The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1843-06-12
CHAPTER Ii.

British army and naw during the last half century,
and likewise into the comparative military qualities
OF the British and Irish people.
The petitioners against the Repeal were but 81 249
Thus, it appears that the Ani-Union spiri in Ire
land was not only stronger than the national hatred
OF tthes, on account of which so many sacrifices of
property and life have been incurred but even
stronger than The degree Of interest evinced in refer
ehce 10 ,he most exciting questions, in England and
Scotland. Whether that spirit is destined to sub
side into permanent submission in Ireland, as it did
IN Scotland II is impossible to forete But if it does
such submission can only be effected by the success
OF the present experiment of liberal and popular
government to convince the Irish leope that main
tenance OF the Union will be better for Ireland than
its dissouton.l
The STANDARD, speaking of the Repeal question. in
terms which are fair specimen of British Tory. and
sometimes more than Tory, rodomontade on the sub
Ject' mas sad Inc Union MUST he maintained by
force, and, thank Heaven, it CAN be maintained by
force And again. thank Heaven for the British heart
and the Brush arm, it SHALL BE MAINTAINED nv
FORCE" little inquiry will, however, show. or at
least very nearly show, that any Union with Ireland
resting nerely on force" or the power of the
" British heart and the British arm" would have ra
tRer dubious foundation. In a strictly national and
military sense, Ireland, united country or ne
Lelnster, Ulster, Connaught, and Munster combining
heart and hand IN one cause has never vet been
quered TIE only period, when such patriotic mi
on oil ALL sects and parties of rishmen took Mare
was IN the time of the Volunteers and rurn Ire
lands claims were granted because THEN khtu co,d
not De SAFELY refused Ireland THEN " in less tb,n
hall her present population, and without avaiIno
herself OF more than the comparatively aristocratic
Po'.oh " ner 'hhaoitants displayed self maintain
ed force2 of above 100000 effective men and ,oo
pieces OF artillery Indeed, since about that time o
ue PERIOD OF the American war, it is ridcuIous r.,
rant about what the British heart and the Rr;,;sI
arm could do against ,cittout the aid of In,sI,,
In April, 1888, Mr. Gardiner afterw,rds 7 =
m he Irief
terence to the Irish Catholics that En- Land haa
America detached from her by force of Irish en,i
grants. 8 ms statement, put forth on the informa
lion OF British officers, and deduced from 1be ci
cumstahce amongst Others, Of The numbers who sn ke
irish IN the American army, is confirmed Inv ndc,au
MacNeven, who says, that one of the many nra,ovt,
IN his time, for refusing Emancipation To- the Iish
Catholics, was the fact, that Is 600 of them rIt
on the side of America'4 Nor were these ali CT
men, says the able editor Of the Morning Cb,ouicys,
VINO, IA 'ne american war, fought most bitterly
against The Englsh army, were the Presbyter;ans af
Down and Antrim who formed tie PennsvIva,;a
Hhe o-aho these as every one knows were The v
ry flower OF the American force 0 'e
ouch were The opponents of the British heart and
the buah arm ABRoAD-while, of the British army
that would have had TO meet the Volun,eers ~ '
in case OF refusal OF the demands of Irelan '
~ one -liird, according to Darlington "was con,
posed of freshmen" This pr portion or Ir;sh osa
senlatives OF The British heart and the Bj,sh arn
mus nave ao'anced rather Than dec ned Even he
fore the first material relaxation of the peroI r.
we find it stated, without contradiction nv A.
tan, IN hls speech TO Parliament ON the C,IaI;
Bill, In febru1ry lI92, that II was matter "known
by the gentlemen Of the army that since tbev boJ
recruited Tor the foot IN Ireland the regiments had
been filled IN great proportion with Irish 9th
lics."7 According to General Cockburn II No.
subject OF public boast In Ireland that l,l balr
OF the army that drove the French ont az r,r,
were lhIsH'o In 1907, or the year before the r.
nlnsular war, Or MacNeven states the proportion
of Irish In the British army as about ona-baIe,,o
and that The estimate was not exaggerated NAV no
inferred from the follow ing circumstances ~ a.
