difplayed great depth of research, and accuracy of difcrimination in marking the most material epochs and incidents in the annals of Ireland, which merit the attention of the curious; and this volume must be peculiarly interefting to statesmen, as it points out, and difcuffes, the caufes which have retarded its civilization. In addition to his judicious remarks, we shall fubjoin fome of our own obier

vations.

Thefe ftrictures are divided into three parts, and appropriated to each, there is a copious appendix containing proofs and documents to illustrate the text. It is to be lamented, that this interelting volume is without an index. It has the merit of being very cheap, for it is in a small type; and if it were printed in pica print, would make a volume of 500 pages. We fhall proceed to give the exordium, which will beft explain its author's defign.

"Mr. Plowden's ponderous publication is fo evidently written to ferve the interests of a party, fo calculated to miflead the people of England, and to give them erroneous ideas of the various English adminiftrations, which during fix centuries have governed Ireland, and of the caules of the con ftant divifions and distractions of that kingdom, that to fuffer it to remain without notice or animadverfion, were in fome measure to sanction its miftatements, and to give implied authority to a work,replete with historical mifrepresentations, crowded with undeferved panegyrics upon one fect of individuals, and with the most unfounded calumnies against the living and the dead of another.

"Mr. Plowden has thought proper to dignify his book, with the title of an Hiftorical Review of the State of Ireland;' while it is in fact nothing more than an intemperate and highly impolitic party-pamphlet, differing only in bulk and price from thofe cafual publications, which attract notice for a fhort time, and then fink into eternal oblivion.

"Arduous indeed are the labours, and difficult is the task, of a faithful and impartial historian! The writer who undertakes to give an hiftory of any particular kingdom, ought previously to examine with a cool and deliberate research all the former annalifts and hiftorians of different parties, as well as the publications of the day. He ought to poffefs a difcriminating mind, eager in its inquiry after truth. He thould be candid, cautious, and temperate. It is his duty to investigate facts minutely, to hazard conjectures with diffidence, and to receive the recriminations of heated parties with diftruft. He fhould be accurate in his statements, candid in his narration of events, and fomewhat impartial in his reasonings upon them. But, above all, he should not fuffer him elf to be guided by prejudice, and influenced by the zeal of religious bigotry. Such is the faint outline of the duty, fuch a few of the indifpenfable qualifications, of an historian.

"What claim, therefore, can that writer have even to the character of an accurate compiler, much lefs of a faithful hiftorian, who, in his ac count of the early tranfactions of Irish history, quotes, and almott folely relies upon, a few obfcure writers of one party; and who, in order to establish their authenticity, makes the novel and ridiculous attempt, to difcredit all thofe former hiftorians of Ireland, whofe works are in the most repute, and whole accounts of the transactions of the times, have been always most relied upon?

B 4

"What

1

"What opinion are we to form of the prudence of this gentleman, who has thought proper to reprefent the conduct of the English Governments to that country, as one uniform and continued fyftem of oppreffion and cruelty; who loads with unqualified cenfure and abufe every adminiftration which has ever governed Ireland; and who defcribes all the former Lords, Juftices, and Viceroys (with the exception only of the Marquis Cornwallis) as knaves or fools, tyrants or hypocrites?

"What fhall we think of the candour of him, who criminates as unjuf tifiable, wanton, and cruel, those measures, which one party in Ireland was obliged to adopt for its fafety, whilst he palliates, if not juftifies, the infurrections and atrocities of the other party, and even goes fuch lengths as to ftyle the most horrid of their rebellions, a confcientious adherence to their allegiance, and an unanswerable proof of their loyalty!

"What pretentions can that man have to moderation or discretion, who vilifies almost indifcriminately the characters of fo many illuftrious men of former times, and who cafts the most unfounded afperfions upon fome of the most respectable and exalted individuals of the prefent? What claim can the author have to our confidence, who, through the whole courfe of his early hiftory, fo ftudioufly conceals, and boldly denies, the favage excesses of the rebellious natives of Ireland, that he may pathetically defcribe and lament their fufferings; at the fame time that he depicts in fuch falfe colours, the neceffary exertions of power, the indifpenfable measures of felf-prefervation ?

"What reliance can we place upon the accuracy of the hiftorian, who, in his account of a recent and memorable event, gives the exaggerated accufations and statements of fubjects in rebellion against the state, as correct, whilft he confidently denies the truth of official documents, and the accuracy of parliamentary reports? And, laftly, can we without a fmile demand, what pretenfions Mr. Plowden can have to impartiality, who, throughout every line of his work, evidently appears the advocate and apologift of the Catholic, and the enemy and accufer of the Proteftant party in Ireland; who has not only magnified the feverities and exceffes committed by the loyalifts and their ancestors during violent and atrocious rebellions, (exceffes perhaps infeparable from all civil wars) but has charged the prefent generation with enormities of which they are incapable, and the foul imputation of which they repel with fcorn: enormities which were committed by the infurgents, and which are unexampled in the history of any countries, except Catholic Ireland,' and Republican France?

