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mate of the neceffity was taken at the annual fum of 140,000l. and the taxes by which this fum was to be raised were a duty upon malt, tobacco, licences, wheel carriages, newspapers, and certain other articles. Very early in the Irish houfe of commons, the leaders of oppofition declared their difcontent with the flow, and, as they deemed it, equivocal procedure of the English parliament; and they endeavoured to obtain from adminiftration the fufpenfion of the bills impofing thefe duties, till they fhould learn that fome peremptory and decifive meafure was adopted on the part of England. This demand created a fpecies of debate in which the members took oppofite fides according to their preconceived ideas. Mr. Grattan and many others, including all the friends of administration, declared their opinion that the taxes were the only means that could be employed by that kingdom for fupporting the expences of government without running into debt. They therefore declared their peculiar favour to that part of the fyftem that related to these taxes, and profeffed their earnest wish that if all the reft were loft, this part of the fyftem might be preferved. By feveral on the other hand it was flated in the ftrict light of a compenfation to England for the benefits held out in the preceding articles of the fyftem. If the fyftem were not given, Ireland could take care of her finances in a better and more oeconomical manner, not by raifing her revenues to the level of her expenditure, but by finking her expenditure to the level of her revenues. These debates were farther distinguished by a declaration from Sir John Parnel, one of the commiffioners of the Irish revenues,

that he thought every part of the propofitions fair and advantageous to that kingdom. That accordingly no change in ministerial politics fhould have any influence upon him; but that he was determined to support the whole in the manner in which it had been agreed to, regardless of the of the confequence. Some advantage was afterwards taken of this declaration by the members of oppofition. The tax bills received the royal affent on the twenty-fourth of March. On this occafion fome difficulty had been made on the part of the house of lords, in complying with the ufual mode of fending back money bills to the houfe of commons, inftead of retaining them in their own poffeflion, as was usual in other cafes, till they received the last formalities neceffary to their paffing into a law. The point however was fpeedily compromised, and matters returned into their old channel.

One of the questions which had been warmly debated by the oppofite fides of the houfe of commons during the pendency of the propofitions, was elative to the conftruction of the laws of navigation of Great Britain. A principal branch of the benefit refulting from the propofed fyftem confifted, according to administration, in the extention of thefe laws to the kingdom of Ireland, and the permitting the circuitous as well as the direct importation into England of the produce of the colonies by Irifh merchants. Oppofition on the con trary, including the country gentlemen and many of the lawyers, maintained that the acts of navigation did neceffarily and irrefiftibly include Ireland as a part of the empire, and that of confequence nothing was given under this branch of the fyftem to which Ireland was

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not already entitled. To bring this question to an iffue, a refolution was propofed to the houfe on the eleventh of April, by Mr. Corry, declaratory of their conftruction of the contested laws. The motion was oppofed as premature by Mr. Forbes, Mr. Griffith, and Mr. Hartley; and Mr. Corry at length confented to withdraw it.

While the measures that related to the commercial fyftem engaged the attention of parliament, the affairs of the projected reform were not entirely neglected by its friends. The last efforts were now expended of that glorious flame, which had once spread over every part of the ifland, and which had feemed to promife a very different and diftinguished fuccefs. The congrefs of the nation of Ireland met purfuant to its adjournment on the twentieth of April. The proceedings that were held, fo far as it was thought proper to give them to the public, feem to have tended chiefly to put the plan of a more equal reprefentation into as general terms as it was conceived to admit, and to leave as much as poffible to the wisdom and direction of parliament. The congrefs now declared their meeting to be final, and in a very brief addrefs to the people of Ireland, obferved, that, if the abufes of former parliaments did not infpire a distrust of thofe which were to come; if the venerable opinion of thofe illuftrious men who were now no more, and the affiftance of those whofe prefent labours cooperated with them in the fame purfuit, had no influence to awake their fears, to animate their efforts, and to invigorate their hopes, this and every other endeavour muit fink into oblivion; and they would fhortly repofe in indolent acquiefcence under fuch a reprefentation

as would gall themselves and their pofterity with increafing taxation and oppreffion."

