ADVERTISEMENT.

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THE Writer of the following pages prefents them with diffidence to the Public, confcious of many imperfections refulting from the want of ability, and want of leifure. His motives are honeft, his intentions are virtuous, and his moft anxious wish is to promote the happiness of mankind in general, and of his countrymen in particular. Many parts of the Minifterial Pamphlet remain unanswered; but as the Replyer defires only to guard his brethren from the delufions of fophiftry and the deceptions of falfehood, he thinks it unneceffary to fwell his work to an enormous bulk; and if he has fufficiently exposed the artifices used by the Author of the "Confiderations," to caution the well-meaning part of his countrymen, his endeavours will have been crowned with fuccefs.

A LATE publication, entitled, « Considerations upon the State of Public Affairs in the year 1799, in Ireland," as the work of an unauthorized individual like myself, I should conceive to be completely beneath my attention; but as the production of a confidential minifterialist, I think it the duty of an honeft Irishman to offer fome remarks on the performance. Viewing it merely in the light of a combination of weak mifrepresentations, puerile conceits, and groundless affertions, I defpife the fabrication; but regarding it as a work published under the aufpices of Government, and circulated industriously as the compofition of a nobleman faid to be well acquainted with the affairs of this country, I feel an anxiety to contradict what I think scarcely worthy of refutation. I cannot avoid confidering this pamphlet as by far the most abfurd and irrational of the many which have been written to enlighten the poor ignorant Irish, in regard to the advantageous alterations infeparable from the measure of a Legislative Union with Great Britain. Where the author intends to excite admiration, he attracts only ridicule; where he means to raise refentment, he occafions only contempt; and where he endeavours to difunite the different fects of Irifhmen, he only strengthens the bonds of affinity and affec

tion. I am aftonished at the ignorance of human nature in general, and of the Irish nature in particular, which is evinced throughout the whole of this elaborate performance; and I know not whether to admire moft, the folly of him who composed, or the weakness of thofe who diftributed this work with an intention of demonstrating the propriety, advantage, and neceffity of that measure. The innumerable abfurdities and incongruities of language and of style, perceptible in every paragraph, as matters of comparatively small importance, I shall pafs by unnoticed; and, leaving the manner unmolested, confine my obfervations to the matter.

Sorry indeed am I to confefs that the British Minifter had not any cause to fear " on the part of Ireland a juft oppofition or national dislike to the meafure" it is long fince he has met with any thing either juft or rational amongst those with whom he has been connected in this "devoted land," and he had therefore, but too much reason to expect that he would be fupported, as usual, with the most eager fubferviency (by the powerful men of this country) in every plan he might wish to introduce for the purpose of fubjugating and impoverishing a nation which he fears and detefts. But at length he has discovered his mistake; he has found that even amongst the friends to British connexion, there are enemies to British ufurpation; and he knows that amongst the moft loyal men in the kingdom, there are individuals who poffefs fufficient fpirit and virtue to oppose his pernicious innovations.

The confufion of style obfervable in the "Confiderations,"

derations," renders it a difficult matter to follow the author's train of reasoning; but when he attempts to prove (or rather infinuates an affertion) that "the final fettlement of 1782" has been productive of all the recent calamities which have convulfed this ifland, it is hardly poffible to fupprefs emotions of rifibility at the abfurdity of the fiction. He might as well attempt to perfuade us that "the final fettlement of 1782" had occafioned the French revolution, or the conqueft of Egypt; and, in the event of this Legislative Union taking place, I should not be furprized if such a writer were gravely to inform us, that the next naval victory of a Duncan or a Nelfon was entirely produced by the fuccefs of that "glorious" measure. The "afstonishing greatness of mind"which dictated this plan is fo far above the comprehenfion of ignorant Irishmen, that they must be pardoned for not bestowing on it that degree of admiration which it claims indeed the majority of them are filly enough to imagine that a few trivial conceffions * (fuch as Catholic emancipation, abolition of tythes, &c. &c.) more adapted to the level of their weak and uncultivated minds, would contribute more towards the tranquillization of their country than the overwhelming benefit which would probably prove to Hibernia fuch a favour as did the Sabine buck lers to Tarpis, ia

What did the whole power of Spain do against a few revolted pro vinces, when all the people were enraged by oppreffion? How many armies were lost? How many millions foolishly fquandered, to recover by force, what a few just conceffions would have done at once?

Cato's Letters, 3d Vol. p. 217.,