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CHAP. VIII.] ON THE AMENDMENT.

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of all religions, to all things, and to all other countries. Rely on it, the Ministry must retract that denunciation; I will hazard my credit that they shall retract that denunciation; they have not the madness-they have not the audacity-they have not the power to abide by it. I would appeal to their own country against them, and implore that her dearest interest, and next to herself, her lost strength, the physical force of Ireland, may not be lost to Great Britain by such abominable, unauthorized, senseless, and diabolic proscription. How much safer our plan of opposition, as you call it, our amendment of conciliation, the only principle of peace and of strength; with it you need not tremble at the sword of France, nor the pen of Painewithout it you will become a prey to any enemy-you will require to use the words of Lord Bolingbroke-neither the valour of an Achilles, nor the wisdom of a Nestor, nor the eloquence of an Ulysses to undo you; Thersites himself will be sufficient for the purpose."

The studied silence of Government as to the excesses of the Orangemen in Armagh, was deserving of just condemnation; and on that Mr. Grattan said:

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"He could not sit down without expressing how little satisfied he was with the excuses advanced for neglecting the religious war of Armagh; he said Government had not exerted all the powers which the laws gave it;-had Government dismissed any of the magistrates? Government say they had no ground for so doing? Will Government say that in a year and a half, with 40,000 soldiers, and with summary laws, that would have enabled them to pull down the liberties of the whole island, that they could not reduce that county to order? I cannot but think the audacity of the mob arose from a confidence in the connivance of Government; under an administration sent here to defeat a Catholic bill, a Protestant mob very naturally conceives itself a part of the State, and exercises the power of life and death, and transportation, and murder, and rape, with triumph, and with the seeming sympathy of the court religion, the magistrates retire from the scene of action, except such as secretly foment, or openly encourage the Government at last comes forward, recites and classes all the outrages of the country, that outrage only

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MR. FLETCHER.-MR. CURRAN.

[CHAP. VIII. excepted the prudent mover of certain resolutions confines himself merely to those murders which are unpopular at the Castle, and provides such remedies as have nothing to say to the North-the clause of compensation which promised some relief, is proposed and rejected, and at the end of seven months, are we surprised to find in such a Government, that the violence which afflicts the Catholic has been suffered to continue? Protection and proscription are incompatible; the Government that proscribes their privilege will not protect their person."

Mr. Fletcher, that able and constitutional lawyer, whose independent character and conduct, whether at the bar, in the senate, or on the bench, deserved and received the admiration of every lover of freedom, made great and spirited efforts in this debate in favour of the people. Curran, too, exerted himself, but in vain; his conclusion was as follows:

"A gentleman had said, the Catholics had got much, and they ought to be content. Why have they got that much? was it from the minister?-was it from the Parliament, which threw their petition over its bar? No, (said he,) they got it by the great revolution of human affairs-by the astonishing march of the human mind—a march that has collected too much moment in its advance to be now stopped in its progress. The bark is still afloat-it is freighted with the hopes and liberties of millions of menshe is already under way-the rower may faint, or the wind may sleep; - but rely upon it, she has already acquired an energy of advancement, that will support her course and bring her to her destination-rely upon it, whether much or little remains, it is now vain to withhold it-rely upon it, you may as well stamp your foot upon the earth, in order to prevent its revolution; you could not stop it, you would only remain a silly gnomon upon its surface, to measure the rapidity of rotation, until you were forced round and buried in the shade of that body, whose irresistible course you would endeavour to oppose."

The day after the debate, the Attorney-general (Wolfe), moved the suspension of the Habeas Cor

CHAP. VIII.] HABEAS CORPUS Act suspended. 257

pus Act, which was carried, notwithstanding a strong opposition from Mr. Ponsonby, Mr. Fletcher, and the small band that still remained attached to the liberties of their country. The numbers were 157 to 7!!

On the 17th, Mr. Grattan made a further attempt in favour of the Catholics, and proposed the following resolution:

"That the admissibility of persons professing the Catholic religion to vote in Parliament is consistent with the safety of the Crown, and the connection of Ireland with Great Britain."

Equitable and just as this appeared-harmless and simple as it certainly was, yet it was termed a "wicked, dangerous, and seditious proposition,” and was rejected by 143 to 19. Here vanished the hopes of the Catholics, and the tranquillity of the country. Mr. Grattan exclaimed that he could not go along with the Attorney-general.

