ii In these pages your Majesty will find no wild theories or absurd speculations. Years of experience and observation have given me wisdom devoid of prejudice; and, as I have no ambition beyond the desire of doing good to gratify, I am completely emancipated from all but honourable and honest partialities. I am the advocate of Ireland on the broad principles of right and justice; and, while I contend for the concession of her claims, I am at the same time the friend of England. In seeking justice for eight millions of your Majesty's subjects, I am sure that I cannot possibly offend the royal ear; for, whatever others may think, I at least confidently believe that George the Fourth still entertains the cherished opinions of his youth; and I fondly trust that Heaven will prolong his reign until it is made manifest to the world that your Majesty has not forgotten the lessons taught you by those statesmen who were the friends of universal emancipation. In perusing my Private Memoirs, it cannot fail to strike your Majesty that the wisdom of English legislation has entailed unheard-of grievances on my poor afflicted country, and that centuries of anarchy and seas of blood are all owing to that cursed policy which hopes to rule the people only by dividing them. We live in a new era it is true; but still, alas! the evils of bad legislation are too visible in Ireland; and, for a candid exposition, your Majesty cannot possibly have recourse to a better or higher authority than the following pages. Being myself one of the outcast race,' and a hereditary opponent of Protestant Ascendency, prudence would recommend a candid hearing of my complaints; and I am sure your Majesty's ministers are convinced, by this time, that my opinions are not to be treated slightly, nor my counsel rejected on many important points. Any declaration of my loyalty would look here like sycophancy; and I will not attempt, in my old age, what I abhorred in my youth, namely, flattery. I cannot conclude, however, without assuring your Majesty that the people of Ireland are to a man attached to their King; and, though upwards of threescore winters have shed their hoar upon my head, I would still buckle on the sword-ay, and draw it too-in the defence of your Majesty's person and throne, in case of either being assailed by Protestant Ascendency. In the hope that your Majesty will please to accept this attestation of my fidelity, London, Dec. 31, 1825. I remain, Your Majesty's faithful friend and honest counsellor, DECIMUS ROCK. No. 1. Or, The Chieftain's Weekly Gazette. SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 1825. CAPTAIN ROCK'S ADDRESS TO THE and since the press, in all proba IRISH NATION. Beloved Countrymen, NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE and my self being two of the most celebrated characters which modern times have produced, I suppose all the world knows that the ex-emperor died at St. Helena, and that the Irish chieftain was, in the beginning of 1824, hurried on board a transport for being too partial to moonlight; not, however, before he had invested his son with full authority to act in his absence. bility, is, at some future day, to My arm, though still vigorous, But, as there is mercy between the stirrup and the ground, so is there a chance of liberty between Cove Harbour and Port Jackson. To arouse, therefore, the slumOne of those fortunate occurrences bering energies of truth and reason, which, one time or other, happen and to meet the enemies of Ireland on their own ground, I have reto most men, saved me from the destiny which awaited my brother solved to issue a Weekly Gazette convicts; and, two months after from this metropolis; and shall pity the sailing of the transport, I found the man who will not read and reverence the edicts I shall send forth. myself, once more, a freeman on the coast of South America. The Ireland, the beloved of my soul, shall be the object of all my ordimeans by which my liberation was effected I am not at present dis-nances; and Irishmen, of all denoposed to relate; but I am sure it minations, the people to whom they must diffuse a general joy on the shall be directed. banks of the Shannon and the Suire to hear that the chief, whose name on every shore Is famed and feared,' is now in the British metropolis, where, like Scipio, he is determined to attack the enemies of his country in their own citadel, and compel them to defend themselves instead of invading others. My principles, being founded on justice, are immutable; and my liberality, being co-extensive with my power, will embrace Orangemen as well as Whiteboys: and, while I direct the movements of the one, I shall not forget to punish the folly of the other. The people of Ulster I intend to make liberal; the people of Connaught wealthy; Different periods have had dif- the people of Leinster contented; ferent modes of warfare: the bat- and those of Munster peaceable; tering-ram gave way to cannon; whilst I shall labour to teach them but forty-pounders, I prognosti- all to distrust false friends, and cate, will soon be compelled to learn one important truth-that yield to the power of steam, and Ireland-a few grievances removed this, in its turn, to the predomi-is one of the most eligible coun. nance of the press, operating on tries in Europe. public opinion. He who has been the first to adopt useful discoveries in the art of attack and defence has uniformly proved