contemplating the remains of a venerable tower, that after having withstood for ages the attacks of hoftility and violence, and the depredations of time, at length crumbles infenfibly into

ruin.

At Clonells, near Castle Rea, lives O'Conner, the direct defcendant of Roderick O'Conner, who was King of Connaught 6 or 700 years ago; there is a monument of him in Roscommon church, with his fcepter, &c. I was told as a certainty, that this family were here long before the coming of the Milefians. The poffeffions formerly fo great are reduced to 3 or 400 l. a year, the family having fared in the revolutions of fo many ages, much worse than the O'Niels and O'Briens. The common people pay him the greatest respect, and fend him prefents of cattle, &c. upon various occafions. They confider him as the prince of a people involved in one common ruin.' The Tartar Chief Macdermot prefents a fomewhat plea fanter image.

Another great family in Connaught is Macdermot, who calls himself Prince of Coolavin; he lives at Coolavin in Sligo, and though he has not above 100l. a year, will not admit his children to fit down in his prefence. This was certainly the cafe with his father, and fome affured me even with the prefent Chief. Lord Kingsborough, Mr. Ponfonby, Mr. O'Hara, Mr. Sandford, &c. came to see him, and his addrefs was curious: "O'Hara! you are welcome; Sandford, I am glad to fee your mother's fon : (his mother was an O'Brien) as to the rest of ye, come in as ye can." Mr. O'Hara

66

66

of Nymphsfield is in poffeffion of a confiderable eftate in Sligo, which is the remains of great poffeffions they had in that country:

he is one of the few defcendants of the Milefian race.'

Mr. Young mentions a very fingular circumstance in natural history, which we fhould be glad to fee fatisfactorily accounted for. Perch, fays he, appeared in all the lakes of Ireland, and in the Shannon, at the fame time, namely, about seventeen years ago. The naturalifts will in all probability find this problem the bow of Ulyffes. Mr. Young relates another fact alfo, which is equally extraordinary: One caution, fays he, fpeaking of mules, fhould be ufed in relation to their food. If wheat-ftraw is cut into chaff and given, it will kill them; the late Bishop of Elphin loft all his mules by it.' We fhould rather fuppofe this accident was owing to fome other circumftance which was unnoticed at the time.

Of the uncommon fertility of Ireland there are some instances that almost stagger belief. In one place we read of an acre producing 10 loads of hay; in another, of the fame quantity of land producing 16 loads. Thefe, no doubt, are one-horse-car loads. In another place, however, he is more definite, where he fpeaks of five tons of hay being collected from a fingle acre.

Mr. Young feems to have made it his bufinefs to collect very accurate information on the fubjects of manufactures and fisheries: we are forry to obferve, that the fame caufe which retards

H 4

the

improvement of agriculture, operates equally with respect likewife to these.

From this political furvey, as it may be called, Ireland appears to poffefs many important natural advantages, but he is in a great measure prevented from making use of them by want of a fufficient capital. It is to be hoped, however, that freedom of trade will open new fources of wealth, and not only enable her to enlarge her own capital, but also find employment for the fuperabundant capital of her more opulent neighbours.

Were we to draw conclufions from fuch data as this Tour furnishes us with, we might affirm, that Ireland, notwithstanding the encouragement that is held out by the Dublin Society (one of the moft refpectable in Europe), as well as by the Irifh Parliament, can never become eminent for its agriculture, if corn alone is to be the object of cultivation. The natural humidity of the climate, which renders it frequently neceffary to kiln-dry their wheat, a procefs not only expenfive, but prejudicial also to the quality of the grain, will for ever be an obitacle that the farmer muft have to contend with. In a climate where humidity predominates, and where froft is not fevere, nature feems to point out thofe plants, which are valuable for their leaf, their stem, or their root, as the proper objects of cultivation, in preference to grain, which requires more fun and a drier atmosphere. Hence we fhould fuppofe that tobacco, though we do not find our neighbours have yet availed themfelves of the late act for permitting its cultivation, is capable of making a very valuable branch of Irish hufbandry. Should this plant become a ftaple commodity, it would probably be the intereft of Ireland to grow no more corn than would come in the course of tillage for turneps and fax: the one being abfolutely neceffary for the improvement of their fheep and cattle, the other for the fupply of their linen manufactures.

