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confonant to the general principles of the reform they meditated, but promised no fmall acceffion of itrength to the common caufe, yet the fincerity of the Irish proteftants on this point, farther than as it ferved the prefent turn, has been much doubted.

In a former volume we had occafion to remark, as one of the confequences of the general calamity in which the late war had involved the country of Ireland, that the prejudices entertained against the papifts in that kingdom appear ed, in fome degree, to be giving way to more liberal, wife, and equitable sentiments. The volunteers, at a very early period, expreffed their abhorrence of the unjuft and impolitic treatment of fo great a majority of their fellow-fubjects; they recommended their caufe to the attention of the legislature, and, in fome counties, even invited them to range themselves under the fame banners in the field. But the great political objects then in view being obtained, no other relief was granted to the catholics, than the repeal of a few of the most cruel and oppreffive clauses in the laws enacted against them *.

When the business of equal re prefentation began to be agitated, the cafe of the Roman catholics was again brought forward, and the delegates of the meeting at Dungan. non, in the year 1783, were inftructed to confider of the best plan of admitting them to an equal par ticipation in the benefits of the projected reformation. At the fubfequent meeting of the convention in Dublin, when that fubject was propofed for their confideration, a pretended letter was produced from the Earl of Kenmare, purporting to convey the general fentiments of the Roman catholics of Ireland, in which they were made to express their perfect fatisfaction with what had been already done for them, and that they defired no more than peaceably to enjoy the privileges they had obtained. But though this letter was publicly difavowed, both by the refpectable perfon from whom it was faid to have come, and by a general affembly of the committee of the Irish catholics, who acknowledged themselves to have too great a refemblance to the rest of their fpecies to be defirous of oppofing any thing that tended to their relief, and that they should

* By an act paffed in 1778, Roman catholics were empowered to take leafes for any term of years, not exceeding nine hundred and ninety-nine, or for any term of years determinable on any number of lives, not exceeding five. They were now enabled to purchase or take by grant, limitation, defcent, or devife, any lands, tenements, or hereditaments, in this kingdom, with certain exceptions, and to difpofe of them by will or otherwife; to defcend according to the course of common law, devifable and transferable in like manner as the lands of proteftants. By the fame law, certain penal acts refpecting the hearing and the celebrating of mafs; forbidding Roman catholics to keep a horfe of or above the value of five pounds; empowering grand juries to levy from them, in their respective districts, money to the amount of fuch loffes as were fuftained by the depredations of privateers; requiring them to provide in towns proteftant watchmen; and forbidding them to inhabit the city of Limerick, or fuburbs, were repealed.

So much of the former acts as forbad them to teach school publicly, or to inftruct youth of their own profeffion in private, was alfo repealed; and a law enacted to permit them to have the guardianship, the care, and the tuition of their own children.

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receive any indulgence the legiflature fhould be willing to grant them, yet, in the plan of reform digested at this meeting, they were left precisely in the fame fituation as before.

But to return to the proceedings of the citizens of Dublin.-An application was made to the lord lieutenant to convey their petition to the throne. In anfwer to their requeft, he informed them, that though it was his duty to convey the papers they prefented, yet he found himself obliged to accompany them with his entire difapprobation; as they contained unjust and indecent reflections upon the laws and the parliament of Ireland, and as they tended to foment fatal diffenfions among the people.

The credulity of the Irish reformers was proof against all difapprobation. They could not be perfuaded, but that the English minifter would heartily concur in the fupport of measures founded on principles which he had himself fo often and fo oftentatiously avowed. Accordingly, on the 8th July 8th. of July, a petition to the king was conveyed to Mr. Pitt, by the inhabitants of Belfaft, nearly of the same tenor with that of the citizens of Dublin. In the month of September, Mr. Pitt informed them, in his anfwer, "That he had undoubtedly been, and ftill continued, a zealous friend to a re"form in parliament, but that he muft beg leave to fay, that he had been fo on grounds very different from thofe adopted in their petition. That what was there propofed, he confidered as tend"ing to produce ftill greater evils "than any of those which the "friends of reform, were defirous "to remedy."

