Page images
PDF
EPUB

commons at the end of the year 1739,* nearly four years after his majesty had in the year 1735 affured them, in answer to their former address, that his majefty would always difcourage any application or attempt, that might be made for the reverfal of outlawries of perfons attainted for the rebellions in 1641 and 1688, in any cafe that might affect the intereft or property of any of his Proteftant fubjects there. This ftill proves, that there was an interest in the Irish cabinet, not in unifon with all the dictates of the British cabinet:

1 Journ. Com. P. 336. Lund. 18th of February, 1739. Mr. Pigot reported from the committee appointed to take into confideration the petition of thofe, whofe names are thereunto fubscribed, in behalf of themselves and a great number of other Proteftant purchasers of the late forfeited estates in the county of Cork, or deriving under them, and interested in the faid eftates, that they had come to feveral refolutions in the matter to them referred, which he read in his place, and afterwards delivered in at the table, where fame were again read, and are as follows: Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that the petitioners have fully proved the allegations of their petition.

Refolved, That it appears to this committee, that seventy-eight suits have been already commenced against the petitioners, and other Proteftants, for the recovery of lands forfeited by the horrid Rebellion of 1688, and purchased by them, or their ancestors, under the fanction of feveral acts of parliament, and that the faid fuits have been greatly expenfive and vexatious to the perfons fo fued.

Refolved, That it is the opinion of the committee, that any attempt to disturb the Proteftant purchafers of the eftates forfeited in the years 1641 and 1688, in peaceable and quiet poffeffion of their juft and legal properties under fuch purchases, will be of dangerous confequence to his majesty's perfon and government, the fucceflion in his royal houfe, and highly prejudicial to the Proteftant intereft of this kingdom, and contrary to feveral acts of parliament made and provided for the fecurity of fuch Proteftant purchasers.

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that any person or perfons who shall promote, encourage, or affift any person or persons in carrying on the faid fuits, will thereby endeavour to leffen the Proteftant intereft of this kingdom, and difcourage his majesty's loyal Protestant subjects from making fettlements or improvements therein.

The first and fecond resolutions being read a second time, were agreed to by the house, nemine contradicente.

The third refolution being read a fecond time, was, with an amendment thereunto, agreed unto by the house, nemine contradicente, and is as followeth :

Refolved, That any attempt to disturb the Proteftant purchasers of the eftates forfeited in the years 1641 and 1688, in their peaceable poffeffion of their juft and legal properties under fuch purchases, will be of dangerous confequence to his majesty's perfon and government, the fucceffion in his royal house, and highly prejudicial to the Proteftant interest of this kingdom, and derogatory from the parliamentary security, under which such Protestants have purchased.

Then the last resolution of the committee being read a second time, was agreed to by the house.

the

the former however prevailed on this occafion, and the attainder of Lord Clancarty was not reverfed.*

Several caufes combined to protect the Irish Catholics at this time, from being exposed to fresh rigor or perfecution: the perfonal feelings of the fovereign, the political views of the English miniftry, the humane difpofition of the Duke of Devonshire, all conspired in a system of leniency and moderation, as best calculated to ensure the affection of the Irish nation, when it was well known, that the agents of the abdicated family of Stuart were bufily employed in raising partizans within the British empire, and Great Britain was engaged in a most important and unfuccefsful war on the continent and notwithstanding the feverity of the laws against Catholics bearing arms either by land or fea, the British government had in defiance of the law, been neceffitated fecretly to recruit both the and navy of Great Britain from the fertile nursery of the Catholics of Ireland: and it is obvious, that in a moment of such preffing urgency, it would have been the extremity of rashness to indifpofe the Irish people from enlisting in the army and navy of Great Britain. In the year 1745, under the administration of Mr. Pelham, who had fucceeded Sir Robert Walpole, the British government being embarrassed not only by the lofs of the noted battle of Fontenoy, but by the landing of the young chevalier in the north of Scotland, who was immediately joined by many of the northern clans, most wifely appointed the

army

* This nobleman fenfibly refented the irrefolution of the English miniftry in not carrying into ef fect their promises and engagements for paffing this measure; on this account M'Allifter, in his letters, (p. 15) obferves, that he confidered himself ill used by the miniftry of England, and therefore required but a very flender invitation to join in any enterprise, that in his opinion might distress them, and therefore with great alacrity and readiness he attended the fummons he had received from the old Chevalier to prepare for the intended invafion of Great Britain in 1745. Lord Clancarty (says this author) several years before he received the letter of invitation from the old Pretender, had been in Ireland, where he brought eje&ments for recovery of an estate forfeited by his father, amounting to about 60,000l. per annum, which he claimed under a fettlement of marriage. The parliament of that kingdom paffed a vote, whereby it was refolved, that any lawyer, counsel, attorney, or folicitor that should proceed in fuch fuit, &c. fhould be deemed an enemy to his country, &c. This refolution, which quieted the minds and interefts of the poffeffors of that large estate, enraged the mind of the earl, who thought himself entitled to the whole; and disappointed in that expectation, he fought any occafion for procuring to himself the profpect of poffefling that great fortune, and would have joined the Grand Turk or Cham of Tartary to obtain it.

