time, the prefs too came under the lash of the attorney-general; and the printers and publishers of fuch news-papers as had inserted the obnoxious refolutions, fuffered with the magiftrates who had figned them. Notwithstanding thefe violent measures which adminiftration were purfuing, the national congrefs met, purfuant to its appointment, on the Oct. 25th. But as it was far from 25th day of October. being compleat in point of number, and feveral of its moft refpectable members chose to abfent themselves, they adjourned, after having paffed a number of refolutions to the fame purport with thofe which had been agreed to at the previous meeting; and exhorted, in the moft earneft manner, the cominunities which had not fent reprefentatives, if they refpected their own confiftency, if they wifhed for the fuccefs of a parliamentary reform, and as they tendered the perpetual liberty and profperity of their country, not to let pafs this opportunity of effecting the great and neceffary confirmation of the constitution. At their fecond meeting, which was held on the 2d of January 2d, January 1785, the re1785. prefentatives of twenty-feven counties, and of most of the cities and confiderable towns of the kingdom, amounting in the whole to upwards of two hundred perfons, affembled. Their proceed ings appear to have been of the fame nature as those they had before adopted, with only this difference, that in the propofed application to the Houfe of Commons, it was agreed to confine themselves to the most general terms, and to leave the mode of redrefs as free and open as poffible to the confideration of parliament. After feveral adjournments, they held their final meeting on the zoth of April; and on the 12th of May, the bill which Mr. Flood had April 20th. May 12th. again brought in, in pursuance of their common object, was again rejected. During the courfe of the proceedings relative to parliamentary and conftitutional reformation, interefts of a more preffing and important nature frequently divided the attention of the people, and were purfued with a more intemperate degree of zeal and violence. It fhould feem as if the manufacturers of Ireland had conceived an opinion, that the reftitution of commercial freedom would operate like a charm, and diffufe in an inftant that general profperity over the nation, which could only be the effect of a long courfe of frugal, attentive, and perfevering induftry. The fallacy of thefe fanguine expectations was fcon apparent; and the evil, if not partly caufed, was greatly aggravated by the idleness of the loweft clafs of people, and that neglect of their proper occupations of the better fort, which was the confequence of the general difpofition to political fpeculations. Towards the end of the year 1783, the diftreffes of the manufacturers of Dublin had arifen to fuch a height, as for a fhort time to fuperfede all laws, and to reduce the city to a state of anarchy and confufion; as a temporary remedy to this mifchief, fubfcriptions were fet on foot for their relief, which were very liberally fupported, and in the mean time a committee was appointed by the Houfe of Commons to take into confideration the ftate ftate of the manufactures of the kingdom. Mr. Gardener, who took the lead in that bufinefs, paffed over into England, in order to confult with the king's minifters on the alarming exigence of affairs; but, as fhould appear from the event, without being able to agree with them on the adoption of any specific measures. vagant price, but all incitement to emulation being removed, they had declined in their quality to the loweft extreme.-The fecond was, to encourage by bounties the export trade. But this, he thought, was beginning at the wrong end. Foreign trade could only be fecured by the excellence of the manufac tures, and that, he contended, could only be obtained in the gradual progrefs of a home confumption, There then remained no other meafure than that he now proposed, by which a preference only would be given to the native manufacture, a preference which, he believed, in all other commercial countries, was uniformly fecured. He therefore concluded with moving, On the 31st of March 1784, the houfe took into confideration the report of the committee; on which occafion Mr. Gardener brought forward a plan, for which the people had for fome time been extremely clamorous, namely, that of protecting duties of protecting their own manufactures, and enforcing the confumption of them at home, by laying heavy duties on fimilar ma-duty of two fhillings and fixnufactures imported from other countries. After ftating the nature and extent of the diftreffes under which the manufacturers laboured, Mr. Gardener adverted to the feveral modes which had been propofed of affording them relief. The first was to force the home confumption by non-importation agreements. This was a measure which, he faid, was not very likely to receive the fanction of the legislature, nor did he think it adviseable in itself; the expedient had been fully tried, as far as voluntary compacts could carry it, and had been attended with the moft pernicious inftead of beneficial effects; not to mention the outrageous exceffes into which the people had been led in the enforcing these agreements, it