feparation, fo we now, in time of war ought "to fortify our connection by Union." And then, after Mr. Funning has raised a laugh upon his own perversions and mifreprefentations, he lofes his temper, and betrays himfelf i coarse and vulgar terms of " thrash and tu "and nonsense," and the angry barrister breaks out in lamentations, that he has thrown away two years in ftudying Hatfel's prece. dents and all the uncongenial graces of parliamentary attitude-His objection to the political arithmetick is also a misreprefentation; for. when the English Proteftant is added, by the Union to the Irish Protestants, the fum total will be the Proteftants of Great Britain or imperial Proteftants, and not Irish ProteftantsBut Mr. Jebb's objection to the political arith, metick is highly unreasonable, when several pages of his own pamphlet are like a schoolboy's fumbook covered with figures, and dedicated to the rule of three-when this gentleman fuggefted means of extricating us from our present calamities other than an UnionI thought he was going to be ferious-But when I found it was an unconscionable dilatory, he was about to put upon the Catholick

at the end of 200 years, I gave him up,-look in his book page 28 and you will find this notable specifick for the prefent distraction. "Let the Catholicks patiently wait "the opportunities of time, and the work"ings of generofity in Irish bofoms," though in the preceding fentence he admits that any conceffion to them would be "too great

a facrifice for an Irish Proteftant parliament. This as a fermon, would be orthodox, because it inculcates chriftian patience and christian renunciation of all the good things of this world; but as a metaphyfical argument, which fhould be founded not upon what men ought to be, yet the but what they are, it is a curiofity,-and gentleman who writes in this confiftent manner, was one of the 166 who constituted (to ufe his own language) "not only the numbers "but all the talents, the learning, and the profeffional eminence of the bar." Now I will hold Mr. Jebb, the profits of my phamphlet against his, (which is at least ten to one,) take 3 or 4 out of the 166 and that the 32 make more profeffional money in the year than the remainder-nay, I will hold him the same bet, that I name one profeffional gentleman (who did not vote at either fide because

he

he had too much business, to attend fuch a meeting, and whom Mr. Jebb, did not condefcend to name in his lift of profeffional luminaries) that is appreciated by the publick, as having more talents, more learning, and more profeffional eminence, than the entire 166 taken aggregately except one*. Mr. Jebb, knows as well as any body, that talents may lie concealed for a long time before they are called into profeffional exercife, and therefore he fhould have fpared the infinuation.

As to all the reft of Mr. Jebb's arguments, he is as Sir Anthony Abfolute said, of Mrs. Malaprop, a very polite arguer; for every word he says, is upon his adversary's fide of the question. After having displayed his profound researches in Chalmers, and Adam Snuth, and having fhewn us that the relation of Scotland to England, at the time of the Union, was but as I to 28, and that it has fince raised in the political barometer, 20 degrees, and is

The fact is, that of the 166 there were not above 15 whofe voices are tolerably familiar with the ear of the bench, →many who had lately come to the bar, many who had long fince left it, and these are the fort of men, that in ral attend fuch meetings.

gene

now as I to %, and that too under all poffible difadvantages of foil and climate, &c. &c. he fays that Ireland will not improve from the fame caufe, because fhe poffeffes all the advantages that Scotland wanted.-This is not an argument a fortiori,-but this was one of the 166.

To all the phamphlets that have been written, and to all the arguments that have been urged against an Union, one obfervation will apply. They all admit our present state of calamity, they all admit the imperfection of our conftitutional fyftem,-they all disapprove of an Union, and not one of them proposes any other means of redrefs. It is holding this language, there you are poor Ireland, in a mor"tal state, the mortification has passed your extremities, and is approaching your vitals, a remedy has been propofed by fome of the wifeft

phyficians, of that remedy we disapprove, and

yet we know no other, therefore lie down and "die." But the commoneft maxim is, take away the cause and the effect will ceafe; in the removal therefore of the prefent fyftem, I trust my country will feel that her redemption is at hand. I fhall conclude with an obfervation,

which strikes me, as having uncommon weight. The publick muft take notice, that the leaders of that party, who have been for these last ten years involving us in confufion by difplaying" all the defects of our parliamentary system, and labouring to bring that system to the ground, aware as they are that that fyftem is the caufe of our diftraction, now take the other fide of the question, and in fupporting the system are labouring to perpetuate that confusion, which by attacking and expofing the fyftem they created, valeat quantum.

Dublin, 4th Jan. 1799.

FINIS.