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6 (1855)
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226

JIISTOEY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.XVII.IG'JI.State ofIrelandafter theWar.

avail, and to retrieve on distant fields of battle the honour whichhad been lost by a long series of defeats at home. In Irelandthere was peace. The domination of the colonists was absolute.The native population was tranquil with the ghastly tranquillityof exhaustion and of despair. There were indeed outrages,robberies, fireraisings, assassinations. But more than a cen-tury passed away without one general insurrection. Duringthat century, two rebellions were raised in Great Britain by theadherents of the House of Stuart. But neither when the elderPretender was crowmed at Scone, nor when the younger heldhis court at Holyrood, was the standard of that House set up inConnaught or Munster. In 1745, indeed, when the Highlanderswere marching towards London, the Roman Catholics of Irelandwere so quiet that the Lord Lieutenant could, without thesmallest risk, send several regiments across Saint George’sChannel to recruit the army of the Duke of Cumberland. Norwas this submission the effect of content, but of mere stupe-faction and brokenness of heart. The iron had entered into thesoul. The memory of past defeats, the habit of daily enduringinsult and oppression, had cowed the spirit of the unhappynation. There were indeed Irish Roman Catholics of greatability, energy and ambition: but they were to be found everywhere except in Ireland, at Versailles and at Saint Ildefonso, inthe armies of Frederic and in the armies of Maria Theresa. Oneexile became a Marshal of France. Another became Prime Mi-nister of Spain. If he had staid in his native land he would havebeen regarded as an inferior by all the ignorant and worthlesssquireens who drank the glorious and im m °rtal memory. In hispalace at Madrid he had the pleasure of being assiduouslycourted by the ambassador of George the Second, and of bid-ding defiance in high terms to the ambassador of George theThird.* Scattered over all Europe were to be found brave Irish* Some interesting facts relating to Wall, who was minister of Fer-