Slike strani
PDF
ePub

afforded us an opportunity, which we gladly em-
braced, of completing our retrospect of such mat-
ters of confideration, as the excefs and urgency of
matter in late bufy years, had neceffarily occafioned
our poftponing. Of thefe, the public affairs of our
fifter ifland and kingdom, not only claimed the
firft place from our mutual relation and interest,
but demanded it on the account of fuperior im-
portance to all others. We have likewife brought
into view no small fhare of curious and interesting
matter from the transactions of foreign nations, which
feemed hitherto to have been overlooked. Spain,
in particular, has, through the great improvements
which for fome time have been taking place in that
kingdom, afforded a moft pleafing and fertile field
for retrofpect. Nor have other countries, appa-
rently more fterile, been by any means unproduc-
tive. In the bufinefs of the prefent year, the ex-
ceedingly complicated affairs of Holland, prefented
fo alarming an afpect, and indicated confequences
by which the interests, and even fecurity of this
country might have been fo deeply affected, that
their difcuffion neceffarily required our utmost care
and most serious attention.

THE

[blocks in formation]

Ireland. Retrospective view of the internal state of affairs in that country. Attempt to reform the conftitution, by fhortening the duration of parliaments. Mutiny bill paffed. Meetings of the Irish volunteers to obtain a parliamentary reform. Ineffectual attempt to induce them to difband. Bill for effecting a parliamentary reform-rejected by a great majority; and refolution thereupon. Address to his majesty on that fubject. Counter-address. Another bill prefented, and rejected. Propofition for the relief of the Roman catholics. Petition of the delegates conveyed to Mr. Pitt. Mr. Pitt's anfwer. Difunion among the volunteers, on the fubject of the Roman catholics. Lord Charlemont thanked by the city of Dublin for his conduct. Steps ta ken by government to prevent the meeting of the delegates. Letter from the Attorney General to the sheriff's of Dublin. High fheriff of the county of Dublin profecuted, fined, and imprifoned; others alfo profecuted. Meetings of delegates nevertheless held. Another bill presented, and rejected. Diftreffes of the manufacturers of Dublin. Committee appointed for their relief. Mr. Gardener's plan-rejected by a very great majority. Violent ferment amongst the people. Outrages of the mob, who are difperfed by the military. Bill for reftricting the liberty of the prefs. Petitions againft. Modified, and paffed. Non-importation agreements entered into. Precautions. to prevent enormities. Lord Lieutenant incurs popular odium, and is openly infulted. Commercial arrangement between Great Britain and Ireland. A fet of refolutions prefented to the house of commons in Ireland; agreed to; tranfmitted VOL. XXVIII.

[4]

to

to England. Bufinefs opened in the house of commons there by Mr. Pitt; his fpeech. Propofitions minutely investigated. Ten new propofitions added. Propofitions paffed. Very strongly oppofed in the house of lords; paffed. Bill thereupon. Propofitions tranfmitted to Ireland; their reception there. Bill moved for, correspondent to that in England; debates thereupon. Speeches of Mr. Grattan and Mr. Flood. Bill brought in; ordered to be printed. Further profecution of the measure declined. Mr. Orde's Speech on the occafion. -Intended emigration of the Genevefe to Ireland. Reception of their commiffioners there. Difagreement between the parties. Scheme proves abortivs.

WR

E have already feen, that kingdom of Ireland.-It has always by feveral acts of parlia-, been questioned, whether any conment which paffed in the fiderable part of the people of Eng

year 1780, the commerce of Ireland, however unpopular the houfe land was freed from thofe ruinous reftrictions with which it had been long fhackled, through the fhortfighted policy and narrow prejudices of the British nation.

In the year 1782, the declaratory act of George the Second was repealed; and by another ftatute, which paffed in the following year, the authority of the British parliament, in all matters both of legiflation and jurisdiction, were renounced, and the political independence of the kingdom of Ireland was compleatly established.

The only object therefore that remained for the confideration of the respective governments of each country, was the fettlement of a fyftem of commercial intercourfe betwixt the two kingdoms upon a firm and permanent bafis.

Before we enter upon this part of our history, it may be neceflary to take a fhort retrospective view of the internal state of affairs in that country...

The fpirit of reforming the conftitution, by fhortening the duration of parliaments, and establishing a more equal reprefentation of the people, which broke out in Great Britain about the year 1779, paffed over at the fame period into the

of commons may at times have rendered itself to the nation, was at all diffatisfied with the established mode of reprefentation, or expected any effectual relief from the more frequent return of elections.

In Ireland, thefe projects of refor mation certainly met with a much more general reception-a circumftance not difficult to be accounted for, when we confider the ferment which then exifled in that kingdom, and how favourable fuch moments. are to every fpecies of political in

novation.

In the year 1779, the parliament of Ireland, in their addreffes to the throne, had in firm and manly language demanded the refloration of their commercial freedom. In order to give effect to this requifition, refolutions were entered into by the inhabitants of the trading towns to prevent the importation of British manufactures; and thefe refolutions were often enforced with a degree of violence and cutrage, which the civil authority of the country was unable to reftrain. This vigorous and determined fpirit of the people had a forcible effect upon the deliberations of parliament; all new fupplies for the current fervices of the executive government were de

nied, and the truft of the old revenue, which had ufually been voted for two years, was reftricted to fix months-A mutiny bill was alfo paffed for the king's army in Ire land, which before had always been regulated under the authority of an act of the British legislature. These vigorous meafures, as we have al ready feen in the tranfactions of the year 1780, produced their intended effect, and led to ftill more impor, tant confequences.