But the cause of reform received about this time a more fatal blow, from the difunion which broke out amongst the volunteers themselves, ou the fubject of admitting the Roman catholics to the rights of election. In an address prefented by the Ulfter corps to their general, the Earl of Charlemont, after fome ftrong expreffions of their deteftation of ariftocratic tyranny, they hint at the neceffity of calling in the aid of the catholics, as the most just as well as effectual means of oppofing it with fuccefs. In anfwer to this addrefs, the Earl of Charlemont lamented that, for the first time, he felt himself obliged to differ from them in fentiment. He was free from every illiberal prejudice against the catholics, and full of good will towards that very respectable body; but he could not refrain from the most ardent entreaties that they would defift from a purfuit that would fatally clog and impede the profecution of their favourite purpofe.

As this nobleman was very highly and very defervedly refpected by the whole nation, his opinion was eagerly embraced, both by the timid, whofe apprehenfions were alarmed by the boldness and extent of the project, and by a great number whofe prejudices against the catholics appear rather to have been diffembled than cured. In the month of October, the thanks of the corporation of the city of Dublin was voted him for his conduct on this occafion.

The meeting of a national congrefs, was a measure of too alarming a nature, not to attract the most ferious attention of government; and it appears to have been their refolution to take the moft vigorous fteps for preventing it if poffible.

A few

fembly, and the refolutions they came to on this occafion, figned by Mr.Reiley, in his character of fheriff for the county, were both declared to be illegal, and Mr. Reiley was fentenced by the court to pay a fine of five marks (31. 6s. 8d.) and to be imprifoned one week.

cept for the purpose of bringing perfons before the court, to receive the fentence of fuch court for contempt of and disobedience to its orders and directions, has fo feldom been reforted to, that even the legality of the process itself, on any other ground than the one above mentioned, has remained a matter of general doubt and uncertainty.

A few days previous to that which was fixed for the election of delegates for the city of Dublin, the attorney-general addreffed a letter to the fheriffs, expreffing his very great furprise at having read a fummons, figned by them, calling a meeting for the purpose in queftion. He obferved, that by this proceed- This mode of legal process, ex3 ing, they had been guilty of a moft outrageous breach of their duty; and that if they proceeded, they would be refponfible to the laws of their country, and he should hold himself bound to profecute them in the court of King's Bench, for a conduct which he confidered fo highly criminal, that he could not overlook it. Thefe threats fucceeded fo far as to intimidate the sheriffs from attending the meeting in their official capacity; but the meeting was nevertheless held, delegates were chosen; and in revenge for the attorney's letter, feveral strong refolutions were agreed to, relative to the right of affembling themfelves for the redrefs of grievances.

But government, having once fet their faces against the election and affembling of delegates, purfued a mode of conduct that had fufficient of resolution in it at leaft. From denouncing threats, they proceeded to actual punishments.

Henry Stephens Reiley, Efq. high fheriff for the county of Dublin, in confequence of his having called together and prefided at an affembly of freeholders, who met on the 19th of August 1784, Aug. 19th. for the purpose of choofing and inftructing their delegates, was the first object of minifterial profecution on this occafion. The attorney-general proceeded against him by attachment from the court of King's Bench. The af9

In the prefent cafe it met with much lefs oppofition than might have been expected. Clamours without doors, and debates within, on the fubject, there certainly were, but both too feeble and ill-concerted to promife any fuccefs.

It is probable too, that the apprehenfions that many perfons began to form of the delegates themfelves, whom they looked upon in fome measure as a new order rifing® up in the ftate, might induce them to acquiefce in, if not to approve of, an extraordinary and unufual mode of proceeding on this occafion.

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But government did not confine their profecutions to Mr. Reiley. Having once adopted a mode of proceeding, which fo effectually anfwered the end for which they de figned it, informations were moved for, and attachments granted against the different magiftrates who called the meetings, and figned the refpective refolutions of the freeholders in the counties of Rofcom-* mon and Leitrim. At the fame

time,

time, the press too came under the lash of the attorney-general; and the printers and publishers of fuch news-papers as had inferted the obnoxious refolutions, fuffered with the magiftrates who had figned them.

Notwithstanding thefe violent measures which administration were purfuing, the national congrefs met, purfuant to its appointment, on the 25th day of October. O&. 25th.' But as it was far from being compleat in point of number, and feveral of its moft refpectable members chofe to abfent themselves, they adjourned, after having paffed a number of refolutions to the fame purport with thofe which had been agreed to at the previous meeting; and exhorted, in the most earnest manner, the communities which had not fent reprefentatives, if they refpected their own confiftency, if they wished for the fuccefs of a parliamentary reform, and as they tendered the perpetual liberty and profperity of their country, not to let pafs this opportunity of effecting the great and neceffary confirmation of the conftitution.

