THOMAS MOORE, ESQ. NOTWITHSTANDING the number of In Lalla Rookh' he has given his literary men to whom Ireland has given birth, there is very little connected with their names which conveys to us any thing of a national association; for the land of their nativity scarcely enjoys a single ray of that brilliant mind which sheds its intellectual brightness on the sister country. Congreve was an apostate, and Swift only by accident a patriot; while Goldsmith was weak enough to affect an air of contempt for a people whose accent was indelibly stamped upon his tongue. We could protract the list of her ungrateful and thoughtless 6 men of mind' even to our own day; but the task would be invidious, and we gladly turn from it to one who forms a splendid exception-one who is not ashamed of Ireland, and of whom Ireland is justly proud. Mr. Moore is every way an Irishman-in heart, in feelings, and in principles. For his country he has done more than any man living: he has associated her name, her wrongs, and her attributes, with poetry and music, neither of which can ever die while taste, patriotism, and literature, subsist in the world; and, while these survive, Ireland will form the theme of Beauty's song, and Irish music the charm of every cultivated mind. But, all extrinsic circumstances apart, there is, in the Melodies' of Mr. Moore, a sacred fire which conveys its vividness to the soul of his readers; and they must be made of sterner stuff than the ordinary race of men if their bosoms do not glow with liberal and patriotic enthusiasm while they peruse the harmonious creations of a poet who has clothed the wild and eccentric airs of his country in 'words that burn,' and sentiments that find an echo in every generous breast. Had Mr. Moore done no more than this he would be entitled to the gratitude of his countrymen; but his genius, like his own Peri, seems never pleased but while hovering over the region he loves; or, if it makes a short excursion, it is only in the hope of securing some advantage that may accelerate the removal of those disqualifications which still exclude happiness from the limits of his country. fire-worshippers the wrongs and feelings of Irishmen ; while, in the Memoirs of Captain Rock,' he has accomplished a most difficult taskwritten a history of Ireland that has been read. While claiming for Mr. Moore what he deserves-the crown of patriotism-we are not silly enough to imagine that on this head alone he is entitled to our praise. As a poet, since the lamented death of Byron, he stands almost without a competitor; and as a prose writer he is not surpassed by any of his contemporaries. As his merits, however, are universally appreciated, we shall not farther waste the time of our readers by pointing out those excellences which must be familiar to all, but pass at once to a brief memoir of this distinguished character. Mr. Moore is, we believe, the only son of a respectable tradesman, and was born at Dublin on the 28th of May, 1780. His education, which was completed at Trinity College, was commenced in the school of Mr. Whyte, of Grafton Street, in his native city; and, ere he entered the University, he gave indication of those talents which have since made him the poet of every circle, and the delight of his own.' In 1800 he published his translation of Anacreon ;' and, shortly afterwards, the Poems of Thomas Little, Esq.' In 1803 he was appointed Registrar of the Admiralty in the island of Bermuda— a situation from which he never derived any emolument, though, a few years since, he suffered some inconvenience from the misconduct of his deputy. Mr. Moore has published many satirical works, under the name of Thomas Brown the younger;' but his fame rests chiefly upon the poem of Lalla Rookh,' Irish Melodies,' and The Loves of the Angels,' 6 At rather an early age Mr. Moore married a Miss Dyke, and is now the happy father of several lovely children. Most of his time is passed in the enjoyment of domestic happiness at his cottage near Devizes, diversified by occasional visits to London. In private life Mr. Moore is caressed and beloved; and few literary men are more generally esteemed by their contemporaries for the qualities of the head and heart. Mr. Moore's parents are yet living in Dublin; and we suppose it must be unnecessary to say that they are proud of such a son, or that he is not unmindful of the ties of filial affection. TALES OF IRISH LIFE. IT has been remarked,' says the preface to these Tales, by an elegant modern writer, that Englishmen have more accurate information respecting countries situated at the extremity of the globe than those nearer home. Approximation he has represented as unfavourable to truth and candour. Should it be argued that this assertion is too general, it must be admitted to be true in one instance; for less is actually known in this country of the REAL STATE OF IRELAND than of the regions beyond the Ganges and Mississippi. Native writers, from a false patriotism, have exaggerated and distorted facts; while foreigners, from prejudice and ignorance, have dealt largely in misrepresentation. The public inquire, and are