ftill left it in the power of the interefted and avaricious to draw additional profits from the diftreffes of the country. The home manufactures were not only vended at the most extra "That a pence per yard be laid on all drapery imported into that king"dom." At the fame time he declared his intention of moving for proportionate duties on paper, manufactured iron, and a variety of other articles. In answer to these arguments it was urged, that the protecting duty, if made effectual, would neceffarily produce all the confequences of nonimportation. But what was chiefly infifted on was, that it could not be expected Great Britain would not retaliate, and that they might thereby run the risk of lofing the linen trade, the value of which was a million and a half, for the uncertain profpect of encreafing the woolen, which did not exceed 50,000l. The queftion being at length put on Mr. Gardener's motion, it was rejected by a majority of 110 to 36 The rejection of Mr. Gardener's propofitions caufed a violent fermentation amongst the people. On the Monday following an outrageous mob mob broke into the houfe of commons at the time of its fitting, reproached the members with having fold themfelves to Great Britain, and called on them at least to diftribute amongst the ftarving manufacturers some share of the hire of their iniquity. The guards being fent for, put an end to the riot without any bloodshed, and two of the ringleaders were apprehended and committed to Newgate. As there was great reafon to believe that the people were greatly incited to thefe violent exceffes by the feditious and inflammatory libels which were daily circulated in the public papers, profecutions were commenced against several of the printers; and on the 7th of April a bill was brought in by Mr. Forster, for fecuring the liberty of the prefs, by preventing the publica"tion of libels." By this bill it was enacted, That the real prin"ter and proprietor of every news.paper fhould make an affidavit of his name and place of refidence, and that the fame fhould be "lodged in the stamp-office, to be produced as fufficient evidence in cafes of profecution for libels :"That they fhould further enter "each into a recognizance of 500l. "to answer all civil fuits that fhould "be inftituted against them in fuch characters :-That they fhould "take no money for putting in or "having in any flanderous articles, "under a fevere penalty: and laft"ly, that the hawker of any un"ftamped inflammatory or libel lous paper fhould be compelled "to prove from whom he received " it, and should be subjected to imprisonment ipfo facto by warrant of any juftice of the peace.' This bill was frenuously oppofed in both houfes of parliament, and feveral petitions were prefented against it. At length a fort of compromife took place. The most obnoxious clauses, thofe relative to the recognizance, and the imprisonment of hawkers, were withdrawn, and the bill, thus modified, passed with a pretty general concurrence. Notwithstanding the vigorous conduct of the Irish government, the city of Dublin continued, during the whole courfe of the fummer 1785, to be a scene of tumult and disorder. No fooner was parliament risen, than the expedient of non-importation agreements was again reforted to with greater zeal than ever.— Thefe engagements fpread themfelves into every quarter of the kingdom.-They received the fanction of feveral grand juries, and the merchants of the trading ports found themfelves compelled to fubscribe to them. The enforcing of thefe prohibitory compacts naturally devolved upon the loweft clafs of the people, and they proceeded in the execution of this truft according to the most approved modes of popular discipline. To keep thefe exceffes within fome bounds, the military were pofted in fuch parts of the city as were the most fubject to tumult, centinels were placed to prevent or to give notice of the first appearance of riot, and the garrifon was kept in conflant readiness for action. This untemporifing difpofition in government, drew on the lord lieutenant, whofe manners were in other refpects peculiarly adapted to acquire the favour of that nation, an unufual fhare of popular odium, the effects of which he had frequently the mortification of experiencing.In one instance the public theatre was chofen to be the scene of mani felling fefting this ill-humour. He was received on his arrival in the house by the performance of a piece of mufic called the Volunteers March. A general uproar enfued; the entertainments of the evening were stopped; and it was faid that he narrowly efcaped undergoing one of thofe ope. rations which are ufually inflicted by the mob on perfons who have the misfortune to fall under their difpleasure. Irish parliament, in January 1785, the British cabinet, in concert with commiffioners appointed on the part of Ireland, had formed a plan for regulating and finally adjusting the commercial intercourfe between the two kingdoms. On the 7th of February, Mr. Orde, the fecretary to the lord lieutenant, announced this fyftem to the houfe of commons, and on the 11th, a fet of refolutions*, which he had bePrevious to the meeting of the fore laid on their table, were moved * Refolutions paffed by the Irish house of commons. and Refolved