t disputed that by far the greater part of the
land-owners in every province were Protestants.[233] But an ignorant
peasant is no student of political economy or of logic; and the fact
that the payment of the tithe passed through his hands was in his eyes,
an incontrovertible proof that it came out of his pocket. The discontent
had gradually begotten an organized resistance to the payment, and the
mischief of allowing the continuance of such a state of feeling and
conduct, which was manifestly likely to impair the respect for all law,
made such an impression on the government that, in the royal speech with
which he opened the session of 1832, the King recommended the whole
subject to the consideration of Parliament, urging the Houses to inquire
"whether it might not be possible to effect improvements in the laws
respecting this subject."

In compliance with this recommendation, committees were appointed by
both Houses; and the result of their investigations was a recommendation
that a new arrangement should be made, under which the tithe should be
commuted to a rent-charge. Accordingly, the next year the ministers
proceeded to give effect to this recommendation. But they reasonably
judged that an alteration of a particular law in compliance with the
clamor raised against it would be a concession pregnant with mischief to
the principle of all government, if it were not accompanied, or rather
preceded, by a vindication of the majesty of all law; and therefore the
first measure affecting Ireland, which they brought in in 1833, was a
"Coercion Bill," which empowered the Lord-lieutenant not only to
suppress the meetings of any assembly or association which he might
consider dangerous to the public peace, but also to declare by
proclamation any district in which tumults and outrages were rife to be
"in a disturbed state;" and in districts thus proclaimed no person was
to be permitted to be absent from his house from an hour after sunset to
sunrise. Houses might be searched for arms, martial law was to be
established, and courts-martial held for the trial of all offences
except felonies; and the _Habeas Corpus_ Act was suspended for three
months. O'Connell and his party protested with great vehemence against
such an enactment, as a violation of every right secured to the subject
by the constitution. And a bill which suspended the ordinary courts of
justice must be admitted to have been incompatible with the constitution
as com