and sanguinary Elizabeth, deluged Ireland with blood and devastation, quartered his troops on the inhabitants of Ennis, and daring his stay in the town he caused six Roman Catholic Priests to be put to death, for no other crime than that they were found officiating in their clerical capacity.

The events that occurred in Ennis during the usurpation of Cromwell, and the reigns of James II. and Queen Ann, shall be related in our history of this epoch.

But among all the memorable circumstances that happened in the County of Clare, perhaps the election of Mr. O'Connell will produce the most important results, and lead to a train of great events, which shall pave the way for the emancipation of Ireland. The withered arm of infirm despotism cannot much longer hold the reins of iniquitous power, as the uncontrolled and indomitable spirit of seven millions of people, united in unanimity, will no more suffer the wheels of that Juggernaut to pass over it. O'Connell has removed the incubus which for ages paralyzed the moral and physical energies of his Country, and like a powerful Magician, exorcised the dæmons of discord, long the curse and bane of Ireland, from Roman Catholic opinion. We sincerely congratulate our Countrymen, on this side of the Atlantic, on the encomiastical addresses, which they have voted to a sterling patriot, whose undeviating zeal, powerful talents, and enthusiastic devotion, exercised for more than a quarter of a century, in the cause of Irish freedom, justly entitle him to the gratitude and applause of every friend of civil and religious liberty. O'Connell, in his efficient advocacy of Ireland, neither feared the threats of power, nor listened to the dictates of interest; his course was ever regular, honest, and sincere, the freedom of his oppressed Country, was the polar star to which the compass of his efforts pointed, and those efforts attained an elevated eminence of national advantage, which other Irish Patriots could only view through the telescope of hope. The bays and myrtles of his chaplet fresh blooming and fragrant as those that entwine their tendrils in Elysian bowers, have never been sullied or stained with a drop of his country's blood. The Irish Cato, in his splendid career, has developed virtues which would reflect lustre on the most exalted names of Grecian and Roman antiquity. We do not wish to pluck the laurels from the tombs of the illustrious dead, nor despoil the shrines of the Swifts-the Lucases-the Grattans-the Currans-the Fitzgeralds-the Floods or the Emmets, of the trophies offered by their grateful Country, nor extinguish the torch which the historic Muse holds up to their deathless fame and signal merits; but we will say, comparatively speaking, that their united services would be but a feather in the scale opposite the preponderating and successful exertions of Daniel O'Connell.

Let the Page of Erin's history be searched, and a parallel for them cannot be found. After the Fingalls-the Gormanstowns, the Frenches, the Southwells, and the Kenmares, had deserted the Catholic Board, at the mandate of the Duke of Richmond, O'Connell, undismayed by the defection of these nobles, clung with undaunted courage, and Roman devotion to the shattered wreck of the Catholic cause. Regardless of the threats of the Irish government, he organized the Catholic association, gave it bone and muscle, created that luminous prism which now reflects all the talents and wonders of an influential body, that marshals under its banners the intellect, wealth, Independence, and virtue of Ireland. In Comparison to this association, the little knot of Brunswickers is like a Molehill in the vale of mount Atlas.

Amidst the extinction of other lights, the firmness of O'Connell, like the morning star of our redemption, glittered in the horizon of Erin's hope. He was the vivid rainbow, which appeared after a long and dreary night of apathy and suffering, gleaming bright and variegated as the herald of serene weather. It was he that enlisted the liberal English and Scottish Press in our favour; it was he that denounced Lord Manners, the corrupt Irish Chancellor, for countenancing the Orange magistrates, in their vile injustice to the Catholics; It was he who, on the trial of the young and lamented martyr of the liberty of the Press, John Magee, the late proprietor of the Dublin Evening Post, refuted the calumnies of Attorney General Sauren, flung them back in his teeth, and made him quake and tremble; it was he who, in of fire and lightning," as pure and patriotic as the Roman forum ever echoed, gave eloquence expression to our wrongs, and hurled the red hot thunderbolts of national indignation against the diabolical system of tyranny and oppression, which distracted, divided, and disorganized the harmony that should connect a brave and generous people. Yes, it was he, that in 1812 infused the spirit of liberty into the hearts of his countrymen, awoke their energies from the slumber of ages, and communicated the promethian fire of patriotism to the then congealed elements of Irish feeling and sentiment, and like a skilful alchymist, amalgamated them in a solid, sterling mass of concord and unanimity. This was the triumph of eloquence, achieved by integrity of principle. The

Byrnes, the Keoghs, the M'Donnells, the O'Connors, and the Brophies, attempted what O'Connell has performed; to still the tempest of prejudice, and twist, as it were, a rope from the sands of division and dissension.

