formidable, nor their threatened rebellion, even thought fupported by France, fo dangerous to the Irish Government, or to the British Empire in general, as this author represents them. In the fecond place, I fhall prove that the late Irish Rebellion was a Romish Rebellion in doing which I fhall be obliged to delineate fome of the cruelties exercised by theRebels on their Proteftant fellow-fubjects. In the third place, I fhall fhow that all the rebellions of Irish Romanifts are excited, encouraged, and even commanded, by the pofitive tenets of their religion: from whence it will directly follow as a corollary, that the mass of Irish Romanifts, as long as they continue of that perfuafion, muft be juftly confidered by the State as fubjects whofe fidelity cannot be relied upon; and that fuch checks fhould be held over them as may prevent their disturbing the State, even after an Incorporating Union fhall take place.

As to the firft, I have already proved, that Irish Romanifts do not exceed Irish Proteftants in number, in a greater proportion than that of two to one; and this proof I have founded on every rational ground of inquiry or investigation, which have in that particular been ever adopted. (See Appendix, No. 1.) I have already shown, as to the mass of property in Ireland, real and perfonal that the part of it in the hands of Proteftants is to that in the hands of Romanists in the proportion of forty to one. (See Appendix, No. 1.) Now as the strength of a nation, for defence and offence, is in a ratio compofed of its numbers and its wealth, fo likewife is the relative ftrength of two contending parties within it: hence it is demonftrable, that the Proteftants of Ireland alone are fully able to reprefs the threatened rebellion of the Irish Romanifts;

and

and this was fully and practically proved in the late Romish Rebellion, which was fuppreffed by the Army, Militia, and Proteftant Yeomanry of Ireland.

It is well known in Ireland, that this Rebellion might have been prevented and nipped in the bud, if vigorous nieasures had been timely adopted by the Irifh Government. The then Lord Lieutenant (Earl Camden) was a man of great honour and integrity, and a determined friend to the Conftitution in Church and State. The principal men in power in the kingdom were of fimilar character. The information refpecting the fchemes and defigns of the confpirators was complete, and called for the most speedy and ftrenuous exertions of the State to defeat them. The Irifh Parliament conferred the most ample authority on the Executive Government; yet the delay of exertion was remarkable and notorious. Moft thinking people attributed the backwardness of Government in feizing and punifhing the then Catholics,and their affociates, to a British influence in our councils. It is fuppofed that the powers of the Chief Governor were fhackled by orders from England. The ftate of affairs in Ireland had been grofsly mifreprefented to men in power in England, and thefe mifrepresentations had taken deep root. The late Mr. Edmund Burke, an Irish gentleman refident in England, had projected the total fubverfion of the Proteftant Establishment in Ireland fo early as the year 1761; and having ingratiated himself with the Secretary of the Marquis of Halifax, then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, he returned to his native country in his fuite. He then began his operations for carrying his project into execution. He found, however, the current of opinion in Ireland against his innovations

innovations too ftrong for his ftemming it. England was at that time triumphant over France, and no affiftance was to be expected from that quarter; and his own credit in England was not then near fo great as it afterwards was. He was obliged to fufpend his operations at that time, and retire unfuccefsful to England. As foon, however, as the American war blazed forth, he recommenced them with all the vigour in his power. He publifhed a Letter, addreffed to a Romish Irish Nobleman, which is exactly of the fame nature with the pamphlet I am now remarking on: indeed all the arguments in this pamphlet are taken from the Letter. Mr. Burke therein paints in the moft glowing colours, the hardfhips which Romanifts endured in Ireland from the effect of the Popery Laws; he boldly afferts their undoubted Fight to every privilege enjoyed by Irish Proteftants; he exaggerates their number and ftrength, and threatens the British Empire with the exertion of them against its then-tottering power, as he defcribes it: in fhort, he dweils on every topic of inflammation of Irish Romanists, on every encouragement, on every provocation to revolt against Britain in her then-diftreffed fituation; mixing, throughout the whole, the groffeft mifrepresentations of the state of Ireland. This Letter he followed with a fucceffion of publications, all in the fame ftrain, under the titles of Letters, Speeches, and Effays, in the daily Newfpapers, Reviews, Magazines, Annual Registers, &c. and continued them to the day of his death. His parents were Irish Romanifts; he was endowed with very showy talents; his style was elegant; he was well read in all parts of polite literature; he was laborious and indefatigabler but his vanity, the attendant on a weak judgment, was unbounded; and his zeal for

promoting all the political views of Popery was enthu fiaftic. This zeal will account for the extraordinary anomalies in his political conduct. He had recommended himself to the late Marquis of Rockingham, and by his interest he obtained a feat in the British House of Commons. During the American and French war, no man in England was a stronger advocate for the Americans. In his fpeeches in Parliament he fupported all their pretenfions, he justified all their proceedings, and often pointed out the measures, in the British House of Commons, for diftreffing Britain, which the Americans afterwards pursued; in short, on all occafions he appeared a determined republican, and at the fame time used the most strenuous efforts to urge the Irish Romanists to revolt, for the purpose of increasing the embarrassments of the British Government. (See the Annual Register, and History of the late War, chiefly written by Mr. Burke.) At the time it pleafed the Almighty to visit. His Majesty with a grievous malady, which fufpended his exercise of the kingly functions, when his recovery was doubtful, and the mind of every honeft and loyal man in the nation finking under difmal apprehenfions of impending evils, and his heart bursting with grief for the danger of his beloved Sovereign, Mr. Burke exultingly declared in the Houfe of Commons, that God had hurled His Majefty from his throne. Impious triumph of republican malignity! At no very long interval after this tranfaction, the French Revolution blazed forth like a volcano, confumed the Monarchy, Religion, Laws, and Conftitution of that country; established a Republic, and proclaimed war and hostility against all Kings. In the progrefs of their career, the French leaders reduced to practice the whole theory of all Mr. Burke's republican

leffons,

leffons, which he had read with so much fuccess to the Americans, from whom the French derived all their po litical inftruction. Mr. Burke fuddenly renounced all his former principles, and employed his polluted pen, yet ftained with democratic ink, in reprobating, with the utmost energy, all the proceedings of the French Democrats, though their enormities were committed in conformity to the principles laid down in his former political lectures. It must be admitted that he fung his palinodia with great fuccefs and applause. He exposed, with much justice, force, and perfpicuity, the treason, wickedness, and cruelty, of the French Anarchifts; developed their arts and deceptions with great acuteness, and raised the abhorrence of the British nation, as well against them, as against a faction of atheistical republicans at home, who attempted to spread the contagion of the defolating Gallic doctrines through the British dominions. But to what cause can this fudden change in Mr. Burke's political conduct be attributed? I can guess at no other than his enthufiaftic zeal for the advancement of the political pursuits and interefts of the Romish Church, of¦ which he has shown himself, for a feries of years, the profeffed advocate. The French atheistical ufurpers profcribed Christianity and all its profeffors: they confequently profcribed Popery, the heretofore-established religion of France, with all its interests, and confiscated the whole Church Revenues. This excited Mr. Burke's rage and refentment against them; and hence his reprobation of their republicanifm. In one of his publications he complains, in the bitterness of his heart, that they have pulled down the Majesty of Religion; and Popery certainly does affect great external pomp and grandeur. However, if any perfon shall suggest a more probable

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