"Though Mr. Plowden therefore may be esteemed (as no doubt he is) by one class of individuals, a very daring aud zealous partizan; I truft he will never be confidered by the public in either country, as a faithful or impartial historian of Ireland.

"Very general is the ignorance which even at this day prevails in Eng land, of the true state of that country. Ireland is scarcely known but by its factions and rebellions. Active have been the exertions, and not altogether unfuccessful the industry, of the rebel party, their abettors, and palliators, to deceive the people of England, by reprefenting as unneceffary and unjust, those measures which the machinations of treafon rendered indifpenfable, in order thus to fix the ftigma of provocation upon the Government and the Protestant gentry of Ireland.

"The British nation, ignorant of the fpirit of bigotry, the hoftile prejudices, and the political treachery of the lower, and unfortunately not alone of the lower, orders of Irish Catholics, perplexed and alarmed by the

conftant

Conftant difcontents and disturbances in Ireland, and unacquainted with the peculiar difficulties with which the Irish governments have always to truggle, are but too apt in confequence to be perfuaded, that the uniform refiftance to the laws, and the rebellions, of that country, are produced by mal-administration, or provoked by the oppreffion of the higher orders of fociety. Hence it is, that various communications, written by the difaffected party in Ireland, and containing the most glaring falfehoods, have received a ready infertion in the periodical, and particularly in the provincial prints in England. These publications, though defpied in one country, as the ebullitions of disappointed treafon, have been received in the other as truths, and have greatly influenced public opinion in Great Britain; which was indeed the very object for which they were fabricated and published.

Sir Richard Mufgrave's Hiftory of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 at length, in some measure, opened the eyes of the British nation. His minute detail of the enormities committed before, as well as during its progrefs, fortified as it is by fuch an irrefiftible body of evidence upon oath, and authenticated by the teftimony of thofe officers and gentlemen who were eye-witnesses of many of the horrid tranfactions, has at last given the people · of England more juft conceptions of the defigns and conduct of the Irith rebels; and the vain, but malicious efforts, which have been made by the difaffected party to difcredit Sir Richard Mufgrave's work, have more fully eftablished its authenticity in the opinion of the more eftimable part of the Irish community.

"The loyalifts of Ireland, as generous as they are brave, upon the peace with France fheathed their fwords; and, though they could not forget, had forgiven the injuries which they had received from their Catholic brethren; and harmony and confidence were, in a great measure, restored in that unfortunate country. At fuch an unpropitious moment, another Catholic champion imprudently ftands forth, and throws down the gauntlet of religious and political controverfy.

"In my Strictures upon his publication, which is confidered by a great part of the Irish as a libel upon the loyalty of Ireland, I thall avoid cafting any perfonal reflections upon the writer, however authorized I might feel myfelf, by his example, to pursue a different line of conduct. His object in publishing fuch a work, at fuch a time, is best known to himself. Whatever may have been the motives, I feel it my duty to endeavour to counteract the mischief that may arile from the publication, fhould its ftatements remain uncontradicted. I do not therefore attack Mr. Plowden, but his book, which he has confidently fubmitted to the public, with his name and his portrait affixed to it. He bas fent it into the world, "with all its imperfections on its head ;" and before the tribunal of public opinion I fhall very freely and boldly arraign it.

"The work is dedicated to the Prince of Wales. This dedication concludes without any of the ufual ceremonies of respect to lo exalted a perfonage. The writer plainly intimates to his Royal Highnels, that to his reign, Ireland, i. e. the Catholic part of it, eagerly looks forward for the removal of those political restraints which only affect a very few of the upper clafs of that perfuafion.

"The Introductory Chapter of this work, the writer profeffes to be a review of the state of Ireland previous to its invafion or conqueft in the reign of Henry II. and he declares his chject to be, "to draw the atten

tion of his reader to fuch prominent events as have, in their time, order, and proportion, remotely and proximately led to an incorporate union of Great Britain with Ireland; which is the primary object of this publication." For this purpose, no doubt, it was, that fo early as in his fifth page, he draws the attention of his reader to the letter of Colonel Littlehales, relative to Sir Richard Mufgrave's dedication to the Marquis Cornwallis, of his highly esteemed and accurate hiftory of the rebellion of 1798; wherein the Colonel expreffes his Excellency's" with, that in any future edition, the permiffion to dedicate it to him may be omitted;"" because the nature and contents of the work tend fo ftrongly to revive the dreadful animosities which have fo long distracted that country, and which it is the duty of every good fubject to compose.