Who then, among all our countrymen, either living or dead, has laboured so uniformly, and so fortunately, has rendered such essential services to, and has made such immense sacrifices for his country, as Daniel O'Connell? Who, therefore, let us ask, since the invasion of Henry II. had such a claim, ay, such a strong and paramount claim on the gratitude of Irishmen, as he has? Can we wonder then at his having soared to a higher summit of popularity than any Irish Patriot ever attained.

In the race of patriotism, he has distanced competition. Why then would any man, possessing an Irish heart, nay, possessing a heart alive with the glow of freedom, envy the leader of Catholic Ireland, the honor and reverence which his country has unanimously awarded him; whose name will go down to posterity encircled in a reflulgent halo of immortality; whose services, exertions, and virtues must find monuments in the hearts of succeeding generations, which shall last after bronzes and marble statues are crumbled into dust, and scattered by the winds of time, because the HAPPINESS AND LIBERTY of millions yet unborn, shall be the imperishable trophies that will adorn his shrine ?

ECCLESIASTICAL EDIFICES OF DUBLIN.-NO. II.

CHRIST'S CHURCH.

Bishop Usher, on the authority of Maurice Regan, who was private secretary to Dermod, King of Leinster, in 1168, states, in his "Antiquities of British Churches," that the vaults of Christ's Church were built before the coming of St. Patrick into Ireland. Harris and Archdall quote an inscription, which was impressed on a marble tablet, in this Church, recording that it was consecrated by St. Kevin, Abbot of Glendalogh, in the fifth century, and endowed by several Irish chieftains.

In 1038, this structure was rebuilt by Donat, Bishop of Dublin, of cut stone, according to the Gothic order of architecture. Sitric, King of Dublin, caused a superb mausoleum to be erected over the remains of his wife Beibhion, who was interred in the chancel of this cathedral. According to Colgan, this monument existed in the reign of Richard II. Sitric gave to Christ's Church the lands of Lusk, Bealduleck, Howth, and Portrahern, with their rights and royalties.* In 1164, Archbishop O'Tool appointed twenty-four cannons regular to attend this Cathedral.

After the English had established their authority in Ireland, Strongbow, Robert Fitzstephens, and Raymond Le Gross, enlarged and beautified this church, built a new choir and steeple, as well as two chapels, one dedicated to St. Edmond, King and martyr, and the other to St. Laud. In the reign of Edward I. the prior of Christ's Church took his seat among the Peers of Parliament, as appears by a registry in its Black Book. Philip Nugent, who was buried there in 1248, endowed Christ's Church with a tract of land, and the wood of Kilcullen. John De Courcy, Earl of Ulster, John Comyn, and Henry De Londres, the prelates, were among the most magnificent benefactors of Christ's Church.

* The following enumeration of the Irish Cathedrals, may not prove uninteresting to our readers: — Armagh, (the metropolitan church,) in the county of Londonderry.

in the county of

Christ's Church,

Armagh.
Dublin

Derry,
Raphoe,
Leighlin,

Ossory, in the city and

county

Donegal, Carlow. of Kilkenny.

Tuam,

Galway.

Cork.
Cork.

Camden and Sir William Dugdale give a copious description of the tomb of Strongbow, which was elegantly decorated with the enrichment of architecture and sculpture, some of the fragments of which are still to be seen. a tasteful piece of sculpture. The Earl is represented reposing on an altar, in full The effigy is armour; on the shield his arms (three chevronels gules, on a chief azure, three crosses pattie filche of the field) are finely embossed. Adjoining Strongbow's tomb is a marble slab, but so effaced by time's obliterating fingers as to render the inscription illegible, that marks the graves of Robert De Quincy, Earl of Winchester, and his wife, Mary the daughter of Strongbow.

In 1262, according to Wright, a serious dispute arose between the Prior and convents of Christ's Church, and the citizens of Dublin, about the tithe of fish; but the assumed pretensions of the church triumphed over the equitable opposition of the laymen, and the Archbishop of Dublin, until this day, is entitled to the tenth part of the fish caught in the Liffey.

The sanctuary of Christ's Church, according to Camden and Hanmer, (both staunch Protestants,) contained, as "will appear by the obituary White Book of said church, a large crucifix, reputed miraculous, on account of the several cures it performed: Jesus' staff, which, in 1181, was translated along with the text of the gospel used by St. Patrick, as also his altar stone, from Armagh to Dublin, by William Fitz Adelm; a thorn of our Saviour's crown; a part of the Blessed Virgin's girdle, and the thumb of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. These reliques were carried off to Spain by a Monk, on the accession of Elizabeth to the throne."-Camden's Hibernica 83. Hanmer's Chronicle 34.

