a system admirably calculated to oppress and impoverish, as well as to brutalize and demoralize, the mass of the nation, and enslave them to the aristocracy or oligarchy that ruled the land. A chapter or two shall be devoted to the development of this system.

FP. 20. Few, even of the learned, know this fact respecting Milton, which displays such an awful disregard of truth, as attaches an eternal blot on his memory. The reader may readily conceive what poignant distress was excited by the discovery of a procedure so diametrically opposite to the general character of Milton, whom we are taught, from infancy, to regard as ranking among the best of men. But, after all, it only adds one to the numberless proofs already before the world, of the fallibility of human nature, and evinces that he was but a mere man, and, so far as respects this case, either grossly deceived, or a gross deceiver;-there is no other alternative and a liberal examination will more readily incline us to place in the latter than in the former class, the man who could, in cold blood, to pander to the purposes of a party, intimate an opinion, that there were above six hundred thousand Protestants massacred in Ireland, at a period when the whole population was not many more than a million, and when the Protestants were but as two to eleven of the Roman Catholics.5 Ainsi va le monde.

5 Petty, 18.

G P. 20. It is easier to conjecture.] This sentence exhibits a manifest dereliction of the duty of an historian. Warner had before him the plain fact, that the mass of testimony was doubled or trebled by the admission of hearsay evidence, "what this body heard another body say:" and there was no difficulty in ascertaining the object, which the historian ought to have stated. This object was to criminate the Catholics, sacrifice them on gibbets, and confiscate their property. That this was Dr. Warner's "conjecture," cannot be doubted. The phraseology admits of no other construction. But it is merely insinuated, in a manner unworthy of so very respectable an historian.

HP. 22. Attended with more difficulty.] This difficulty requires explanation. The power and influence of the oligarchy in Ireland, which triumphantly styles itself, "the Protestant ascendency," have been erected on the basis of the frauds of this portion of the history of Ireland, whereby they have been enabled to enslave, oppress, and destroy their fellow subjects at their pleasure and "Great is the Diana of Ephesus," whenever the "craft was in danger," by any serious effort to dispel the mists of prejudice, they have spared neither pains nor expense to counteract the Godlike purpose. Their most sacred maxim, like that of all other oppressors, has been -Divide et impera.

• Warner, ubi supra.

L P. 25. Other cases in point.] Two cis-Atlantic cases, of recent discussion, afford abundant matter for reflection. They are, the battle of Bunker's Hill, and the capture of major Andre. The opinions that have heretofore universally prevailed, respecting the conduct of general Putnam in the former, and on the character and motives of the captors of the unfortunate major, have been of late brought into controversy, and debated with great zeal and ardour. On the latter question, the opinion, so honourable to the parties, as well as to their country, whereby the procedure is rendered so invaluable and beneficial to the world in point of example, has been unanimously confirmed by the public. But with respect to general Putnam, the question appears to be adhuc sub judice, after having slept for above forty years. So much for history, even under its most favourable aspects! What must it be under its worst?

PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

E P. 20. "The rebellion and horrid massacre of English protestants in Ireland, to the number of one hundred and fiftyfour thousand in the province of Ulster only, by their own computation; which, added to the other three, makes up the total sum of that slaughter, in all likelihood, four times as great;"7 that is, above six hundred thousand massacred in a few months, by insurgents, who, except in two or three instances, were uniformly defeated, and slaughtered without mercy!

Milton's Iconoclastes, second edition, p. 49.

1 P. 24. Extract from the despatches of Commodore Rodgers to the Secretary of the Navy, dated May 23, 1811.

"At fifteen or twenty minutes past eight, being a little forward of her weather beam, and distant from seventy to a hundred yards, hailed, "What ship is that?" To this inquiry no answer was given: but I was hailed by her commander, and asked, "What ship is that?" Having asked the first question, I of course considered myself entitled, by the common rules of politeness, to the first answer. After a pause of fifteen or twenty seconds, I reiterated my first inquiry of, "What ship is that?" and before I had time to take the trumpet from my mouth, was answered by a shot, that cut off one of our main-top back-stays, and went into our main-mast. At this instant, captain Caldwell (of marines) who was standing very mear me, on the gangway, having observed, "Sir, she has fired at us," caused me to pause. Just as I was in the act of giving an order to fire a shot in return, and before I had time to resume the repetition of the intended order, a shot was actually fired from the second division of this ship, and was scarcely out of the gun, before it was answered from our assumed enemy, by three others, in quick succession, and soon after by the rest of his broadside and musketry. When the first shot was fired, being under an impression that it might possibly have proceeded from accident, and without the orders of the commander, I had determined, at the moment, to fire only a single shot in return; but the immediate repetition of the previous unprovoked outrage induced me to believe that the insult was premeditated; and that, from our adversary being at that time as ignorant of our real force as I was of his, he thought this, perhaps, a favourable opportunity of acquiring promotion, although at the expense of violating our neutrality, and insulting our flag. I accordingly, with that degree of repugnance incident to feeling, equally determined neither to be the aggressor, nor suffer the flag of my country to be insulted with impunity, gave a general order to fire; the effect of which, in from four to six minutes, as near as I can judge, having produced a partial silence of his guns, I gave orders to cease firing, discovering, by the feeble opposition, that it must be a ship of very inferior force to what I had supposed; or that some untoward accident had happened to her.

"My orders, in this instance, however, (although they proceeded alone from motives of humanity, and a determination not to spill a drop of blood unnecessarily,) I had, in less than four minutes, some reason to regret; as he renewed his fire, of which two thirty-two pound shot cut off one of our fore shrouds, and injured our foremast. It was now that I found myself under the painful necessity of giving orders for a repetition of our fire, against a force which our forbearance alone had enabled to do us any injury of moment. Our fire was accordingly renewed, and continued from three to five minutes longer, when, perceiving our opponent's gaff and colours down, his maintopsail-yard upon the cap, and his fire silenced, although it was so dark, that I could not discern any other particular injury we had done, or how far he was in a situation to do us further harm, I nevertheless embraced the earliest moment to stop our fire, and prevent the further effusion of blood."

P. 24. Extract of a letter from Captain Arthur Batt Bingham to Admiral Sawyer, dated May 21, 1811.

"The ship was brought to, her colours hoisted, her guns double-shotted, and every preparation made in case of a surprise. By his manner of steering down, he evidently wished to lay his ship in a position for raking, which I frustrated, by wearing three times. About fifteen minutes past eight, he came within hail. I hailed, and asked, What ship that was? he again repeated my words, and fired a broadside, which I instantly returned. The action then became general, and continued so for three quarters of an hour, when he ceased firing, and seemed to be on fire about the main-hatchway. He then filled. I was obliged to desist from firing, as the ship falling off, no gun would bear, and had no after sail to keep her to, all the rigging and sails cut to pieces; not a brace nor a bow-line left. He hailed, and asked what ship this was I told him. He then asked me if I had struck my colours? my answer, No: and asked what ship it was? as plain as I could understand, (he having shot some distance at this time) he answered, The United States' frigate. He fired no more guns, but stood from us, giving no reason for his most extraordinary conduct."