dice without, petitions and counfel at the bar, and to be at length overborne by numbers within the houfe. It was then evident, that the houfe was at those times averfe to the affording of any favour to Ireland, which could neither interfere with our trade laws, or affect certain branches of our commerce or manufactures; nor did it fignify, whether this temper proceeded from the common prejudice, or from the attention which they paid to the defires and wishes of their conftituents, the operation and effect in either cafe were juft the fame. Thus, he faid, minifters were fully exculpated from two of the principal charges brought a gainst them. It was demonftrable, that they had no fhare whatever, in drawing on the calamities of Ireland; and it was as clearly evident, that it was not in their power to have afforded that timely redress to her grievances, a fuppofed or imputed neglect in which, has been made the ground of fo much ingenious, but unfounded and therefore unjust invective.

The two main pillars of the motion, he faid, were, firft the charge against minifters, of not effectively following up the addrefs of the 11th of May, by continuing the fitting of the British parliament until redrefs was afforded to Ire land; and fecondly, the charge of negligence fince the prorogation, in their not having framed a proper plan for that purpose during the interim, fo as to be ready immediately to lay it before parliament at the meeting. To thefe, he faid, a number of anfwers were at hand, a few of which would be fully conclufive. The British parliament did not rife until the 3d of

July, after a fitting of more than feven months. Nobody can have yet forgotten the alarming and dangerous ftate of public affairs during the laft fummer. The gentlemen in oppofition have already taken care fufficiently to remind us, that the enemy were, for a great part of the time, mafters of our coafts and of the channel. Defcents and invafion were every day expected, and long threatened. A very great number of the members of both houfes muft of neceffity have been drawn away to join their regiments, and to act in the defence of their country. Those even who held no commands in the militia or army, would have deemed their prefence indifpenfably neceffary, in thofe places where their fortunes and interefts lay. Could it then have been confiftent with propriety, with reason, or with fafety, to have kept parliament fitting at fuch a period?

But if this neceffity, arifing from danger and the ftate of public affairs, had not even exifted, fill it would have been highly unfitting, and might have been attended with obvious ill confequences, for the British parliament to have at all entered upon the affairs of Ireland, until they were properly informed, what the nature of her wants and the extent of her demands were; as it was from these circumftances only, that any true judgment could be formed, as to the measure of relief which it would be fitting to afford to that country. Now as this knowledge could only be properly obtained from the Irish parliament, which every body knows was not then fitting, every fhadow of blame against the minifters, with refpect to the prorogation, vanishes

of

of course. The fame statement of facts and arguments, goes equally to the overthrow of the fecond principal charge laid against the minifters, of negligence with refpect to Ireland during the recefs, as likewife to that other, of their not having affembled the British parliament, previous to the meeting of the Irish. For if it was unfitting (which furely would not be denied) for the British parliament to enter upon the affairs of Ireland, until they were in poffeffion of thofe data, which were neceffary to re gulate their measures, and to afford matter for establishing their judgment, it must have been much more fo for his majesty's fervants to venture in the dark upon a bufinefs of fuch magnitude and importance; and the affembling of the British parliament before the Irish would have been abfurd, when they muft neceffarily wait for the proceedings of the latter.

But by convening the Irish parliament firft, the fentiments of that people, properly conveyed through the medium of their reprefentatives, was now fully understood. The queftion of policy with regard to that country, and brought forward under the moft unquestionable authority, was now laid fairly within the cognizance of the British legiflature; and all they had now to confider was, how far it would be advifeable to comply with the requests made by Ireland; and with what terms and conditions it might be thought proper to charge the favours granted. The temper and difpofition of the people of this country had undergone a great and happy change with refpect to that; prejudice had worn off both within doors and with

out; and parliament could not now confer any mark of favour upon Ireland, which would not meet with general approbation.

Upon the whole, he drew from the various premises which he ftated, the following conclufionsThat the prefent minifters, instead of being inimical to Ireland, or inattentive to her interefts, had been her beft and warmeft friendsThat they had done more for her than all their predeceffors during a century paft. That not only the nation at large, but parliament, were, until now, adverse to the granting any conceflions to Ireland, which could afford her either content or redrefs-And that confequently, if any blame was due for not affording more early relief to Ireland, it was imputable only to the prejudices and temper of the people and parliament of this country, and not by any means to the minifters; who, as they had no fhare in the causes of her diftreffes, were equally guiltless as to their continuance.

