Wellesleys); his Chief Secretary, dated 68 "aforesaid; or of attending, voting, or "acting, or of having attended, voted, or "acted in any manner, in the choice or appointment of such representative, de"legate, or manager. And you are to communicate these directions, as far as "lies in your power, forthwith, to the se" veral Magistrates of the said county of N. B. Sheriffs are to act under "the warrant of Magistrates, in cases "where the crime has been committed.By command of his Grace the Lord "Lieutenant."-Such is the instrument, which has attracted so much attention. How well its tone agrees with the assertion taken for my motto! What an infamy is it, that such imposture should exist as that carried on by the venal author of that motto! What an infamy to the English nation, who really seem to desire to be deceived with regard to Ireland; but, whose silly and base desire will be frustrated in spite of themselves; for hear and see and feel the truth they must. They may hide their heads in their hoods and cloaks as tion to be holden, or of any manner of appointment of any person or persons to be the Representative or Representatives, Delegate or Delegates, or to act by any other name or description whatever, as Representative or Representatives, Delegate or Delegates of the Inhabitants, or of any description of the Inhabitants of any province, county, town, or other district within this kingdom, at any such Assembly; or if any person shall attend and vote at such Election or Appointment, or by any other means vote or act in the choice or appointment of such Representatives or Delegates, or other persons to act as such; any person who shall be guilty of any of the said offences respectively, being thereof convicted by due course of law, shall be ditious persons, to the violation of the public peace, and the great and manifest en- or cause or procure to be given, or pubcouragement of riot, tumult, and disorder;lished, any written or other notice of Elec, be it declared and enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, by and with the consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Cominons in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same; That all Assemblies, Committees, or other Bodies of persons elected, or in any other manner constituted or appointed to represent, or assuming or exercising a right or authority to represent the people of this realm, or any number or description of the people of the same; or the people of any province, county, city, town, or other district within the same, under the pretence of petitioning for, or in any other manner procuring an alteration of matters established by Law, in Church or State, save and except the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, elected to serve in the Parlia-deemed guilty of an high misdemeanour.— ment thereof, and save and except the Houses of Convocation, duly summoned by the King's writ, are unlawful Assemblies; and it shall and may be lawful for any Mayor, Sheriff, Justice of the Peace, or other Peace Officer; and they are hereby respectively authorised and required within his and their respective jurisdictions, to disperse all such unlawful Assemblies; and if resisted, to enter into the same, and to apprehend all persons offending in that behalf.-II. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall give or publish, III. Provided always, That nothing herein contained shall extend or be construed to extend to, or affect Elections to be made by Bodies Corporate, according to the charters and usage of such Bodies Corporate respectively.-IV. Provided also, That nothing herein contained shall be construed in any manner, to prevent or im pede the undoubted right of his Majesty's subjects of this realm to petition his Majesty or both Houses, or either House of Parliament, for redress of any public`or, private grievance. " " long as they will; they may, as long as "LEGION, arrived in this town." A they please, pay impostors to sooth their Judge, upon the circuit, entering an Ascowardly fears, but all will not do. Ire- size-Town, under escort of a troop of draland! Ireland! Ireland! will, maugre all goons of any kind is a fact that speaks a their miserable devices, present herself to language not to be misunderstood. It speaks them in her true and formidable shape. | volumes. It gives the reader, at one It is well worth our while to take a glance, a complete idea of the state of the look at, and to put upon record, the rea- country. Therefore, I do not pretend to sons given, by the venal writers in Dublin, assert, that the enforcement of the Convenfor the Circular, issued from the Castle upon tion Act is not necessary to preserve the this occasion. "This measure," says one of country," or, more strictly speaking, the those venal men," has not been resorted present system of rule; but, if it be neces"to until the utmost necessity existed for its sary for that purpose, how shamefully have "adoption; and until it was called for by the people of England been deceived; how "every loyal man in Ireland, of every re- grossly have they been cheated by these ligious persuasion, interested in the peace venal and corrupt writers! To the very last " and preservation of the country. The moment, were we told, that Ireland never "forbearance and lenity of the Irish Govern- was more peaceable and happy; and, as ment have been tried to the utmost, and will be seen in the motto, we were de"in the spirit that has all along actuated sired to believe, that the season of danger "their conduct, of abstaining from strong was over, that the day was passed for the "measures, until the last extremity, they French to deceive and seduce the people "have hitherto refrained from enforcing of Ireland; yet, while we are told this in "the Convention Bill; but the violent, England; at the very moment that we are "intemperate, and mischievous conduct told this by our venal writers, the venal "of the leading Members of the Roman writers in Ireland are telling the people "Catholic Committee, and the measures there, that strong measures are become "which they had in contemplation, have absolutely necessary to "preserve the compelled the Government to put the country," by which must be meant, "Convention Bill in force."