" "times of perfect tranquility, for the purpose of providing a force, which we are to part with in times of danger, and being convinced that fince "the time, at which we firft declared 12,000 men to be neceffary, the probability of a war has increafed and not diminished; it is now the opinion of this houfe that" 66 This propofed amendment was negatived upon a divifion of 103 against 58. Yet much to the furprize and embarraffment of government, the fecond propofition of introducing foreign troops into that kingdom was negatived by nearly as large a majority as the firft was carried; namely, by 106 against 68. The houfe accordingly voted an addrefs to his excellency, expreffive of their fenfe and refolution upon this fubject.* This conduct of the Irish commons is of fingular importance in the hiftory of Ireland, inafmuch as it was the first patriotic step taken by the representatives of the people towards attaining To his Excellency, Simon, Earl Harcourt, Lord Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland. The humble address of the Knights, Citizens, and Burgeffes in parliament affembled. MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY, "We his majesty's most dutiful and loyal fubjects, the commons of Ire"land, in parliament affembled, deeply impreffed with a fenfe of the many bleflings we enjoy "under his majefty's government, humbly requeft, that your excellency will be pleafed to affure "his majesty of our zeal at all times for the fupport of his juft rights, and for the honor and fafety "of the British empire. That your excellency will be pleafed to exprefs the ready and cheerful con"currence of his majesty's faithful commons in fending out of this kingdom a force not exceeding "4000 men, part of the troops upon this establishment appointed to remain in this kingdom for "its defence. That your excellency will be pleafed to affure his majefty, that we acknowledge his "paternal regard to the eafe and relief of this country, manifefted in his majesty's moft gracious "intention, that fuch part of his army as may be sent out of this kingdom during the prefent exi. gency, fhall not be continued a charge upon this establishment, fo long as they fhall remain out "of this kingdom. That your excellency will be pleased to return his majesty our most grateful "thanks for his gracious declaration, that his majefty hath nothing more at heart than the fecurity "and protection of his people of Ireland, of which his majesty has given a fignal proof, by his offer, "if it shall be the defire of parliament, to replace fuch forces as may be sent out of this kingdom, "by an equal number of Proteftant troops, the charge thereof to be defrayed without any expence "to this kingdom. And we entreat your excellency, that you will be pleased to affure his majesty, that, fully fenfible of his majesty's benevolent attention to his faithful commons, after mature deliberation, they have agreed not to defire that the 4000 troops, which may be sent out of "this kingdomin the prefent exigency, fhould be replaced, as mentioned in your excellency's meffage; confiding in the vigilance and care of government, and trufting, that with its affistance, "his majesty's loyal people of Ireland may be able fo to exert themselves, as to make such aid at this junctore unneceffary." ८० that state of civil liberty, which was obtained by the nation in what Mr. Burke called their revolution of 1782. Once the fpirit of patriotifm had regained an influence upon the minifterial ranks, many of them rather fought than fhunned opportunities to unfetter their fhackles, and fome of them probably created occafions of opening, with a view to improve the terms of their bargains. A more favourable opportunity could not have presented itself to refift the mandates of the British cabinet, than a renewed attack upon their favourite privilege of originating money bills in the commons. The heads of a bill for granting additional duties on beer, ale, &c. being transmitted, were returned with certain alterations, for which reafon, the bill was rejected, and. a new one framed. The like circumstances also attended the bill for granting stamp duties. As there was by thefe means for fome fhort time no law there for collecting the additional duties on tobacco and other goods imported into that kingdom, great exertions were made by the importers to procure fup-plies of fuch articles, before a new bill could receive the royal affent. An opportunity, which proved of fome advantage to feveral individuals, and no inconfiderable detriment to the finance. The patriotic party having on fome great national queftions been fupported by feveral of the oppofite fide of the house, refolved, ere the feffion closed, to afford another opportunity of calling forth their exertions upon the general and melancholy ftate of the nation.