THE IRISH VICE-ROYALTY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 12, 12 July 1889, Page 19

THE IRISH VICE-ROYALTY.

The Viceroyalty of Ireland is going a begging. It is up for auction (says United Ireland, May 18), and there is no bidding. Hand it rouod amongst the noblemen, says Lord Salisbury, the auctioneer ; but the noblemen one and all refuse to look at it. Lord Cadogan has been offered it and declined, the Duke of Abercorn has been offered it and declined, and a host of other noble notables and nobodies have had the refusal of the Caßtle. There is a perfectly unaccountable repugnance amongst the coercion nobility to come over to Ireland as Lord Lieutenant and share the praise and popularity of Balfour the Brave. Very curious, very curious, not a single coercion nobleman can be found to accept this delightful sinecure of twenty thousand a year. If Mr. Balfour were the meanest, the most cruel, the most unsuccessful, and the most despised administrator that ever disgraced the name of England, in Ireland we could understand the repugnance of any man lc& callous than himself to be associated with the fa'lure and infamy of his administration. If the Castle were a. sink of corruption which it would soil any man's character to sj much as set foot in, we could understand the least ?elf-re«pec"ine: nobleman shunning it like a leper house. But as .Mr. Balf;ur is the idol of ihe Irish nation, and the Castle a pure cen'ie of popular administrati >n, the problem is perfectly inexplicable to us. Ail soits < f substitutes are suggested. We are to get permanent possession of Pi nice Cuifs and Co lars ; we are even to have a Hying \i^it ftom the r'nticeof W.ucs. It lsdiscoveitd that the Irish peasant has hungered all along, not so much for a square meal of dry potatoes a-i for the beneficent sunshine of the Uoyal presence. The Prince of Wa'es would, we fancy, hive a word to say on his own account to thi j pioiect. He is too wise to allow himself again to be made tl o c-uVpaw uf the miserable faction in Ireland wio have degraded "Gjd Sivp the Q leen " into a part/ tune, who insisted when he 1 st viiitul Ire land on identifying him with the policy of coercion, ami earned for him a reception whic.i he is not likely to forgvt. H s Royal Hijrhno^ is ruraoun'd to be a strong advocate ot lion c Kale. •• There is but on i cuir er.' 1 he says, '• c 1 th ■ British Empire in which he has b im ■ 1 1 heaitily hissed." and for th s he icgaids the Castle an! the Cattle p\htem as ic->poi.sible.