This state of things, and the arguments arising from, or by which it was accompanied, were opposed, and attempted to be invalidated by the oppofition. They reprobated in terms of high indignation the imputation of prejudice laid to that houfe; by which minifters, they faid, according to their now established, but daring practice, attempted to father all their own blunders and mifdemeanors on parliament. They laughed at the pretended weakness and inefficiency with refpect to the tranfactions of that houfe, which minifters now affected, in order thereby to fhield their own neglect with refpect to Ireland. The minifter upon this [E] 2

occafion

in throwing out the bill; but, as a proof how little prejudice had to do in the bufinefs, his majority upon this occafion was fo totally difproportioned to thofe which at tended his steps upon others, that a victory upon fuch terms feemed fome fort of degradation. It was to be acknowledged, that the bill in itself, was not of much value, and would have afforded but a fcanty measure to Ireland of that relief which the wanted; but the time, manner, and circumftances of a favour, frequently ftamp a greater value upon it than it inherently poffeffes; and the paffing of the bill at that time, would evidently have produced very happy confequences, and, in a great meafure, if not entirely, have prevented all the mifchiefs and dangers which have fince taken place with respect to that country. But, on the contrary, when the people of Ireland faw that the minifter had thus openly fet his face directly against them; and found after, that every effort in their favour was rendered abortive by his influence or management, until they faw themfelves at length totally abandoned by the rifing of the British parliament; it was no wonder then that they fhould become defperate; and that they should feek in themselves for the means of that redrefs, which they found denied both to favour and to juftice. The only matter of admiration now, and which does them the highest honour as a people, is, that they have not yet proceeded to ftill greater extremities, and that their demands are not abundantly more exorbitant than they yet appear. But their demands must be rejected with the fame degree of fcorn with

which thofe of America were treated, before they can think of following that example.

Miniflers, they said, boafted, that the diftreffes of Ireland had not originated with them. It would be readily admitted that he was not without grievances, previous to the fatal period of their adminiftration; but her immediate calamities fprung principally from the grand fource of all our evils and dangers, from their own American war. By that Ireland, like England, loft a valuable part of her commerce, with lefs ability to fupport the lofs; and the corrupt expences of a feeble government increafed, as all the means of fupplying them diminished.

But if minifters, faid they, did not adminifter relief to Ireland themfelves, they may with juftice boaft, that they inftructed her in the means of obtaining effectual redress. In fact, they taught Ireland by example, from their own conduct and that of America, every thing the had to do. They had convinced her, that no extent of affection or fervice to this country could entitle her either to favour or juftice. But they fhewed her at the fame time, in a ftriking inftance, the benefits to be derived from a bold and determined refiftance. They taught her to dictate to the crown and parliament of England the terms of their future union. America, for her revolt, had a profufion of favours held out to her. Every thing thort of nominal independency had been offered. Such was the reward of rebellion. The reward of loyalty, and of long forbearance under accumulated oppreffion and internal diftrefs, fhe had herself juft expe[E] 3

rienced,

rienced, in the refusal of so fmall a favour as the importation of her own fugars. Ireland, accordingly, profited of the example; and determined not to render vain the wisdom, nor to disappoint the good intentions of minifters.

She alfo enters into her com

mercial and military affociations. She alfo, adhering ftrictly to the line in all its parts, holds the faith and integrity of government in exactly the fame degree of contempt, which has been fo long and fo repeatedly expreffed and fhewn by the Americans ; and which indeed was hitherto prevented, and feems ftill to fhut out the poffibility, not only of any reconciliation, but even of peace, with that people. The Irish parliament accordingly, to fhew her total diftruft of the good faith or honesty of the British government, departs, from her own eftablished rules and mode of action, and instead of making a provifion for two years as ufual, paffes a fhort money bill for fix months only; thus telling you, in plain mercantile language, that your character is fo bad, that you cannot be trufted for more than fix months credit; and pointing out at the fame time the inevitable confequences which muft immediately attend your refufal to comply with her demands.

Thus, faid they, Ireland has filled up every part of the fyftem on her fide, but there seems a strange deficiency on that of the minifters, They have yet neglected to hurl the thunders of the cabinet against that kingdom, as they had done before againft the continent of America. Dub

lin has had her mob and riot, as well as ill-fated Bofton; yet neither her port has been fhut up, nor the rioters brought over here to be tried by an English jury. No alteration has even taken place in the ufual mode of trials in that country; their popular meetings and popular elections are not interrupted; no profcription has been iffued against their leaders, nor has that kingdom been declared out of the king's peace; we fee that Corke has ftill efcaped the flames, nor do we hear that Waterford is yet reduced to afhes. Whence then this wonderful departure from the grand American fyftem? The anfwer, they faid, was plain and obvious. This change of fyftem proceeded neither from lenity, humanity, a more enlightened policy, nor from any real acceffion of wifdom. It proceeded from the tremendous appearance, and the real dangers of the prefent aweful moment; thefe had compelled infolence and ignorance to give way to fear and humiliation.

Minifters were overpowered, aghaft, and aftonifhed, in the horrors of that tempeft which they had themselves raised; and this drove them to fuch lengths, as to defend and to reprefent as prudent and conftitutional, those things, which they confidered as caufes of war with America, and which they would confider as acts of rebellion even in Eng.

land.