"In 1283," says Colgan, "the belfry and steeple, as well as the dormitory, of Christ's Church, was burned, the flames extending to Skinner's Row, a great part of which was also burned; the roof and part of the body fell, and broke the ancient monument of Strongbow."

Stanehurst, who wrote in 1584, mentions, "that in 1540, a certain tomb in this church was opened, and in it was found the body of a Bishop, who had been some hundreds of years buried, being whole and uncorrupted; having rings, a golden chalice, and pontifical ornaments."

There is a copy, in the Black Book of this church, of Queen Mary's letter, which was addressed to Thomas Lockwood, the then Dean thereof, requesting him to receive Hugh Curwin, the Lord Archbishop of Dublin, " honourably and with due respect; as it was her will and royal pleasure that he should be the Primate of Ireland, under the sanction and concurrence of his Holiness, the Pope."

When Queen Elizabeth ascended the English throne, she nominated Dr. Brown to the see of Dublin, who, on his induction, caused all the fine paintings and sculptures of this Cathedral to be destroyed. There are no less than twelve Deaneries in the gift of the Archbishop of Dublin.

This edifice is more remarkable for its magnitude than for its architectural magnificence. It is an antique Gothic pile, the pillared portico, and pilastered walls of which give it a solemn aspect of antiquity. It is situated in Wine Tavern street, in the heart of the city, built in the form of a cross, and elevating from the centre of its roof a large square tower, in which there are eight immense bells, with chimes. It is almost entirely surrounded with houses, and those parts of it that may be seen externally, whether from the natural colour of the stone, or from the smoke incidental to large cities, exhibit a sombre appearance that makes it resemble the gloomy prison of Constance, as described by Sir Walter Scott, in Marmion. Its pillared aisles appear like an extended vista; and the archiepiscopal throne, where Doctor Magee, the present intolerant and uncharitable Archbishop, enjoy's "the fat slumbers of the church," is at once unique and elegant. The Lord Lieutenant's pew is furnished in a superb style, and ornamented with the most splendid embellishments of art. stately monuments, where "grandeur weeps magnificently in marble." The choir Its spacious nave is full of" storied urns," and is enclosed; and a gallery is at the west end of it, where there are four organs, the swelling melody of which "lift the rising soul." It has also north and south

galleries, which are furnished with organs. There are some elegant monuments of great architectural beauty in the choir, among which the Roman tomb of the Earl of Kildare, who died in 1743, possesses the greatest attraction for the eye and the admiration. He is represented in his parliamentary robes, lying in state on an altar tomb, with exquisitely sculptured figures, large as life, of his son and daughter, weeping over him.

The characteristics of the ancient Gothic order of architecture prevail through. out the component parts and general disposition of this edifice. The front portico is crowned with a lofty pediment, in the pyramidical form, like that in the transept front of Westminster Abbey; and the spire, in a direct line with its apex, rises over the intersection of the nave and the transept. The walls are strengthened with buttresses, and each of the turrets is pinnacled with a small pyramid; and the arches of the doors and windows terminate in a Saxon point, which are enriched with the mouldings and pyramidical canopies peculiar to this order of architecture.

ESSAYS ON THE PRESENT STATE OF IRELAND. NO. 1.

This

By the late arrivals from Europe, we are informed, that the Marquis of Anglesey is recalled from the Irish Government; or else has sent his resignation as Lord Lieutenant and Governor General of that part of the United kingdom. every intelligent person, familiar with the Anglo-Irish administration, expected: it is even surprising he was permitted to continue so long in his official capacity. The British Ministers have invariably recalled every unprejudiced and liberal governor, who has attempted to ameliorate the condition of the persecuted Catholics,* or else has sent a bigotted, partial Secretary of State to accompany him, not to discharge his official duties as an enlightened statesman, in unison with his colleague; no, but to thwart the liberal administration of the Lord Lieutenant, and foment intestine commotion amongst the deluded inhabitants. The Orangemen have been encouraged to persecute the Roman Catholics; sometimes to shoot a few of them with impunity. The meetings of the Roman Catholics have also. been overlooked, as it were, to entice them to commit some depredation, that government might have some plea to suspend the "Habeas Corpus Act," in districts inhabited by Roman Catholics, and thereby give the atrocious Orangeman an opportunity of revenging imaginary transgressions.

