prefent advifers, was a fufficient reafon for his recal. Mr. Fox entered into a fhort hiftory of facts with regard to the Administration of Earl Fitzwilliam in Ireland; and of certain applications which had been made to the Throne by delegates from that country on behalf of the Catholics, and maintained the right which the Houfe of Commons of Great Britain had to inftitute inquiries into public matters which related to the interefts of both. He was of opinion, that what had been allowed to the Catholics in that country and in this, was right as far as it went; but that while there was any diftinction made between them and the Proteftants, with regard to political rights, they would continue to have claims upon the juftice of the Legiflature. His opinion, indeed, was well known to thofe who had done him the honour to attend to him: It was, that at all times, in all countries, and upon all occafions, there fhould be no diftinctions in political rights, on account of religious opinions. He thought that the prejudices of the people were, generally speaking, worthy of attention. But when prejudices bent against the general principles of toleration, he did not think them entitled to much refpect. What was the cafe in Ireland when Lord Fitzwilliam became Lord Lieutenant? When he arrived in Ireland, he found the Proteftants fo far from entertaining any alarm at the idea of the emancipation of the Catholics, that they all wifhed for it; even when his recal was known to be about to take place, there was only one place in the whole kingdom where alarm was affected to be felt, in confequence of the plan propofed in favour of the Catholics; and even there the vote upon that occafion was carried by a fmall majority; and therefore it was demonftrable, that the almost unanimous with of the people of Ireland was for the entire emancipation of the Catholics. Nor was this wonderful; for the people of Ireland had fenfe enough to distinguish between the effect of living amongst freemen, and that of living amongst flaves.

It was faid that under the prefent circumstances no man could wish to fee Lord Fitzwilliam reftored to the government of Ireland. That the Noble Earl, confidering his recent experience, would be very willing again to hazard his comfort, his character, his reputation, under the controul of thofe who had already betrayed him, was extremely doubtful; but he confeffed, from what he knew of the difpofition of that Nobleman, he would be as ready to facrifice every thing that related to his own eafe for the public good, as any man in the kingdom; he nevertheless thought, that after what had al ready happened, he must hesitate a good deal before he would

Lay,

fay, "I am ready to go to Ireland during the continuance of the prefent Adminiflration." Such an event would certainly be defirable, for the Noble Earl was popular throughout the whole kingdom, which was evident from the addrefles of all confiderable towns, from Belfaft to Cork, and alfo in the city of Dublin. To pleafe every man was impollible; but Lord Fitzwilliam had pleafed the Houfe of Lords of Ireland, and the Houfe of Commons, who had granted, during his admi niftration, fupplies that were unparalleled in extent....He had pleafed the Catholics of Ireland and the Proteftants of Ireland. He had appointed a learned, reverend, and pious Prelate (to whofe character Mr. Fox bore teftimony of esteem in the most handfome terms) Lord Primate, in the moft difinterested manner. In the fame way alfo he named a Gentle man, Provoft of Trinity College, Dublin, of eminent abili ties and high character, but from whom he could not expect any political fervices. The Noble Earl, in fhort, had pleafed the mafs of the people in Ireland, but he had difpleafed a few individuals, Mr. Beresford, and two or three others. Thus, when the people of Ireland were put into one end of the fcale, and Mr. Beresford and a few individuals into the other, the fcale loft its balance-the people, with all their weight, flew up, and the intereft of Mr. Beresford preponderated.

When this fubject had been mentioned by him on a former occafion, and when he had given it as his opinion that an inquiry fhould be inftituted, the Chancellor of the Exchequer afferted that his Majefty's minifters had done nothing in the affairs of Ireland, for which blame was imputable to them, and that it would fo appear when an inquiry fhould take place. This, Mr. Fox faid, convinced him the moment he heard it uttered, that no inquiry would ever be confented to on the part of his Majefty's minilers, for it was their conftant practice when charged boldly, to allrt they were not guilty, that they were ready to prove it whenever an inquiry ould take place, and when that inquiry was propofed, to refufe to grant it. Of this they gave a fpecimen, when the Secretary to the Treafury had been called upon to account for his conduct, in a cafe which had been investigated in a 'court of justice. He would continue to fay, that if this inquiry be entered into, to ufe a phrafe which had been applied by a Right Hon. Gentleman oppofite to him (Air. Windham) upon another occafion, the minifler and his troops would be found to be covered with filthy dowlas. He owned it appeared to him impoffible upon any principle of integrity to refufe entering into this inquiry. Facts were alleged on one fide, and, if not contradicted, were cert inly not admitted on the VOL. III.

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other; and therefore, as the fubject was important, that was ground for an inquiry. Lord Fitzwilliam 'alleged, that Adminiftration had deceived him; he faid fo in plain words: There might be fome paffion mixed with his narrative-how could it be otherwife? Where was the man, who, under fuch circumftances, would be totally free from pafhon? But, after making all allowances upon that head, it must be admitted, that the facts alleged by the Noble Earl, not admitted by his opponents, were of fuch a nature as to demand inquiry in that Houfe. The Noble Earl alledged, it was not in reality his difmiffion of Mr. Beresford that was the cause of his difagreement with his Majesty's minifters. "This," fays the Noble Earl, was no other than a direct intention in minifters to degrade him in the eyes of the Public, and of thofe with whom he had formerly acted, and left for the purpose of coalefeing with the prefent Administration."