- Now, that the country is in danger of being reader, compare this with the assertions given up by the persons aimed at in these contained in my motto. Look on this and strong measures; and, in that case, these on that description of Ireland.It is im- persons cannot be supposed, to be few in possible for me to say, whether there was number.— -The venal author of my motto a necessity for the measure, even accord- calls NAPOLEON "the HUN;" that is to ing to the notions which this writer seems say, the imitator of the ancient Northern to entertain. It might, by persons dis- Chief, who over-ran a great part of Europe; posed to reason abstractedly, become a and he tells us, that the HUN has "murquestion, whether, in any case, such a "dered liberty," for which reason it would measure ought to be adopted; because it be out of his power to deceive the people might be contended, that the system to of Ireland by any of his invitations to resupport which such a measure was neces volt against their government; adding, sary ought not to be suffered to exist. that no people can now be deceived by such invitations.Very true. Nobody is so deceived, can be so deceived, and, give me leave to think, that no people ever have been so deceived. I do not believe, that the people of any of the countries subdued, or, rather, entered and taken possession of, by France, have ever been de ceived by any promises of the French. The French have got possession, not in consequence of the good which they were expected to bring, but in consequence of the evil which the people hoped they would put an end to. It is not love of the French that has smoothed the way for them, but hatred of those whose power the introduction of the French would naturally put an end to. The inroads of the French havs I shall not take the matter in this light, but shall consider the measure as having been adopted for the purpose of "prèserving the country," as it is here said to have been.--That Ireland is, and long has been, in a very ticklish state, I know as well as most other people. The news-papers from that country contain abundant proofs of it, one of which I cannot refrain from citing here, just as I find it quoted into the London daily papers. "CLONMEL, MONDAY, 8 A. M.-Yesterday “evening, at five o'clock, the Right Hon. "the Chief Baron, accompanied by the "Solicitor General, Mr. Serjeant Moore, "&c. and escorted by the Sheriff, Bailiffs, "&c. and a troop of THE GERMAN The been favoured much more by a spirit of if sures are absolutely necessary to "preserve "the country." Preserve it against whom? Against whom is the country to be pre. served? Against a few contemptible persons? Against men who have no power to do any thing of importance? It is a pretty story indeed to tell us, that strong measures are necessary to preserve the country" against men who have no power to do the country any harm. What ought, in my opinion, to be done for the people of Ireland, I have before pointed out; and, if I am told, that I am a fool, and know nothing at all of the matter, I answer, that my scheme has not been tried. The ministers, and particularly the advocates of the great statesman "now no more," will tell me, that they are the best judges of what ought to be done, in order to preserve Ireland, and, of course England, against the machinations and power of France; and that what they do, and have done, is all right, all that can be done, all that consummate wisdom joined to consummate integrity can possibly suggest. Well, but if this be the case, how fearful is our situation? For, it is now acknowledged that the state of Ireland is such as to demand strong measures thing has been done that possibly can be done for the avoiding of this extremity, what, I again ask, is the state to which we are reduced? If consummate wisdom and integrity have nothing left but strong measures for the "preservation of the coun"try," is it not shameful, is it not insulting to the last degree, to tell us, that "the " the HUN" is sure to find no adherents in Ireland (though by the by, he has very recently found some in Sweden), why adopt this measure? And, if there be danger; if the day of danger be not gone by; if it be necessary to adopt strong measures for "preserving the country," it is, I think, too much for even this venal man to deny, that Ireland is an object which demands our serious and anxious attention.This invites us to view the matter in another light.