The New York herald., 1870-01-02
IRELAND.

ject-A Historical Review-Wars and Com
nsratiOns and tho ConseQuenc es-Tho Argu-
uaents Against tho Union With England
| Caste and Class-IcnxIish Poiicy-Is the
Settlement at HRnde
DuBLIN Dec. Q. 1s60
1t Is very diHicuit perhaps impossible, to under
stand thoroughly the landed system Of Ireland with
out knowing the history of those connscations, or
as they called here "pantations," by which, up
wards OF two centuries ago. the old inhabitants Of
the country driven from the soil. BY tracing
the origin OF what Is known as the "land question:
TO period far back the reigns OF Elizabeth and
james l.. may possibly be accused OF attempting 70
Grip up old s0res'' which had better be forgotten
but l may plead In excuse, II, indeed. excuse be
necessary, that to events in those times may be
directly traced the present social condition or Ire
land. and this intend TO show as proceed.
| Few l think, will contradict the statement tha.
the social condition of Ireland miserable and un.
happy It s Is the result OF circumstances utterly
foreign the natural course OF The discOn.
tent OF the peasantry. pr0tracted through centuries
the antagonlsm between the owners and the occu-
piers the SOIL the emigration OF hundreds of thou
sands OF the Irish people, the hatred OF England
which taken such deep root In the hearts OF the
Celtic population. owe their origin to the confisca-
tlons under Elizabeth, James !. and Oliver Cror,-
we'll Mr. Butt Queens Counsel, who has written
and spoken q great deal on this question. says
HE who desires so to understand the condition OF
ireland must realize TO himself the full import Of the
historical fact that all the rights OF landed property
rest on conrscation-not, be lt remembered, upon
cOnfscarOns OF remote antiquity like those which
followed the coming OF the Normans into England
but upon conhscations following q contest which
has never been wholly fought out-a strife which Is
still continued in many varying FORM"
The policy OF exterminatlon pursued by Elizabeth
aud her counsellors to some extent prepared the
country for the three great considerations which fol-
lowed. When the great Earl OF Desmond surren-
dered her forces his estates and those OF forty three
OF mis- followers were cleared" OF the old popua-
ton and divided among the soldiers Of the Queen
Tne estates OF Desmond contained more than half q
million Of acres. Following the determinations Of
Elizabeth and exceeding them in their magnitude
and cruelty, the confiscatiOn OF the whole pro.
vince OF Ulster under James l., the confscation
under Oliver Cromwell and the forfeitures OF William
OF Orange alter the battle or the Boyne In 1898 the
Earl OF Clare then Mr.. FtzgibDon, che great spokes
man, towards the close OF the last century, OF the
dOmlnant caste" IN Ireland. declared In the Irish
House of LOrds that the title OF the landed pf0prle
tors rested these three cOndscati0ns. Lord Clare
was no friend to the people, still he had the candor
to make this admission. In MS speech In favor
OF the union IN 1900 he assumes even DOlder tone.
'lt 49," he says, "a subject OF curious and import
Ireland, incurred In the last century. The superb
clal contents OF the island calculated ut 6S2
acres Let US now examine the state Of
In the reign OF James l., the cOnfscatl0n or the
whole province OF Ulster, 1885 S37 set down by the
Court OF Claims
Acres.