deceived, till, by degrees, falsehood acquires the consistency of truth; and too many English readers (like theatrical amateurs) are only pleased with representations of Irish life where Nature, truth, and common sense, are outraged and insulted-where things are done and said which are as foreign to Ireland as they are to Hindostan.' These opinions are so much in accordance with our own, that we thought it but justice to let the author introduce himself to our readers; and we are happy in being able to congratulate him on the ability he has shown in avoiding the faults he disapproves of in others; for in no instance has he laboured to give effect at the expense of truth and Nature. Among the number of writers who have attempted to delineate Irish life and manners the names of Edgeworth and Morgan stand conspicuous: but even these ladies have gone to the extreme; and, in almost every instance, have given us Paddy as he is thought to be, not as he really ishave left Nature for broad caricature and, though the likeness is immediately recognised, laughter or disgust is only excited; for the portraitures are not serious enough to delay attention or awaken sympathy. In saying this we do not mean to detract one iota from the merit of these talented and patriotic ladies; for it was impossible that they could have described what they did not know. Unlike the author before us, they were not sufficiently acquainted with the majority of the peopleknew too little of political grievances; and, from their habits, sex, and station, were strangers to the real condition of the lower orders; for the facility with which the Irish peasantry occasionally envelop their affairs in mystery, or put a disguise on their feelings and concerns, can be equalled by no people in the world. know them,' says our author, quires the local observation of years; and, to appreciate their shrewdness and cunning, they must be conversed with on terms of equality.' 'To re That he has availed himself of his opportunities these 'Tales' sufficiently testify; for in almost every page he introduces an original character, which he has sketched with a happy fidelity that evinces, at once, his powers of description and justness of remark. He carries us into the lowly cottage without disgusting us; and, contrary to the general opinion, convinces his readers that peace and happiness are still within the reach of the Irish peasant,-while he forcibly illustrates the grievances under which they labour. The two volumes before us contain sixteen tales: and, as they are highly characteristic and amusing, they must be acceptable to the general reader; while those who wish to be acquainted with the state of Ireland cannot have recourse to a more accurate source of * Tales of Irish Life, illustrative of the Manners, Customs, and Condition, of the People, with Designs by George Cruikshank. London, J. Robins and Co. 2 vols. Foolscap 8vo. information. Every page is interspersed with political observations, and every tale illustrates some particular grievance. We scarcely know an evil, either local or general, that affects Ireland, of which we have not the consequence exhibited in some fiction happily conceived, and told in a style of great force and beauty. At a time when Englishmen are earnest in their desire to obtain accurate information respecting the sister kingdom, these volumes are calculated to do much good-perhaps more than if the sentiments and truths they enforce were contained in a work of greater pretension; and we are of opinion that this idea induced the author to embody the result of his experience in these faithful pictures of Irish life, which certainly cannot be perused without impressing the reader with a very favourable opinion of the head and heart of the writer; for a spirit of benevolent candour and undisguised liberality breathes throughout his work, which is calculated to soften the asperities of party feeling, and to show to Catholics and Protestants their respective faults, without wounding the feelings of either. Any one of the sixteen tales would be sufficient to illustrate these remarks; but, as the author has, in 'Turncoat Watt,' anticipated the late discussions on proselytism, we shall abridge that tale for the instruction and amusement of our readers-and we have seldom met one better calculated for the purpose of effecting both : 'The little village of Ballyburn, consisting of about thirty houses, lies in the northern part of Connaught, not far from Iniscrone. The inhabitants, with a few exceptions, profess the Catholic religion, which was annually expounded to them by a mendicant friar, who came every autumn to preach to them, and then to collect alms to support his convent, which was generally given in corn, some affording a bushel, some more, and some less. Men who are convinced of the orthodoxy of their creed have no need of any new proofs of their religion being the true one; and, as for the necessity of further instruction, none could possibly exist, for every man in Ballyburn knew more than he practised. Probably it was reasoning in this manner that induced the Rev. John O'Sullivan to refrain from troubling