Mr. Fox faid, he did not pretend to pronounce what were the motives of the minifter which led to the conduct he obferved upon that occafion. He frould not enter into a minute detail of the facts, but it was effential that the Public fhould know the whole truth upon that fubject. He had heard, as had been alledged that night by his Learned Friend who made the motion, that, in another place, there had been a very fair and frank declaration, that upon application being made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to know his fentiments on the conduct of Earl Fitzwilliam, he explicitly difavowed the whole of it. Earl Fitzwilliam on the contrary infifted, that with that very minifter he had converfed upon that fubject, that he had communicated his fentiments to that minifter, had stated his intentions to him, all of which he exprefsly approved. Upon fuelr a difference of affertion, he would afk that Houfe, was it or was it not fitting that they fhould inquire, and be fatisfied how the facts really stood? He might think that the removal of Mr. Beresford was not an event in itself of great importance; but when fuch a man as Mr. Beresford was put in competition with the united wishes and the common intereft of the whole people of Ireland, Mr. Beresford rofe into great and ftriking importance, and with that view the circumftances became worthy of the inquiry of that House.

Mr. Fox took notice of fome difputes which commenced in October laft, between the two parties of Administration; he fpoke, he faid, from public rumour only, having no fpecific knowledge on the fact. From that rumour he understood a plan was in agitation to fever the whole of the new AdminiAtration from the old, and he did not think there were any

perfons

perfons qualified to form an opinion upon the fubject, who doubted the truth of that rumour. Common report also faid, that in October laft a material change was to take place in the Administration of Ireland. A Noble Lord who fills the first legal office in that kingdom, it was notorious, was to go out. Many other changes muft of confequence follow: Mr. Ponfonby could not be in with Mr. Wolfe and Mr. Toler. These removals, not the alarm of Proteftant afcendancy, which long fince died away, were the cause of the recal. Look at the fituation of the Noble Earl at the time he left, with others, his old friends, in order to act with those who had fince deferted and betrayed him, It was evident he had not agreed to accept the high station he was appointed to, but from a thorough conviction in his own mind, that he was to have an efficient Administration of his own choice and appointment; and when he had mentioned the removal of Mr. Wolfe from the office of Attorney General, the only objection which was made, and that only by one of his Majesty's minifters (Mr. Pitt), was the very delicate one of Mr. Ponfonby never having been Attorney General before, aud that it would be more decorous and proper that before so young a man was advanced fo high, he thould firft pafs through the intermediate office of Solicitor General.

Mr. Ponsonby was a gentleman who ranked defervedly high in the estimation of his countrymen, not only as a man of learning, but of the most fhining and fplendid talents in his profeffion of a lawyer. He was, he believed, about the fame age with this minifter, and called to the bar about the fame time that he was called to his Majefty's councils; yet this modeft objection to his youth, and never having filled the office of Solicitor General, was the only one which was urged by this fingle minister against his appointment to be Attorney General of Ireland, Certainly the Noble Earl would never have accepted the appointment he did, on any other terms than thofe of appointing his own Administration in that country, with a very few exceptions, He believed fome converfation had once taken place between minifters and the Noble Earl refpecting the removal of a certain Law Lord, high in office, but that removal had afterwards been agreed to be given up. He certainly lamented that any of his old friends had joined the prefent Administration, or had formed any connexion with them; but he was ready ftill to regard their characters with tendernefs, and therefore he wished to fupport every inquiry, that was neceflary to vindicate their honour. That Lord Fitzwilliam fhould have purfued the meafures he did in Ireland, was perfectly natural. Long

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before that Nobleman became the Lord Lieutenant of that country, he had ceafed to converfe with him upon political subjects, because he knew they differed, but yet he was perfectly fatisfied of the courfe which the Noble Earl would take during his adminiftration in Ireland. It was as natural to expect that he fhould have purfued the plan he did, as that, if he were to be minifter to-morrow, it would be natural to expect he would make fome attempt to negotiate with France. It was faid when Earl Fitzwilliam was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, there would be an end of the old fyftem of government, of the influence of the Beresfords, and there would of courfe be a complete emancipation of the Catholics. Therefore, it was extraordinary to affect furprise at the part which Lord Fitzwilliam took upon that occafion. There was fomething extremely fingular in the manner in which fome Gentlemen affected to fay that the recal of Earl Fitzwilliam from the office of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was no infinuation by ministers against his character; and yet that these Gentlemen fhould infiit upon it that the difmiffion of Mr. Beresford by the Noble Earl, was a' direct attack upon his character. He wished to know which of the two events was the more important? Had Mr. Beresford been difmiffed for ever, did the Houfe believe that there would have been an addrefs and remonflrance from the Catholics in confequence of that event? The truth was, that facts spoke for themselves too plainly in this cafe. Lord Fitzwilliam was popular in Irland; but popularity with the people was one thing, popularity in the King's Cabinet another.

After having exhaufted all their fhifts upon this fubject, the King's minifters found out by accident, that to give comlete emancipation to the Catholics, was a thing dangerous in fome degree to the King's coronation oath. This was a fort of objection which it was very difficult to ftate gravely; and when he faw men of fenfe attempting to make ufe of it as an argument, he was led to reflect that there was fome reafon beles, which it was their difpofition to conceal; for furely when men capable of forming a juft opinion upon things, affigned a reaton which could not be ftated to children without exciting their ridicule, the real reafon must be such as did not fuit the relaracers to difclofe. The reverend, the learned, and pious Prelate, to whom he had already alluded, and whole province it was to guard against any dangerous innovation in elgien, had en rone of this alarming hoftility to the King's cerenat o l'outh, which the lay-advifer of the Crown in Great Britain apprehended, nor had any of the people of Ireland or of England. But the Chancellor of the