SPEECH OF MR. PLUNKET, On the competency of the Irish Parliament to pass the Measure of Union. Sir, 7 | I in the most ex- | press 7 | terms 7 | 7 deny the competency | 7 of parliament | 7 to do this | act. 7|77|77|7 I warn you | 7 7 | do not | dare | 7 to lay your hand | 7 on the | consti- | tution. | 77 | 777 I tell you, | 7 that | if 7 | circumstanced as you | | are 77 you pass this | act, 7 | it will be a nullity, | 7 and that | no | man in | Ireland | 7 will be | bound to o- 1 bey it. | 77 | 77|7 I make the as- | sertion | 7 de- | liberately, | 77 | 7 I re- | peat it, | 7 and | call on | any | | man who hears me, | 7 to | take | down my | words; 7 | 7 7 | 7 you | have not been e- | lected for | this 7 | purpose, | 7 7 | you are ap- pointed | 7 to | make | laws, 7 | not 7 | legislatures; 7 7 | you are ap- pointed to | exercise | 7 the | functions of | legis- | lators, | 7 and | not to trans- | fer them; | 77 | 7 and | if you | do so | 7 your act 7 | 7 is a | disso- | lution | 7 of the | govern- | ment; 77❘ you re- | solve so- | ciety | into its o- | riginal | elements, | 7 and | bound to o- | bey you. | no man | 7 in the | land | 7 is 77 | 7 7 | Sir, 7 | 7 I | state | doctrines | which are not 7 | merely | founded | 7 in the im- | mutable | laws | 7 of | justice and of | truth; | 777 I state not 7 | merely the o- | pinions |7 of the | ablest men 7 who have | written on the | science of govern- | ment; 7|77| but 1 | state the | practice | 7 of our | consti- | tution | 7 as | settled | at the | æra of the | revolution, 7 but I state the doctrine | under | 1 which 7 | 7 the | house of Hanover | 7 de- | rives its | title 7 to the throne. |77|77| Has the | king 7 | 7 a | right to trans- fer his | crown? | 77 | Is he | competent | 7 to an- | nex it to the crown of Spain, 7 or of any other country? | 7 7 | No, | 7 7 | but he may | abdicate it; 7 and every | man 7 | 7 who knows the | constitution, knows the consequence, | 77 | 7 the | right re- | verts to the | next in suc- | cession ; | 77 | | If they all abdicate, | 7 it re- | verts to the | people. | 7 7 7 7 7 The | man who | questions | this 7 | doctrine, 7 in the same | breath, | 7 7 | must ar-raign the sovereign on the | throne | 7 as a u- | surper. | 77 | 7 7 | Are you | competent | 7 to trans- | fer your | legislative | rights 7 | 7 to the | French | council of | five hundred? | 77 | Are you | competent | 7 to transfer them to the | British | parliament? | 77 | 7 I | answer, | No. | 77 | 7 7 | When you trans- | fer 7 | 7 you | abdicate, | 7 and the | great | 7 o- | riginal | trust 7 | 7 re- | verts to the | people | 7 from | whom it | issued. | 7 7 | 7 Your- selves | 7 you | may exguish, | 77 | 7 but | parliament | 7 you tinguish ; | 7 7 | it is en- | throned in the | tin | cannot ex- | hearts of the | people ; | 7 7 | it is en- | shrined | 7 in the | sanctuary 7 of the consti- | tution; | 7 7 | it is immortal | 7 as the island | 7 which it pro- | tects; | 77 | 7 as | well 7 might the | frantic | suicide | 7 7 | hope that the | act 7 | 7 which de- | stroys his | miserable | body, 77 should ex- | tinguish | 7 his e- | ternal | soul. | 7 7 | 7 7 | 7 A- | gain I | therefore | warn you, | 7 7 | do not dare to lay your hands | 7 on the | consti- | tution; | 77 it is a- | bove your | power. | 77 | 77 | Sir, 7 7 I do not say 7 | that the | parliament | and | the people 7 by mutual con- | sent and co-ope- | ra| tion, 77 | may not ❘ change the form of the | consti- | tution. 77 | 77 | 7 When- ever | such a case a- | rises, | 77 | 7 it | must be de- | cided | on its | own | merits: 777 but that is not | this case. | 77 | 77 | 7 If | government | 7 con- | siders | this a | season | 7 peculiarly fitted | 7 for ex- periments | 7 on the | consti- | tution, | 77 |they may | call on the | people. | 77 | 77 | 7 I ask you, 77 | are you ready to do so? | 77 Are you ready to a- | bide the e- | vent of such an ap| peal ? 