Of man.
II has been the interest of aImast all the Irish
writer's and speakers, frnn the reign of Queer
Elizabeth to the present day. to calumnate their
own country and its people. They could no,
disguise the fact Of the misery of the people
Charged as they naturally were, either expressly
or tacitIy. they have defended themselves bye
presenting the people as being unfit To enjry H.
berty and comfortable existence. They have
sometimes represented them rs preferriag piy'.
meat, to decent dress and food fit for human be
inss; and they have never failed to represent them
as slothful in their very nature.
"Neyer was there fouier calumny utteredhy
the talsest of lips The proofs of the falsehood
of this charge are innumcrable and incontestibIe,
and. as disposition cheerfully to labor is a prime
quality in any people. shall beseech the atten
| ton Of your Majesty to few Of these proofs
One would think there was need Of no otherproo
to silence the calumniators than the facts which
| have stated Of the immense produce Of food in
Ireland, and the supplying OF that food to 80 ma.
ny foreign parts. But let me speak of proofs At.
forded in the United States of America, where
some of the finest settlements of the country ha,.
been made by freshmen alone, who have with
scarcely penny in their pockets, swept asaytR
forests before them. and actually created farm
upon farm. township upon township. thing scI
dom to be said of the English, aud never to
said Of the Scotch
Z" But, there is the city Of New York. stat.
it az a fact that no man who knows America will
contradict, that four flhs Of all the immense H.
b,urs performed in that city. which is the third
if not the second, commercial city in the whO,
world; | state it as undeniable fact that Tour.
6ftbs of the whole OF the hard labour in that e.
~, Is performed by Irishmen. was told By
General Swartwout Of that city, who had taxed
| in large tracts Of marsh land, BY excluding The
sea water, that, in the executing OF the grea!
iabour. necessary to effect his purpose, he tried
Germans, Switzers, English, Yankees. and Irish;
but that he had found, at last. that when real
hard Iabour had to be performed, when vet and
cold had to be faced, none would work Ike ne
Irish. He told me, that good word bestowed
upon an Irshman, did more than handul Of
dollars upon any body else. As we stood look
ing at his meadows and Immense embankmen''
he assured me in the most solemn manner th
thew never would have existed had 1t not been
for Irishmen.
SIN the city Of New York, there are, per-
haps, thousands of cars, and Of car horses. a 'a'
proportion of which, are owned by lris"men'-
| Irishmen load and unload the shIps:-they nave
churches IN that city. to which there were, ""ea
| came from that country. fifteen thousand con-
municants belonging; fact which had ""n
the Catholic Bishop himself, who had 'ss
weeks before arrived from Rome, without exc
ting any alarm in the Government OF the od"
and without any body Fostering him WIN U'
subject of ueto'' So that there cannon oe
Catholic population in New York OF less Una.
about twenty thousands souls. forming a0"pt
sixth part Of the population OF that e'ty; WI. an
the English, though most richly endowed "O
the time of the Royal Government, eannS,,
think. boast of third Of that immense NUM-, :
What | have said of the population o. OF 'd
irish at New York. may be pretty nearly ','' ~,
those at Philadelphia. At Baltimore "t! #
still more numerous, and in higher des r',o'
prosperity:-and even at Boston. where .n%
lie was formerly held in adherence, their n' 'j
is very considerable. They every "nr'e mere
to no part of the community in am qua'N ;,
Government ought to hold in esteem; 'n%
to iaboriousness, they far exceed 'ne PT~:d
all other nations. They perform three I"o ,m,a.
the heavy labor in all the dock yn'as o. -, aI 81
ca. Many of them are ship carpenters, az" 40, =.
makers. When | was at New York. "e' 'r,,
was a complaint amongst the America" S Ir"D
Iish ship ca rpenter., that the IRISH were m ,,s
them om Of employment. So. here '" 'i;rb h,
silly at work to complete the navy. ny "n., .5,e
Edinburgh Reviewers fear the Ca'A0n q'''''
Is 10 be settled. ,.ons