The paffing of the mutiny bill was a step that went in its principle fo evidently and fo directly to the acknowledgment of the indepen: dence of the kingdom of Ireland, that it is not eafy to conceive how it came to meet with fo little oppofition from administration, or to receive so readily the fanction of the British cabinet, unless we fuppofe that the circumftance of its being made perpetual had rendered it acceptable to government. But in Ireland, where one great conftitutional principle appears to have been facrificed merely for the purpofe of establishing another, it was eafy to forefee that they would not long fubmit to a restriction which rendered the advantage they had obtained not only not ufeful, but dangerous to their conftitution.

Accordingly in the following feffon an attempt was made to get rid of the obnoxious part of the bill, by repealing the clause of perpe. tuity. But here government made

a ftand; and this, as well as a mo tion made to obtain a modification of Poyning's law, was rejected by a large majority.

The failure of thefe efforts of the minority in parliament, appears to have given cccafion to the first meeting of the volunteers on the subject of parliamentary reform. Dec. 28th, On the 28th of December, 1781, the officers' of one of the Ulfter regiments came to an unanimous refolution, That "to restore the conftitution to its "original purity, the nfoft vigorous

[ocr errors][merged small]

1781.

and effectual methods fhould be "purfued to root corruption and court influence out of the legiflative body:" and with this view a meeting of delegates from the feveral regiments of the province was convened at Dungannon on the 15th of February following.

VO

On that day, the reprefentatives of 143 corps of volunteer troops affembled. Their refolutions, which were adopted in fubftance by all the lunteers of the fouthern provinces, were confined for the most part to the affertion of the political independence of the kingdom.-This primary object being foon after eftablifhed, by folemn acts of the le. giflature of both nations, the ardour for parliamentary reformations appeared for a while to have almost entirely fubfided*.

The existence and increase of the volunteer army, after the neceffity which firft gave rife to it had been fuperceded

During the courfe of this, the Irish parliament paffed the following acts, for the purpose of giving effect to their new conftitution:

An act to empower the lord lieutenant, or other chief governor or governors, and council of this kingdom, for the time being, to certify all fuch bills, and none other, as both houfes of parliament fhall judge expedient to be enacted in this kingdom, to his majesty, his heirs and fucceffors, under the great feal of Ireland, without addition, diminution, or alteration. All fuch bills, thus tranfmitted, and

[blocks in formation]

-

fuperceded by the establishment of peace, and after the great conftitutional objects to which it had fecondarily directed its views were fully attained, called for the moft ferious attention of government.Accordingly, foon after the tranfactions we have juft related, an attempt was made to induce them to disband, by raifing under the authority of government a kind of national militia, by the name of Fencible Regiments. It is probable that this de. fign, though too glaring to be concealed, and accordingly almoft univerfally condemned and oppofed by the volunteers, would in time have produced its effect, if fome new object had not been found upon which the united efforts of that body might again be exerted.-The reform of parliamentary reprefentation furnifhed this centre of union, and the difcuffion of it was again refumed with great zeal and folemnity.Delegates are affembled from the feveral corps of the several provin. ces; committees of correfpondence are appointed; and letters are difpatched to the most celebrated political fpeculators, or parliamentary reformers in Great Britain, for their

advice on fo great and momentous an occafion.

On the eighth day of September, 1783, a general meeting of delegates from the province of Ulfter was held at Dungannon. A plan of reformation was here propofed and agreed upon; and it was refolved, that a grand national convention of reprefentatives from the whole volunteer army fhould affemble at Dublin on the tenth day of November following. In these measures the volunteer corps of the other three provinces almost unanimously concurred.

The convention in Dublin was both full and refpectable, and the measures were at least commendable for their moderation. On the fubject of parliamentary reform, it was propofed to extend the right of voting in all cities and boroughs to every proteftant inhabitant poffeffed of a freehold or leafehold, for 31 years or upwards, of the value of forty fhillings a year; that in decayed boroughs, where the number of voters fhould be lefs than two hundred in the province of Ulfter, one hundred in Munster and Connaught, and feventy in the province of Leinster,

returned under the great feal of Great Britain, without addition, diminution, or alteration, and none other, to pafs in the parliament of this kingdom. No bill neceffary to be certified into Great Britain as a caufe or confideration for holding a parliament in Ireland.

An act to limit the mutiny act to two years, and to repeal the other obnoxious parts of the late statute.

An act providing that from henceforth all erroneous judgments, orders, and decrees, fhall be finally examined and reformed in the high court of parliament of this kingdom only; and that for this purpose the lord lieutenant, or other chief governor or governors, fhall and may grant warrants for fealing writs of error returnable into parliament.

An habeas corpus law, and one for rendering the judges independent of the crown, were alfo enacted.

* These letters were addressed to the Duke of Richmond, the Earl of Effingham, Mr. William Pitt, Mr. Wyvil, Major Cartwright, Dr. Price, and Dr. John Jebb.

the

« PrejšnjaNaprej »