his pa- forty years of age, possessed some pro- ham, who, being induced to prefer Methodism to the pure dignity of the established Church, were possessed of all the zeal so remarkable in converts. This religious enthusiasm and devotional frenzy they imparted in every lesson of Sophia's, until her youthful sensibilities were diverted into the fountain of piety. Her every thought was of Heaven, her every action had the previous approval of her God: she could have died for the salvation of others, so boundless were her charities; she could willingly have abandoned all the pleasures of life to be allowed an exemption from sin, so filled was she with the rapturous contemplation of the rewards of purity and innocence. Mr. Graham partook of the religious enthusiasm of his sisters; and, as the disciples of all creeds wish to increase their followers by converts, he looked forward with complacent satisfaction to the imaginary number of papists that the development of truth would attach to Methodism. He formed his opinion of popery from his own impressions of it, and thought no man could continue a Catholic who had heard the objections against it. Many attempts to convert them he knew had failed; but this he attributed to the indiscretion of zeal and the mistaken means which had been resorted to. The force that is insufficient to move a large body by a single impulse will readily effect it by prudent repetition; and, though the old papists were too prejudiced and too superstitious to hear reason or listen to truth, the young, by being taught, might become accessible to both. Mr. Graham's sisters coincided in these opinions, and seconded their brother's intentions by communicating with religious societies established for the dissemination of the Scriptures without note or comment. A school-room was built, and Mr. Graham travelled to Dublin to procure a master belonging to the Kildare Street Society, and to obtain the necessary aid from that establishment. At this time a Bible Association' held its meeting in the Rotunda, which Mr. Graham attended; and, willing to become conspicuous and give a proof of his piety, he made a speech, in the course of which he acquainted the meeting with his proceedings and intentions. These would be merely assertions if unsupported, and his labour useless if unnecessary in order to prove that they were both true and requisite, he painted the wretched state of Ballyburn, alleging the thirst of the people for knowledge, and their discontent with their ignorant priest, whom he had seen more than once in a state not entirely compos mentis. Mr. Graham exaggerated a little; but he had heard the state of the village, and the desire of its inhabitants for knowledge, from a tenant of his own, named Walter Murrough; and his assertion respecting poor Father John O'Sullivan was subsequenty supported by the fact of the reverend clergyman being suspended by his bishop, who probably obtained the first information of his misconduct from the newspaper report of Mr.Graham's speech.' A Rev. Mr. Kehoe was sent to supply the place of Father O'Sullivan but the good people of Ballyburn, being democrats, at first opposed his induction, and one of them, named Watt Murrough, the hero of the tale, was made to feel the effect of the priest's anger. ; 'Watt Murrough was a genuine sample of that portion of his countrymen who are distinguished for shrewdness; and, as Watt was the only shopkeeper in the village, he imbibed some cunning without acquiring much information; and he possessed the hypocrisy of trade, though he never visited Dame Street nor the Liberty. Watt succeeded his father in business; and, as the old man was improvident, the son profited, as the Spartans did, by the heinousness of example, and became prudent. A sixpence was turned several times before he parted with it, and a shilling was balanced for half an hour on his middle finger before he gave it away. But the profits of a Ballyburn shopkeeper were very inconsiderable: a roll of tobacco was six months selling, and a ball of tape stood measuring for a year. Watt became impatient of the slowness of accumulation; he ventured to extend his trade, but lost by the speculation. He was young, and wanted a wife; but, where Avarice gains admission, Love never enters. Watt was too much enamoured of money to feel an affection for a female: he therefore looked around him. Some had money, but rejected his application; others were kind, but their portion would be too soon reckoned. In this difficulty he had recourse to Father O'Sullivan, who recommended a niece of his own, promising, on the receipt of the next Easter dues, to make up an adequate fortune. Watt was satisfied, and so well pleased with his prospects, that he did not offend Heaven by any amorous complaints of delay, nor solicit his mistress to anticipate their joys by any clandestine proceedings. Watt was full of hope until the time when the kind priest was suspended; but, being desirous of continuing the reverend gentleman in the parish until the dues should be collected, he opposed with all his influence the induction of Mr. Kehoe, whom he was in to the act of