Symptoms, though but loca...
The Times, 1824-05-03T00:00:00

Syrrptoms, though hut local ones, of improved subordi- nation, or of suspended violence, haye begun to appear in Ireland ; 'Mr. BLACKBuRNE having announced froin the bench at Limerick, that if the county should continue some time longer not more disturbed thmn it is at present, the Insurrection Act vill probablv be withdrawn. The Catholic Association seems doomed to undergo the fate of an hundred other Irish enterprises, vast and formidable in the conception, but in the execution languid and abor- tive. In Ulster it is declared by some of the recent jour- nals, that no "Catholic rent has been paid"-this rent being a tax imlposed bv the representatives of the body who meet in Dublin, for wvhat purposes we ate not informed. At Cork it is recommendedl to stop the collection of " the rent" un- til half of it shall bave been assigned by authority to local purposes-that is, the Cork Catholics are desirous of know- ing why, and to whom, they pay their money. The Board itself in Dublin seldiomn presents a picture quite free from ridicule. A few days ago the.y met, thir- teen in number, to debate the vcry serious question, whe- ther they shouldI vote thanks or not to a Mr. EvSOR-a re- spectable gentleman much given to wvriting upon things in general, as well as upon Irish politics. The motion was rejected by a large mnajority, of no less than nine to four. Now the reason for this rejection is something curious- Alr. ENsoR, they say, " had abused Lord XV9r.rEsLEY," and therefore they would not thank him. But why should not Mr. ENSOR indulge that enviedl privilege? Are the Catholics of Ireland ike the E3tglish Protestants some eighly years ago, who were described by GEORGE II. as no, suffering anly one to abusc His Majesty but themselves? It is in(dced a fully, thouigh not an offence, to rail at the LORD LIEUTEN,NNT of Ireland. The pageantry alone being left in Dublin, and( the power here in IVest- minster, it is surely more important to examine the qualities and pretensions of those who actually rule than of tho.e who are kind enough to take the responsibility, vithout one particle of force or influence do. fensive of the policy which they profess, and of the fame to wvhich they mi,ht haveaspired: who maybe headelerk under Mr. GOULBURN, therefore, and in possession of his confi- dence at this side of the water, is a matter of far higher interest than who may be Lord-Lieutenant under him, and exchtded from that confl'lence, on the other; but this we know, that mere clerks cannot much longer play the part of governors to seven millions of a distracted people: the experiment has been tried patiently ; and see to vwhat it has conducted us ! Foremost among another class of nuisances, however, which will require no strong external effort to subdue them, may be reckoned this mummery of the Catholic Association. It disgusts the highler Catholics-it robs, under the name of taxing, the ,lower-it turns its back upon its owni Protestant advo- cates ; andL knows so little about the condition of the island or which it fancies itself the chosen lawgiver, as to think of ascribing either merit or demerit to a public officer, who cannot move but at the nod of his inexorable guardians. TThis twofol(d system must bc given up: the Lord Lieu- teusancy ought to be quashed altogether, or made an efficient office1 to the expulsion of the cletkocracy-just as the more distinguislhetd bo(dy of Catholic Lords and Gentlemen wvould, if ratsed to their proper place, put down the busy adventurers who usurp their autniorit and their credit.