It was not till the twelfth of May, that Mr. Flood prefented to the houfe of commons a bill for effecting the purpose of the national congrefs. To give to the bufiness a greater appearance of deliberation and folemnity, he had fo early as the fecond of March moved for leave to bring in a measure of this kind, which was accordingly granted him. In the mean time he added, that, as the prime minister of England had ple 'ged himself to bring forward refolutions of a fimilar nature, in a grand and decifive effort before the British parliament, he did not mean to bring in his own bill til he had feen the fate of that undertaking. The dif cuffion of Mr. Pitt's propofal took place in Great Britain on the eighteenth of April. On the twenty eighth of the fame month Mr. Flood moved, "that the house refolve itfelf into a committee to confider of an nftruction to the perfons who had been ordered to bring in his bill, that the better to promore p pulation in contracted or decayed boroughs, no borough in the province of Connaught having less than forty, or in the other provinces having less than feventy electors, fhould be permitted to return more than one member to parliament". The motion was oppofed by n ajor Doyle and fir Boyle Roche, both of whom had fupported the measure in the last sesfion, Mr. Dennis Daly, Mr. Fitzgibbon, and, in a fpeech of fome length, by fir Hercules Langrishe. It was fupported by Mr. Grattan, who however did not appear to approve of the particular mode in which the bufinefs was brought forward in parliament. The mo

tion was negatived without a divifion.

The bill itself, which was at length introduced to the houfe, was fupported with confiderable earneftnefs by Mr. Brownlow and Mr. O'Neil. By the former it was obferved that he grea:ly doubted indeed, whether there was virtue nough in that houfe to pass the bill; but that he was bold to fay, that fooner or later the house would give a reform to the people. The Latter, in reply to Mr. Monk Mafon, who had endeavoured to prove that the measure originated in partial clamour, maintained that the whole fenfe of the kingdom was for a parliamentary reform, and that nothing but the most extreme blindness and abfurdity could cherish a doubt of it. The arguments in favour of the measure were inforced by Mr. Rowley, Mr. Forbes, Mr. Corry, fir Henry Hartftonge, and Mr. Travers Hartley. It was remarked by Mr. Flood, that though this bill differed materially from the one brought in last year, fome there were who faid it was the fame, and for that reafon would justify their oppofition. But if it were the fame bill word for word, was that a reafon? Had the houfe never rejected a measure in one feffion and adopted it in another? Did they never vary in their opinion? When first a bill of reform was offered to parliament, the objection was that it was delivered upon the point of an ideal bayonet. It was the air-drawn dagger of Macbeth that appeared to every man who oppofed the bill on that day. And why did it appear to him, but that his confcience fmote him? Mr. Flood would not fpeak to the provifions of the bill; but he called upon the houfe to let it be printed, and then come back with the approbation of the

people, and not like mutes in a feraglio to ftrangle it on that day. If they proceeded to its difcuffion, he dared any man to meet him on its principles: he challenged the most informed and the mightiest of them all to enter the lifts. The queftion was put, and the house divided, ayes 60, nocs 112.

A bill was introduced, immedi ately upon the defeat of the bill of reform, by Mr. Forbes, member for the county of Drogheda, to prevent perfons holding places, or receiving penfions from government from having a feat in parliament. But this bill encountered the fame fate, and like that of Mr. Flood was rejected upon the second reading. In the mean time a motion had been brought forward by Mr. Brownlow, on the twenty-fifth of February, declaring, "that it was the opinion of that houfe, that the proceedings of the court of king's bench, in the affair of the highfheriff of Dublin, were highly reprehenfible in adopting a mode of punishment, arbitrary in its nature, contrary to the principles of the conftitution, and destructive of the trial by jury." This motion was rejected at the inftigation of Mr. Fitzgibbon. Another question moved by the popular party was introduced by Mr. O'Hara, member for the county of Sligo, the object of which was the abolition of the office of vice-treasurer of Ireland. This motion had the fame fate with that of Mr. Brownlow.

The first notice that was taken of the propofitions as they were amended by the British parliament, and increased to the number of twenty, was on the 13th of June. On this occafion, Mr. Orde having moved an adjournment for three weeks, Mr. Rowley fuggefted an

idea he had formed of moving an addrefs to the lord lieutenant, requelling him to put an end to the fellion of parliament. Mr. Rowley was followed by Mr. Forbes, who was explicit in his condemnation of the amended fyftem, and propofed as a fupplement to the motion of adjournment, that the fpeaker fhould write circular letters to the members requiring their attendance as they regarded the conftitutional and commercial rights of Ireland. An unequivocal di approbation of the fyftem was at the fame time declared by Mr. Corry, Mr. Griffith, Mr. Arthur Browne, fir Henry Cavendish and Mr. Grattan. By fir Henry Cavendish it was afferted that there could be but one fentiment upon the fubject. Unless the twenty refolutions came to Ireland materially altered from the ftate in which he had feen them, it was im poffible for the prefent adminiftration, it was impoffible for any administration, to bring them forward in parliament. There was not an Englifaman nor an Irishman that would dare to do it; and if there were, he would not find another base enough to fecond him. The house would rife indignant: the contest would be, who fhould first move a question of expulfion, on the man who aimed a vital ftab at the legiflative independence of Ireland. To this it was added by Mr. Grattan, that if the refolutions of the English houfe of commons were ever laid upon their table, he would oppofe them with the last nerve of his ftrength, and with the last breath of his life. When the fettlement of 1782 took place, he conceived that no conflitutional queftion could afterwards arife be tween the two nations.. Upon that ground he had impofed a filence upon himself refpecting commercial 1786.

