It is almost unneceffary, in this country, to declare that the noble author mistakes moft egregiously, when he afferts that the measure of a Legislative Union was rejected in the Irish Houfe of Commons because it was fuppofed to contain fomething humiliating to the pride and dignity of Ireland," and I must be excused for saying that I suspect this misrepresentation, and many others, have been designedly inferted for the purpose of deceiving those unpreju diced inquirers who may not have the opportunities requifite for obtaining accurate information. However, left the noble author fhould happen to be real, ly misinformed in this refpect, I must tell him, that the infulted dignity of the Irish nation was merely a fecondary confideration; and that the House of Commons rejected the beneficent offer because they were convinced that the measure must be accompanied by destruction to themselves, their families, their pofterity, their properties, and their country. They knew that if it were advantageous, it would never have been offered; and they also knew that had the intentions of Ministers been honeft, it would never have been introduced in a manner fo infidious, and at a time fo improper. It is probable that many members of that house (amongst whom are fome of the best informed and moft enlightened men of the nation) had long fince confidered and weighed the advantages attendant on fuch a plan, by which they discovered the impoffibility that any modification of a Legislative Union could ever prove beneficial to this country, unless fuch as would be injurious a Great Britain. Instead, therefore, of fhunning the difcuffion

difcuffion of this question, left it should " expoft the people to the temptation and danger of overlooking the affront, in the utility of the measure," they fhunned it because they feared that the palpable injuftice of the attempt, might rouse the finking fpirit of revolt, and rekindle the dormant flames of difaffection, However infignificant an unsuccessful rebellion may appear in the eyes of British Minifters, it is by no means an unimportant event in the contemplation of men, whofe perfons and properties are expofed to destruction in the conflict; and it is very natural that fuch men fhould be anxious to prevent any debate from which thofe detrimental confequences were likely to refult,

I have scarcely patience to ftrip the mafk from the weak impofture of this work, and can hardly fuppofe that the flimfy covering is capable of concealing from the most superficial obferver, the deformity of the changeling's countenance. The attempt to throw up a new barrier between rich and poor, Proteftant and Catholic, fpeakers of English and fpeakers of Irish, is equally futile and abfurd. It is not by telling the Proteftants that they are a race of foreigners, British fettlers, the ufurpers of a tract of land; it is not by telling the Catholics that they are the natives of the country, the rightful poffeffors, the antient inhabitants; that the noble author (or ten thousand fimilar to the noble author) could difunite the real patriots of Ireland; and it will require very little knowledge of the ftate of this country, to prove that it is a base mifreprefentation; for we cannot forget that among the most

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fervile adherents of British oppreffion, feveral are the lineal defcendants and bear the once honorable names of Irifh chieftains, and that fome of the warmest and nobleft defenders of the rights and liberties of Erin, are among the pofterity of ufurpers!!! In fact, the defcendants of the various nations which have at various times fettled in this island, are now fo blended together that it would be impoffible, except amongst a very few families, to determine which had moft Scythian, which moft Spanish, which moft Danish, and which moft British blood in their veins. In my opinion the man who has now the best title to the appellation of Irishman, is the inhabitant who loves his countrymen, who promotes the profperity and who refpects the independence of Ireland. If we are to believe antient writers on this fubject, we have reafon to fuppofe that formerly no people were fo completely Irish, as thofe immediately defcended from English fettlers; and Spencer (who appears to be almoft as much prejudiced against an Irishman or a Papist, as even the noble author) fays exprefsly of the English colonifts, that "fome of them are degenerated, and "grown mere Irish; yea, and more malicious to the

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English, than the Irish themselves." In another place he fays, "the reft which dwelt in Connaught " and in Mounfter, which is the sweetest foil of Ire

land, and fome in Leinfter and Ulfter, are dege"nerate; yea, and some of them have quite shaken "off the English names, and put on Irish, that they

might be altogether Irish." In another place he fays, that fome "did quite caft off both their Eng

"lish name and allegiance: fince which time they "have fo remained still, and have fince been count"ed mere Irish. The very like is alfo reported of the "Mack-fwynes, Mac-mahones, and Mac-fhehies " of Mounter, how they likewife were anciently English, and the old followers to the Earl of Def"mond, until the reign of King Edward the Fourth:

at which time the Earl of Defmond that then "was, called Thomas, being through falfe fubor"nation (as they fay) of the Queen, for fome of«fence by her against him conceived, brought to "his death at Tredagh moft unjustly, notwithstand"ing that he was a very good and found fubject to "the King; thereupon all his kinsmen of the Ge«raldines, which then was a mighty family in "Mounster, in revenge of that huge wrong, rofe "into arms against the King, and utterly renounced " and forfook all obedience to the Crown of Eng"land; to whom the faid Mac-fwines, Mac-fhehies, "and Mac-mahones, being then fervants and fol"lowers, did the like, and have ever fithence fo "continued. And with them (they fay) all the peo"ple of Mounster went out, and many other of "them which were English, thenceforth joined with "the Irish against the King, and termed themselves "very Irish, taking on them Irish habits and cuf "toms, which could never fince be clean wiped away; but the contagion hath remained still "amongst their pofterities.

Other great houses there be of the Eng"lish in Ireland, which through licentious converfing with the Irish, or marrying, or foftering with « them,

" them, or lack of meet nurture, or other fuch un happy occafions, have degenerated from their an "cient dignities." In this paffage there are two things deferving of the noble author's attention; first the early degenerateness of the English colony, and fecondly the cause which impelled the Geraldines and fo many other families to become "mere Irifh." It appears as if there was in Ireland á peculiar pronenefs to affiliate the defcendants of colonists, and as obfervations of this nature have been fo frequently made at different times, it is much to be feared that there is fomething peftilential in the air, which occafions this extraordinary infanity; and as no antidote of fufficient strength to protect the multitude, has yet been discovered, I must recommend to the noble author and his English friends to fhun this contagious air, and to import into their civilized land all the inhabitants of this ifle who prefer British Fraternity to Irish Independence.

I should wish to be informed how many hundred years the noble author fuppofes it neceffary for a race of people to inhabit a country, before they can' acquire the appellation of natives; whether Ireland requires a longer refidence to bestow this title than other lands, and (in the cafe of an ifland being peopled in different parts by colonies from different nations) which part of the country is fuppofed to appertain to the rightful inhabitants? The noble author would be much furprised if the inhabitants of Wales were to denominate the inhabitants of England a colony of ufurpers, or if the people of France were to pretend to a power over Great Bri