fpear of Ithuriel, would fart into flape. What thanks were due to our chief governor, who fo refpectfully mentions the focieties of armed patriots throughout the kingdom? What mut our opinion be of a chief governor who fpeaks fo honourably of that great bulwark of conflitutional liberty, a national militia? though cur dillreffes are great, from them profpercus days may fpring, like that fair flower the fabling poets tell of, which fprung from a hero's blood.

Mr. Grattan faid, the fpeech contained nothing explicit, nothing fatisfactory; it meant to quiet the minds of the people without any declaration whatever. After his majesty had been addrefed by his Irifh fubjects for a free export trade, did fuch addreffes require no answer? Were the people of Ireland undeferving the notice of the British minifters? Was there no refpect for the interefts of thefe kingdoms among the fer vants of the crown on this fide of the water? Were not thefe fervants of the crown alfo reprefentatives of the people? Why not then fpeak out? Are our diftreffes of fo private a nature that they must not be mentioned? [Here he gave an eloquent and pathetic picture of the miferable condition of this kingdom.] It is plain we have nothing to expect, fince applications from the people, backed with the fame from the cfficers of the crown, are not attended to. Ireland, then, has nothing to depend upon but her fpirit; no redrefs of grie vances, no extenfion of trade, but from the efforts of her people! and will it be politic, will it be fafe, here or elsewhere, to oppose these efforts? Why does not our addrefs also speak out? Why have we lefs fpirit than the people? Shall the commons of Ireland fhew lefs fpirit than the most infignificant corporation? Are we fo fallen, fo defpicable, as to be more afraid of England's cenfure, than of the cries of eur starving manufacturers.

The diftreffes of this kingdom are two fold, the beggary of the people, and the bankrupcy of the ftate. The first he would ask the commiffioners of the revenue to prove, but he would ask them upon oath, whether the reftrictions on our trade was not the caufe? whether the prohibitions laid on by England against the exports of woollen clothes did not occafion it? Whether there were not too many inhabitants in this kingdom, though not half peopled; whether to those inhabitants was the American continent ftill open, would they not have migrated thither rather than pine in their native land, the victims of English tyranny, rather than starve in it by an English act of parliament? And lastly, was there

one

one rich merchant in the kingdom? This kingdom, (he continued) ruined by a balance of trade against her for so many years, and the drain of abfentees, owes its prefent existence to affociations; it is but a temporary expedient, and fomething more effectual must be done.

As to the bankruptcies of the state, they are the confequence of a fyftem of boundlefs prodigality, profligacy, and violence; a boundless prodigality, while our means were limited ; a profligacy and violence uniformly maintained. One inftance will fuffice, where the late attorny general obliged the merchants of Cork to fign an illegal bond, as a collateral fecurity to an illegal oath. The peace etablishment of this poor country amounts to one-fixth of that of England; what proportion is there in our means? What is this establishment? infamous penfions to infamous men! [here he launched into fome perfonalities] and will thofe men, whom we pay, vote against an extenfion of our trade? vote against the means of fupporting them! To what pafs have thefe profligate adminiftrations reduced this kingdom! to be infulted with our poverty in the fpeech from the throne; to be told of our beggary; that the officers of the crown here have begged 50,000l. from England, or the troops could not have marched into camp; when it is known, that it is this profligacy that has unnerved the arm of government, and made the fword of defence fall in its hand.

He then moved an amendment to the addrefs, to be inferted in the following words:

"That we beseech your majesty to believe, that it is with the utmost reluctance we are constrained to approach you on the prefent occafion; but the conftart drain to fupply abfentees, and the unfortunate prohibition of our trade, have caused fuch calamity; that the natural fupport of our country has decayed, and our manufacturers are dying for want. Famine stalks hand in hand with hopeless wretchedness, and the only means left to fupport the expiring trade of this miferable part of your majefty's dominions, is to open a free export trade, and let your Irish fubjects enjoy their natural birthright." Lord Westport feconded Mr. Grattan's motion for the amendment. Mr. Flood confidered the addrefs as inexplicit

Sir Henry Cavendish declared he would vote against the amendment, apprehending (with a view we may fuppofe to inefficacy and procraftination) that this business would be better effected by opening a committee on purpose, or rather fol

lowing a precedent in the year 1661, when the Lords and Commons of Ireland appointed commiffioners to attend the King, to fupplicate the redrefs of grievances.

Mr. Ogle, in a strain of honest indignation, reprobated the idea of entering into a committee on the fubject of Our grievances; he was fick, he faid, of that mode of trifling with the nation in order to gain time; that the ghost of the committee on the embargo haunted him every time he heard a committee mentioned; and laftly, if we did not mention fomething in the addrefs, the miniftry might again shelter themfelves under the old excufe, "That truly they did not "know what the Irish wanted, as their parliament was silent "on the head," and fo go on with the old fyftem of duplicity.

Sir Edward Newenham, in a fpirited and warmly decided ftrain, conjured the house, by all they held dear, to re-assume their wonted dignity and power, the early claims to which he happily and unanfwerably traced; charged the British miniftry with contempt and neglect to the nation, and called on their warmest advocate to deny the affertion; faid he perfectly agreed with Mr. Flood, that the addrefs did not go far enough, and that he thought the original addrefs a fervile echo to the fpeech.