At the restoration Observation-Disclosures. 1900, 900
Forfeltures OF 1858. LOGO. 1872
Total. Il, ,697, ,sas
SO that the wnole OF your island mas been conlis-
Gated with the exception OF the estates of five
ntd fttnQn nf nfYli1h lind nf hah
been atlainted III the reign OF Henry Will, but re-
covered their possessions before Tyrone's rebellion
English republic, inflicted by Cromwell, and no IN
considerable portion OF the island has c0nscated
twice or perhaps thrice IN sne course Of a century,
The whole power and property OF the country
have been conferred BY successive monarcns
OF England upon an English colony, comprised Of
three sets OF Engsn adventurers, VINO poured into
this country al the termination Of three successive
rebe.llons. Coniscatlon ID their common Title and
IRON the first settlement they have been hemmed III
on every side Dy the Old lnnaOltants OF the island,
Drooding over their discomfort in sulen indlgna
would earnestly, recommend any one wishing for
fuller Information on the SUBJECT OF Irish cOntiSca-
tons to study the speeches OF the Earl Of Clare Lord
Hlgn Chancellor OF ireland, at the commencement
OF the present century. Ii the people Of Ireland are
satisfied to accept his testimony l do not think the
landed proDrietors, whose champion he was, ought
to object
These conlscations were confirmed at the restora-
tion OF Charles Ii. by the act OF settlement and
Explanation. BY that act, also, all The laf1ds Of
those engaged the rebellion Of l64l became vested
III the King. Commissioners were appointed with
fun authority TO hear and determine the claims OF
applicants for the land; ana III this way, to use the
significant expression OF Lord Clare, sooUoo acres
OF land were SCI out, under this act. TO a motley
crew of English adventurers, civil aud military,
nearly to the total exclusion OF the Old lnhaoitants
O1 the iS.andn
Alter the expulsion OF James H. 1000 of his sup
porters Outlawed, and their estaIes comprising
l06O 1872 acres, We're coniscated This land sold
to Williams followers under the authority o an act
Parlamelt 10 uolray the expenses incurred
ing the war;
But it is useless for Inc to enumerate further in
stances OF the manner IN whicn under successive
English Kings, the old population OF this country
were dispossessed OF the son. have said enough to
show that Jney have suffered great DEAL Few VIII,
think, deny that the examples nave introduced,
TO which many more might De added, are sufficient
TO account Tor the hostility between the owners and
the OccupierS OF the SOIL, as wei as for the Other
anomalies III the social system of Ireland. IL Is
| to be wondered at, indeed that the population
OF this country are divided into two classes one re-
gardlnX the 0tner with feelings OF hatred disrust
From the final execution" says Lord Clare of Che
| acts OF settlement ana Explanation down to the
present day, the people OF this country have con-
sisted o! TWO dsrinct and separate casteS-the one,
! with short inrermisslon, possessed or the Whole
property and power OF the island; the other expelled
| from boLn.n The war begun two centuries ago be-
tween the English colOnists and the old Inhabitants
| has descended " our own Time The memory VI
their suffering and wrong Is fresh Ill their hearts
| today as 1t was two cen.ures ago No persecution
| can blot out from Their minds the recollection o!
| what they suffered, or can induce them TO forego
their CLAIMS to the ownership OF rlle soil. Their
right is III allegiance, they say, and time has no
gwen ana cannot give their ANTAGONISTS prescrip
| i've title to the soil. The colonsts have resisted
and still resist these claims; and tnus war has en-
sued between them for Two centuries. Don't let vi
disguise 1t IRON ourselves says Mr.. Bright ..ther
| Is war between landlord and tenant, a war a
dercc and relentless as though It were carried on b
force OF arm5.n
The dominant caste' as have shown are thu
descendants OF 'those English adventurers wh,
poured into the country at the termination OF three
successive repellons" They differ from the rest 0
the population III religion nationality and race. Fo
| two centuries the power OF England has uphe,
them in the possession of their usurpati0ns ever tn
heads Of the ola Inhabitants. Under these circum
stances 1t can scarcely be wondered at II Englis
power ana landlord domination were Identical Il
the minds Of the people. "The whole power an,
prosperity OF the country were conferred upol
them" and they protected themselves against tn
rghtful owners by code OF laws which the grea
Edmund Burke described Rs - machine OF wise ant
elaborate contrivance and as well fitted FOR the 0p
| preston, lmp0veriShmcnt and degradation Of tn
| people aud the dsbasenent Ia them OF numan nstur