The Marquis of Anglesey, aided by his enlightened colleague, Lord L. Gower, prohibited such iniquitous proceedings; the transgressors were punished-the exclamation, "I am a brother," was no longer sufficient to screen a murderer, or acquit an Orange Assassin, as formerly, in a court of justice-the noxious word "Papist," or "Ribbon-man," although uttered in court by the master of an Orange lodge, was equally unavailing to convict an innocent Roman Catholicno man was transported for seven years or more, for resisting a lawless band of Orange marauders—the laws were more impartially administered than the inhabitants were accustomed to experience the peaceable portion of the people lookto government for protection, and to the spirit of the constitution for justice-illegal associations, for political purposes, were seldom heard of; even the vile Orange lodges were discontinued; and the enemies of Ireland assumed a new name, that of BRUNSWICKERS. The nobility of Ireland, "the Corinthian pillars of the state," assumed their original rank, station, and dignity, and declared that "Ireland is, and ought to be, an integral part of the United Kingdom, and as such entitled to an equal share of the administration, and ought not be governed as a province.”

It has been the uniform policy of the British Government to recall every Lord Lieutenant, who manifested a disposition to administer the laws to the Irish with justice and impartiality. Sir Anthony Bellingham, and Sir John Perrott, were recalled by Elizabeth, and repremanded by that virgin Queen, "for not SUFFICIENTLY OPPRESSing the Irish ! !??

The Marquis of Anglesey, Lord L. Gower, and Sir A. Hart, the Lord Chancellor, were also unanimous on this wise and liberal principle; and Ireland, for the first time, witnessed the three greatest officers of state mutually agreeing and individually endeavouring to mitigate the existing distresses of the kingdom, and rendering impartial justice to all classes of the community.

The British Ministers have been completely baffled and disappointed in their most sanguine expectations. The Catholic Association has accumulated strength, power, and influence. The Anglo-Irish government, the majority of the Irish and English nobility, and the great body of the people, demand, not as a privilege, but as a right, the emancipation of seven millions.

This is a remarkable epoch in Irish history. Lord Anglesey's resignation, and O'CONNELL'S election, will cause as great a sensation throughout the British dominion as Napoleon's return from Elba did. All Europe was then in commotion; the most experienced statesman shuddered at the prospects before him, and could not even anticipate the termination of the consequences that portended such fearful results. The invasion of France was not more hostile to the Bourbon Dynasty, than O'Connell's admission to the Imperial Parliament would be to the bigotted and illiberal factions who have monopolized, for centuries, almost all places of trust, profit, or emolument. The despots of Europe combined to destroy the French Emperor, and deprive the French nation of a Monarch whom they loved and almost adored. The petty despots of Great Britain, the Borough-mongers, will also unite to deprive O'Connell of a seat in Parliament, and the Catholics of a representative. What Napoleon designed to accomplish for the French, and all Europe, O'Connell would for his countrymen and the empire at large.

The British Ministers appointed, as efficient governor for Ireland, a Military Chieftian, who was known to inherit all the national antipathies of his ancestors to the Irish nation; and as they invariably practiced, "divide, and conquer," they have also selected Lord L. Gower as Secretary of State. Oh, what an unexpected change!! The noble Marquis, from being an inveterate political opponent,* became a zealous, disinterested friend of the Catholics, and of course his services were no longer required as Vice-Roy of Ireland.

There are other motives which probably induced his Lordship to resign; such as the probability of rebellion, &c. &c. The Marquis of Anglesey is an experienced warrior, and a consummate general; no man in all Europe understands what a united peasantry, when driven to desperation, can accomplish, better than Lord Paget. His Excellency recollects how the Portuguese and Spanish peasantry fought, and finally conquered, Napoleon's invincibles. He also remembers the French Revolution, and cannot forget that the French peasantry overcame the veteran troops of Europe: nor can the immortal American peasantry, who overcame all opposition, and compelled the British Ministers to acknowledge them "Free and Independent," be forgotten. Ireland, with a population of seven millions of inhabitants, directed by the wisdom of the Catholic Association, as warlike as either Portuguese, Spanish, or French peasantry, is as likely to prove as formidable to Wellington's troops in the field of battle, as the Spanish did to the Marshals of Napoleon. The forces which any Irish chieftain could bring to the field, are certainly very powerful, for their wrongs would make cowards heroes. There are about forty thousand disbanded militia in the kingdom, who are well disciplined, and no doubt willing to follow any influential leader; about ten thousand discharged from the regulars, and about fifty thousand yeomanry and citizens, who are well trained; add to these about one hundred thousand disaffected young men, who would follow the standard of any commander opposed to the “Sassanaugh ;” ex

*The great English legislator, Sir Edward Cooke, in a letter to Sir John Davies, observed: "It is a circumstance which reflects great honour on the moral worth of the Irish nation, that scarce any man, exercising the supreme authority of government, for England, who did not prove for ever after her strenuous defender. If Ireland cannot be safe, therefore, England cannot be safe; so that I think we would act wisely in sanctioning the political independence of that nation." Vide Henry's History of England.