ches which they wore in their hats were denomi nated Oak Boys. The difcontent being as general as the grievance, the contagion feifed the neighbouring parishes. From parish to barony, and from barony to county, till at length the greater part of the province was engaged. The miany headed monfter being now roufed, did not know where to ftop, but began a general redress of grievances whether real or imaginary. Their firft object was the overfeers of roads; the fecond the Clergy, whom they refolved to curtail of their perfonal and mixed tithes; the third was the landlords, the price of whose lands, particularly of turf boys, they fet about regulating. They had feveral inferior objects which only discovered the frenzy of infurreétion. In the mean time, the army was collected. from the other provinces; for till then, the province of Ulfter was confidered fo peaceful that fcarcely any troops were quartered in it. The rabble fled as foon as fired upon, and thus was the tumult quelled for the time, in five or fix weeks after its commencement, with the lofs of only two or three lives. In the next feffion, Parliament took the matter into confideration, and very wifely repealed the old road act, and provided for the future repair of the roads by levying an equal tax off the lands of both poor and rich. The caufe of difcontent being thus happily removed, peace and quiet have returned to their old channels. The infurrection of the fteel boys was not fo general, but it was more more violent as proceeding from a more parti cularly interefting caufe. The fource of it was this. An absentee Nobleman who enjoys one of the largest eftates in thiskingdom, instead of letting it when out of leafe for the higheft rent which, is the ufual way in this kingdom, adopted a new mode of taking large fines and fmall rents, thofe fines amounted to fuch a fum as feverely affected the Linen Markets of that Country. However the occupier of the land, though willing to give the higheft rent, was unable to pay the fines, and therefore difpoffeffed by the wealthy undertakers; who, not contented with moderate intereft for his money, racked the rents to a pitch above the reach of the old tenant. The people upon this rofe against the foreftallers, destroying their houses and maiming their cattle, who now occupied their former farms. When thus driven to acts of defperation, they knew not how to confine themfelves to their original object, but became like the Hearts of Oak, general reformers. The army however easily difperfed them, and two or three who were made prifoners, having fuffered by the hands of the executioner, the country was immediately reftored to its former tranquility. Both thefe northern infurrections have no fimilitude to that of the white boys, either in their caufes or effects except in the general neral idea of oppreffion.-The caufe which generated the one being removed, and the cause of the other being only temporary, the duration of neither wa s long. The rife and fall of each, was like that of a mountain river, which, fwelled by a broken cloud, at once overwhelms all around, and then fhrinks down as fuddenly into its accustomed bed. Whereas in the fouth, where the cause is permanent, without any appearance of redrefs, the effect remains. The poor deprived of their right of commonage, driven from the good lands, obliged to pay five or fix guineas for an acre to plant their potatoes in, and having no refources from manufactures, as in the North, became conftant enemies to the ftate; the ftate not being their friend, nor the eftates law. It is vain to urge that fanaticifm and fuperftition were the original fources of thefe evils. If the majority, engaged in the North, were Prefbyterians, and in the South Roman Catholics, it is, because the body of the poor are of these perfuafions in thofe places. It may be asked why these people may not make as much of the ground by agriculture as the grazier by pafturage? I aufwer, their poverty is fo extreme, and their ignorance of tillage fo great, that they could not occupy it to the greatest advantage.Farming is an art which quires much experience and much expenceand though perhaps they might make as much of it, yet the grazier pays his rent with less trou re ble ble to the landlord, who is generally an absentee. In the north and fome other parts like it, the tenant makes his rent, not by his land, but his industry, and the fpinning of his wife and family; he must have fome lands for his potatoes and his cow, for which he gives whatever the landlord aiks. But fometimes the landlord is not at the trouble of afking; he fets up his land to the highest bidder, and receives written propofals. And thus it frequently happens, that the wretched tenant, to whom long poffeffion, gives no preference, is driven from his little dwelling, unless he outbids every other propofer. Upon fuch hard conditions, you may fee it is morally impoffible that this country can be improved successfully; for the tenant is perfuaded that every improvement he makes, will but enhance the difficulty of renewing his leafe. I have flightly touched on a part of this fubject in a former part of this work, but thought it expedient to be more explicit, particularly as I am lead to believe that many of the late diffentions in fome of the northern counties originated from the circumftances above alluded to. In Great Britain the tenant is allowed to make three times what he pays for his land,-one fhare for his rent, another for the fupport of his family, and a third for contingencies. But here there is no fuch allowance made, for if the tenant can pay his rent and exift upon potatoes and and buttermilk, his landlord thinks he has a bargain good enough, and though, in some places, rents are as high in Ireland, as in Great Britain, yet they do not yield half the produce; the tenant ftarves, and the landlord has almost the entire value. I would not be understood, when I fpeak thus, to comprehend all Irish landlords under the foregoing defcription. There are many good landlords; were it not, this nation would foon ceafe to exift as a people. When upon this topic, it would be injuftice to pass over in filence, the conduct of Earl Wentworth Fitzwilliam. This exemplary landlord, though an absentee is idolized, and adored by an opulent, happy, and refpectable tenantry. I am forry to obferve that religious and political fentiments have too long divided this kingdom, for it is a rare thing to find two perfons of the fame opinion, and no general plan for its improvement, gives any party content. It must nevertheless, be a plan of the most comprehenfive nature, which can anfwer all the purposes of univerfal good; particular interefts must be disregarded, particular prejudices fhould be defpifed. The intereft of graziers are against an Agrarian law; and the ruling prejudice is against a complete relaxation of the penal code. As I have feebly endeavoured to plead the caufe of the poor against the rich; I will now confider the objections against toleration, unawed by power, uninfluenced by prejudice, and unbiaffed by intereft. It is urged, that popery is of |