victorious; How can I fail to effect this, since the last of the Brehons left to our family the decrees of Ollam Fodhlah, and the laws of Brien PRICE TWO PENCE. Borombe? In the perusal of these I have grown grey; and, as I am about to favour the world with the result of my studies, I hope, in a short time, to prove the influence of wisdom and justice by sending another lady, rich and rare,' with a bright gold ring on her wand,' from the Giant's Causeway to Cape Clear; for, though Paddy is a masticator of Munster plums, he is a Spartan in principles of probity and honour. My hereditary right to the confidence and obedience of Irishmen, I believe, admits not of a doubt. Six centuries of dominion cannot be claimed by all of those who form the Holy Alliance; and I am sure the name of Rock is as likely to endure as that of Alexander or Ferdinand. Like all great men, however, I have my enemies; the Catholic Association and Daniel O'Connell are recent usurpers that have dared to question my autho rity; but, as I like old potheen better than old titles, I'll waive my claim on the ground of descent, and take my stand upon that of service. There is my gauntlet; take it up who dare! Who Whose name, I would ask, is synonymous with Irish patriotism? Captain Rock's, to be sure. has redressed individual wrongs, without requiring the aid of penny subscriptions? Captain Rock, to be sure. Who has made England partially acquainted with the state of Ireland; or who has caused the nightly protracted debates in St. Stephen's Chapel? Captain Rock, to be sure; and nobody else, my countrymen. I have made you known abroad and at home, and have collected on you the eyes of Europe. Many of your grievances have been redressed through my means; and, please God, I shall never desist until you cease to complain. The Catholic Association is to be put down; but never mind, CAPTAIN ROCK yet liveth!! You have therefore only to purchase my Gazette, instead of subscribing to the Rent; and if I don't effectually supply the place of the Association, I'll return to Rockglen, wear brogues and traheens, eat potatoes twenty-one times a week for novelty, live peaceably, and go to bed every evening before sunset. Na bocklish. You know my manner-a word and a blow; every argument a knock-'m-down one, and every sentence an argument. Who has ever opposed me without coming to the ground? My sword, which was never rusty, is returned now to the scabbard as useless, and I have taken up the pen, which shall never be dry until Irish and English men know each other as well as fellow-subjects onght to do. I have often illuminated villages, but I'll now enlighten nations; and, though heretofore I have only astonished by my actions, I'll now surprise by my wisdom. Full of wise saws and modern instances,' I'll bring the past and present into one focus; and his eyes must be closed, indeed, which I shall not open to conviction. My precepts will be, like current coin, not less valuable for being agree able to the senses; for the vehicle of my thoughts shall go forth, every week, in the richest dress which the printer can give it, while my prescribed limits are surety against the admission of grave nonsense or useless cant. Sooner than be dull, however, I will tell a tale; and, as my note-book is stuck all over with points of humour, I shall be sometimes gay, and, I hope, always agreeable. The libellers of Ireland shall meet with proper chastisement, and domestic enemies need not expect to escape castigation. Look at my Gazette: twentyfour closely-printed columns, filled with wisdom! Read, read! and, if you are not wiser after perusal, the fault is in yourself; for these pages, like the volume of Confucius, cannot be opened without imparting knowledge. Therefore, the poor Catholic confidence, and my friends, THE CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION. I REJOICE at the opportunity Mr. Goulburn's bill affords me of proving to the world, notwithstanding the calumnies which have been uttered against my name and character, that I possess a magna. nimous soul; that I can refrain from trampling upon a fallen foe, and give even to an enemy the praise he deserves. The Catholic Association have aspersed my fair fame, represented me as an enemy of Ireland, and issued their manifestoes against my authority. They have done all in their power to weaken my adherents, and in some measure they have been successful. This, surely, would justify open hostility on my part; but my revenge is cooled-I could never kick a man when he is down; and, as the heavy hand of power is now upon the Association, I shall smother my resentment, and even publish the services of that patriotic body. I must acknowledge that the Association was a national blessing: it provoked discussion, revealed the deformities of Irish justice, and put the administrators of the laws on their guard. It gave taught him to value the constitution he lived under, while it forcibly reminded the loyal offender that British equity knew no distinction of persons; that neither orange nor green had any peculiar charm in the eye of law; and that Ca. tholic and Protestant were alike entitled to protection. The Asso. ciation has demonstrated these important facts, too long unknown in Ireland; and for this it is enti. tled to the gratitude, not only of every man in the kingdom, but of the legislature; for nothing can be more conducive to the well being of that country than the