* A motion was accordingly made two days before the end of the feffion for an address to his majesty, "to express their inviolable attachment to his royal person and government, humbly to affure his majefty, that they felt a confcious happiness in the ample and liberal discharge of duty to a fovereign fo ready to exprefs his gracious approbation of the loyal endeavours of his people. To return their unfeigned thanks for his majesty's paternal folicitude at the burdens sustained by his people; a folicitude repeatedly communicated to them from the throne by his majesty's reprefentatives, and fuggesting to them an attention to the diminution of their expence, and the difcharge of their national debt: that they met the wishes of his majefty, and would not, by an inexcufable filence, conceal from his majesty the real diftreffes of his people of Ireland. That at the close of the laft war, the debt of that nation did not exceed 521,1617. 16s. 63d. which was then deemed fo confiderable, that his majesty's 9 Journ. Com. p. 280. What the divifion was on this occafion the Journals do not disclose. paternal paternal care thought itself called upon to direct the attention of his faithful commons to the discharge of their national debt, and to fignify his gracious wishes for a very confiderable diminution of their national expence. That after a peace of ten years, the debt of the nation appeared to be fo increased, that it was voted by his faithful commons in the last feffion of parliament, to be a fum not exceeding 994,890l. 10s. 10d. a circumftance fo alarming and infupportable to his people, that they determined with one voice to put an end to the pernicious practice of accumulating debts, and they thought it their duty to accomplish that neceffary end by first endeavouring to raise the revenue of the kingdom to an equality with the establishment. That they adopted every propofition of his majesty's minifters, and accepted their promifes of œconomy with unbounded confidence, vainly expecting, that it would be ever after unneceffary to afflict their gracious fovereign, by enumerating either the complaints or the diftreffes of his people. That as they wished to fecond the promised œconomy of his majesty's minifters by every effort on their part, they had confiderably diminished the fum ufually granted by this house for the purposes of national improvement. That in order, that there might be no remnant of any arrear upon any of his majesty's establishments, they had departed from the ufual cuftom of discharging the arrears to the 25th of March only, and had raised the fum of 265,000l. to pay them up to the 29th of September, 1773; and to prevent the neceffity of any arrear for the future, they had confented to a stamp duty, and several other taxes, which their predeceffors, in the times of the moft expenfive wars, had never thought proper to impofe. That the calculations of his majefty's minifters were admitted, their promises were relied upon, the taxes they propofed were voted, and their projects were uninterrupted by any oppofition from his faithful commons. But that they were then reduced to the melancholy neceflity of informing their gracious fovereign, that those unquestionable proofs of their zeal had been equally proofs of their inability. That the new taxes had fallen short of the estimates made by his majesty's minifters, and unequal, as they were to the effects, which were hoped for, they had ferved only to fhew, that they had arrived at that point of taxation, where the impofition of new lowered the old duties. That the debts and incumbrances of his faithful fubjects had increafed with fuch alarming rapidity, that they had in that feffion been reduced to the unfortunate neceffity of raifing 175,000l. to defray the arrears incurred in one year and fix months only. That the perfeverance of his faithful commons was not yet exhaufted, and they had again endea voured in that prefent feffion, to fupport his majesty's establishments, by new burdens upon themfelves. But that the experience of his majesty's ministers, affifted by the best efforts of his faithful commons, had been able to devife one new tax only, a tax upon fpirits; a tax the laft, which they proposed for his majesty's service, because it was of the most doubtful nature; a tax, which proved their despondency as well as their zeal, and concerning which they knew nothing certainly, except that it could not produce enough. That they faw before them the neceffity of borrowing, feffion after feffion continued. They faw the funds, on which they used to borrow nearly exhaufted. They saw the new duties, which they raised with the hopes of providing a fufficient revenue within the year, mortgaged in part for the payment of incumbrances; and that they faw his majesty's minifters relapfing into their former defpondency of fupplying the exigencies of the state, in any other manner, after every effort, made