in the defence of their religion, and in the prefervation of the independence, laws, and liberties of his kingdoms.

It will be a fource of infinite fatisfaction to my mind, if, in the execution of my duty, I can contribute to fupport the generous determination of my fovereign and maintain the fafety and profperity of his people. I rely upon your advice and co-operation, and, aided by them, I look forward with confidence to a happy iffue of the conteft in which we are engaged.

[Addreffes were moved in both Houfes, and carried unanimously.]

In the House of Lords, on the 19th February 1798, Earl Moira made the following Motion.

THAT "HAT an humble addrefs be presented to his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, reprefenting that as Parliament hath confided to his Excellency extraordinary powers for fupporting the laws, and for defeating any traitorous combinations which may exift in this kingdom, this House feels it, at the fame time, a duty to recommend the adoption of fuch conciliatory measures as may allay the apprehenfions and extinguish the difcontents unhappily prevalent in this country.

[This motion was negatived by a majority of 44 contents against 9 non-contents.]

Against this Decifion the following Proteft was entered.
Diffentient,

BECAUSE that at a moment when Government has thought itfelf obliged to exert unufual rigour, it appears the extreme of impolicy not to profefs the reluctance with which fuch feverities are enforced, and the wifh of Government to conciliate the minds of the people by a gentler course,

(Signed)

In the Houfe of Commons, on the 5th March 1798, the following Motion was made by Sir Lawrence Parfons.

ΤΗ

HAT a Committee be appointed to inquire into the state of the country, and to fuggeft fuch measures as are likely to conciliate the popular mind and restore tranquillity. 4 B

VOL. VII.

[This

[This motion was negatived by a majority of 156 againft 19. Lord Corry, immediately after the divifion, moved, and the House voted, an addrefs of thanks to the Lord Lieutenant, for the good confequences to the country from the vigorous measures pursued by his Excellency's government in Ulfter, and pledging the firm fupport of the Houfe in purfuit of those meafures, and to the restoration of perfect tranquillity.]

Speech of the Speaker of the House of Commons to his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant on the 24th March 1798.

L

May it please your Excellency,

ARGE as the fupplies of the last feffion were beyond all former grants, these which the Commons now offer to his Majefty are not inferior; they go to the fullest extent of every fervice propofed by Government, and are given with an unanimity and zeal which mark the unalterable determination of this kingdom to stand or fall with Great Britain, and show that our vigour rifes as the vaunting menaces of the enemy increase.

With the fame unanimity we have voted the maintenance of an army far greater than was ever kept up by this kingdom during any preceding war; and we have continued to them the augmentation of pay which was granted by the laft Parliament, and which your Excellency did juftly ftate to that Parliament to be a feasonable and honourable acknowledgment on their part of the fteadiness and loyalty of that army. The prefent Parliament feels the fame fentiments towards them. Repeated experience of the order and alacrity which they have fhown on every occafion that has offered, confirms his Majefty's faithful Commons in thofe fentiments; and we join moft cordially with his Majesty in his firm reliance on the valour of his regular and militia forces in this kingdom, which his Majefty has been pleased to express in his gracious answer to our addrefs this feffion.

While the courage, the vigour, and the difcipline of those forces must render them formidable to the enemy and infure his defeat, fhould he be defperate enough to attempt invafion, their zeal, and that of the yeomen, to put down rebellion, to crush infurrection, and to affift the executive power in protecting the loyal, the innocent, and well-difpofed, affords the moft convincing proof of their ardent and unshakable attachment to the heft fovereign and beft conftitution that ever bleffed a free and happy people. We are free-and we will not tamely give up our happiness. The loyal fpirit of the nation is able to cruth rebellion to atoms, wherever it fhall dare to fhow itfelf; and with the firmness which fo ftrongly marks your Excellency's character, with the conftant fuccefs which has attended every vigor

ous

ous measure that neceffity has called on your Excellency to adopt, we have nothing to fear. We have, indeed, to lament, that traitorous confpiracies can ftill continue, and that any men can be found in the land fo loft to every fenfe of patriotifm, of humanity, of duty to themfelves, their country, and their God, as to degrade the nation and the name of Irishman, by acts of ingratitude, barbarity, and affaffination, which would debafe a favage-acts which call for the heavy hand of juftice, and which the ordinary power of the laws has proved inadequate to prevent the melancholy and frequent repetition of.

But while we lament fuch a mortifying calamity, we have the fatisfaction of feeing how little its malignant influence, or the efforts of an exafperated and revengeful enemy, has affected our commercial profperity.

Notwithstanding the largenefs of the fupplies, we have continued the ufual bounties and encouragement to the trade, the agriculture, and the manufactures of the kingdom; and we see, with fincere gratification, the defirable effects of thofe encouragements, in the great increafe of trade during the war, in the general confidence which attends private as well as public credit, in the unusual plenty which our agriculture fupplies, and in the profperous ftate of all our manufactures, but most particularly of our great ftaple, the linen.