personally opposing when he met the chastisement which he seized on as a pretext for embracing a religion which had something to bestow. Watt being a tenant of Mr. Graham, and wishing to obtain some lands that conveniently joined the few fields he rented, he was always cringingly obsequious and officiously attentive whenever that gentleman called at his shop. The lower order of the Irish are practical hypocrites whenever their interests are concerned know them requires the local observation of years; and, to understand their shrewd ness and cunning, they must be conversed with on terms of equality. Poverty, no doubt, and the state of the laws, have occasioned this dereliction of candour and independence; but it is immediately owing to their practical knowledge of human nature that they affect ignorance where they are not wanting in information, and pretend to poverty when they really are not poor. Watt listened with docility to the pious ejaculations of Mr. Graham, seemed astonished at those points of doctrine on which he had a hundred times disputed, and he took special care always to wonder at the extent of his landlord's information. Graham, seduced by these marks of apparent acquiescence, anticipated a triumph over Watt's errors; he came more frequently, presented books for his perusal, and, at length, ventured to recommend the Bible. Watt did not fall an easy prey: he knew the necessity of enhancing the value of his conversion by pretending difficulties which were to be surmounted. He made his objections, but always seemed satisfied with the explanation; and, when he owned a spiritual conviction, he began to lament the impediments of temporalities. Graham, irritated by Kehoe's opposition to his school, felt the humiliation it would cause the arrogant priest if he could persuade one of his flock to abandon the errors of popery; he therefore encouraged Watt by promises of remuneration for the losses he should sustain in the want of customers: but Watt knew there were things more substantial than promises, and, by a well-turned manœuvre, procured letters from Graham to Dublin shopkeepers, where he obtained goods to a considerable amount on advantageous credit, which was readily given, as Graham's letters were held as securities. Watt returned to Ballyburn a wealthy shopkeeper, issued his circular notices of a new stock, said several smart things against Father Kehoe's horsewhip, and finally, in a Sunday or two, went to church, where he read his recantation. "Little things are great to little men." Ballyburn never witnessed such commo tion as that caused by Watt's conversion. Public insult was offered to the delinquent; he was burned in effigy, and his shop forsaken: no old woman would drink his tea for fear of poison, and his tobaccoroll grew dry for want of consumption. But Watt was amply compensated for the malice of his neighbours and the absence of his old customers: his shop was made the depository for Bibles and religious tracts; rooms were taken in his house for the use of religious committees; the Protestants of the country gave him their influence; and he was made postmaster of Ballyburn, an office created for his emolument, as a letter came there only once in twelve months from a sailor that used to write to his mother. Watt grew rapidly into consequence: from parish constable he became a baronial one, and was also deputy for the coroner, as well as for the county keeper. Watt was not a man that could grow great without knowing it: he gave an instance of his increasing consequence by translating his name into English, titling himself, in his shop-bill, Walter Murphy. Watt's neighbours were not long in penetrating his motives for abandoning popery: they saw affluence the consequence of tergiversation; but so great was the opprobrium attached to the deed, that none would imitate him, even had greater advantages awaited them. The old shook their heads, in sorrow, as they passed him; and the witty, vicious, and thoughtless, conferred on him the title of "Turncoat Watt." The pious sent him remonstrances, and the zealous transmitted Catholic pamphlets; the priest excommunicated him from the rites of the church, and the hypocrites prayed aloud for his re-conversion: but Watt laughed at their folly and anger, continued a regular member of Methodism, and was gradually assuming the long Puritanical face of exterior piety; while his dress corresponded with the "inward man," being all black, save and except the white cravat, which he, fearing the imputation of vanity, had tied behind. Humour, broad and peculiar, is a distinguished feature in the Irish character. The " 'country schoolmaster" ridiculed Watt in a variety of metre, and satire and irony were in every word addressed to him by his townsmen. His black coat obtained for him the momentary name of clergyman; but that which was considered the most galling, and which adhered to him during his life, was Turncoat Watt." 'While Watt was daily becoming more pious, and hourly increasing his wealth and importance, discord, in the shape of religious bigotry, agitated, for the first time, the little village of Ballyburn. Mr. |