"Now, as Sir Richard Mufgrave's work does not contain any account of the early history of Ireland, but is folely confined to tracing the origin and progress of a late savage rebellion, it appears to my comprehenfion a little out of order, to attempt to difcredit it in limine: if the object be to injure its reputation with thofe who are beft acquainted with modern Irish hiftory, I apprehend it will be very unfuccefsful; or, if this letter has been noticed in this part of the work through inadvertence, it is only one proof, among many others in this compofition, of the total want of proper fication and chronological arrangement."

claffi

In page 12, the author laments that Mr. Rlowden's character of the old native Irish, extracted by him from Sir John Davis and Dr. Leland, is but too accurate, and ftill exifts in all its force, viz. "ardent refentments, defperate and vindictive outrages (still) abound in their annals, the minifters of their religion are accounted more than human,* private injuries are avenged by force, and infolent ambitious chieftains ftill recur to arms." In a note he here observes, that "that hero, father Murphy, at the battle of Arklow (1798) where he was the general, perfuaded his troops that he was invulnerable, and could catch the heretic bullets, as they flew, in his hand. Under this impreffion, they fought defperately until he was killed, when they all fled." He might have added many other facerdotal leaders, to the lift of rebel generals, who had the fame influence over the Popish multitude. In pages 13, 14, and 15, he animadverts on Mr. Plowden's remark on the family pride which is retained by the Irish, even in extreme indigence," and "that no nation in fact now upon the face of the globe, can boast of fuch certain and remote antiquity none can trace inftances of fuch early civilization: none poff.fs fuch irrefragable proofs of their origin, lineage, and duration of government." In fupport of this, our author obferves, that Mr. Plowden adapts those abfurd and groundless fictions, that Ireland was peopled by a colony of Carthaginians above 3000 years ago, and that the Irith enjoyed the highest degree of refinement and civilization under the Milesian monarchy. All these ridiculous tales,

*In truth all the misfortunes of Ireland arife from the difaffection of the Popili priefts, and their unbounded influence over the multitude.

fabricated

fabricated in an age of ignorance, and unfupported by any authentic records, have been rejected by Spencer, Ware, Stillingfleet, Ledwich and every rational antiquary; and indeed it would require more than Popish credulity to entertain them for a moment. However, Mr. Plowden raises a great fuperftructure on these menkifh inventions, the falfity of which we fhall prove afterwards, in our obfervations on the Irish hiftorians, who have maintained them, and which we flatter ourselves will be highly acceptable to our readers. Mr. Plowden fays, that the Irish have a conftant defire of recovering the forfeited eftates, and his manner of defcribing it, and the origin to which he imputes it, are ably refuted and ridiculed by our author. We give the whole of this paffage which he has extracted from the Hiftorical Review.

"This general fpecies of gregarian refumption, grafted upon the collective claims of fepts or clans, to certain diftricts, will, upon clofe infpection and impartial investigation, be found to refer to the old tenures of Tanniftry or Gavelkind, and by no means to the laws of England, which have for centuries regulated the defcent of lands in Ireland, otherwife the refumption would be confined to the individuals, upon whom the law would in the fuppofed cafes of refumption caft the inheritance, either by primogeniture, or by fome other mode or defcent. Now the only cry for refumption is ever fupposed to arise from that cast of the natives, who have retained that national spirit, with the delufive claims of royalty and domain, which could alone be realized by the redintegration of the old Brehon inftitution."

On reading these periods, which are perfectly unintelligible, we could not help exclaiming with the Latin poet :

"Beotum in craffo jurares aere natum."

In the 20th volume of our review on Mr. P.'s ponderous work, we explained the nature of thofe Brehon inftitutions, Tanniftry. and Gavelkind, which muft have kept the Irish in the utmost state of barbarism, as they did not defignate any regular fucceffion to property. By the former, the Tannift, or chieftain, was appointed by election to enjoy the property of the deceased, but it finally ended in bloodshed, and was determined by force; and by the latter, a diftrict poffeffed by a numerous fept, underwent a new divifion whenever any individual died. Mr. Carte, therefore, a moft judicious writer, in his hiftory of the houfe of Ormond, obferves, that none of the Irish can properly lay claim to any particular portion of landed property. Mr. Plowden firft tells us, that this general Species of gregarian refumption refers to the old tenures of Tanniftry and Gavelkind; thus confounding them, though they are perfectly distinct in their nature and effects. The gregarian refumption is the collective claims of fepts or clans to certain diftricts, which he allows ftill to exift; and yet he afterwards afferts, that "now the only cry for refumption is ever supposed to arife from that caft of the natives, who have retained that national spirit with the delufive claims of royalty

*This barbarous word is unknown in our language, perhaps Mr. P. found it in the St. Omer's vocabulary. Can he mean agrarian?

and