Roman Catholics infinitely lefs than was then propofed, the day was celebrated with rejoicing, and it was thought they had reconciled every parry; he was forry to hear gentlemen fpeak as if nothing had been done for them. In the former laws, leates for years were granted to them, upon the avowed principle of reftraining them from any influence in elections; this law went beyond toleration, it gave them a power, and tended to make a change in the ftate. If they gave them an equal power with the Protellants, the prefent conftitution could not furvive; though they wished to extend toleration to Roman Catholics, they did not wish to fhake the government; they fhould allow them to purchafe lands, but should carefully guard against their posing any porver in the flate." P. 571. Mr. Fox, in the debate in our House of Commons, in 1782, on the ftate of Ireland, declared, "that the inteftine divifions of that country were no more; the religious prejudices of former ages were forgotten, and the Roman Catholics being reftored to the rights of men and of citizens, would become an acceffion of firength and wealth to the empire: upon the whole he was convinced, that the Irish defired nothing more ardently than proper grounds for being moft cordially united to Great Britain; and, he was fure, they would be attached to this country, even to bigotry". Mr. Fox was then Minister of England, and no doubt this ftatesman spoke fincerely the convictions of his mind. Alas! how often are the most fanguine and the best founded expectations of mankind difappointed! We must refer our readers to p. 564, et feqq. of Mr. Plowden's work, for an account of the volunteer parliament of Dungannon, affembled in February, 1782, their proceedings, refolutions, &c. &c. and with all the refpect due to the old volunteers, if the conduct of the Irish yeomanry of 1798, who, after faving their country, retired to their homes, without making any claims upon Great Britain, but for her admiration and her gratitude, be compared to theirs, no friend to the interefts and tranquillity of Ireland can for a moment doubt, which of these armed bodies is entitled to the largeft fhare of applaufe from their country. The late Lord Clare, Ipeaking of the old volunteers, among other expreffions, makes ufe of the following: "they certainly did, upon every occafion, where their fervices were required, exert themselves with effect to maintain the internal peace of their country: the gentlemen of Ireland were all in their ranks, and maintained a decided influence upon them; but I fhall never cease to think, that the appeals made to that army by the angry politicians of the day, were dangerous and ill-judged in the extreme, and that they eftablished a precedent for rebellion, which has fince been followed up with full fuccefs". We We learn from the whole of this part of Mr. Plowden's work, that at that period, claims on the part of Ireland, and conceffions on the part of Great Britain, were reciprocal. Upon the change of the ministry, in 1782, we find Lord Carlifle refigning his troublesome government; and receiving an addrefs (p. 597) which the Irish Houfe of Commons, with five diffenting voices only, had voted as a juft tribute to his fincere efforts to promote the welfare of that kingdom. The Duke of Portland fucceeded him (p. 586); his Grace was obliged to yield to the torrent, which perhaps at that time no human ingenuity could have flemmed. During the adminiftration of Lord Carlille, we find a great Irifh patriot, then in oppofition to government, declaring "that Ireland was in ftrength-She had acquired that strength by the weakness of Britain; for Ireland was faved, when America was loft; when England conquered, Ireland was coerced; when he was defeated, Ireland was relieved; and when Charles-Town was taken, the Mutiny and Sugar Bills were altered. Have you not, all of you, when you heard of a defeat, at the fame moment condoled with England, and congratulated Ireland ?" P. 574 Mr. Plowden does not tell his reader whether this question was answered in the affirmative. If fuch was the temper of the Irish nation at that day, we may blush, but we need not wonder, that his Majefty was obliged to fend a meflage to the parliament of that kingdom*, and to offer them a carte blanche, that they might fill it up with Irish grievances. We find Mr. Grattan fupporting adminiftration, and undertaking to become the tranquillizer of Ireland: the fimple repeal, &c. &c. was paffed; a hint thrown out in the debate (p. 609) of the utility of eftablishing dockyards in Ireland; and a final adjustment upon all conftitutional points between the two kingdoms was completed; the whole nation, with the exception of two individuals only, being perfectly convinced," that there could no longer exist any conftitutional queftion between the two nations, that can disturb their mutual tranquillity". P. 610. A folemn thanksgiving was next offered to heaven; and all was union, cordial affection, and gratitude in Ireland.-Pro hac vice. "But it appears", obferves Mr. Plowden, as if it had been written in the book of fatet, that the felicity of Ireland, whilft inde * Hift. Review, from p. 600 to p. 613. + Sir S. Bradstreet, Recorder, and Mr. Walsh. In which cafe, we must suppose, that the patriots of Ireland were chofen by fate, as the fit inftruments for fulfilling her decrees. pendent pendent and feparate from Great Britain, fhould be short lived, precarious, and unftable." We accordingly find that it was foon difcovered by Mr. Flood (p. 616) that fimple repeal did not establish the independance of Ireland; and Ireland was again thrown into a foment by Mr. Flood's difcovery. This gentleman and his party contended 'p. 609) that a repeal of the Declaratory Act, 6 Geo. I. without a positive renunciation by Great Britain of the right to legiflate for Ireland internally and externally, did not eftablifh the conftitutional independence of that country; Mr. Grattan and his party infifted that it did, and they prevailed. The Volunteers, at a meeting held in Dublin, in June, 1782, declared, that a repeal of the 6th Geo. I. by the British parliament*, made in purfuance of the addreffes, was confidered by them a complete renunciation of all the claims contained in the faid ftatute; and as fuch they accepted it, and deemed it fatisfactoryt. So ended what Mr. Burke has called the Irish Revolution of 1782. 