7 | 7 7 | 7 7 | What 7 | is it | you must |*7 in | that e- | vent, 7 | 7 sub- | mit to the people? | 7 7 | Not 7 | this par- ticular | project, | 7 7 | for if you dis- | solve the present form of government, |77| they be- | come 7 free to choose any other; | 77 | 7 you | fling them to the fury of the tempest, | 7 7 | you must | call on them 7 to un- | house them- | selves | 7 of the es-tablished consti- | tution, | 7 and to | fashion to themselves 7 | 7 an- | other.|77|77|71 | ask a- | gain, 7 is this the | time | 7 for an ex- periment | 7 | of that 7 | nature? | 77 | 7 Thank | God 7|7 the | people have mani- | fested | no such | wish; | 77 so | far as they have spoken, | 7 7 | their 7 | voice is de- | cidedly a- | gainst | 7 this | daring | inno- | vation. | 77 | 77 | 7 You | know | 7 that no voice | 7 has been uttered in its | favor, | 7 7 | and you cannot be in- | fatuated e- | nough | 7 to | take 7 confidence | 7 from the | silence | 7 which pre- | vails prevails in some 7 parts of the kingdom, | 77 | 7 if you | know how to ap- | preciate | 7 that | silence, | 7 it is more formidable than the most | clamorous | oppo- | sition; 77 | you may be | rived and | shivered by the | lightning | 7 before you | hear the | peal of the | thunder! | 7 7 7 7 But Sir, | 7 we are | told 7 | 7 7 | that we should dis- cuss this question | 7 with | calmness | 7 and composure! | 77 |I am called on 7 to surrender my | birth-right |7 and my honor, 7 7 | and I am | told I should be | calm, | 7 com- posed! | 77 | 77 | National | pride! |77| Independence of our | country! | 7 7 | These, 7 | 7 we are | told | 7 by the | minister, | 7 are only | vulgar | topics | 7 7 | fitted for the me- | ridian | 7 of the mob, | 7 but un- | worthy | 7 to be mentioned 7 to such an en-¦ lightened as- | sem¦ bly | 7 as this. 7 | 7 this. 77 71 They are trinkets and ¦ gewgaws, fit to catch the | fancy of | childish | 7 and un| thinking | people | 7 like | you, Sir, | 7 or | like your | predecessor | 7 in ❘ that | chair, |77|7 but | utterly un- | worthy | 7 the con- | side- | ration | 7 of | this house, 77 | or of the ma- | tured | under- | standing | 7 of the | noble | lord 7 | 7 who | conde- | scends | 7 to in- | struct it! | 7 7 7 7 | Gracious God! 7 7 7 7 we see a | Perry | re-as- | cending from the tomb | 7 and raising his awful | voice 7 | 7 to warn us | 7 a- | gainst the sur- | render of our freedom, and we see that the proud and | virtuous feelings | 7 which | warmed the | breast of that | aged | 7. and | venerable | man, | 7 are | only | calculated | 7 to ex- | cite the con- | tempt | 7 of this | young philosopher, 7 7 | who has been trans- | planted | 7 from the nursery | 7 to the | cabinet | 7 to | outrage the feelings | 7 and under- | standing | 7 of the country. | 77 | 77 | EXECUTION OF THE EARL OF ARGYLE. Fox's History of James II. 7 On the thirtieth of | June, | 7 one | thousand | 7 six | hundred | 7 and | eighty | five, |7 the | Earl of Ar-gyle | 7 was | brought from the first, 7 to the | Laigh | council house, | castle, | 77 | 7 and | thence, 7 to the place of exe- | cution. | 77 | 77 | Be- | fore he left the | castle, | 7 he | had his | dinner | 7 at | the | usual | hour, | 7 at | which he dis- | coursed, | 77 even not only calmly, | 7 but cheerfully, | 7 | with | Mr. | Chateris | 7 and others. | 77 | 77 | After | dinner | 7 he re- | tired, | 77 | (as was his | custom,) | 7 to his | bed-chamber, |77| where | 7 it is re- | corded, | 7 he slept | quietly | 7 for a- | bout a | quarter of an hour. | 77 | 7 7 | While he was in | bed, | one of the | members of the | council | came, | 7 and | intimated 7 to the at- | tendants, | 7 a de- | sire tó | | speak with him: | 77 | 7 upon | being | the | Earl | 7 was a- | sleep, | 7 and had told | 7 that left | orders not to be disturbed, | 7 the | manager | disbe- | lieved the ac- count, | 77 | which he con- | sidered | 7 as a de- | vice | 7 to a- | void | further | questionings. | 77 | 77 | 7 To | satisfy him, | 7 the | door of the bed-chamber, 7 was half | opened, | and | then he be- | held, | 7 en- | joying a | sweet and | tranquil | slumber, | 7 the | man, | 7 7 | 7 who | 7 by the | doom of | him and his | fellows, 7 was to | die | 77 | 7 with- | in the | short | space | 7 of | two | hours. | 77 | 77 | Struck with |