vour of democracy become formidable. Demands granted increase the power of democracy, and generate new demands. The power of the democracy becomes irrefiftible: the antient antipathy to England gains strength from that spirit of rivalry which grows with towering profperity; and the destructive with for feparation is prompted by pride as well as by prejudice. Ireland then become immenfely powerful, and actuated by distinct interest and diftinct patriotifm, feels herfelf equal to a contest with Britain: or if prudence, fuggesting some disparity, or apprehension of a party remaining favourable to Britain, fhould look out for aid, a powerful foreign nation, near at hand, is perpetually ready with all its might, to co-operate in the fubjugation of a power, the object of its envy and the determined foe to its defigns. The feparation of Ireland, the downfall of establishment, and the deftruction of all now held dear by the loyal inhabitants, could not then be far off: and the elevated profperity of Ireland, with her accumulated wealth and power, could in the end ferve no other purpofe, than to promote the ambitious defigns of a malignant enemy, and, in her own ruin, the more certainly to effect the ruin of Great Britain;-in the downfall of which great nation, not only the loyal proteftants of Ireland would lose their grand protector, but the civilized world an example and defence. The union of thefe kingdoms in the fame crown, or the fame executive prefiding over both, conftitutes a bond of connexion, which has hitherto been preserved. But the legislative power, that which creates law, is the ་ the fupreme power in every state: and, in this grand essential of state, the most vital and the most powerful, these 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 legislature of Ireland constitutes a facred and irrefragable mutual record. The legislature of Ireland, distinct and independent, confults by its diftinct nature the interests only of Ireland: while the British legislature, equally distinct and independent, confults by its diftinct nature the interests only of Great Britain. No doubt, fo far as a sense of the neceffity of preferving the connexion between the two kingdoms may happen to operate upon the two legiflatures, each will confult the interefts of the other country; but from the effential nature of diftinct legiflatures, fuch attention to mutual interest must ultimately refer to the respective interests of the kingdoms for which they respectively legislate. In the degree therefore in which the views of the separate legislatures, refpecting the interests of their respective countries, happen from time to time to be incompatible, the legislatures, that is, the respective supreme powers, must act in oppofition to each other. Such interefts refpect not merely a progrefs in national wealth, but right, and privilege, and every good, real or imaginary, which can gratify the sentiments and raise the dignity of a nation. The more important the interefts 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 paft ages, fhould quicken a jealoufy of interest (understanding interest 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, must necessarily imbibe the fame fentiments; which, co-operating with the other caufes, cannot fail to ripen into deftructive effect all the feeds of difpute, difcord, hoftility, and feparation. Surely no rational man will deny that history, obfervation, 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 states, 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 effect their purpofe, they have conftantly afferted their perfect diftinctness, and formed themselves into separate states. 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 sense of their need of the care and protection of the parent country prevailed, no difficulties embarraffed the connexion; no diftinctnefs of intereft, no provincial pride, pointed to dependence 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 thofe 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 state 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 several 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 circumftances hurried on the important event. It is not meant either to contend for the right of taxation which Great Britain afferted, or to justify the colonies in the refufal of every fpecifick 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 instance is adduced, if fo recent an inftance were necessary * See Pownall's administration of the Colonies, ch. 5. neceffary to demonftrate, that the connexion between states, 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 state in power.* It is not eafy to imagine two connected states to which this reafoning applies more conclufively than to Geeat Britain and Ireland. They are great and powerful states; which have vaft, and many, and various connexions 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 separate and independent legislatures, refpecting diftinct national interefts, must be numerous and weighty; and in the degree that thefe ftates 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 fitnation 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 destruction to the parent country. But Ireland, lying clofe 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. |