66 "And thus", faid the late Lord Clare, was atchieved with a rapidity unexampled (in three days) and by means the moft extraordinary, a measure, which was then thought to be a final adjustment of all political claims and controverfies between the two nations, and a full fecurity for their conftitu'tional connexion". The parliaments of both kingdoms have, however, been fince twice embroiled upon the most momentous questions, the commercial propofitions, and the regency. The last memorable event which clofes this period of Irish Hiftory, and Mr. Plowden's firft volume, was a review of the Belfait volunteers, on the 31ft of July, 1802. Mr. Plowden gives the following account "Of this truly glorious exhibition; a volunteer encampment of nearly three thoufand men, and the volunteer garrison of upwards of one thousand, all completely clothed, armed, and accoutered. Anonymous papers in thousands were difperfed through the camp and garrison; every private was taught, that he was competent to legiflate, and This measure of conceffion and conciliation on the part of Great Britain, was framed on the fenfe of the Irish oppofition in parliament, who undertook to point cut what would completely fatisfy Ireland; fee Lord Clare's Speech, 1800. + Hift. Review, p. 626. The Ulfter volunteers came to the fame refolution, June 21, 1802. Lord Clare's Speech in 1900. This fpeech is the ablest epitome of the hiftory of Irish rebellion that ever was, or perhaps ever will be given. confequently confequently to exprefs bis fentiments on the most speculative points: [pretty doctrines thefe!] declaration, renunciation, fimple repeal, legal fecurity, better fecurity (no fecurity was forgotten we fuppofe) and bill of rights were all laid before them, and they were to inftru& their delegates on thefe points"! Their delegates accordingly affembled on the 3d of Auguft. In an addrefs propofed to be made to the Reviewing General (the late Lord Charlemont) a clause having been inferted of their being fully fatisfied, a debate of eleven hours took place, and upon a divifion, this clause was expunged! Thus", obferves Mr. Plowden, " by the efforts and exertfons of a wife and liberal administration, were the liberties of Ireland reftored; Peace, Unity, and Content, diffused through a revived nation, and the profperity and glory of the British empire increafed by adding ftrength, vigour, and felicity, to that important part of its”! If thefe expreffions were merely meant as the effufions of at poetical fancy, we might let them pafs; but when they are given to his readers as the fober statements of hiftorical truth, we think it our duty to inform ours (though perhaps it is fcarcely neceflary) that fince 1782, a fpirit of innovation, difturbance, difunion, and difcontent, has never ceased to prevail in Ireland. Since 1782, which, from the the confequences of the tranfactions of that year, may with fome propriety be called the Irifh revolution; the peace of that unfortunate kingdom has been conftantly and fatally interrupted by the folly, intrigues, and practices of Patriots, Agitators, Right-boys, Peep-of-Day boys, Conventions, Aggregate bodies, Catholic committees, Tarring and Feathering committees, Defenders, Affaflins, Houghers of men, Houghers of cattle, Affociators, Whig-clubs, Saint James's Delegates, Exchequer - ftreet Delegates, National congreffes, Catholic parliaments, Emancipators, United Irishinen, Reformers, Revolutionists, Societies of Peace, and Societies of War; and the return made for "the ftrength, vigour, and felicity", then added to Ireland, has been the defperate effort of a very formidable party, its aiders and abettors to fever that kingdom from England, and to connect it with Republican France. *Laft He forgot, we fuppofe, that in the paragraph preceding, he had informed his reader, that the Belfast delegates had declared that they were not content. § Laft page of fire volume. ART. ART. XIII. Helps to Compofition, or Five Hundred Skeletons of Sermons; feveral being the Subftance of Sermons preached before the Univerfity. By the Rev. Charles Simeon, M. A. Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. Two Volumes. Large 8vo. 689 and 783 pp. 11. 16s. Matthews. 1802. A FORMER publication of this kind, by the fame author, appeared as an Appendix to Claude's Effay on the Compofition of a Sermon, republifhed by Mr: Simeon, and noticed by us, in our ninth volume, p. 435. We then commended, as they merited, the utility of the work, and the diligence of the author; but we doubted refpecting that attachment to Methodifm of which we know he had been accufed. This, however now thought proper to avow; referring, as the statement of his opinions, to what he is pleased to ftyle" that invaluable book, entitled the true Churchmen afcertained, by the Rev. Mr. Overton of York". As it has been very fully fhown by us, in an extended review of that book, that we materially differ from Mr. O. in his interpretation of the doctrines of our church; it will not be fuppofed, that we mean to recommend Mr. Simeon's prefent publication, fo far as it infifts upon the fame opinions: but this author is evidently not of a difputatious turn; he is not, as he fays, "folicitous to bring any man to pronounce his Shibboleth;" much lefs has he any defign to maintain a controverfy in fupport of it". "With much deference", he adds, "he fubmits to the public his views of fcripture truth; and, whether they be perfectly approved or not, this he hopes to gain from all parties, a favourable acceptance of what they do approve, and a candid forbearance in the points they dif approve". This is exactly what we are inclined to concede to fuch an author. There is fo much in his work which is excellent and ufeful, that we cannot feel inclined to condemn it altogether, for the fake of the much fmaller part which appears to us to be tainted with error. The term of Skeletons of Sermons having been thought liable to objection, Mr. S. has here prefixed a new title; this, however, is of little confequence; and thefe volumes are ftrictly a continuation of the former, the fketches being numbered on from thence; fo that the prefent addition makes the whole amount fix hundred. Our idea of the ufe of fuch a work is this: every perfon who has been habituated to the compofition of fuch difcourfes must have experienced, that more time is ufually loft in fixing upon an eligible topic, than inproducing |