private life, who discover a difpofition to confider the question with candour, upon the principles of genuine publick good, free from that indifcriminating indignation against government which upon every occafion feems to be foolishly confounded with the virtue of patriotifm, and from that prejudice against England, which marks the dangerous feparift,, rather than the true friend to his country. Notwithstanding therefore the multiplicity of prodctions on the fubject, and the neceffary fimilarity of ideas in those who maintain the fame opinion, yet, as the matter is of no common concern, and as almost every man has fomething peculiar in his views or his manner of communicating them, calculated to imprefs particular readers, it may be useful, perhaps a duty, to publish the fimple and unbiaffed refult of honeft inquiry.

In the confideration of the queftion of Union, as well as of every other important moral or political queftion, every man no doubt will be more or less influenced by the opinions or principles he has happened previously to receive. There are many who have viewed the late feries of revolutions, or rather convulfions, and the concommitant wildneffes, in France, with fatisfaction, and have followed the progrefs of French arms and French principles with delight. They think indeed that fome new meafures ought to take place; yet not fuch as fhall bind together all the parts of the British Empire more clofely, and thereby enable them more firmly to refift all affaults from without or from within, upon our common and well tried conftitution; but fuch as fhall fubvert all that has been happily eftablifhed, and, by forming us upon the new plans of France,

France, fhall render us fubfervient to the views of that destroying nation, which they wish to fee univerfally triumphant as the grand renovator of mankind. There are others who, though differing from the former in their opinion of the nature and confequences of French principles, yet fofter very invidious fentiments against Great Britain, confider a compleat Union with that country as, what they call, the extinction of Ireland, and acknowledging the full confequence of their opi nion, would rather compleatly feparate than com pleatly unite.

With either of thefe defcriptions of perfons it is plain that any difcuffion of any Union, under any circumftances, or in any juncture, muft meet with inftant and prejudging reprobation. But, to the loyal inhabitants of Ireland, who feek the permanency of the British Constitution, the fecurity of our religion, and the stability of the common empire, it may be usefully propofed to confider, whether, contemplating the formidable change which has taken place in the ftate of furrounding nations, and the defperate machinations, as new in their fyftem as wicked in their nature, which for years have been pointed at our existence, it may not be wife to adopt fome fair, liberal and juft, plan of compleat confolidation, which, more effectually than hitherto, fhall, confiftently with national prosperity, fecure thefe kingdoms against the foreign foe and the domestic traitor.

Whatever difference of opinion may fubfift among the loyal inhabitants of this country, we are all decidedly agreed, that a feparation between these kingdoms would prove the certain deftruction of both. Britain is powerful; and, for the fake of her own

fafety,

fafety, as well as of preferving that integrity of power which has given dignity, profperity, and fecurity, to the Empire, fhe would neceffarily make every poffible effort to recover Ireland. What must be the confequence? Either Ireland is reduced, and, as a conquered country, is fubjected to fuch system of depreffing dependence as to the more powerful country appears neceffary; or she is aided by the formidable and ambitious nation which for centuries has been engaged in hoftilities with England, and after a ftruggle in which Britain and Ireland become exhaufted, France ever watchful for her prey feizes the fatal occafion, and fubjugates to her humiliating and devouring policy these noble islands, which, closely united, are formed to rise fuperiour among the nations and to arbitrate for Europe. But it is obvious that if feparation be effected, it must be by the affiftance of France in the firft inftance. Rebellion, howfoever fecretly and artfully prepared, and howfoever daringly and ferociously attempted, could not long fucceed, unaided by a foreign foe, against the fleets and armies of Britain. The uniform hiftory of mankind, and our own recent experience, inform us of the means that would be employed. We have already feen what can be effected by fecret machinations. What more would be accomplished when the wealth, and power, and rank, and numbers should be increased of thofe, who under the exciting pretext of confulting the dignity of independent Ireland, should seek the rueful phantom feparation, the mind fhudders to contemplate correfpondence-emiffaries-concerted plans-powerful invafions-internal and wide-fpread maffacre-final fuccefs -and a republick upon a French model, under French

protection,

protection, and fubject to French dominion. Then follow in due courfe, the reign of the most vicious profligates, the murder or banishment of all the families of property, the degradation and deftruction of all religion, and a legalized fyftem of atheism and vice. Pollutæ cærimonia; magna adulteria; plenum exiliis mare; infecti cadibus fcopuli; atrocius in urbe fævitum. Nobilitas, opes, omiffi geftique honores, pro crimine; et ob virtutes certiffimum exitium.

It is faid, that-if the intereft of Great Britain was not materially concerned in a Union, the government of that country would not propofe the measure: and truly it must be owned, that Great Britain is deeply interested indeed, to promote any meafure that can tend to prevent the feparation of Ireland. By fuch a feparation, fhe not only lofes an arm of strength which powerfully aids her in common defence, but a material part of her own power. is converted against herfelf. France, a mighty, an ambitious, and a malignant ftate, with such additional power in her hands, as Ireland-an ifland with great natural wealth, not without confiderable acquired wealth, populous, of uncommon maritime capacity, and lying under the bofom and heart of England-France, with fuch aid, and with fuch a fulcrum on which to work engines of deftruction, muft foon confummate her abhorred purpose ;—and then, overpowered, defpoiled, and subjugated, the naval bulwark of the world refifts and protects no more.

1

Suis et ipfa Roma viribus ruit.

Without urging this obvious and alarming truth far

ther,

ther, therefore, it may be taken as fully admitted, that the feparation of Britain and Ireland must be confidered by every loyal inhabitant of this country, as an event most afflictive and ruinous to us and to our pofterity, and against which, it would be mad and wicked, not to feek for every possible security,

But the peculiar circumstances of this country have unfortunately foftered in the minds of the great body of the people, an hoftility to the English name, and a difpofition to separate, of which, the foreign foe, on every occafion has been ready to take advantage. In order to illustrate this pofition, it may be fatisfactory to take a fhort review of former events.

Above fix centuries ago, this country, then in a ftate of barbarifm, was reduced to a connexion with England. A ferocious hatred to the English settlers, as well as to their laws and customs, for ages actuated the natives; and it was not until after a long period of animofity and conteft, that at length English laws were adopted, and English language and manners gained any place. Ireland, it is well known, whatever might have been its civilization in a very remote antiquity, was, at the time of its reduction by Henry the fecond, and for centuries after, in fo uncivilized a state compared with the reft of Europe, that it was little if at all prepared, to take part in thofe ardent scenes, in which the revival of letters first, and then the reformation, engaged most of the other nations, and England among the chief. There, intellectual light, which had before occafionally darted gleams of fplendour through the prevailing gloom, began to fpread a general influence; the zeal

of