[ocr errors][merged small]

Earl of Chesterfield lord lieutenant of Ireland.* Notwithstanding there then exifted a corps of British Jacobites, confifting of feven regiments of Irish, and two of Scots in the pay of the French monarch, who confidered themfelves

[ocr errors]

* When political neceffity forces government into wholesome measures, it is to be regretted, when they are not foftened with the popular unction of good grace. Nothing can fo effectually abfolve a minister from perfonal gratitude and feeling for his appointment, as to be made fenfible in the first instance, that neceffity, not favor, brought him to his fituation. It makes him feel himself rather the man of the people, than of the crown; hence that dislike to popular ministers, which has too frequently fhewn itself in our fovereigns. The gloom of the political horizon in Great Britain, under what was then in derifion called the drunken administration, had forced the king to facrifice his confidential and favorite minifter Lord Carteret, to private jealousy and public clamor. (Dr. Maty's Memoirs of Lord Chesterfield, Sec. IV.) A treaty had been for some time negociating between the old part of the miniftry, and the members of the oppofition; but it was not concluded before the close of this year (1744), it was called the coalition, or broad-bottom treaty. Lord Chesterfield, who was at the head of that party, had long declared for an honorable peace, or, till that could be obtained, for an exclufive exertion of British forces on that element, where they are truly formidable. On this principle a league was formed between the two parties, to drive out the minifter, who was looked upon as their common enemy. This was a matter of no fmall difficulty. Lord Carteret had got poffeffion of the royal ear; and the only way to effect it, was to perfuade the king, that his favorite measures would be pursued, and carried on with greater efficacy, by minifters of a more popular caft. Lord Chesterfield was proposed, as being equal to the obnoxious minifter in his political knowledge of the interests of princes, and as the most likely perfon to prevail with the ftates to join heartily in the common caufe. Neceflity alone could have induced George II. to employ a man whom, for a number of years, he had been taught to confider as his perfonal enemy; (he often complained, that the king's ear had been poisoned with lies against him) and whom, in return, he had not treated as a friend. He had, however, no great objection to avail himself of the earl's intereft in Holland, and was even willing to fend him from thence, as lord lieutenant to Ireland, if for no other reason, to keep him still at a distance. But he wanted to make the admiffion of the earl into the cabinet a reward for fervices, rather than a condition of his being employed; and perfifted in delaying, at leaft for a time, to receive him into the closet. Lord Chesterfield peremptorily infifted upon both these circumstances. The audience was accordingly granted; but the monarch, ever fuperior to diffimulation, received him with great coldness. You have received your inftructions, my lord, were the only words, which he spoke in anfwer to the earl's application to be honored with his majesty's commands. This is not the only inftance in this reign, of a subject's forcing his way to his mafter, and obtaining or recovering his favor. Thus was Lord Chesterfield, after an oppofition of ten years to public measures, called upon once more to take a part in administration. Admitted on his own terms, and without being obliged to facrifice either his friends or his principles, he had the fatisfaction of being called by the voice of the nation: and while one part of Europe dreaded the influence of so able a negociator, the other loudly expreffed the highest satisfaction at so judicious a choice.

The fix Irish regiments of foot, were Dillon, Clare, Berwick, Rofcommon, Lally, and Bulkeley;

and

felves as auxiliary troops of James Stuart, their rightful monarch of these realms, and that frequent intercourfe must have fubfifted between thofe who

ferved

and Fitzjames's horfe: the Scots were, the Royal Scots horfe, and Ogilvie's foot. Three of these regiments were at the battle of Fontenoy, and defervedly claim the merit of turning the fortune of that day in favor of the French: on which occafion George the Second is reported to have said with unusual emotion, curfed be the laws, which deprive me of fuch fubjects. The learned and ingenuous Dr. Campbell gives this honorable teftimony of Irish bravery. (Ph. Surv. p. 274.) "The Irish "troops I find lie under the imputation of generally behaving ill at home. And therefore Vol"taire claffes Ireland among thofe nations, which feem formed for fubjection, while he admits that "her troops behave well abroad." This lively, but inaccurate writer, could not have forgot, that at the battle of Blenheim, Lord Clare's dragoons alone were victorious on the fide of the French, having cut to pieces a German regiment commanded by Colonel Goore; that the like glory attended them at Ramillies; and that the Irish regiments of Dillon and Burk saved, not only Cremona, but the whole French army in Italy. This action was attended with fuch eclat, that it was faid in the British Houfe of Commons, that the Irish abroad had done more mischief to the Allies, than they could have done at home, by being repoffeffed of their eftates. They tell you it was Ligonier's horfe, to a man Irish, which preferved the king's perfon, and thereby gained the battle of Dettingen. Many other cafes are adduced to the fame purpose. It was probably, reflections of this nature which produced the following lines of Swift:

