zealous friends to fafe and moderate reform, were with reafon ftartled at the idea of fo novel and hazardous an experiment. The notion of abstract rights, founded on a false metaphyfic theory, will never operate powerfully but on the minds of speculatifts, who, remote from fcenes of action and danger, "dream over books, and leave mankind unknown."

The real practical enquiry with the generality of perfons on this grand question of UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE, as it undoubtedly ought to be on all occafions of a political na ture, was -What will be the EFFECT PRODUCED? And it was obvious that the recognition of this claim would at once throw the entire power of the kingdom into the hands of the catholics; and no credulity could surely reach that degree of infatuation, as to expect a body of men fo ignorant, bigoted and ferocious, as the collective mafs of the Irish catholics, to make a wife and temperate use of the power thus prepofterously put into their hands.

To reform the government and conftitution upon proteftant principles, and ftill to preferve the proteftant afcendancy, was all that, in prefent circumftances, the state of the kingdom would bear; and all that an enlightened benevolence would confequently aim to accomplish. A liberal and patriotic proteftant government would undoubtedly relieve the catholics from all pofitive penalties, and grant them a participation of all civil rights and privileges cònfiftent with a regard to its own fafety. And in confequence of the gradual and certain diffusion of knowledge under a mild and beneficent government, there was good reason to hope that the time would at no very distant period arrive, when all diftinctions might be safely and for ever extinguifhed. The national convention faw clearly the di lemma to which it was reduced; but they chofe what appeared to them the least of the two evils, and rather than call in the aid of the great body of catholics, without which their strength was unequal to the conteft, they fubmitted VOL. II.

T

quietly

quietly and tamely to the chaftisement of that government whofe authority they had infulted, and in a manner defied: incurring by this means the cenfure of the moderate for their violence, and of the violent for their moderation.

The parliament of Ireland adjourned for the Christmas recefs, on the 22d of December (1783). Previous to their re-affembling, that memorable minifterial revolution had taken place in England, which advanced Mr. Pitt to the helm of government, and the duke of Rutland had in confequence fuperfeded the earl of Northington in the viceroyalty of Ireland.

On the 13th of March (1784) Mr. Flood renewed his motion, as it was hoped by the friends of parliamentary reform, under more favourable aufpices, the new Englifh minifter having diftinguished himself as one of its moft eloquent and zealous advocates. Mr. Yelverton having been for his recent fervices promoted to the high station of lord chief baron of the court of exchequer, Mr. Fitzgibbon, who fucceeded him in the office of attorney general, oppofed the prefent motion with equal zeal, though he allowed that as it now came before the house in a regular and conftitutional form, fupported by numerous petitions from different parts of the kingdom, it was entitled to refpect and attention. On the fecond reading it was nevertheless rejected on a divifion, by 159 to 85 voices.

This final decifion was received with fecret fatisfaction by thofe friends of reform who dreaded the emancipation of the catholics, as an evil yet greater than the permanent predominance of the prefent fyftem of influence and corruption. But the murmurs of the majority were distinctly heard. The Ulfter volunteers, who had from the commencement of the bufinefs ftood confpicuous in the van, presented on a fubfequent occafion an address to their general, the earl of Charlemont, expreffing "their fatisfaction at the decay of those prejudices which had so long involved the nation in feud and difunion-a difunion, which,

by

by LIMITING the RIGHTS of SUFFRAGE, and circumfcribing the number of their citizens, had in a great degree created and foftered the aristocratic tyranny, the fource of every grievance, and against which the public voice now unanimoufly exclaimed." The earl of Charlemont, in reply, coldly profeffed himself "free from every illiberal prejudice against the catholics, but he could not refrain from the most ardent entreaties to the volunteers, to defift from a purfuit that would fatally clog and impede the prosecution of their favorite purpose; and befought them not to indulge any opinion which must and would create difunion." This anfwer being affiduously circulated throughout the kingdom, effectually caufed, or most senfibly heightened that disunion which it profeffed to depre cate. The object itself feemed now relinquished in defpair, and the triumph of the court was complete.