The Provoft drew a moft pathetic picture of the melancholy fituation of his native country, declaring, on this question, that no administration should bias him from the welfare of his country.

The Attorney General, without arguments to fupport, or art to deceive, delivered a ftudied eulogium on the fenfibility of the King, and the humanity of his minifter.

The debate now took a new turn; feveral of the minifterial party declared, that though they thought this business might have come more properly otherwife, yet, that there might be an unanimity, they would not oppofe the amendment.

Hon. Henry Flood declared for the amendment, and entered largely into a juftification of his political conduct, which, he faid, had unfortunately been much misreprefented; that the office he held was the unfollicited gift of his Sovereign, which he had received with gratitude, and held with honour; that when a time came that he could no longer do it, he would gladly throw the bracelet into the common cauldren.

Mr. Prime Serjeant, after expaciating on the neceffity of immediately laying, in an unequivocal manner, the state of our diftreffes at the foot of the throne, moved in lieu of the amendment propofed, "that it is not by temporary expedi

❝ents,

"ents, but by a Free Trade alone, that this nation is now to "be faved from impending ruin."

The amendment was carried nem. con. as was alfo the addrefs to the Lord Lieutenant.

We fhall here give a flight review of this feffion: every object now wore the appearance of beauty, contrafted with the deformity we have defcribed; our liberties restored! our commerce emancipated! a people, no longer divided by religious prejudice and factious animofity, but, endeared to each other by the firmeft ties of gratitude and affection; united to her fifter kingdom, in the strongeft bonds of intereft and amity; content and fatisfaction diffused on every countenance; the lowest individual taught, by experience, to know his own importance, and actuated by a spirit of emulation, to attain a higher rank amongst his fellow-citizens. The acts of commerce encouraged by the rich, and purfued with industry by the poor; convinced that their activity will now be followed by fuccefs; the nation itself, roused from indolence, governed folely by a spirit of freedom, and ele vated to the most exalted fituation in the opinions of mankind, which, while it gratifies their pride, infures its stability; her natural rank in the political feale of Europe afcertained; no longer confidered a meer appendage to Great Britain; fupported wholly by that confequence, to which the fertility of her foil, the peculiar happinefs of her fituation, and the fpirit of her people intitle her.

Immediately previous to this, the patriotic town of Galway entered into a non-importation agreement, which was inftantly followed over all the kingdom, now clothed in her native manufacture: with ruftic air, Blooming the ftands, and ifinocently fair. Let polifh'd'arts the balhful nymph refine, In filken raiment let her beauties shine; Th'admiring world fhall own her peerless charms, And diftant bofoms pant with foft alarms.

Military affociations arofe unnumbred over the land. England, indeed forgetful, or pretending to be fe, of the liberal plan on which the majesty of the people stept forth, affected to defpife them; and even Lord Shelburn, who draws a very confiderable part of his fources from our isle, had the prefumption in the British houfe to call us an enraged mob, but an opportunity foon offered, which convinced our enemies of the eftimation in which we were to be held.

*

See his fpeech in the House of Lords, May the 11th, 1779.

Late

Late in the fummer of the year 1779, while the combined fleet of our enemies rode triumphant in the channel, and menaced the kingdom with immediate invafion, the affrighted maratime towns made application to government for protection, the established forces of the nation having been called away to fupport the war in America; the chief governor was forced to confefs him if unable to afford any effectual affistance in this alarming ftate of urgent neceffity; the people of Ireland refolved to defend themselves; government, forgetting their jealoufy in their fears for the fafety of the empire, yielded to the impulfe of the nation, and, with reluctant confidence, placed arms in the hands of men, that fhewed themselves worthy of the important truft. The fleets of the enemy, alarmed at our military preparations, beheld the banners of defiance, and fled precipitate from our coafts.

For this never to be forgotten fervice, the Duke of Leinfter, and Mr. T. Conolly moved, "That the thanks of the "houfe be given to the feveral Volunteer Corps, for their fpirited exertion at this time fo neceffary in defence of this "country," (which paffed nem. con.)

This the Lord Chancellor and Lord Annally feemed defirous to oppose, by wifhing to know under what authority the Volunteers arofe; forgetful, it feems, that power only originates from the people, which, once for all, that they may perfetly know, I have fubjoined the plain, but truly fenfible remarks of Mr. Locke hereon, &c.

The reason why men enter into fociety, is the preservation of their property; and the end why they chufe and authorize a legiflative, is, that there may be laws made, and rules fet, as guards and fences to the properties of all the members of the fociety; to limit the powers, and moderate the dominion of every part and member of the fociety; for fince it can never be supposed to be the will of the fociety, that the legiflative fhould have a power to deftroy that which every one defigns to fecure by entering into fociety, and for which the people fubmitted themselves to legiflators of their own making, whenever the legislators endeavour to take away, or to deftroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to flavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a ftate of war with the people [ie. Rebellant, they bring back the state of war] who are thereupon abfolved from any farther obedience, and are left to the common refuge which God hath provided for all men against force and violence.

Whenfoever,