monly understood and enjoyed. But if the measure thus proposed was
extraordinary, the state of affairs which had led to its proposal was so
also in a far greater degree. The records of no nation had ever
presented such a fearful catalogue of crimes as was now laid before the
Parliament, and at such a crisis the statesmen to whom the tranquillity
of the country and the safety of the citizens were intrusted were
undoubtedly called upon to go back from the letter of the constitution
to that which is the primary object of every constitution--the safety of
those who live under it. _Salus populi suprema lex_. And the argument of
necessity was regarded, and rightly regarded, by both Houses of
Parliament as a sufficient and complete justification of even so
exceptional an enactment.

And concurrently with this enactment, which, however indispensable for
the repression of crime, no one could deny to be severe, the ministers
endeavored also to remove the causes of discontent by a large measure of
Church reform, not confining their aim to settling the tithe question,
but dealing with the whole question of the Irish Church in such a way as
to lay down, as an undoubted principle of the constitution, the doctrine
that the Church existed for the benefit of the nation; that its property
was bestowed on it for the same object; and that, consequently, the
nation, or in other words the Parliament, had a perfect right to deal
with its property and endowments of all kinds, always keeping the same
end in view, the general advantage of the whole nation. Proceeding on
these maxims, they introduced a Church Reform Bill, in which, perhaps,
the most remarkable circumstance of all was, that the evil which had
been the original cause of their taking up the subject at all was the
last thing settled, not, indeed, being finally arranged for four years;
while the principal detail in the way of reform which was completed in
this first session was one which, however reasonable, had hitherto
received but little attention, and had certainly provoked no great
outcry. It could not be denied that the Episcopal Establishment in
Ireland was out of all proportion to the extent of the country and the
number of the Protestant population, or of the parishes. The entire
population in communion with the Church fell short of 900,000. The
number of parishes scarcely exceeded 1400. But over this comparatively
scanty flock were set no fewer than eighteen bishops and four