-Laying aside" to preserve the country;" and, if every all considerations as to what ought, or ought not, to be done for the Catholics, who, be it borne in mind, compose about three fourths of the people of Ireland; laying aside all considerations of this sort, it, surely, behoves us to consider how we ourselves may be affected by what is now passing in Ireland. That it would be difficult for Napoleon to land any considerable body of troops in Ireland there can be no doubt. I would fain hope the thing to be impossible; but, for hope I must have some foundation, and here I have none; because, I have seen French troops, during war, make a landing in Ireland, and I look back with fearful forebodings for the future, to the effect produced by the landing of less than one thousand men. -Well, then, with this experience before us, should we not be excessively stupid, or, which is worse, guilty of criminal cowardice, if we were to rely, or affect to rely, upon it as being impossible for Napoleon to land a body of troops, and even a considerable army in Ireland?"Aye, but his friends there are so few and "so contemptible." Indeed? Why, then, if that be the case, are the strong measures resorted to? But, this will not do, for the venal themselves declare, that these mea day of danger is gone by," and that "the "HUN" will find nobody any where, and especially in Ireland, to listen to his invi tations to revolt?--It is very curious to observe the twist which the venal writers have taken upon the adoption of this measure in Ireland.It was amusing to watch for what the COURIER would say upon it. On Monday last, just nine days after he had published the article, from which my motto is taken, he, after having chewed the cud, of imposture for a few days, opens himself thus: "The mea sure to which his Majesty's Ministers have had recourse in Ireland; the executing the provisions of the Convention "Act (for it is not, as has been stated, a "revival of the Act, the Act having al "ways been in force) seems to have been "forced upon them by the Opposition. Their "uniform attempt has been to persuade "Ireland that she has been purposely insulted writer may as easily make us believe, that it is possible to persuade a man that he is hungry, when his belly is full, that he has been broom-sticked or flogged when his body has been untouched, that he has been imprisoned, gagged, exiled and hanged, when he has, all the while, been living at home, enjoying himself under his own vine and fig-tree with no one to make him afraid. Persuade! Why, how are you to persuade a people to be " and oppressed; That there was a systema- | "tic plan to enslave her. Language was "used for the purpose of goading, and "inflaming her; and was accompanied " by a manifesto advertising for an invasion "by the enemy, and for an insurrection to "meet it. It was publicly stated that the "military force was small; and more "than one hint was dropped that now "was the time for prompt and efficacious “ measures.”——This refers to a very excellent article in the MORNING CHRONI-Jieve that they are suffering that which CLE, pointing out the dangers to which Ire- they do not feel?- -Base and detestable land was exposed, and beseeching the mi- as this is, however, it has not the merit of nisters to adopt speedily measures for put- novelty. It is a mere slavish repetition of ting an end to those dangers by the means what was said, upon all occasions, by of conciliation. And this is here termed, writers of this description, during the last advertising for an invasion, and also for an war, while "the great statesman now no insurrection to meet it! Impudent and ve- "more" was in power. It succeeded; it nal varlet! So, if any man point out what was one of the means by which the Jacoappears to him to be ground of apprehen- bins and Levellers were kept down. It sion, and calls upon the ministers to adopt succeeded; but, again I ask, what has been what appear to him to be the proper means the fruit of that success? Are we any of prevention, he is to be accused of sedi: safer than we were in 1792? What could tious and treasonable designs. This is not, the Jacobins and Levellers have done, if however, the first time that this detestable they had not been kept down, to make our doctrine has been promulgated, even from situation more perilous than it now is? some authority.Observe, too, that the What could they have done, which would OPPOSITION; that is to say, all those who have put more power into the hands of do not approve of the minister's measures; France? What measures could they, with that is to say, all those who do not vote all their Corresponding Societies and Confor him; that is to say, about one half of ventions and Reforms; what could they the members of both Houses of Parliament; have done that would have sooner and more all these persons are, thus, in a lump, ac-effectually have overturned the "regular cused of entertaining wishes to see Ireland invaded, and to see an insurrection of the people ready to meet and to favour it. And yet, this man does not scruple to call upon the people for unanimity.--Talk of advertising, indeed! What does he advertise? What does he " hint to the enemy?" He tells the enemy in so many words, that all those who do not approve of the present minister's system and measures, wish to see an invasion and are ready to favour it. What would be said and done to me, or to any one else, if we were to state, that nearly one half of the members of both Houses of Parliament anxiously wished the enemy to come and to conquer the country? I beg the reader to bear this in mind, and to reflect a little upon this mode of " preserving the country."