On Local Disturbances in Ireland

to afford this security that the Whiteboy combinations are formed. The Whiteboy association may be considered as a vast trades' union for the protection of the Irish peasantry: the object being, not to regulate the rate of wages, or the hours of work, but to keep the actual occupant in possession of his land, and in general to regulate the relation of landlord and tenant for the benefit of the latter. Certain other objects are occasionally added, the chief of which is to prevent the employment of a stranger, the quantity of work being, in the opinion of the labourers, already insufficient for the natives: at times, moreover, the Whiteboys (as we have already seen) have sought to reduce the rate of tithe, or to prevent its collection, or to lower the priests' dues. These combinations being constantly in existence, and working with weapons which may be turned to any purpose, the objects have perhaps somewhat varied: but in general they have been restricted simply to the occupation of land and the several payments immediately connected with it.

Before we proceed to show, by extracts, that the regulation of the terms on which land is to be held is the predominant end of the Whiteboy combinations, it may be proper to remark, that the possession of arms is in general the first object aimed at, inasmuch as this affords the only means by which their laws can be enforced. The possession of arms, however, not being the ultimate object of these associators, we shall postpone what we have to say on this head until we come to treat of the machinery by which their system is worked.

That the object of the Whiteboys is general, and that they seek to enforce certain laws, for the purpose

of removing certain evils, is forcibly stated in the following passage of a despatch from Lord Wellesley, as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to Lord Melbourne, dated 15th April, 1834:

"A complete system of legislation, with the most prompt, vigorous, and severe executive power, sworn, equipped, and armed for all purposes of savage punishment, is established in almost every district. On this subject I cannot express my opinions more clearly, nor with more force nor justice, than your lordship will find employed in a letter addressed by Lord Oxmantown, lieutenant of the King's County, to Mr. Littleton. Lord Oxinantown truly observes, that the combination established surpasses the law in vigour, promptitude, and efficacy, and that it is more safe to violate the law than to obey it."-Papers relating to the State of Ireland. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 7th July, 1834, p.

5.

A similar statement is made by Colonel Ralph Johnson, a magistrate of the Queen's County

"What do you imagine to be the object of this association ? -I have said before, it is intimidation,-to legislate; they conceive they have grievances, and they take this mode of redressing them.

"What grievances?-Very many grievances, in my mind; I think there is very great mismanagement of landed property; it is very great, even on the part of resident landlords, although not to the same extent that exists with absentees."-Minutes of Evidence, House of Commons, 1832, Nos. 763-4.

The same view, with regard to the assumed authority of these combined peasants, seeking to substitute their own law for that of the state, is also taken in a speech delivered in the Irish House of Commons by Mr. Browne, in reference to the disturbances of the Rightboys in 1787:

66

The legislature sitting there (he said), with a vain image

of authority, thought they governed the country; but a new power had risen in the land, who laughed at their edicts; a visionary monarch, a Captain Right, who seemed to have more real strength than the legislature ever had. This royal Willo' th' Wisp, whom no man could catch, made laws infinitely more effectual, or better enforced, than those of parliament. His first law was to disarm all the Protestants in the country. There had been a law to disarm persons of another persuasion, which had been hung over them in terrorem, but never executed; but the law to disarm Protestants was very thoroughly carried into execution. As he had not by this means sufficiently supplied himself with arms and ammunition, his next step was to lay the whole country under contribution to purchase military stores. This was not sufficient, without securing the permanent obedience of his subjects, and therefore they were bound by an oath to obey blindly all his laws, without knowing what they might be."

To how great an extent a sense of the general character of the crimes of the Whiteboys is present in their minds, appears even from the common phraseology of the threatening notices, "that if the party does not comply with the order, he will suffer the death of so and so," referring to some remarkable murder; by which it is plain that such homicides are considered, not as casual acts of individual malice or vengeance, but as exemplary inflictions, intended to deter all others from such courses as led to the death of the individual referred to*.

* The following threatening letter, addressed to a person in the barony of Gallen, county of Mayo (which contains a different expression of the same feeling), is cited from a Mayo newspaper in the Times of 11th December, 1835:

66 NOTICE.

"Take notice Mr. John Waters of Stripe that unless you give up your transgressing and violating and attempting persecuting poor objects or poor miserable tenants remark that the country is not destitute of friends

of removing certain evils, is forcibly stated in the following passage of a despatch from Lord Wellesley, as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to Lord Melbourne, dated 15th April, 1834:

"A complete system of legislation, with the most prompt, vigorous, and severe executive power, sworn, equipped, and armed for all purposes of savage punishment, is established in almost every district. On this subject I cannot express my opinions more clearly, nor with more force nor justice, than your lordship will find employed in a letter addressed by Lord Oxmantown, lieutenant of the King's County, to Mr. Littleton. Lord Oxinantown truly observes, that the combination established surpasses the law in vigour, promptitude, and efficacy, and that it is more safe to violate the law than to obey it."-Papers relating to the State of Ireland. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 7th July, 1834, p. 5.

A similar statement is made by Colonel Ralph Johnson, a magistrate of the Queen's County :

"What do you imagine to be the object of this association ? -I have said before, it is intimidation,-to legislate; they conceive they have grievances, and they take this mode of redressing them.

"What grievances?-Very many grievances, in my mind; I think there is very great mismanagement of landed property; it is very great, even on the part of resident landlords, although not to the same extent that exists with absentees."-Minutes of Evidence, House of Commons, 1832, Nos. 763-4.

The same view, with regard to the assumed authority of these combined peasants, seeking to substitute their own law for that of the state, is also taken in a speech delivered in the Irish House of Commons by Mr. Browne, in reference to the disturbances of the Rightboys in 1787:

The legislature sitting there (he said), with a vain image

of authority. Og te gee the country; but & ne
power
bad rsen ʼn te act aughed at them ed.*、
Visionary monat. 1 em tem vns seemed to have no se
real streng ta te ham ever had. This rova 1. ·