Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

382 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD.
avoided altogether ; for divided as ministerial men are on the
subject, when they begin to dispute they only abuse one another
for the diversion of the common enemy. For instance, was not
Canning's attack in the House on Ellis of Dublin—one of the
staunchest Government men in the kingdom—very ill judged,
and just exactly what the opposition faction in Ireland desired ?
And to descend to ourselves, why need the Eeviewer of
' Lafontaine ' (Croker) step out of his way to revile a system of
laws upheld by some of the most loyal men in the empire ? or
why should I waste my time in answering or exposing the
ignorance of that Reviewer, when I agree with him in the leading
features of policy, while we both have enemies enough, who
hate not merely the system of penal laws, but every system
calculated to give strength to Church and State ? This in brief
is my principal objection to your introducing the question at
all. Of this be sure : the Protestants of Ireland are, with the
trifling exceptions of those swayed by faction or interest, de-
cidedly hostile to any further concession to the Papists. In
Cork, for example, the Protestant population of which is about
17 or 18,000, a Protestant petition in favour of emancipation
was got up ; and it received exactly 89 signatures. If you were
in Ireland you would not wonder at our hostility. I never knew
a traveller from the sister island, even were he bitten by the
' Edinburgh Review,'—a work with which I should be sorry to
see you in any point whatever co-operating,—who did not leave
Ireland with the same feeling. However, Protestants and
R. Catholics live here together in the greatest jollity—some of
my most intimate acquaintances being of the latter religion.
An impartial spectator would laugh at the unanimity of dis-
approbation with which all parties received the measures proposed
by Mr Plunkett, and the staunch co-operation of the most
violent leaders on both sides, in devising methods of resistance.
PO). 25, 1822.
We have had a special commission here, at which no less than
32 were sentenced to be hanged : these exhibit to-day at Churchtower—a
place where they burnt four policemen. Our county
magistrates at a meeting of more than 100 voted the Insurrection
out for the entire county, which is a strong measure when