BRITISH AND FOREIGN HIST TORY For the Year 1786. CHAPTER I. Second Seffion of the Irish Parliament. Meeting of Congrefs. Eleven Commercial Propofitions. Their Reception. Parliamentary Reform. Twenty Propofitions. Their Difcuffion. Rejected with Indignation. Parliament prorogued. HE parliament of Ireland met THE for its fecond feffion on the twentieth of January 1785. Two fubjects at this time occupied the attention, and excited the animadvertion of the people of that kingdom. The first of thefe was the proceedings by attachment against the fheriffs and others, who were concerned in the meetings that were held for the purpote of introducing a parliamentary reform. This measure feems to have been generally regarded by those who were unconnected with the court, as violent, arbitrary and oppreffive. The other topic that was now agitated, was a plan for the cftablishment of a more extentive intercourse of trade between Great Britain and Ireland. The idea was afcribed to the fuggeftions of Mr. Beresford, first commillioner of the revenues, and fill more of Mr. Fofter, the chancellor of the exchequer, who was efteemed to be The the perfon of the greatest ability in the fervice of government. more equal reprefentation of the people in parliament had now been long a matter of general difcuffion, and the idea had been caught with peculiar energy and enthufiafm by the inhabitants of that kingdom. To many of the fervants of the crown thefe notions appeared Eutopian, impracticable and vifionary, at the fame time that they were conceived to be pregnant with tumult and anarchy: and, if there were any by whom they were regarded in a light lefs obnoxious, fill, as the execution of them was not likely to be permitted, it was deemed more eligible to stifle them in the conception. On this ground the Irifh part of the adminiftration imagined they could not adopt a more laudable conduct, than to check this thirst after ideal benefits by the introduction of advantages the moit folid, durable and fubitantial. A 2 The . The topics that were opened in the fpeech of the lord lieutenant extended to all thofe measures which it was intended the parliament fhould adopt in their prefent feffion. The duke of Rutland recommended the encouragement of agriculture and manufactures, and a particular at tention to the fisheries. He called upon parliament to confider what new provifions might be neceffary for the regulation of the police and the better exccution of the laws. He obferved that the uniformity of policy and religion, and a common intereft in treaties with foreign ftates, formed a fure bond of connection and attachment between Great Britain and Ireland. He recommended, in the king's name, to their earnest investigation thofe objects of trade and commerce between the two kingdoms which had had not yet received their complete adjustment, and he called upon them to frame a plan with a view to a final fettlement. Upon the fubject of the late meetings and affociations he spoke more at large. While he lamented the lawlefs outrages and unconftitutional proceedings which had taken place ince their laft prorogation, he had the fatisfaction to perceive that these exceffes were confined to a sew places, and even there were condemned. And he had now the plea fure to obferve that by the falutary interpofition of the laws the general tranquility was re-established The political face of the paliament of Ireland in the commencement of the prefent feffion, was fomething different from that which we have traced in our preceding volume. The rich and the fober, men of the utmoft moderation, and of the greatest weight in the kingdom, had felt a particular indignation against the late proceedings of the crown lawyers. Impreffed with this feeling, the duke of Leinster, in the house of lords, and his brother, lord Edward Fitzgerald, in the commons, put themfelves in the front of the minority. But, if go vernment had lot fome of thofe fupporters from whom the had for merly obtained effential service, the had however found means to conciliate others who had lately been very active in the popular party. An amendment was moved to the addrefs to the fovereign by Mr. Flood, expreffing the confidence of parliament "that the king would be pleafed to extend his paternal care to the people of Ireland, aided by the counfels of minifters who had declared in favour of a parlia mentary reform in Great Britain, in compliance with the wishes of the people, and in confirmation of their happy conflitution." The amendment was fupported by Mr. Brownlow, Mr Corry and Mr. Molyneux; but it was oppofed by Mr. George Ogle, Mr. Dennis Browne, Mr. Robert Boyd, fir Koyle Koche, major Doyle, and M. Grattan. The last of these delivered himself in a fpeech of confiderable length, in which he reprob ted the late measures that had been purfued for the obtaining a pariiam ntary reform, though he was a moft fincere advocate for the reform itself. The congress of the nation of Ireland met on the fame day as that which was appointed for the opening of the fellion of parliament, There is a refemblance between the pofture of affairs we are defcribing, and what has been