point. His conspiracy was not discovered by " a dropped letter," but revealed to a servant, at a drinking bout. The story is narrated with great naivete, by Sir James :

"At this time, the lord lieutenant received some intimation that Shane O'Neal was contriving new conspiracies."188

How do you suppose, gentle reader, he received this intimation, and what were the contents of it? Attend:

"A kinsman of his, [Shane O'Neal's] drinking in company with the collector of the archbishop of Armagh's revenues at Drogheda, was heard to swear by his soul, that his cousin was a patient fool, and so were his ancestors, in taking an earldom from the kings of England, when, by right, themselves were kings. He further added, by way of question, to the bishop's servant, Is it not so? The man was glad to comply, and to say it was so, seeing six of the Irish in the room, with their skeans by them. But as soon as he came to his master, Adam Loftus, he cried out, Pardon me, master. The archbishop asking him, Why, what hast thou done? He told him the whole story. Whereupon he wrote to the lord lieutenant about it.”189

Certainly this was a most important communication to the lord lieutenant, on which the safety of the state depended, and precisely on a level with the dropped letter, which cost one hundred and fifty thousand people five hundred thousand acres of land. Never, before or since, has any letter, whether dropped or sent through the postoffice, afforded such a harvest.

In consequence of this "conspiracy," so very dangerous in itself, so miraculously discovered,

188 Ware, Eliz. 7.

189 Ibid.

and so accurately and minutely detailed, troops were raised against the rebel, many of his followers killed, and "great preys of cattle made."""190 And be it observed, that throughout the whole of the history of Ireland, "preys of cattle" form a most important item in the spoils of war gained by the lords deputies.

Some time afterwards,

"On the complaint of the nobility, the lord deputy raised a great army of English and Irish, in order to root out Shane O'Neal."191

66

Here, the reader will observe, there was no dropped letter," no "conspiracy," no "rebellion;" but the first family in Ireland, with all its numerous branches and dependencies, to the amount, perhaps, of thousands, was to be "rooted out," on the complaint of "the nobility!" and two or three hundred thousand acres of land forfeited, "for the promotion of religion and civilization." But it was all fair. It was only "spoiling the Egyptians," those wretches that neither "built houses nor planted orchards."

Those who carefully examine the sorry ro mances above quoted, will find it difficult to decide which is most wonderful, the stupidity with which they are contrived, or the wickedness which employed such means to despoil an oppressed and unoffending people.

But however the question of the guilt or innocence of the earls may be determined, it does not

190 Ware, Eliz. 7.

191 Idem, 10.

affect the character of the proceedings of king James, after "their fugacy," as it is quaintly termed by Sir Thomas Philips. Those proceedings displayed such a flagitious spirit of depredation, such a total disregard of private right and the calls of humanity, such a wanton waste of human happiness, and such base hypocrisy, in cloaking it with a regard for the civilization and the eternal happiness of the natives, as cannot be exceeded in the history of human injustice.

For admitting the guilt of the earls to have been fully and completely established, they and their accomplices alone ought to have suffered for it. It was a violation of every principle of honour and justice, to involve the innocent with the guilty,-to proscribe indiscriminately the entire population of six out of the thirty-two counties contained in the kingdom. This was the course pursued in the plantation of Ulster, of which such erroneous statements have been made, in all the histories that embrace the reign of James I. with hardly an exception.

By the "fugacy" of the earls, every man in the six counties was regarded as having at once, ipso facto, forfeited his lands, which became vested in the crown, to be granted, at the pleasure of the monarch, to whomsoever, and on whatsoever terms, he judged proper.

There were three divisions made of the spoils : First, to "English and Scotch, who are to plant their proportions with English and Scottish tenants;"

Secondly, to "servitors in Ireland, who may take English or Irish tenants, at their choice;" Thirdly, to "natives of those counties, who are to be freeholders."192

The largest and fairest portion of the lands was bestowed on the favoured few of the first class; to the next were bestowed those of the second quality; and the despoiled Irish were planted on the inferior quality.

But a malignant feature of this transaction remains behind,—a feature unique in its character. The wretched Irish, deprived of their paternal homes, driven out to the most sterile spots, were barbarously cut off from all chance of ever regaining their possessions; as the undertakers and servitors were bound, under penalty, never to sell to the "mere Irish," nor to Roman Catholics

▲ Orders and Conditions of the Plantation of Ulster. "8. That in the surveys, observations be made what proportions, by name, are fittest to be allotted to the Britains, what to the servitors, and what to the natives; wherein this respect is to be had, that the Britains be put in places of best safety; the natives to be dispersed; and the servitors planted in those places which are of greatest importance to serve the

rest. "193

B Articles concerning the undertakers.

"7. The said undertakers, their heirs and assigns, shall not alien or demise their portions, or any part thereof, to the mere Irish, or to such persons as will not take the oath, which the said undertakers are bound to take by the former article: and to that end, a proviso shall be inserted in their letters patents. 193 Idem, 126.

192 Hibernica, 106.

of any nation for the disposal to persons who did not take the oath of supremacy, and "conform themselves in religion according to his majesty's laws,' was rigorously prohibited and punished.

99194

Now, reader, are you not petrified with astonishment, at this view of the grand and magnificent scheme, which has immortalized the memory of the first Stuart that wielded the triple sceptre of the British dominions?

To bring this point home to the feelings of an American reader, I venture to state an analogous case, to which I request particular attention. Suppose that the resistance of America, in 1776, had terminated as fatally as the various insurrections of Ireland have done; or, to come nearer

(6 10. The said undertakers shall not alien their portions during five years next after the date of their letters patents, but in this manner, viz. one third part in fee farm; another third part for forty years or under; reserving to themselves the other third part, without alienation, during the said five years. But after the said five years, they shall be at liberty to alien to all persons EXCEPT THE MERE IRISH, and such persons as will not take the oath which the said undertakers are to take as aforesaid."

"1195

Article concerning the servitors.

แ "9. They [the servitors] shall not alien their portions, or any part thereof, to the mere Irish, or to any such person or persons as will not take the like oath, as the said undertakers were to take as aforesaid; and to that end a proviso shall be inserted in their letters patents.'

""196

194 Hibernica, 126. 195 Idem, 127.

196 Idem, 128.