, 1866-10-16

move thr memory cf the past, and u oblit-
esats tic hope Of tho future. Best3cs; lt<
does not defcud on the British Legislature
and Government to effect that object, how
srcr much thcy msy desire it.
TIE rRortsrAST ELENEST.
No leetslatiou can ever make tho Orange
men Of the North 1rsshmen In the political
meaning Of the term. They We're introduced
into the country a. an alien element, and an
alien element they still remain in 1t. Their
ideal is William the Third their aspiration,
Protestant ascendancy and their Pride, coat'
tempt for the Catholic Irish. There has not
been single difficulty between ireland and
England In which the 0rsogemen Of the
North have not offered their services to tho
English Gorernment against their Catholic
fellow countsymen, and tho. sentiments they:
utter arc 50 violent, that In Case Of q serious
risiug, have no doubt they would be tho
fercest enemies of thecountry. They are In
fact TOO good Pzotestants to be good 1rish.
men. .--...--
TEE CATHOLIC N.AHEEr.
On the other other hand tho Catholic popu-
lAtion arc too Roman to be good patriots.
Tho pessAutzy arc mainly in the hands Of the
Roman Catholic clergy, and the clergy a. .
rule arc more attached to the Church than to
ireland. Fo man has denounced Fen1an1sm
30 much As Cardinal Cullen. He has spoken
Of them In as harsh te1na - tho most
violent Orangeman could do. Whyf Be-
cause ~ rule the Feniens exclude the
test of religion from their Organization, aud
in the opinion Of DR.. Cullen no person can
be good 1r3hmAn, or indeed good e!ti-
ZEN. who does not turn to Rome a. the
fountain OF all religious and political truth.
/ never could understand the attachment Of
Irishmen to Rome. = was Roman PontiH
and an Engllahma1 Who frst made over
Ireland to the Crown Of England, and ever
since that tirna to the present there has been
no peace In the country. What they have
gained by 1t cannot sec but that they
hare lost By It think must be oby1ons to
any unprejud1ced mind. The fndlsputable
fact IL that the Irish people have been
Catholic for centuties; that they are more
led by their prieats and bishops than most
other people, and they are the most wretch
ed and least sclf.reliant people to be found
anywhere. When people are told that
this earth Is nothIng-shat 1t and all On 1t
lies under some great curee-that 1t is better
in the sight Of; God to be poor than rich
that to endure patiently the Ills Of this life,
whether curable or mot, Is one Of the
characteristics Of grace, 1t will be dlf1cult to
get them to make those efforts which arc
demarded from all who wish to become a
polite and civilized nation. Man Is by nature
prone to idle habits, and when nature ia
strengthened by the teachings Of theology,
people will, under such Influences, descend
into a Kind Of fntaltsm from which they can
only be raiscd BY some powerful shock. Bad
and Infamous Us has been the government OF
Ireland by England, there is = point Of view
from which It has been productive of some
good. Il has leavened the people with q
| sense Of liberty and freedom that could not
have existed II they had been brought up
under system Of policy deriving ita force
from purely theocratic and authoritative
| principle. Hence, although priestlcd
people In the main, there has been intro.
duced into ireland strong element Of free
dom, both political and personal, which Il o.
a hopeful character. The clergy have
always attacked the Government, and the
result has been that they hate II
| intensely. On the other hand the Gov
crnment formerly endcavored by cycr3
means IN their power TO weaken the influ
ence ofthe clergy, and the people gained bj
the opposition Of the two powers, the polsti
| cal and the spiritual. The result Of all thL
has been, ns have said, general aud wide
spread discomfort, which 1t Is neithe ct In th,
power Of the Government, or the clergy Il
I control The socisl and political fabric II
Ireland Is wholly undermined, aud it onl,
requires favorable opportunity to produce
a thorough revolution At present It Is sup
pressed BY force, but f.that force should bs
.withdrawn or occupied elsewhere, one ofth,
most violent revolutions that ever WA!
known will take place IN this country. Il
no country do such lufanmatory element,
exist The links that bind clas,
to class arc links that will not endure the
first favorable opportunity OF breaking them
| 80LooNT PROSPECTS.
There are religious, political and econom
ical sources Of strife, which will blaze out
with the first spark that falls amongst them
have barely indicated the state Of mem.
msnds. = In future letter shall describe it
detail the main causc Of the degraded condI
tion Of the Irish pcople-that cause which
compcls them to leave this country by hun
dreds Of thousands-which engenders suspl
cion Of the proprictorial class and hatred To-
ward the Government-whtch. .rcnders eyer1
1riahman who goes to America the enemy o
England, and makes most Of those who re-
main 1t home rebels at heart and poor 1,
spirit and In mcans-thc 1and tenure of th,
country. At present I shall only say thai
the prospects of the people arc Of the gloom
lest kiud. Under the suspension of the Ia
beas eor1'sss act the people arc afraid to mani
fest their discontent, aud to this has to b.
added bad harvest. The weather haa bee.
30 bad all the summer and autumn that til,
crops are seriously injured, aud all along th.
coast the potato has failed to large extent
so that the coming winter will, fear, be on,
ofgreat distress 10 this much tried and 1oue
suffering people.
| General N. p. Rpnkz