motion OF thanks to Sir Samuel Aucbmut, for ,h
capture Of Monte Video, the General who nroaosaS
1t said, mat ihe 'h regiment, which had so eaantll
iought mere, under or Edmund Butler, was com
posed altogether of Catholics-that is Ir;sb al
that he himself knew that Of the 1000 mon ,ho at'
lacked that fortress, 10000 consisted of CatboIc,4
or in other words, Irishmen. In 1910 Sir Iohn q,
fiPpesley, iron whose speech in the CatboIic
Question, ~ That year, the foregoing confrma orv
particulars are cited) mention IN Parliament ,I'a, %
his own knowledge, out Of two leyies Of ! ono -
each, made few years before only Ieo re- -
not Catholics that in another regimen, 80 ooo =.
the south of England, $50 toere Catholic. ard ~
added mat II was then vel established matter that
the proportion OF Catholics (or Irisb) exceodo3 81,
Of Protestans Tor British in the Englisb 80 ''1.
is a generally affirmed fact, for which 80 srcb :, -
unnecessary to cite an authority that At the pa,i
Of Waterloo at least two out of three nar,s - ~
British heart and the British ARM there. were
IRISH IRON the demonstration Of sympathy ey,nced
towards Mr.. O'Connell, on his route 70 Tho Co.
election by bodies Of the sodiery. and firm ,ho =.
suits Of an inquiry as TO The disposition and 6ooi
Of the army with respect to Emancipation boCosa -,
passing OF the Relief Bill in 1929 It was " sbrewdiy
suspec tee" oy men IN ofhce," that the British
hea and the British ARM in that army would ~, P
sufficient arrest the settlement of To, o, 80 no
And, in fine, at present, according to SIR Ffw 49,,
Bulwtr Two birds of The arms are I-isb tnII ~
son for this rrep nd'ri nce Of Irish IN tho R;,b
service contained IN Mr. Tones assesion tbat th
army OF England supported by the misery If T., IIn
or the more 10y al Duke OF Richmond sa;J tn;,'
the war, on being told, as Lord Ii ptena,, of 'Ie
d tpss of the Dublin trodesmer A b,rb ,,,;o1
loaf aud low or scarce wages The best recrniing
sergsants tor his MoJesy" In fact les priratiots
Ia pouurofe, Ia mitere," as Nap Ieon observed
Pecoie du bon sotIaf or TO cite The moro ,o; ~,
marx adveued TO by General Cockhu tbst no, oil,
fighting, bot marching and starving a,e nf ,i,nas
he soldiers lot, aud the amy that erceis IN th.so
three poin's will probably, ii deccntlv snied
Ultimately succeedHl2) The adm, tod spoa,;a,;,r :
the lnsh, in these qualifications for military life A.
conrasted with the general mass offbeir insnsr neih
burs, proceeds from the greater health v.gor and
hardness OF constitution produced by agricultural
than by mechanical or manufacturing pursuits and
IN England and Scotland, we know thai tboro ora a;
least TWO mechanics or manufacturers for ono aori
cuurist, while, IN Ireland, tie proportion of Tho g.
mer to the latter IS 20 mail TO be, comnarstiyelv
not worth mentioniDg.l3 The Irish have acco,e,n,I'
been recently found and acknowledged on EoeIcb
authority, 10 be better cslcu ated for soldiers b, ,b
English and the Scotch 1.-The company to which
belonged" ysan English officer of the Btnisb To-
gon, in the Spanish service, WHEN first il landed in
San Sebastian, was above 100 strong on parade sir
weeks after its arrival at Vrttoris the utmost il g I'D
mustr fifteen files, thirty men, The rcn
ment, IN Ike manner, which originally was betu cen
700 and 800 strong, dwind ed down in the st,ce If
two months aer the fever broke cut TO not more Than
400 All The OIL er regiments, with the exception of
The Irish, were cut up IN Ike mann or; and Two of
them the 2I English ard and h Scotch were so
nearly annhluied that they were broken up and the
m!Seral c residue drafted into other r, piments The
IRISH Brigade, the contrary, suffered nIe or moth
ing from disease, although II not better on f.
plovslo1s or quarters than The rect of The force and