remarked refpecting the revival of literature in Europe. When poetry and the fine arts were originally invented, the ideas that fuggefted them were borrowed from the pure fources of nature; attachment. Of all thefe caufes the first was the most important. If, according to the common computation, Ireland contains three millions of inhabitants, two millions and a half of thefe are probably difciples of the ancient religion; and while they are deprived of every privilege, and labour under every figma, the rights of government and the immunities of men are exclufively confined to one fixth part of the nation. It was impoffible that any high and gene rous defcription of liberty could be obtained, unlefs this odious diftinction were previously removed. And accordingly the aggregate body of the citizens of Dublin in concert with feveral other towns of the kingdom, exerted in the courfe of the preceding fummer feveral very fpirit ed efforts for its deftruction. They were willing to exhibit a fingle example of unfufpecting confidence, to put power in the hand of their ancient adverfaries, and to dare then to be unjust. But thefe efforts were not feconded; and in the prefent meeting of the congrefs which was much more numerous and refpectable than that which had preceded it, the plan of the national convention of volunteer delegates of November 1783, which vested the rights of citizens inclufively in proteftants, was adopted with a few minute and uneflential alterations. The congrefs fat with a few interruptions, from the twentieth of January to the fourth day of February following; and as an immediate application to parliament was conceived to be now premature, they on that day adjourned their fitting to the twentieth of April. tature; and thus the first writers, bear and to banifh the fort of republican enthufiafm by which Ireland had been lately diftinguifhed. In Conformity to this fcheme an addrefs had been prepared and tranfmitted to the fovereign on the part of the city of Dublin, immediately previous to the meeting of parliament, which treated the fubject in a much higher and more peremptory ftyle of difapprobation than the addrefs to the lord lieutenant of the fixteenth of October 1784. They might jufly be deemed infenfible to the bieffings they had derived under his majesty's aufpices, if they omitted this feafonable occafion of declaring their rooted abhorrence of every attempt to create unjuft and dangerous difcentents, tending to fubvert the conftitution in church and state. They looked forward with grateful confidence to the fyftem of commercial intercourfe that was foon to be made public. They rejected with indignation the interference of any body of men unknown to the conflitution: and they were refolved to fuffer no affumed authority to dictate to the legislature of the land. This addrefs was figned by 21 peers and 1121 commoners. The ideas and language of this paper were alfo repeated in the meflage from the fovereign in anfwer to the addrefs of both houfes of parliament. It was not till Monday the feventh of February, that Mr Orde, fecretary to the lord lieutenant of Ireland, laid before parliament the plan which had been framed for fi nally adjufting the commercial intercourfe between the two kingdoms. He called upon them with confidence to affift in cementing thofe materials, which might appear beft fuited to give frength and folidity to the parts of the fabric; and to work over it a covering of perpetual fhelter against the capricious gufts of jealoufy and interestedness. This was not the feafon to portend a principle fo injurious to the character and good fenfe of that country, as that the welfare of Ireland was to be fought only in partial attention and exclufive provifions. The event, he trusted, wou'd prove the best refutation of the secitious papers in which the inhabitants of both countries were calumniated and mifreprefented; papers calculated to impofe upon popular credulity, and to answer the purpofes of men who were alike enemies to England and to Ireland. Mr. Orde addrefled himself to an affembly, the reprefentatives of a nation warm with generous feelings, and divefted of narrow partialities. He called upon them to recollect and give indulgence to the force of long accustomed enjoy ment. They would, however interefted in the change of policy, make allowance for the conflant folicitude with which Great Britain had guarded for herfelf a preference in the laws of navigation. They would attend to the very early period at which that preference had been formed, and by what steps it had fince gathered ftrength. Theywould form a judgment of the expence of blood and treasure with which he had fettled her colonies, and how naturally the might look to them with anxiety as objects of her peculiar care. They would then defcend to a period very little removed from the prefent, when, in the greatest need of every poffible affiftance and fupport, fhe liftened to their requett, relaxed the prin ciple of interested jealoufy, and im parted to Ireland the participation of this exclufive trade. That house had received the gift with due ac. knowledgment, and had justly greet |