[To be concluded in our next.]

ART. III. A Memorial, most humbly addreffed to the Sovereigns of Europe, on the prefent State of Affairs between the Old and New World. Svo. 2 s. 6d. Almon.' 1780.

HE Editor of this Memorial informs the Public, that it was written by a gentleman, lately deceafed, who, from fome misfortune in his perfonal relations, left England, and took up his refidence in the Azores, or Western Ifles;-that he had not been unpractifed in government, or uninformed by experience concerning the nature of the European fettlements in America;-and that this Memorial was the last result of his reflections. Whoever was the author, or with whatever circum

ftances

ftances it is ushered into the world, the work appears to merit a more than common fhare of attention.

Taking it for granted, that North America is de facto an Independent Power*, which has taken its equal station with other powers, the Memorialist examines into the precise nature of this change in the political state of the world, and enquires what are likely to be the confequences of this change, and with what fpirit, and by what conduct, the advancing state of things fhould be met. In comparing the amplitude and growth of the Old and the New World, he remarks, that in order to produce natural greatnefs, befides extent of territory, there must be a natural capability of fyftematic connection. America has this advantage, being naturally divided into two extensive fyftems, the Northern and Southern; the former poffeffed by the English, the latter principally by the Spanish and Portuguese. There is no where in Europe fuch greatness of interwoven and combined interefts, as that of North America. The nature of the coaft, and of the winds on that coaft, renders navigation, through the whole extent, eafy: it has the advantage of large internal waters; and its foil produces every thing that nature requires, luxury covets, or power can ufe. The continent of South America has ftill greater amplitude of bafis, a greater variety of climates, and, as to its ftate of Supplies, is further advanced towards a natural independence than the powers of Europe are aware. They have every variety of fupply, and a free communication by a regular marine. In the elevated parts of the country, agriculture is in a state to afford plenty for home confumption, and a furplus for exportation. The Weft side of South America, poffeffed by one nation, will rife înto an object of greater magnitude, in activity, wealth and power, than that in North America, as it is greater in the variety and extent of its internal communication; befides which, it will have an uninterrupted intercourfe with the Eaft Indies.

South America is not yet, in its natural courfe, ripe for falling off; nor is it likely, from the flow, official, cautious prudence of its metropolis, to be forced before its time and feafon to a premature re volt, as North America has been. As long as the Spanish monarch proceeds in adminiftering the affairs and the government of its American establishments, with the temper, addrefs and wisdom which it obferves at prefent, an indolent, luxurious, fuperftitious people, not much (though much more than the public in general fufpects) accustomed to think of political arrangements, will continue in a certain degree of fubjection to government, and in a certain degree of acquiefcence to commercial reftrictive regulations in their Euro pean intercourfe, for the fake of a reciprocity of advantage, enjoy ment, and protection, which they derive from it. Not being yet This Memorial must have been written in or before the year $779.

bardened

bardened into a temper for enterprize by force of war, they will continue to pay their taxes as a peace offering. But the natives encreafing in numbers, beyond any proportion of the number of Old Spaniards, which the metropolis can fend either as civil governors and magiftrates, or as foldiers; having the executive power of all the inferior magiltracies in their own hands, by their own election of the magiftrates; and having invariably, where their choice operates, a decided rule to choose thofe of their own body; they have, fo far as that goes, all the power of internal government in their own hands, in which the majefty of the fovereign power never interferes; and whatever fovereignty the Spanish monarch holds by the offices of his vicereys, of his judges, of his audiencies, his clergy, or his army however majeltic they may look, or however it may appear to individuals, and, in particular exertions, carry terror: it is a mere tenure at good-will. A great country like this, where the community has fo far advanced in agriculture, manufactures, arts, and commerce, wherein there is fuch amplitude and growth of flate, is every day growing too large for any government in Europe to manage by authority, at the distance of four or five thousand miles.'