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"I know not where you are leading me-from one strong bill to another—until I see a gulf before me, at whose abyss I recoil. In it I see no safety-nothing but the absence of our dearest rights-the absence of the Habeas Corpus Act -the absence of civil liberty. Government have made it a question of passion as well as of power. Do you imagine there is any man who would prefer the wild schemes of republicanism to the sober blessings of the English constitution, if he enjoyed them? What is the tree of Liberty? It is sprinkled with the blood of kings and of noblessome of the best blood of Europe; but if you force your fellow-subjects from under the hospitable roof of the constitution, you will leave them, like the weary traveller, at length to repose under the dreadful tree of liberty. Give them therefore a safe dwelling-the good old fabric of the constitution, with its doors open to the community."

This eloquence and reasoning was in vain. The mandate of the minister had been issued. No concessions were to be made-no terms were to be kept with the people – vigour beyond the law"

VOL. IV.

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258

YEOMANRY EMBODIED.

[CHAP. VIII.

(such was the expression), was the substitute for justice. Accordingly, Mr. Curran's motion on the 7th of November, to enquire into the outrages committed on the Catholics in the county of Armagh was rejected. Parliament soon after adjourned to the ensuing year; and the nation that only two years before, in the time of Lord Westmoreland, was in such a state of safety as to be left with only 7,000 troops, was now considered so insecure, with upwards of 80,000 regulars and militia, that Government found it necessary to arm the gentry and the chosen men of the community to guard against domestic disturbance and foreign invasion. They passed an act of Parliament to embody the yeomanry-a force that soon became exclusive in its character, imbued with party and religious prejudices, and proved to be, in some cases, the Scourge of the people.

Thus was established the domination of the favoured sect; and thus, embittered by local feuds, sharpened by resentment and revenge, under the abused term 'Loyalty,' the ferocious spirit of faction, which in every age and clime has committed the most frightful excesses, was now erected into a horrid, a frantic, and a sanguinary despotism.

CHAPTER IX.

Wolfe Tone goes from America to France-Urges the invasion of Ireland French forces-their failure Letter to Mr. Grattan, and despatch of Lord Lieutenant as to loyalty of Catholics-Measures in Irish Parliament-Military proceedings in 1797-ImprisonmentsArthur O'Connor arrested-General Lake's proclamation-North of Ireland under military law - Mr. Grattan's motion negatived Excesses of the soldiery-Mr. Fox's motion in British Parliament for lenient measures towards Ireland—Dr. Duigenan's motion against Mr. Fox-Arrest of United Irishmen at Belfast-Report of Secret Committee, May, 1797-Number, arms, finances, and plan of Society -Its originators described by Dr. M'Nevin-Trial of United Irishmen-Curran's speech Mr. Ponsonby's motion for reform and emancipation-The Opposition Members secede-Feeling in England and Ireland as to Mr. Pitt-Meetings and resolutions of the Irish in defence of their rights-The Lord Lieutenant and the soldiery stop them-Mr. Grattan declines to set up at the general electionAddresses his constituents-They resolve not to attend the hustings -He retires from the yeomanry-Goes to Castleconnell for his health His letter to his fellow-citizens-Lord Clare attacks Lord Aldborough and the leaders of the Opposition-Mr. Grattan defends them-Mr. Pitt disapproves of Lord Clare's conduct-Letter of Dr. Haliday to Lord Camden-Mr. Fox and the Bishop of Waterford to Mr. Grattan-His reply -Letters to Mr. Monck, Mr. M'Can, and the Reverend Mr. Berwick.

On the Continent of Europe, Mr. Pitt's coalition had failed; the allies were again unsuccessful. The star of Buonaparte rose in Italy. Spain declared against England. The violent proceedings of the Irish Government, together with French intrigue, led to the invasion of Ireland. Early in February, 1796, Theobald Wolfe Tone (not however deputed by the United Irishmen), landed in France from America.* He introduced himself to the French authorities. The members of the

*Mr. Peter Burrowes, who well knew all the parties at that period, often assured me, that when Tone read in America the statements that Lord Clare made in his speeches as to Ireland, he took them with him, and immediately set off from the United States to Paris. "They were his credentials."

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