matters, because he thought it his. duty to cherish the harmony that. fublifted. But now fince conftitutional questions were revived, he fhould not be wanting. Whenever the time came for that purpofe, he fhould give them battle, and Ireland fhould be the judge. Mr. Forbes's amendment was rejected, ayes 35, nocs 85.

When the houfe met again, purfuant to the adjournment, Mr. Rowley moved, in conformity to the hint he had thrown out, that the houfe adjourn to the firit of January next. This motion however he withdrew at the request of Mr. Grattan. Mr. Grattan did not with the country gentlemen to put any question as yet, or to divide their ftrength. It was better in fo eventful a moment, to wait till the advance fhould be made upon them; it was better to keep themfelves firm and compact.

During the whole of thefe prelufory debates a fingular degree of ambiguity was maintained by adminiftration, relative to the queftion whether or not the fourth amended propofition, concerning which the greatest appehenfions were entertained, would make a part of the fyftem they should bring forward in Ireland. This fucceeded fo far, that fir Henry Cavendish rofe on the twenty-first of July to affure the houfe, that he understood that ne thing injurious to the commercial or conftitutional rights of the nation would be introduced under the prefent adminiftration. So late as the fecond of Auguft it was obfery ed by Mr. Orde with fome warmth, that the delay he deman led was but of fhort duration; and if he then brought forward any thing injuri ous to the conftitution or commerce of Ireland, let him be cenfured with the feveret marks of indigna

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tion; let him be marked with reproach, and dafhed with difhonour! At prefent he hoped the houfe would give him credit for the rectitude of his intentions. Mr. Orde's avowed intention, as it appeared on the former of these days, was to bring parliament to an ultimate decifion upon the fyftem, previously to the clofe of its prefent feffion.

The fyftem was opened by the British minitter on the twelfth of Auguft. On the preceding day a question was moved by Mr. Flood, that the house should come to a refolution" that it would retain undiminished the free and full exercife of the fole and exclufive authority at all times to legiflate for Ireland internally, externally, and commercially." This motion was withdrawn for the prefent, at the requeft of Mr. Crde, Mr. Grattan declared his preference to the proceeding by addrefs to the throne rather than by refolution; if however Mr. Flood brought forward his refolution, he should concur in its fupport.

But the fpirit of oppofition to the propofitions in their amended form was not confined to the houfe of commons of Ireland. On the contrary, it had been widely diffufed through all ranks of men, and the most valuable and important interests of the country, conftitutional and commercial, were conceived to be involved in the fate of the fyftem. Every other confideration was now loft in the univerfal alarm. The once favourite ideas of parliamentary reform were forgotten. Petitions were prefented from every part of the kingdom, the object of which was to exprefs their jealoufy of the plan of commercial intercourfe; and to entreat that its difcuffion might not take place in the prefent feffion of parliament. The

earliest petitions were those the town of Waterford and Galway, which were prefented on the twenty-first of July. They were followed, among others, by the merchants of Dublin, the freeholders of Antrim and Armagh, and the citizens of Cork, whofe petition was prefented by Mr. Hutchinson, the fecretary of state.

On the day appointed to move for leave to bring in a bill for effectuating the propofed intercourse, Mr. Orde explained the bufinefs to the house in a fpeech of confiderable length. He was glad that the time was come, to put an end to doubts and mifreprefentations, and to prove the confiftency of his conduct in doing nothing contrary to the declaration he had fo often made, never to bring forward any meafure that fhould infringe upon the conftitution of Ireland. He apologized for faying any thing refpecting himself in a difcuffion of fo great magnitude; but the charges of contradiction that had been advanced against him made it neceffary; and he now avowed his real refponfibility for the measure he fhould propofe. He stood there the afferter of the fairness and justice of the propofition he was to offer; and he begged to be understood not merely as acting officially, but that his heart was in it. In confidering it, he faid, every man ought to dif mifs from his mind what he had already heard, to diveft himself of prejudice, and to come to the dif cufion uninfluenced by bias of any kind. For his part, he would not attempt a parade of words; plaufi bility was neceffary where there was a doubt of the truth; but in the prefent bufinefs there was no reasonable ground for hesitation,

Mr. Orde defended the variations that appeared in the fyftem, by the confideration

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