The Spanish government knows, that they, as well as the Englith, found themfelves under the neceffity of repealing an arrangement of revenue which they had made; becaufe they felt that they could not carry it into execution by authority, and they fo rightly underfood their frength, as to know that it was not fafe to urge it by force: It is alfo very well known, that the difputes between the Spanish and Portuguese courts, about the boundaries of the Brazils and the Spamith provinces, arofe from their not being able jointly to carry into effect a pacification on the cafe, because there are Powers in those Countries, who would not be bound by the decifions of a government, whofe laws are of no authority with them, when opposed to their fyftem. The powers I mean, are the governing authority of the millions at Paraguay. This is exactly and precifely the flate of the cafe between the metropolitan government of Spain and its provin cial etablishments in South America. I could, by a detailed defcription of the nature of the country; of the application of the labour of the inhabitants to its capabilities; of the ftate of the community as it lies in nature, and as it is actuated; all compared with the conftitution and adminiftration of the government which is eftablished there; with the fpirit of the people, both Old Spaniards, Creoles, and Indians, fhow that South America is growing too much for Spain to manage; that it is in power, to be independent, and will be fo in act, whenever, and as foon as, any occation thall cail forth that power. Whenever fuch revolt takes place, it will not be after the manner or in the form of that of North America. North America building on the foundation of its dominion as it lies in nature, has become a democratic or ariftocratic republic. The falling off of South America will be conducted, in its natural progrefs, by the spirit of fome injured enterprizing genius, taking the lead of a fenfe of alienation and of a difpofition of revolt, to the establishment of a great monarchy.'

The comparison which the Author next proceeds to make between the progrefs of civilization, commerce, &c. in the Old

and

and New World, has fo much originality, and discovers fuch depth of penetration, that we were tempted to infert the whole paffage but this would carry us beyond our limits.

This Memorialift next difplays the great advantages which America derives from the rapid progrefs of her population (of which he gives a circumftantial and apparently authentic detail), from the general military education and character of the people, and from the liberal fpirit of government which already. appears amongst them. On thefe grounds he proceeds to enumerate fome of the probable effects, which the eftablishment and increase of this great empire' will have on the commercial and political fyftem of the Old World. He foretels, that this great naval and commercial power will fhortly be courted by all the maritime powers of Europe, and will become the arbitrefs of the commercial world *. If America decline all connections with Europe, other than fuch as are commercial, and keep herself a FREE PORT to all Europe at large, fhe will have a FREE MARKET with all the nations with whom the trades, and will, in time, become the chief commercial carrier for the whole world. Every article of her produce and manufacture will meet others of the fame kind in all parts of the world, which must operate to moderate the prices of goods. The Americans will become powerful rivals to the Dutch in fhip-building; and they will increase the spirit of competition, and commercial activity, throughout the world. They will extend their trade to the Eaft, and conteft with the Dutch for the Spice Iflands, on the fame ground on which they formerly contefted with the Portuguefe. Their fuccefsful commerce and flourishing state will raife a general fpirit of adventure, and open the door to emigration. All the maritime ftates of Europe, feeing the trade of America laid open, will feek for a fhare in it. This may be attempted either by particular treaties of commerce (which have always hitherto been found ineffectual), or by a General Commercial Council, to fettle the common terms of trade with this Free Port. In fuch a negociation, all ideas of exclusive privilege, and all monopolizing fyftems, must be given up as detrimental to all parties; and commerce mult be established on the broad, and only fecure and beneficial ground, of unreftrained and equal intercourfe. Such a General Council of Commerce might remain a perpetual feat of juftice, in all difputes refpecting trade and navigation; which would be of infinite use to recal the nations of Europe from that ftate of piracy to which

* The establishment, however, of this fuppofed new empire in the western world, feems, at prefent, to be removed to a period of time much more remote than our Memorialit might (not without fome appearance of reafon) apprehend, at the time of his writing.

they