In the House of Lords, on the 23d April 1798, the Earl of Glandore made the following Motion.

THAT an addrefs be prefented to his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, expreffing the thanks of the House for the proclamation iffued by his Excellency and the Council on the 30th of March*, and the full conviction of the House, from the ftate of the kingdom, of the neceffity for ftrong and decided measures.

[This motion was carried by a majority of 34 contents against 3 non-contents.]

In the House of Commons, on the 2d May 1798, Mr. Vandeleur moved the following Addrefs to his Excellency.

THAT

HAT he would be pleased to order to be laid before the House copies of all orders given to general officers in Ireland, fince the 30th of March last.

[No decifion was come to by the Houfe upon the above motion, on account of there being an infufficient attendance of members.]

On the 22d May 1798, Lord Viscount Caftlereagh presented to the Houfe of Commons the following Meffage from his Excellency.

CAMDEN.

AM to acquaint the Houfe of Commons, that in confequence of the diforders which have taken place in the neighbouring Counties, and of the preparations which appeared to be making by the difaffected in this metropolis and its vicinity, the magiftrates thought it proper to apply to the Lord Lieutenant and Privy Council, to place the city under the provifions of the act paffed in the thirty-fixth year of his Majefty's reign, more effectually to fupprefs infurrections and prevent the difturbance of the public peace this application has been complied with; and I am now, with the utmoft concern, to inform the Houfe of Commons, that I have received information that the difaffected have been daring enough to form a plan for the purpose of poffeffing themselves, in the course of the prefent month, of the metropolis, of feizing the feat of government, and thofe in authority within the city. In confequence of this information, I have directed every military precaution to be taken which feemed expedient. I have made full communication to the magiftracy for the direction of their efforts, and I have no doubt that, by the measures which will be purfued, the defigns of the rebellious will be effectually and entirely crushed.

I have taken the earliest opportunity of making this communication, and have the fulleft confidence that I fhall be fupported by the Commons in fuch meafures as fhall be neceffary finally to fupprefs the rebellious confpiracy which exifts in this kingdom.

C.

[In confequence of which the following refolutions were unanimously agreed to by the Houfe of Commons, who immediately, with their Speaker, proceeded on foot to the Caftle, and prefented them to his Excellency.]

Refolved,

THAT an humble addrefs be prefented to his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, to return his Excellency our fincere thanks for the meffage he has fent this day to the House.

The intelligence it communicates fills us with indignation and horror, whilft it roufes in us a fpirit of determined refolution and energy.

We

We rely upon the vigilance and vigour of his Excellency's government, which, we truft, will continue unabated, till the confpiracy, which fo fatally exifts, be utterly diffolved. Senfible of the danger which furrounds us, we are fully prepared to meet it under his Excellency's aufpices; and we feel affured, that his fuccessful efforts in the cause of our fovereign and the conftitution, will foon be crowned with univerfal gratitude, not only from the loyal, who have ftood their ground with firmnefs, but from the deluded, who have been traitorously feduced.

[To which the Lord Lieutenant returned the following anfwer.]

THE manner in which the Houfe of Commons has expreffed its approbation of my conduct calls for expreffions, on my part, to which no language I can ufe is equal. The wifdom, the firmnefs, and the fpirit, which have been manifefted, during the whole of this eventful period, by the House of Commons, and the peculiar promptitude, alacrity, and unanimity, which have been evinced, muft tend, in the most effectual manner, to crush rebellion and to fave the state.

[A meffage to the fame effect having been fent by the Lord Lieutenant to the Houfe of Lords, their Lordships voted the following address, and presented it to his Excellency in the fame manner.]

WE cannot reprefs our indignant emotions at those desperate defigns which have been communicated to us, nor fufficiently applaud the vigilance and vigour which are exerted to defeat them. With firm and collected refolution, we express a full confidence that his Excellency will proceed in his measures with unrelaxed effort; we engage to him our full fupport, ftrengthened by the increafed activity of the loyal, and the repentance of the deluded. The well-directed force of Government cannot fail to extinguish the confpiracy which difgraces the kingdom; and his Excellency will foon reap the fruits of his unremitting attention to public fafety in the approbation of his fovereign and in the gratitude of the people.

[To which his Excellency returned the following anfwer.]

YOUR approbation of the meafures I have taken, so ardently, immediately, and unanimously conveyed, affords me the highest gratification: you cannot doubt of my vigorous perfeverance in what you have approved; nor can I hesitate as to the fpeedy fuccefs of thofe efforts which are fo warmly feconded by the energy of the legislature, and by the loyal fpirit which is fo confpicuoufly and generally difplayed.

On