conviction that the stream of justice is untainted by faction or party. Parliament, however, seems to think differently of the Association, and have determined to suppress it. Be it so; but let them not imagine that they will thereby deprive Ireland of the benefits which the Rent has produced; for, in addition to its direct services, it has evidently brought emancipation within the grasp of the Catholics. That question may not be conceded this session; but it cannot be long delayed. There seems no alternative; for wisdom, justice, and policy, combine in demonstrating its importance; while time and circumstances loudly proclaim its expediency. The Association may be said to have brought about this state of things, by arousing all the virtue and intelligence in the country in aid of the national cause; for never were the friends of emancipation more unanimous in opinion, or more earnest and honest in their endeavours to procure this blessing for their country. But the Association has done more than this-it has established two important facts-that the people are not quite so ignorant as those who presumed to teach them, or so miserable as they have been represented by those who, on that account, have argued against the admission of their claims. Irishmen are now exalted in their own opinion ; and those, who either to be a distressed nation. The pitied or ridiculed them, stand Where are you, Sir John Doyle, and your assisting patriots, who have proposed, with a few hundred pounds, to better the condition of Ireland? Good! the gravity of the fig-merchant of Constantinople was not half so ridiculous as this. I could laugh at you, too, only you have made me angry; and by the Kittough of my father, if ever I hear you, or any busy-body like you, degrading Ireland in the Freemasons or any other taveru, you shall hear from me in good set terms. But you are already sufficiently punished; for even your very friends laugh at your profound ignorance of your native country. Sir John is not the only old woman who has insulted, degraded, and misrepresented Ireland. I have a list of several now lying before me; Denis Brown and Lady Glengall, among others. They shall come in by-and-by; and, if I don't demonstrate their evidence before the committee of the House of Commons, as well as the Report of that committee, to be false in point of fact, my name is not Rock. Are the Irish distressed?-Look at the Catholic Rent. Do the Irish want the aid of charity? Look at the Catholic Rent: that is the fact which has made the Association a blessing-it has opened the eyes of England, and shown Ireland that she is not what she was represented That Irish Catholics are not poor is evident from their weekly contributions; and that they are not ignorant is plain from the Bible discussions. The Association led to the developmentof these two important facts; and, though it did no more, it would be entitled to the grateful acknowledgments of Rock. BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE AND THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF THE Catholic clergy of Ireland, Heaven help them! are not per mitted to remain any longer in useful obscurity. Their calumniators, libellers, and open enemies, will drag them before the public, and ascribe to them such a cha racter as malice, envy, and hatred, may suggest; for Christian charity and candour are out of the question when the poor priests are sitting for their picture. Truth, facts, and common sense, are on these occasions discarded; and, while the Edinburgh Review' laments the state of slavery in which the papists keep their priests, the puppies who scribble in Black wood's virgin pages deplore the subjection in which the priest keeps his flock. Evils very different and inconsistent are thus ascribed to Catholicity; but, whether just or unjust, the libelled clergy of Catholic Ire land are made to bear the undivided stigma. Never were their detractors more active, unanimous, and virulent; and, consequently, never has there been a greater necessity for vindicating their useful and pious labours, as well as repelling the gross and scandalous attacks which are making on their lives and conduct. Reader! do not imagine that I am out of temper; for really I have seldom been in a better humour. The seventh tumbler of potheen punch is now undergoing its chymical amalgamation before me; and who could let his choler choke him when his olfactory nerves were assailed by the odoriferous exhalations of whiskey that never saw the face of a gauger?' and such is that now in my tumbler, smuggled under the jacket of a trusty follower, who has only this evening arrived from Rockglen. 'Black wood's Magazine!' pshaw! that vex me, indeed! Scarcely a month passes in which Ireland is not made to run the gauntlet through its filthy columns; and I * Vide Timothy Tickler. have never learned that potatoes grew worse in Munster, or potheen tasted less delicious in Innishowen, for the lies, nonsense, and malice of that spotless vehicle of slander and irreligion. 