Mr.CANNING, we are inform...
The Times, 1824-09-11T00:00:00

Nr. CA 1NoG, we arc informed by thc Court Newsman, .sets out for Dublin this dav. It is some time since we paid our respects to Irelandi-the best materials for history being wars and revolutions,. and whatever else contributes to the mass of human suffering. So, with regard to the sister island: she seldom attracts the eye of the community on this side of the water, but when she has to boast of some new crimes and miseries, or some old scenes of lawless violence, blood, and desolationi, revived. i-Ier progress has recently, wve Imlust adimit, becen the reverse of that which she used formerly to exhibit. Instead of a growing dleptht of interest, the rcsult of increasing turbulence and agitation, shc seems to have shown a bias towards dulness arid prAspelt ity ' grievous to lpoliticians ot' at least one party, and( to journalists of every colour. rhe tranquillity of Ire- land( is now so manifest, that we might be disposed to leave her in its obscure and uinmarked enJoyment, but for cer- tain curious appearances which accompaniy this novel aspect of afikirs, andl wlichl, from the very peacefulness of the time, it may be peculiarly advantageous to notice. 'rhe quiet which prevails throughout the country, and the promise of public happiniess wvhiicl it affords, is dwelt upon with ex- ultation in the letters, of which wLe have seen many from intelligenit Irish gentlemen ; and is tlescribe(d in glowinlg terms by the independenlt portion of the press. No fresh) symptoms of conspiracy or discontent arce visible in the South of Ireland; and the Insurrectioni Act is about to be withdlrawni by Government fronm the districts xpon whicil it lias becn operating. But there is a party-once a power- ful party-slow to believe or to recognize those ameliorations, and always ready to misconstrue them. The Orange partisanis andl their newspapers improve in notlhing but bit- terness as the coullitry prospers, and seem to be conscious of losing ground as order and tranquillity are advanlcing. One strange circumstance is, therefore, that what used tc be the opposition interest of Irelandl, appears to look at tht state of the nation in tli same complacentand cheering point of view from which it was in former times contemplated by none but the most sanguine or courtly of the ruling fac- tion. We find again, what is not in itself unexample(d tht th hp s.l of the Irish ''-'p'-"nnti those few mer in office who cordially and faithfully promote his political views, are represented in the most opposite lights imaginia- I ble, as it happens to be the court or country party who speak of them. By one class of observers they are declared to bc liberal and enliglitened in their opinions, and in their mea- sures, just, consistent, andi successful: by the opposite body, theD LORD LiEUTENANr, and those of the public functionaries wvho agree with hiim in sentiment, are pro- nouncedto berash innovators, contemners of tlie" loyalgen- tlemen of Ireland," abettors of Popery, anid apostates from the revolution. 'I'here is nothin-lg strange, no doubt, in a Government being both praised and abused; but the odd, and indeed marvellous half of this phenomc- non is, that now, for the first tine in Irish history, the eld murmurers-the old sufFerers-the oppressed and trod- den down psor of Ireland-the discontented Catholics-the bulk of the nation-their organs, the ancient opposition prress; in fact,the whole democratic interest of the country- should be those who praise, defend, and thank the Go- vernment for its services ; while it is ridiculed or defanic( by the old ruling faction, the sole support of every pre. ceding Government-that faction who continue to be, what they have ever been, at open war with the body ol the people, and execrated by them. All this is at least worth remarking: the Adminiistration anid the country arc on one side; and are both tormented by the same enemy, the oligarchy, by which the people have for ages been plun- dered, and the Government deterred from relieving them. How these things have been brought about is a ques- tion, not for remote history, but tor the imme(liate and honest meditation of that portion of the KI NG's Go- vernment here in London, without whose aid, or perhaps wve mighlt say under whose (liscoutitenance, the silent though sensible revolution in Irish politics has been eft'ect_ ed. 'I'he systemi pursued may, as a whole, be characterised by its analogy to that which has been just introduced into another important brancll of the interests of Great Britain. it is in Ireland the breaking np of an inveterate monopoly of justice, power, and political aggrandizeidnt; as the stuplid monopoly of trade has been abandoned here, and( the commercial greatness been reinforce(d by the intro(lue- tion of liew principles of equity, equality, and freedom. At this crisis AIr. CANNING, as we have already men- tioned, is about to visit Ireland. Mluoh expectation seems to await thc movement of' the Right H-tonoutr- able Gentleman. We, for our parts, augur well from hisgoing over to employ his own senses 'upon this in- teresting scene, because, doubtless, from distrust of the channels through which hie formerly dlerived his informra- tion respecting Irish politics, the conduct of MIr. CANNING has displayed on some occasions a lamentable, if not ludi- crous inconsistency. It was but last year that the Right Hon. Secretary declined to vote upon his owvn declared opinion, where the laws of England lhad been scandalously violated, and the dignity of Parliament audaciously outraged, les; he should "(give a triunph to one party over the other" -that is, lest the Irish nation, the Irish Government, the laws and Parliament of the British empire, should be sur- feited by an unwholesoimne victory over a faction which had bid defiance to them all. But Mr. CANNING voted for briig. ing Catholics into Parliament. He voted, and argued, and declaimied for that measure, which would have been to " one party" the most brilliant triumph ; and to the other, the Orange party, a fatal overthrow. How will he explain these contradictions ? With what feelings must the Right Honourable Gentleman have ere now dis- covered that the triumph whichl appalled him has been achieved without him ? That the Orange faction is abso- lutely put down; and that the adverse fiaction-namely, the laws of Ireland, His MAJESTY'S Government, and the' luNG'S liege subjects--have conquered ? But Mr. CAD,- xnim has now the opportLnity of learning at the fountain-I head what were the discouragements and difficulties witlh which the Irish Government bave had to contend-what are the materials out of whieh, if not purified, thc same Government 1as to complete its work of establishinig a just and pepular Sovereignty over the Irish; and what the true merits of that party, for whose reputation the Right Hon. Gentlemao betrayed, in his abandonment of Mr. Pr.uN>CTTr, so tendler and touching a solicitude. It is -well knxevn that the Orange faction has been contlernued by every Judge in Ireland, except Lord NTOREURY, as the original aggressor upon the Catho- lics, and as provoking the Ribandmen to confederate in self-defence. In spite of this denunciation, the leaders of the Orange factioni have, through soime sinister anm .nys- terious influence, retained, in the teeth of the resident Ad- ministration, the highest public offices under the Crown. Notwithstanding this sentence of the Judges, three Orange Magistrates at Enniskillen refused to take the examinations of witnesses, where a Catholic had been slain by Oraage- mene;-notwithstandinlg the Judges, all thc Catholics ac- cused of riot were found guilty, and all thie Orangemen acquitted by an Orange Jury ;-notwithstanding the Judges, the Mayor of Derry-a Mlr. RAE, a chartered Judge of Assize for Derry-sat on the hench witlh Baron PENNE- FATH st, decked out in a variety of Orange insignia, to try criminal questions between Orangemen and Catholics! But the party are fast extinguishiiig: their Deputy Grand Master has resignied in contrition or disgust; and even MIr. CANNTNO may henceforth venture to vote in relation to them as his conscience dictates. If the Right Hon. Gen- tleenan takes to himself, and grants to Irelantl, the natural advantages of his present expedition, both may be incalcu- lable gainers by it. But Mr. CANNING, is quick enough at seeing a contigaouas good.