The Statesman. — 1818-04-30 (London, England)

PARLIAMEN7'ARY JOIJIJING.  [itoat THE OMAN EVENINCI Km.] It is very well known that, until ales'. few years; the Irish Government was obliged to be carried on; either by winking at the irob.inig System, or evea by lending itself to the schemes of Parliamentary: Traders. The trade, indeed, was a very profitable one, for the Administration of the country could not go on without purchasing up the votes. The valuable consideration given for support in the House of Common', where places could slot be had, or could not be held, from the legal check which 'aided against the introduction of Placemen into the Legislature, were Offices in the Revenue, the Church, the Army, the Nary ; or; in some gross instances, even money. Titus/ the entire machine of Government was obliged to tie kept in order— if we may prostitute the `term—by a widely eir.: tended. schethe of corruption. No olefins), ancient or modern, had so base and selfish a Parliament to Ireland. The very system had at length worked its own dissolution. The Members were absolutely bribed to commit national suicide. They did corn. mit—and the Union, which has brought so many mis. fortunes on the country, and which, in its operation, continues to be a perpetual source of impoverishment, accomplished one salutary object. It diminish. ell, if it did not altogether remove, the trade of 1 Parliament. The Minister does not find it any longer necessary to bribe a Noble Lord or an lion. Gentleman, with • promise of • place for himself or his relations in the Church or State, as a ronsideradon for his vote. The Castle, we believe, is not now teased with such numerous applications. The Gen. tlemen cannot now bring their patriotism to so good a market. In short, they are ;int wanted. On an average, not one half of them are able to attend their duty in Parliament daring any given Session. We should like to see the calculation mottle, and it would not be difficult to make it out. We are convinced that we are above the mark when we say, that no Session has witnessed more than 50 Irish NlembArs in attendance. Why so? The thing is nett an pro. fitable as formerly. The good folk can find no pro• fitable mart for their stray votes, and they stay at home. We bete heard more than one instance of repulse which the •• Patriots" have recently eaperienced.:-A Noble Lord, high in office, begged a place in the Revenue for an humble friend. lie was refused with a gentle hint that he should be content with the emoluments of the high office which he held. The Noble Lord had the candour to arknowbnlge the justice of the refusal, and even to give credit to the Secretary of the Lord Lieutenant for his cooduct.— Not so—another Noble Lord in a great Southern County. lie wanted a Benefice--a Living for some relative or retainer—he received a point-black His Lordship was very wroth, and determined to tura Patriot forthwith. It wig rather late. Toe tube in. terest which will now, perhaps, only defeat a Mi. nisterial Candidate, might have prevented the Union. However, we wish his Lordship avery success in hit new and extraordinary refutation. We shall beglarl of his disappointment and chagrin, if it shall be the means of tiling an honest and independent Member to the House of Commons. Hot though the system is on the decline, we hap. pen to know an occasion in which it hat been recently practised with success. We give it pithily and briefly : An Attorney. in a Western County, gave a con• sidetable sum of money to a i'ort Collector, who was enabled to retire on a pension of sly or seven hundred a year. 'the Attorney was recommended to the place, and invested with the duties, and the salary, end emoluments thereunto belonging. It is worth, the knowing ones say, from 3001. to 10001. a year. 'this was accomplished by a Ministerial Candidate—though it is hut candid to own, that Go. veroment were kept completely in the dark es to the traffic. Some hints, however, have been recently dropped in the proper quarter, and we rather think that at this moment the parties implicated begin t* reel rather uncomfortable. More anon.  NA VAL INTELLIGENCE,  • Dr.AL,