'Tis their vocation; and, having uniformly regarded them, as I do puppets in the streets-reprehensible things of vulgar amusement-I shall not even now let one of the most unprincipled attacks on Ireland, and its religion, disturb that happy equanimity generated by a cheerful fire, potheen punch, and agreeable news from home. But I take no credit to myself for this forbearance; for the article is at once a bane and antidote one column being a happy corrective of the other. The precious rodomontade occupies nearly twenty-four pages in the Number for the present month; but the substance is soon given, for it is nothing more than a wilful libel on the Catholic clergy of Ireland, whom the writer represents as hypocrites and jugglers, as miliating penance, which is much the same as being placed in your pillory. Perhaps you will say, he may shut out the priest, and refuse to perform the penance. But what would follow this? A punishment that would deprive him of character-that if he were a labourer would deprive him of bread-that if he were a tradesman would strip him of customers, and ruin him.' Who dare doubt this? Are not factors; and to whom would he be kind, thankful, and obedient, if not to the moral schoolmaster, who so kindly comes once a year, and takes his tenth sheaf, and tenth potatoc, and gives him in return a Bible? Why should he submit to the instruction of the priest, who has no tithes, no glebe lands, no palace built at Paddy's expense; no wife-no coach-no hounds; who lives among his flock ; visits them in sickness and health, and administers to them the re the priests in high favour with constant guests at the tables of the government and the magistracy, ing ample means of ruining a gentry, and consequently possessconvert from popery? All the pro-ligion professed by their fore. selyting old women in the country would unite with the priest to oppress the refractory papist, and oppress the refractory papist, and every office in the kingdom would be closed against him. He would never obtain any of the situations which are bestowed on Protestants only. An apostate O'Brien did not become Bishop of Meath, an apostate Cousins did not procure an incumbency, nor an apostate Code a situation in the Customhouse. There are no places in the Castle, in the Stamp-office, in the fathers? Nothing more unreason able: he would undoubtedly listen to and learn from the moral school master, who sends a pleasant, agreeable, kind-hearted proctor to seize his corn and potatoes, which cost him toil and trouble, and take them to this moral schoolmaster, though his wife and children were them to read the Bible, and delight hungry. Oh, but he would allow himself with religious perplexities, and cut out a creed for himself, teachers of a fanaticism that de- Post-office, in counties, baronies, and tell him not to believe any man poses God, and makes a deity of the priest that worships images, and credits the most pernicious legends'-that openly sanctions some of the worst vices, and makes morals of no moment;'-in fact, that makes the people what they ought not to be. These vile priests, however, have retained their followers, notwithstanding the pure and moral lives of the Protestant clergy; and the established Church is neglected, while the popish chapel is thronged with votaries. This the writer admits, and he ascribes it to the bodily degradation and punishment inflicted by the priest on such of his flock as dare offend. But hear the puppy himself: If we be told that the people can do as they please between the two teachers, we will say that it is false. A law which is more powerful than any that your government could frame, for the purpose, prevents them. If an individual receive any book from your clergyman, the Popish priest immediately visits his house and takes it from him; if he be seen at your church, he is not only reprimanded for it, but he is condemned to perform some hu parishes, or towns, for a renegade papist-none-none at all; and therefore the priest has power to ruin a man, whether he be poor or rich, who deserts Catholicism. Dear me, where did all the popish converts in Ireland, these two hundred years, acquire their wealth? or how do Protestant shopkeep ers and traders continue to live and do well, where these tyrant priests exist? These are questions the writer does not start, but goes on: nothing individually-they could only ob'The people from their chains can do tain their liberty by acting in a body against their priests-no sentiments can reach them to combine them into such a body-therefore they must, so far as regards their own efforts, continue in their slavery. Evidence in profusion exists to prove that, if they DURST, they would enter your churches, they would hear your clergy, they would receive your Bibles, and other religious books; they would make themselves acquainted with your religion; in a word, they would listen to your moral schoolmasters.' To be sure they would: Paddy is grateful, and knows his bene but these moral schoolmasters ;' for, after all, poor Paddy would -But I cannot go on-a happy interruption! I have just received that Sir Francis Burdett's motion the highly gratifying intelligence in favour of emancipation is successful. Justice at length is likely to be done to poor'ould turn to Black wood; at present, Ireland.' In my next I shall rea bumper of real potheen to the liberal and enlightened member for Westminster demands my sole attention. THE NEW MAGAZINE. GIVE me a free press, said a British senator, and I shall soon overthrow all the despotisms of the east. Ireland has a free press, without having yet established her rights, because she has never made efficient use of it, and heretofore has been indebted to the charity of English and Scotch editors for advocacy and vindication. Let her now arise from her state of literary |