--But, all this aside, what a foolish, what a beastly, idea is it, that the people of Ireland are to be" persuaded that there is a settled sys"tem for insulting and oppressing and en"slaving them!" Just as if men were to be persuaded to believe themselves in any state in which they are not. This governments" of Europe? What could they have done that would have brought this country into a state more "unsatisfactory" than that of being obliged to make war for bare existence; and of acknowledging, by the mouth of the minister, that we have it not in our power to make peace with security; that the termination of the war depends wholly upon the enemy and not upon us? What could they have done that should have produced as to the Bank and to Trade worse effects than have been produced without any of their doings? The success against them was pretty complete; but, the worst of it is, it has not been attended with success against the enemy. And, the COURIER may, perhaps, now succeed in its abominable attacks upon the Morning Chronicle; but what will that avail? It will not make the situation of Ireland less dangerous; no, and it will not retard the hour of invasion; but, it may hasten it, and, really, I do not know any thing more nefarious than these attempts to blacken the characters of political adversaries at the manifest risk, and with almost a certainty, of adding to the dangers of the country. I see, that this strong measure in Ireland has been taken up in parliament by Lord MOIRA and Lord HOLLAND, and that the ministers have disavowed any partici pation in the orders, but have avowed their conviction of the necessity of the measure. " " respecting an inquiry into EX OFFICIO prosecutions for libels, will be read with peculiar pleasure by every man in the "country not vitiated in his nature by the profits of corruption. We are glad to have occasion to relate achieve"ments by our navy, and victories by our armies abroad; but their effects are "not to be estimated half so high as a victory obtained over the depravity "and extravagance at home, which waste"fully and wickedly consume the profits "of the industry and the fruits of the in"tellect of the best portion of the inha"bitants of the Empire. A battle gained, The turn attempted to be given to the affair is, that it is merely the enforcing" of an existing law, and that it is nothing more than the execution of any other wellknown law. How candid this statement is all the world will easily see. It is too plain for remark; and, all we have now to do is to look quietly on, and see how the thing works. All that I shall add is, that it appears, that His ROYAL HIGHNESS, the REGENT, has not had any thing to do with the measure in question, as, indeed, he could not, seeing that the ministers" say, that it was adopted without their knowledge. This is very material; for it might be productive of the most serious and fatal consequences, if the people of Ireland thought, that such a measure took place as the first act of his Royal High-great good, if any thing can now bring us ness towards them. i 66 THE PRESS.Of the state in which the press now is nothing need be said. That state is very well known to the public. The history of the last three years will be memorable on many accounts; but on no account so much as on account of the press.--LORD HOLLAND, on Friday last, gave notice of a motion upon the subject. "He stated his intention to make "a motion at an early period of the present "Sessions for an account of the number of "informations filed EX OFFICIO by the Attorney General. The Bill brought in recently by the Attorney General, and "passed into an act, which his Lordship had unsuccessfully opposed, had given "to such informations consequences which "did not before belong to them by the "law. His Lordship took this early op"portunity of giving his notice."--I the House of Commons, on Monday last, LORD, VISCOUNT FOLKESTONE, after stating, that he had, for several days, waited in vain to see the Attorney General in his place, gave a notice to the same effect; and this important subject will now, let us hope, meet with a full and fair discussion The MORNING CHRONICLE, in observing on the notice of Lord HOLLAND, says:- Lord Holland's notice, given in the House of Peers on Friday last, 66 however glorious to our arms and ho "nourable to our reputation, for indivi"dual courage, does but prolong for a "short time the existence of an injured and declining constitution; but a conquest over that perversion of principle "which so universally prevails in the "State, would give it immortality."Most cordially do I subscribe to these sentiments, which are, at last, becoming as general as the air, and which must lead to good. Yes, for what indeed, are the wars and expeditions compared to this? What do we fight for? What is the rational object of military and naval struggles? OUR LIBERTIES; and, shall we, then, think little of those liberties themselves ? Shall we think so much of the means, and yet forget the end? Shall we busy our minds, shall we fill ourselves with care and anxiety about the keeping out of the foe who we fear would destroy our freedom; and, shall we, at the same time, be so stupid and so base, as to think nothing about that freedom itself?The people of England, strange as it may seem, know little more about INFORMATIONS EX OFFICIO than they do of what is passing in Russia, Turkey, or Algiers. They know the name of the thing; but of the thing itself they know nothing at all.--Those who have read Magna Charta find nothing there about INFORMATIONS EX OF FICIO. Ex Officio are two Latin words, and in this respect, amongst many others, the "Learned Languages" as they are called, is found to be of great service. These two words mean By Office, or, perhaps, more fully, by privilege, or in virtue, of office.---So that, an Information Ex Officio is an Information laid by the Attorney General in virtue, or by the privilege, of his Office.Aye, but what is an information?It requires a little explanation. |