on their part, and feconded by them, and with a dreadful increase of debt incurred during the experiment. That if an indulgence to his majefty's minifters could induce them to suppress these truths, they should be guilty of a criminal deceit towards the beft of fovereigns. That could they neglect the most effential interefts of themselves, their conftituents, and their pofterity, ftill their duty to his majesty would prevent them from fuffering the refources of his majesty's power and dignity to dwindle and decay; and that they were the more neceffitated to make that earnest application, be caufe the evils they fuffered were not temporary or occafional; because they could not attribute them to any phyfical evil, or proud national exertion, but to a filent, wafting, and invifible caufe, which had injured the people, without adding ftrength to the crown. That they therefore performed that indifpenfable duty of laying their diftreffes at the foot of the throne, that history might not report them a nation, which in the midft of peace, and under a gracious king, equally ready to warn and relieve, proceeded deliberately to their own ruin, without one appeal to the wifdom, which would have redreffed them. And that they did appeal from the temporary expedients of his majesty's minifters, to his own wisdom and virtues, and to that permanent intereft, which his majesty had, and ever would have, in the welfare of his people. And if fupplication could add force to the pleadings of their common interest, and of their perfevering loyalty, they fupplicated that his majefty would graciously turn his royal attention to the reduction of their eftablishments, which they were unable to fupport, and which they would fupport if they could. That they did not prefume to point out more particu larly larly what his royal wisdom would more properly and effectually distinguish. That after all their efforts, and all their disappointments, they had one fure resource in his majesty's royal justice and wisdom, and they did rest assured, that their gracious fovereign would not fuffer the ftrength of his crown to be impaired, or the glories of his reign to be fullied by the unaccountable and entire ruin of a loyal people." In order to get rid of this motion, the minifterial party put and carried the question, that the motion should be adjourned to that day fe'nnight; and upon its being thus negatived, another motion was made, and alfo carried, that an humble address of thanks be prefented to his excellency the lord lieutenant, for his prudent, juft, and wife administration. The majority of the votes for adjourning the confideration of this motion took off none of the fatal truth and refemblance of the portrait, which it exhibited of the nation at that melancholy juncture. An addrefs* was framed in the committee, and upon the fecond reading of the fourth paragraph thereof an amendment was proposed to be made by adding thereto the following words. "At the fame time, that we pay your excellency every perfonal refpect, " and make you the fame acknowledgments, which we have not refused to * 9 Journ. Com. p. 282. "MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY, "We his majesty's moft dutiful and loyal fubjects, the commons of Ire“land, in parliament affembled, observe with pleasure the harmony, which fubfifts between our "chief governor and the people, the natural result of mutual good wishes. The additional strength " which our happy conftitution, the envy of foreign nations, has lately received, fills our hearts "with gratitude towards his majesty, and must ever reflect honor upon your excellency's adminif"tration. Freedom of election feems to be effectually fecured by thofe falutary laws, at length ob"tained by your excellency's ftrenuous interpofition, which place our conftitutional rights upon a firmer bafis than ever they stood before. When the liberties of the people are fecured, industry prevails, and commerce furvives. We acknowledge with gratitude, that in return for the libe"rality of the commons, new objects of trade, through your excellency's interpofition, are pre"fented to us, and new fources of commerce are opened, of which we perfuade ourselves, that we "fhall in time reap the good effects. We depend with the utmoft confidence upon the continuance "of the fame benevolent difpofition towards us, and that your excellency will take every opportu"nity of reprefenting the advantages, which nature has bestowed upon this ifland, peculiar to it "in fituation, climate, and foil, which by proper attention and encouragement may prove a fund "of wealth and strength to Great Britain, where the riches of this kingdom must ultimately center. "We concur with the wishes of the people, that your excellency may continue our chief governor : "Their affections are the fureft teftimony both of your private and your public virtues," |