s is due to a peculiar idiosyncrasy
in Ireland--to some unhappy congenital malformation, or some original
taint in the blood. It has been often asked whether England would have
submitted to similar treatment from Ireland if their relations were
reversed. Englishmen have not answered that question because they
cannot understand it. They find it difficult to apply the Divine
maxim, 'Do as you would be done by.' in their dealings with other
nations. But they can scarcely conceive its application to their
dealings with Ireland, any more than the American planter could have
conceived the duty of fraternizing with his negroes. If we draw from
this fact the logical inference, we shall be at a loss to discern
whether the Celt or the Saxon suffers more from the moral perversity
of his nature. The truth is, both are perverted by their unnatural
relations, which are a standing outrage on the spirit of Christianity.

The Emperor of Austria long laboured to govern one nation through
another and for another, in right of conquest, and we know the result
in Italy and Hungary. Lombardy, though well cultivated and materially
prosperous, could never be reconciled to Austrian rule. Even the
nobility could not be tempted to appear at court. Venetia was more
passionately and desperately hostile, and was consequently crushed by
military repression, till the country was turned into a wilderness,
and the capital once so famous for its commerce and splendour, became
one of the most melancholy scenes of ruin and desolation to be found
in the world. The Austrians, and those who sympathised with Austria
as the great conservative power of the Continent, ascribed all this
to the perversity of the Italian nature, and to the influence of
agitators and conspirators. Austria was bountiful to her Italian
subjects, and would be more lenient if she could, but their vices of
character and innate propensity to rebellion, rendered necessary
a system of coercion. Hence the prisons were full of political
offenders; the soldier and the executioner were constantly employed in
maintaining law and order. All the Emperor wanted was that his Italian
provinces should be so thoroughly amalgamated with Austria, as to form
one firmly united empire, and that the inhabitants should be content
with their position as _Austrian_ subjects, ruled by Austrian
officials. But this was precisely what they could not or would not
be. 'They smiled at the drawn dagger and defied its poi