I. That it is the opinion of this committee, that it is highly important to the intereft of the British empire, that the trade between Great Britain and Ireland be extended as much as poffible, and for that purpose that the intercourfe and commerce be finally fettled and regulated on permanent and equitable principles, for the mutual benefit of both countries. Refolved II. That towards carrying into full effect fo defirable a fettlement, it is fit and proper that all articles, not the growth of Great Britain and Ireland, fhould be imported into each kingdom from the other, under the fame regulations, and at the fame duties, if fubject to duties, to which they are liable when imported directly from the place of their growth, product, or manufacture; and that all duties originally paid on importation, to either country refpectively, shall be drawn back on exportation to the other. Refolved III. That for the fame purpose, that it is proper that no prohibition fhould exift in either country against the importation, ufe, or fale of any article, the growth, product, or manufacture of the other; and that the duty on the importation of every such article, if fubject to duty in either country, fhould be precifely the fame in one country as in the other, except where an addition may be neceffary in either country, in confequence of an internal duty on any fuch article of its own confumption. Refolved IV. That in all cafes where the duties on articles of the growth, product, or manufacture of either country are different on the importation into the other, it would be expedient that they fhould be reduced, in the kingdom where they are the higheft, to the amount payable in the other, and that all fuch articles fhould be exportable from the kingdom into which they fhall be imported, as free from duty as the fimilar commodities or home manufactures of the fame kingdom. Refolved V. That for the fame purpose, it is alfo proper that in all cafes where either kingdom fhall charge articles of its own confumption with an internal duty on the manufacture, or a duty on the material, the fame manufacture, when imported from the other, may be charged with a further duty on importation, to the fame amount as the internal duty on the manufacture, or to an amount adequate to countervail the duty on the material, and thall be entitled to fuch drawbacks or bounties on exportation, as may leave the fame fubject to no heavier burthen than the home-made manufacture; fuch further duty to continue fo long only as the internal confumption fhall be charged with the duty or duties, to balance which it fhall fhall be impofed, or until the manufacture coming from the other kingdom fhall be fubjected there to an equal burthen, not drawn back or compenfated on exportation. Refolved VI. That in order to give permanency to the fettlements now intended to be established, it is neceflary that no prohibition, or new or additional duties, fhould be hereafter impofed in either kingdom, on the importation of any article of the growth, product, or manufacture of the other, except fuch additional duties as may be requifite to balance duties on internal confumption, pursuant to the foregoing refolution. Refolved VII. That for the fame purpose, it is neceffary further that no prohibitions, or new additional duties, should be hereafter imposed on either kingdoms, on the exportation of any article of native growth, product, or manufacture, from thence to the other, except fuch as either kingdom may deem expedient from time to time, upon corn, meal, malt, flour, and bifcuit; and alfo, except where there now exifts any prohibition, which is not reciprocal, or any duty, which is not equal,' in both kingdoms; in every which cafe the prohibition may be made reciprocal, or the duties raised so as to make them equal. Refolved VIII. That for the fame purpofe, it is neceffary that no bounties whatfoever fhould be paid or payable in either kingdom, on the exportation of any article to the other, except fuch as relate to corn, meal, malt, flour, and biscuits, and such as are in the nature of drawbacks or compenfations for duties paid; and that no bounties fhould be granted in this kingdom, on the exportation of any ar ticle imported from the British plantations, or any manufacture made of ́fuch article, unless in cafes where a fimilar bounty is payable in Britain on exportation from thence, or where fuch bounty is merely in the nature of a drawback, or compenfation of or for duties paid over and above any duties paid thereon in Britain. Refolved IX. That it is expedient for the general benefit of the British empire, that the importation of articles from foreign ftates fhould be regulated from time to time, in each kingdom, on such terms as may afford an effectual preference to the importation of fimilar articles of the growth, produce, or manufacture of the other. Refolved X. That for the better protection of trade, whatever fum the grofs hereditary revenue of this kingdom (after deducting all drawbacks, re-payments, or bounties granted in the nature of drawbacks) shall produce annually, over and above the fum of £. fhould be appropriated towards the support of the naval force of the empire, in such manner as the parliament of this kingdom fhall direct. |