what concern is it to you or me whether the Irish lawyers are making fpeeches in the parliament houfe or minding their business in the four courts -or whether my lord marquis or my lord duke could make most of his borough by felling the feats (as they call them) for ready money at home, or jobbing them here at St. James's ?-No, no-we have nothing to do with fuch matters; the thing for the like of us to look after is, what this fame Irish parliament (that's grown fuch a pet with the quality of a fudden) has done for the poor of Ireland? -That's what I want them to tell me. I am fure it has not relieved them from that old burthen the tithes, which is a heavier load upon the fhoulders of a poor cottier, than my lord Allen fitting in general Dalrymple's lap would be upon my nephew Dick and me if we were obliged to carry them from College Green to the Hill of Howth! And what's more, I'm told there's one Patrick Duigenan, who, by his name, fhould be one of our own own felves, and he is the moft furious of them all against any one meddling with tithes-I fuppofe he is a tithe proctor himself, or fome fuch thing, and we all know what grinders and foul-mouthed dogs those proctors are. But furely, Denis, this Pat. Duigenan can . can never be the fame black muzzled little fellow that used to be waiting on the priest, and carrying the incense at Arran Quay chapel, when you and I (God be with the day) were on our frolics in fweet Dublin? And a cute fcholar that little black muzzled fellow was, and had all the mafs by heart, and many a time I've heard him run it over fafter nor any horse could trot. And so you see what learning may bring a man to. But I was talking about the tithes, and going to tell you the good news I heard from one of the great people standing at the door of the coffee-houfe; how the tithes would be all paid out of the king's treafury, once this fame Union was settled, and how they would provide comfortably for our clergy well as their own. How do you like that Denis? Troth if you knew all-neither you, nor the like of you would be against this Union -do you know who it is that's against it-I can tell you-for we know more of Irish politics here on the flags in St. James's-ftreet, than you do on the steps of the parliament house in College Green. Befides the counsellors, as I told you before, there's the * copperashion of Dublin, with those gay lads the aldermen *It is evident, from the context, that corporation was the word here intended the original fpelling has been preferved in this inftance to serve as a fpecimen of Mr. Tracy's orthography, in decyphering and correcting which the Editor has bestowed un. common pains and labour. aldermen at their head-aye and the owners of boroughs who have feats in parliament, may be you couldn't guefs the reafon why ?-and the fweet Orange boys, (fmoak that Denis). But moft and greatest of all against the Union is, Mifter Speakerhis honour, I am told, has done many a good job for Ireland; and I heard one of your linen factors t'ther night, in the cyder cellar fwear, that Jack Fofter was worth the whole kit of Irish pa"triots put together." But his honour, it feems, is a great financier-do you know what that is, Denis? why it's a man who understands how to borrow plenty of money, and to lay on plenty of taxes to pay it; and to be fure, his honour must be mainly ignorant indeed, if he did not (by this time) know better than what we can tell him, how much he'd lofe by the removal of the parliament, as I'm afraid they'd never make him speaker of the English houfe after his oppofing the Union. I'm told his place is as good as fix thousand a-year to him-why then "by the Lord Harry," as counsellor Tom Goold faid, as well as I love Ireland, and as much - as I like the Union, if I was a parliament man I'd furely vote, aye and fpeak too, againft it, fooner than I'd give up fix thousand a year-aye, and fo would you too, Denis, especially if you were a great financier. After 1 After all, my dear Denis, is it not very provoking to fee a parcel of fat city aldermen, who are bursting with the good things they have got at the castle, have the impudence to fet themselves up (because they are backed by fome of the great parliamentmen) to fly in the face of the government, aye and of the people both of England and Ireland in this bufinefs!-I'd be glad to know whether they've the modeft affurance to expect to be joined by the catholics too?-may-be thefe borough-jobbers forget how respectfully the catholic petition was treated by them fome time ago-didn't they scout and kick it out of doors-and wern't they going to fend the fon of the great Edmund Burke to Newgate for merely offering to lay it quietly on the table of the Parliament-house ?-By my foul, Denis, I am very forry for these things, and I forgive them with all my heart, but that doesn't fay that I can quite forget them when I fee these fame high-flyers fetting themselves against the good of poor Ireland, and against our king-God blefs his jolly face-who is all goodnefs and kindness every inch of him-Wasn't it his majefty, (God bless him again and again, I fay,) that recommended our rights to this fame parliamentand we all know how much notice they took of his recommendation recommendation.-For my part, Denis, I hate quarrelling and fighting, and I hate fcolding worse than either, and I'm fure there will be no end of it while matters go on as they have done for fo long a time, fetting up Proteftant against Catholic to cut one and others throats, and to call bad names, which, (as I faid before,) is a great deal worfe-Isn't it better for us Catholics to trust to the fairness of an United Parliament for doing us justice, than to lay ourselves again fprawling at the feet of men and who care only for themselves, and are quaking at the thoughts of what wealth and what power we poor Irish Catholics may grow to an hundred years hence !-An hundred years hence! God bless us, Denis, what a mighty long fight thefe wife men have!— You'll not be furprised to hear that the ringleaders of the United Irifhmen, and fome of the great orators of that party in parliament, are tooth and nail against the Union; it must be comical enough to fee them and the Orange-men hugging and paying frothy compliments to one and other in parliament. The United-men indeed have good reason for their oppofition, as they have a little plan of their own, I'm told, of a Union with France. It well becomes thefe parliamentary orators, does'n't? after leading the |