At their fecond meeting, which was held on the 2d of January 2d, January 1785, the re1785. prefentatives of twen

ty-feven counties, and of most of the cities and confiderable towns of the kingdom, amounting in the whole to upwards of two hundred perfons, affembled. Their proceed ings appear to have been of the fame nature as thofe they had before adopted, with only this difference, that in the propofed application to the Houfe of Commons, it was agreed to confine themselves to the most general terms, and to leave the mode of redrefs as free and

April 20th.

open as poffible to the confideration of parliament. After feveral adjournments, they held their final meeting on the 20th of April; and on the 12th of May, the bill which Mr. Flood had again brought in, in pursuance of their common object, was again rejected,

May 12th.

During the courfe of the proceedings relative to parliamentary and conftitutional reformation, interefts of a more preffing and important nature frequently divided the attention of the people, and were purfued with a more intemperate degree of zeal and violence. It fhould feem as if the manufacturers of Ireland had conceived an opinion, that the reftitution of commercial freedom would operate like a charm, and diffuse in an instant that general profperity over the nation, which could only be the effect of a long courfe of frugal, attentive, and perfevering industry. The fallacy of these fanguine expectations was foon apparent; and the evil, if not partly caufed, was greatly aggravated by the idleness of the lowest class of people, and that neglect of their proper occupations of the better fort, which was the confequence of the general difpofition to political fpeculations.

Towards the end of the year 1783, the diftreffes of the manufacturers of Dublin had arifen ta fuch a height, as for a fhort time to fuperfede all laws, and to reduce the city to a state of anarchy and confufion; as a temporary remedy to this mischief, fubfcriptions were fet on foot for their relief, which were very liberally fupported, and in the mean time a committee was appointed by the Houfe of Commons to take into confideration the

ftate

flate of the manufactures of the kingdom. Mr. Gardener, who took the lead in that bufinefs, paffed over into England, in order to confult with the king's minifters on the alarming exigence of affairs; but, as fhould appear from the event, without being able to agree with them on the adoption of any specific measures.

On the 31st of March 1784, the houfe took into confideration the report of the committee; on which occafion Mr. Gardener brought forward a plan, for which the people had for fome time been extremely clamorous, namely, that of protect ing duties of protecting their own manufactures, and enforcing the confumption of them at home, by laying heavy duties on fimilar manufactures imported from other

countries.

After ftating the nature and extent of the diftreffes under which the manufacturers laboured, Mr. Gardener adverted to the feveral modes which had been propofed of affording them relief. The first was to force the home confumption by non-importation agreements. This was a measure which, he faid, was not very likely to receive the fanction of the legislature, nor did he think it advifeable in itfelf; the expedient had been fully tried, as far as voluntary compacts could carry it, and had been attended with the most pernicious instead of beneficial effects; not to mention the outrageous exceffes into which the people had been led in the enforcing thefe agreements, it ftill left it in the power of the interested and avaricious to draw additional profits from the diftreffes of the country. The home manufactures were not only vended at the most extra

vagant price, but all incitement to emulation being removed, they had declined in their quality to the lowest extreme.-The fecond was, to encourage by bounties the export trade. But this, he thought, was beginning at the wrong end, Foreign trade could only be fecured by the excellence of the manufactures, and that, he contended, could only be obtained in the gradual progrefs of a home confumption. There then remained no other meafure than that he now propofed, by which a preference only would be given to the native manufacture, a preference which, he believed, in all other commercial countries, was uniformly fecured. He therefore concluded with moving, "That a duty of two fhillings and fixpence per yard be laid on all drapery imported into that king"dom." At the fame time he declared his intention of moving for proportionate duties on paper, manufactured iron, and a variety of other articles.

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In answer to these arguments it was urged, that the protecting duty, if made effectual, would neceffarily produce all the confequences of nonimportation. But what was chiefly infifted on was, that it could not be expected Great Britain would not retaliate, and that they might thereby run the risk of lofing the linen trade, the value of which was a million and a half, for the uncertain profpect of encreafing the woolen, which did not exceed 50,000l. The queftion being at length put on Mr. Gardener's motion, it was rejected by a majority of 110 to 36.

The rejection of Mr. Gardener's propofitions caufed a violent fermentation amongst the people. On the Monday following an outrageous

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