23 NOVEMBER 1844, Page 1

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

THE " interlude " of Federalism still affords amusement in Ireland. Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD has definitively promulgated the two parts of his plan—the constitution for Ireland with its Local Legis- lature, and the Federative representation of Ireland in the Imperial Parliament. It is altogether copied from the constitution of our Colonies, in particular of Canada, and from suggestions that have been made for representation of the Colonies in the Metropolitan Parliament. His scheme is that of a dreaming schoolboy, bent on making up a fanciful "constitution," but totally uninstructed by existing facts or past history. Not that Mr. CRAWFORD is unread in history ; he could probably beat many a statesman going, if ex- ercised on it in a school-class : but he applies his knowledge like one who had never been out in the world, and had no sense of circumstances. He positively takes Canada for the model of Ireland !—forgetting that the separate constitution of Canada has in it things not good in themselves, but necessitated by the in- terval of many hundreds of miles distance. Thus, the method of delaying bills for the assent of the Crown and Parliament is an in- oouvenience arising in two ways from the distance : in the first place, from the very slow and imperfect communications between all branches of the Colonial and Imperial Government ; and in the next, because, instead of dealing directly with the responsible Mi- nisters of an irresponsible Crown, the Colonial Parliament has to deal with a very clumsy imitation of that piece of British ingenuity, in the Ministers of a Governor irresponsible to the Colony but re- sponsible to the Crown. If Canada were within ten miles of England, many of these inconveniences would be obviated : Mr. CRAWFORD proposes to adopt them for Ireland for the fun of the thing. Again, it has been suggested that distant Colonies, labouring under great inconveniences from not being at all represented in the Supreme Parliament, should ask admission for a few Members, who would not presume to vote on purely British matters. Mr. CRAWFORD proposes that Ireland, who already possesses full representation in the Supreme Parliament, should waive it in favour of sending Members who are to vote on " Imperial " subjects, but to retire when English or Scotch sub- jects are discussed. He throws away what Ireland has, to prefer the modest request which has been made on behalf of distant Colonies, and which has not been attended to. The complexity, imperfection, and neglect of an idea, seem to commend it to Mr. CRAWFORD'S fancy; and, with a simplicity and magnanimity almost touching, he avows that no one is responsible for these notions but himself.

Mr. CRAWFORD seems to be quite unaware how admirably he plays into the game of O'CONNELL and the "simple Repeaters." If O'CoNivem. could only have waited a week before be declared his readberence to "simple Repeal,"—which he could not do, apparently, because Sunday last was fixed for collecting the " tri- bute,"—he might have had a fair pretext for throwing up Federalism. As it is, he seizes these letters for a kind of ex post facto justifica- tion; declares complacently that he has read Mr. CRAWFORD'S plan, and that at all events he cannot accept his Federalism; and

then, with a wink at the simple Repealers, he exhorts them not to laugh. This is the unkindest cut of all : O'CONNELL publicly begs off the statist from the laughter of his countrymen ! If a week too late, CRAWFORD has given O'CoNzistt just what he wanted—a tangible piece of Federalism to reject. Rubbing hia hands with anticipatory humour, the Liberator waits to see what GREY PORTER will do for him in the same way.