the fupreme power in every state: and, in this grand effential of state, the most vital and the most powerful, thefe kingdoms are distinct and separate. The legislature of Ireland has emphatically afferted its compleat diftinctness, by infifting on the inftitution of folemn.public acts, which accordingly have been made in the parliaments of both countries, whereby the entire independence of the legiflature of Ireland conftitutes a facred and irrefragable mutual record.

The legiflature of Ireland, diftinct and independent, confults by its diftinct nature the interests only of Ireland: while the British legislature, equally distinct and independent, confults by its diftin&t nature and interests only of Great Britain. No doubt, fo far as a fenfe of the neceffity of preferving the connexion between the two kingdoms may happen to operate upon the two legislatures, each will confult the interefts of the other country; but from the effential nature of distinct legiflatures, fuch attention to mutual interest must ultimately refer to the refpective interests of the kingdoms for which they refpectively legislate. In the degree therefore in which the views of the feparate legislatures refpecting the interests of their respective countries, happen from time to time to be incompatible, the legislatures, that is, the refpective fupreme powers, must act in oppofition to each other. Such interests refpect not merely a progress in national wealth, but right, and privilege, and every good, real or imaginary, which can gratify the fentiments and raise the dignity of a nation. The more important the interests from which arife incompatible views, the more ftrenuous and violent must be the confequent oppofition. The more manifold and compli

cated

cated thofe interefts become, the more frequent and the more incapable of accommodation the contending opinions and claims. If increafing wealth and power, operating as in all past ages, should quicken a jealousy of intereft (understanding intereft in the enlarged fenfe mentioned) and magnify the national pride and spirit of independence, the legislature, intimately connected with and flowing from the general community, muft neceffarily imbibe the fame fentiments; which, co-operating \with the other causes, cannot fail to ripen into destructive effect all the feeds of difpute, difcord, hoftility, and feparation.

Surely no rational man will deny that hiftory, observation, and experience, demonftrate this to be the nature of man and the neceffary tendency of human affairs.

It would be an idle as well as tedious difplay, to take the volume of history, and extract the innumerable inftances there recorded, which prove, that in whatever degree provinces or ftates, connected with, or dependent upon a parent or fuperiour state, have acquired power and independence, they have difcovered difcontent with their connexion, and a defire to become perfectly distinct states; and that whenever that power and independence have grown fo great as to enable fuch provinces or ftates, by their own mere vigour, or with accidental aid, to affect their purpose, they have conftantly afferted their perfect diftin&tness, and formed themselves into feparate states.

7

The

:

The feparation of the colonies, now the united states of North America, from Great Britain, furnishes an applicable inftance. While they were weak and dependent, while a fense of their need of the care and protection of the parent country prevailed, no difficulties embarrassed the connexion; no diftinctness of intereft, no provincial pride, pointed to independence and feparation and yet, the rights afferted and the powers exercised by the legislature of England, and afterwards of Great Britain, over the colonies, had long been more authoritative, and more inconfiftent with the independence of their affemblies,* than those which afterwards fupplied the occafion of the unhappy contest that ended in feparation. Those who knew the colonies intimately, were aware long before the rupture, that the advanced ftate of profperity at which they had arrived, with the proud fpirit of independence which it produced, and which from time to time had strongly manifested itself, tended powerfully to the ultimate diffolution of the connexion: and feveral plans, among others, plans of Union, were fuggefted for the purpose. of preventing it: a modification of fome one of which might have been adopted, had not untoward circumfances hurried on the important event. It is not meant either to contend for the right of taxation with Great Britain afferted, or to justify the colonies in the refusal of every specifick plan of contribution to the general expence of the empire :-the cafe was difficult; claims and fuppofed interefts interfered; and the confequences followed which might have been apprehended. But the inftance is adduced, if fo recent an inftance were neceffary

See Pownall's administration of the Colonies, ch, 5.

i

neceffary, to demonftrate, that the connexion between ftates, not compleatly incorporated, and not identified in intereft, becomes precarious and mortal, whenever the inferior state advances fo far in profperity, as to affert independence, and to rival the fuperiour ftate in power.*

It is not easy to imagine two connected ftates to which this reasoning applies more conclufively than to Great Britain and Ireland. They are great and powerful ftates; which have vaft, and many, and various. connections and tranfactions with each other and with the rest of the world; therefore their interefts are important, manifold, and complicated; and confequently, the probabilities of incompatible opinions in their feperate and independent legislatures, refpecting dif tinct national interefts, must be numerous and weighty; and in the degree that these states advance in greatness and power, fuch probabilities become multiplied and approach to certainty. Conceive inftances of this dangerous nature to have frequently recurred, and that in confequence an invidious and hoftile difpofition has been created. Every plan of accommodation by fure

The feparation of the Colonies from Great Britain has happily not proved fatal to either country; perhaps has not actually injured either, excepting the temporary evils of the lamented war: the distant fitua tion of the United States has preferved them from becoming the prey of the ambitious power which promoted their separation, as well as from becoming in the hands of that power an instrument of deftruction to the parent country. But Ireland, lying close to Great Britain, through whom Britain can be destroyed, upon whom if abandoned France fixes her talons-Ireland, fo fituated, finks for ever, and Great Britain finally along with her,

canfequence

confequence alarms fufpicion, and inflames pride; the facility of constant diffenfion neceffarily follows; and then an unfailing ground is laid for, the fuccefsful intriguing of foreign and domeftick enemies, who in the meantime will not have neglected, as occafion favoured, to promote discord and diforder, as the fure means of the grand scheme of separation.*

In this ftate of the co-equal fupreme authorities of these connected yet independant ftates, the British legislature may determine that a mighty effort is neceffary to be made against the alarming attempts of an ambitious foe. Admit that the views of feparate and independent legislatures, now involved in diffenfions, should be repugnant on a matter fo effential to the existence of the Empire. What must follow? Either Britain must fubmit to whatever terms an ambitious power shall impofe, or the muft maintain alone the caufe of the Empire. In the firft cafe, obvious deftruction quickly fucceeds. In the latter case, it would be impoffible to permit Ireland to remain neutral :-her power increafing with rapidity; her people too generally infected with ancient hatred repeatedly revived; demagogues through every clafs of fociety maliciously active to make the occafion fatak; emiffaries of the enemy concerting

In the feven United Provinces, the French, ever artful and intriguing whatever form they affumé, had been long busy in promoting difcord among the ftates. Thofe ftates in which the burghers chiefly prevailed, were set in fierce opposition to those in which the Stadtholder and the nobles chiefly had influence; and by degrees their contests, inflamed by incendiaries, so distracted the national councels and efforts, that they have at last become wretched and repentant victims to French ambition.

destructive