The other grand object to which the attention of the kingdom of Ireland was at this period directed, related to the actual state of her commerce. The free trade granted to the Irish nation had produced none of thofe advantages respecting which she had indulged fuch fanguine and credulous expectations. The manufacturers, and lower claffes of the people in general, were expofed to all the evils arifing from the extremeft indigence; and it began to be clearly perceived, that while the present fyftem of commercial intercourfe with England fubfifted, there was little profpect of a favourable change in the fituation of Ireland. While all English manufactures and commodities were imported at a trifling per-centage ad valorem into the Irish ports, duties amounting nearly to a prohibition were impofed upon the produce or manufactures of Ireland, with ONE very important exception, that of LINEN, on the importation into England. The general voice of the people of Ireland now loudly called for PROTECTING DUTIES, in order to fofter the infant manufactures of that country,

and to compel the inhabitants to confume the produce of native ingenuity and industry.

On the 31 of March Mr. Gardiner, member for the county Dublin, in an able speech depicted the diftreffes of the kingdom, traced the cause, and pointed out the remedy. He contrafted the condition of the people of Ireland with that of the people of England. He asked, "What was the reafon of fo vaft a difference? Were Irishmen lefs capable by nature of earning a livelihood than their neighbors? Was there any difadvantage in the nature of their climate, or was the situation of their country, a fituation adapted to render them the general mart of Europe, fuch as to prevent their profperity? No people were more laborious, more ingenious, or more active. There was not any branch of manufacture in which they were encouraged, that they had not carried to an high degree of perfection. If then the evil did not arife from any of these causes, to what was it to be attributed, but to the vaft importation of foreign articles, by which a home confumption was denied, and their manufactures nipped in the bud Mr. Gardiner therefore called upon the house to copy the conduct of England, of France, and other commercial countries, by protecting their manufactures at home. From an adherence to the fyftem now recommended, England, notwithstanding the preffure of an immenfe debt of two hundred and forty millions, had attained to a pitch of greatness truly astonishing.”

At the conclufion of his fpeech, Mr. Gardiner moved for an high duty on woollens imported into the kingdom This, after a very warm debate, was negatived by a vast majority; and the whole fyftem of protecting duties ridiculed and reprobated as futile, vifionary, and pernicious. At the failure of this fecond grand attempt at relief and reform, the disappointment of the people kindled into rage, and the fhort-lived popularity of the new viceroy, founded on the extreme unpopularity in Ireland, no less

than

than in England, of the preceding coalition miniftry, was now in the space of a month a little month-entirely at an

end.

Such was the state of the metropolis at this period, that it was thought neceffary to countermand the embarkation of feveral regiments deftined to the Eaft Indies, and to furnish the garrifon of Dublin, confifting of about 4000 regular troops, with thirty rounds of powder and ball per man. Before the end of the feffion an addrefs was unanimoufly voted by the houfe of commons to the fovereign, representing the distressed state of the kingdom, and praying for the establishment of a more advantageous fyftem of commerce between Ireland and Great Britain; and on the 14th of May 1784 the parliament as prorogued. The last measure adopted by this affembly feemed in fome mea. fure to calm the violence of the people, and to fufpend the effervefcence of their anger and discontent.

On the 7th of June an extraordinary meeting of the ag gregate body of the citizens of Dublin was convened by the sheriffs, in which they came to feveral important refolutions, declaratory of "the clear, original, and imprefcriptible right of the people of Ireland to a frequent election, and an equal reprefentation, They call upon the nation to unite with them in the measures neceffary to its introduction, and in prefenting petitions to the king for a diffolution of the exifting parliament. They affert, that the force of the ftate confifts in the union of the inhabitants-that an equal participation in ALL the rights of a man and a citizen was proper, henceforth, to engage all the members of the state to co-operate efficaciously for the greatest general good. Finally, that it would be of the happiest confequence to the profperity of the state, and the maintaining of civil liberty, to extend to their brethren, the Roman catholics, the RIGHT of SUFFRAGE as fully as was compatible with the maintenance of the PRO

TESTANT GOVERNMENT,

In