Her matchlefs fons, whofe valour still remains,
On French records, for twenty long campaigns;
Yet from an Emprefs, now a captive grown,
She faved Britannia's rights, and loft her own.

After all! Is it any thing more than to say, that the frequent infurrections of a divided people, whose war was undisciplined, as their peace was uncivilized, were always fuppreffed by the regular forces of a great and powerful nation? If the Irish had tamely acquiefced under that fubmiffive faction struck between some of their chiefs and Henry II., there might have been fome grounds for the cenfure of Voltaire.

Sir John Davis, among the many causes affigned why Ireland was not brought under obedience to the crown of England, before the reign of James I. every where commends the prowess, and other natural endowments of the people. A ftruggle, though unsuccessful for liberty, almost uninterrupted for near 500 years, is certainly no fymptom of a country formed for subjection. But this struggle lafted much longer; and had Sir John come later into life, he would have seen, that Ireland was at that time far from being fubdued. The being fubdued does not argue the being formed for fubjection. The Britons were completely fubdued by the Romans; and if Britain had been formed for fubjection, we could not at this day, boast of being the most free people in Europe. In the hiftory of this country, I do not find any period in which it discovered fuch despondence, as our ancestors did in that humiliating letter to Aetius.

But be this as it may, the behaviour of the Irish at home, even in the laft war, was far from contemptible. They were routed, it is true, at the Boyne, in their first general engagement, by the

[blocks in formation]

served the exiled prince at St. Germain's or in this brigade, and their relatives in Ireland, yet fo pure was the loyalty of the great body of the Irish in this critical juncture, that not even a fufpicion of their rifing in the caufe of the Pretender, was harboured or acted upon by that prudent governor. True it is, that before this wife nobleman had affumed the reigns of the Irish government, the ufual means of alarming and irritating the public mind from the fenate, bench, and pulpit, had been so effectually pursued, that upon a report of the Marshal Saxe's intention to make a defcent upon England, a ferious propofal had been made in council, that as the Papifts had began the maffacre on the Protestants in 1641, it was but just and reasonable in that critical juncture to retaliate in like manner upon the Papists. Although this barbarous propofal were indignantly rejected by that honorable affembly, to which it was propofed, yet fuch was the enthusiastic rancor of fome of the lower orders of the Proteftant inhabitants of Lurgan, that fuch a horrid confpiracy was actually entered into, and providentially prevented by the discovery of a refpectable merchant of Dublin, who happened to be accidentally there upon his commercial concerns. Nothing could exceed the coolness, moderation, and wifdom of the Earl of Chesterfield's conduct on this trying occafion.* He had fortunately been entrusted with a plenitude of difcretion:

beft generals, and the beft troops then in Europe; their king, in whose cause they bled, standing at a distance, and fhewing himself thereby unworthy of wearing any longer that crown, for which he contended.

At the conclufion of the war, " during the treaty of Limerick, a faying of Sarsfield deferves to "be remembered, for it was much talked of all Europe over. He afked fome of the English "officers if they had not come to a better opinion of the Irish, by their behaviour during this war? "And whereas they said, that it was much the fame that it had always been, Sarsfield answered, "though low as we are now, change but kings, and we will fight it over again with you."

* Every act of this excellent governor differed from those of all his predeceffors, and unfortunately too of most of his fucceffors. (Maty's Memoirs) Before he left England, he was willing to fhew that he intended to govern by himself. The office of principal fecretary is not only a place of confiderable power, when the lord lieutenant is willing to throw upon another the load of public affairs. If the secretary be capable and enterprizing, he becomes the principal; the governor is eclipfed, and shares only the odium, but never the honor, of his substitute's management. Several perfons of great abilities as well as experience, were accordingly proposed to the earl for that important office. But faithful to the rule he had prescribed to himself in his two emballies, he refolved to make fuperior abilities no part of the fecretary's qualifications. He liftened not to the intimations of favorites and minifters, and even refifted the infinuations of friendship, which might

[ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »