"will take fuch measures as fhall be most prudent to carry the intention of "that falutary refolution into immediate effect." Preffed as was the British ministry with the unpopular and ruinous contest with the American colonifts, now backed and openly fupported by France; lofing their influence and credit at home; and greatly embarraffed for the ready and efficient means of raifing the fupplies, Lord North found it incumbent upon him to devife fome public measures, that should at least subftitute a share of that popularity, which he was now daily lofing, and relieve these fiscal difficulties, by facilitating the means of recruiting the navy and army. He was not ignorant of, though he betrayed no public alarm at the diffufion of the American spirit of liberty through all ranks of people in Ireland. He alfo too well knew the national grounds of difcontent and mifery, which stretched over the whole furface of that kingdom. It may have been uniformly remarked throughout this hiftory, that the Irish have been ever profufely grateful for every thing, that had come to them in the form of conceffion and kindness; but the reluctant boon wrung out of the grafp of power by extreme distress, can never be received, or returned with fair sensibility. The blame of having long withholden ought not however to efface the whole merit of late or partial conceffion. To the adminiftration of Lord North must be given the fingular and important credit of having firft opened the door of liberality to the Irish Roman Catholics, in the face of a very powerful and determined oppofition. It fell to his lot, to experience the fatal effects of former emigrations from Ireland to America: it being a fact beyond queftion, that most of the early fucceffes in America were immediately owing to the vigorous exertions and prowess of the Irish emigrants, (chiefly from the North) who bore arms in that caufe. He accordingly adopted the wife policy of engaging the affections and gratitude of the Irish people, by alleviating in fome degree the immediate caufe of their forenefs and difcontent. The progrefs of the American contest had afforded a strong practical leffon to miniftry of the importance of national harmony at home. It was refolved therefore in the cabinet, that some popular measure of toleration should be brought forward in each parliament. But the mind of the public was not yet fo broken in to this liberality, that the minifter dared to fubmit it to parliament as a government measure. He well knew, that the patriots in both parliaments would fupport the propofition, and that it would be carried by the natural and unbiaffed majority, from the moment that the minister's affent par that affent gave freedom of voting to all his adherents. *The English Houfe of Commons being in a committee to take into confideration the acts of liament relating to the Irish trade, the Earl of Nugent obferved, that from a long feries of unfhaken loyalty the Irish were entitled to every encouragement which good and faithful subjects could deserve, and a wife and grateful government could give; oppreffive laws had hitherto been their only reward; he did not, however, mean to complain; if he did, his generous countrymen would difavow his complaints: they then faw Great Britain in diftrefs; filenced their refentment; and, forgetful of their wrongs, unfolicited they now made a tender of their lives and fortunes for the fervice. If the narrow policy of Great Britain had not kept them low, they would have fent over fomething more substantial than addreffes; their armies would arrive here for our defence. Would the parliament of Great Britain suffer every sentiment of gratitude and justice to be inactive in their breafts? Would they become deaf to the voice of policy? He trufted, he was fure, they would not; and he had not a doubt but the houfe would give ample proof, that they were not void of difcernment to fee, nor of inclination to reward merit. He had taken a view of all the laws, which bore hard on Ireland, and, trusting to the justice and humanity of the house, he had drawn up a few refolutions which he hoped the committee would adopt. His lordfhip then moved, that the Irish might be permitted to fend on board of British veffels, navigated according to law, to the coaft of Africa, and our fettlements abroad, all forts of Irish manufactures, woollen and woollen clothes excepted.† Mr. Pelham profeffed himself a well wither to Ireland; and said, that no man had a greater refpect for that kingdom than he had; he was not, however, without his doubts, that the prefent measure would be highly detrimental to the manufactures of this country; the taxes in Ireland being low, and labour cheap, This committee fat on the 7th of April, 1778. *8 Eng. Deb, p. 206. † 8 Eng. Deb. p. 208. Lord Nugent then made another motion, That the Irish might be per mitted to import all forts of ware and merchandize from the coast of Africa, and plantations abroad, indigo, tobacco, and sugar only excepted. The word fugar was inferted by his lordship, merely to prevent an oppofition from the West India merchants; but on the motion of Lord Newhaven, it was left out, and the motion paffed Nem. Con. Lord Nugent again moved, that glass manufactured in Ireland might be exported by the Irish, except into Great Britain; and that Irish cotton might be imported duty free into Great Britain. These motions paffed unanimously. Mr. Burke then moved, that Irish fail cloth might be imported into this kingdom duty free. This motion likewife paffed Nem. Con. the Irish would be able to underfell us, and thereby ruin feveral of our trading towns. Lord Beauchamp begged leave to fet the honorable gentleman right. The taxes in Ireland were many and high; and, proportionably to the means of paying them, confiderably greater than in England. Some gentlemen who had travelled into Ireland, had, from the opulence of its metropolis, and the unbounded hofpitality of the people of fashion, formed very unjust ideas of the real state of the kingdom: it was reduced by oppreffive laws to a wretched fituation; their loyalty was, however, fuperior to every other selfish confideration; they faw nothing but our danger; and though our acts had banished into foreign countries numbers of their brethren, and left them in a miferable state, ftill they were willing to ftrain every nerve to ferve us in the moment of diftrefs: a braver, more generous, and more loyal people was not to be found; he flattered himself, therefore, that they would be treated by the house according to their high deferts. Mr. T. Townshend expreffed his warm approbation of the motion; was happy to fee the mift of prejudice begin to difperfe; would be happy to give the measure a broader bottom; though as ftedfaft a Proteftant as any gentleman in the house, he declared he should be glad to fee fome means adopted to grant fuch indulgencies to the Roman Catholics of Ireland, as might attach that great body of men to the prefent government: their affections had been alienated; he wished to recall them by indulgent behaviour. Lord North, adverting to what Mr. Townthend had faid, declared he would with all his heart concur in any measure, that could tend to answer so defirable an end; but it was not their province; it was the province of the parliament of Ireland; the laws which were fo fevere against the Roman Catholics had originated there, and redrefs of domeftic grievances should of right originate likewise from them; and he was of opinion, that the Irish parliament would fee where the grievance lay, and redrefs it, for there was not any where a people of more liberal fentiments than the Irish. The penal laws of Ireland were the confequences of apprehenfion, which, however groundless, always adopts the most cruel and fevere policy. The Irish complained, and complained with juftice; but it must be left to the candour of their own parliament to grant fuch indulgence to the Roman Catholics as their loyalty deserved: he requested the houfe would agree to that, which was in their power, and their province: to relax the trade laws would benefit the the Irish, and ultimately enrich ourselves; embarked in the fame caufe with us, they cannot be called our rivals in trade, but their rivals were our rivals. The exceptions of woollen cloth he would fay nothing to; it might not, perhaps, be just; but it was a point given up by the Irish, and confirmed by an ancient compact: if it should be found in the courfe of the proceedings on this business that any other exceptions were neceffary, the house no doubt would make them. Upon the whole, the motion fhould meet his hearty concurrence. Thus did the British minister in the most public manner declare his cordial and unequivocal wishes, that his majesty's Catholic fubjects of Ireland should be relieved from what he admitted they complained of with justice: but it was to be effected by the Irish parliament, in which it is lamentable to say, bigotry and prejudice ftill held a fway, long fince banished from the walls of St. Stephen's. The principle of toleration applied both to Great Britain and Ireland; but the political neceffity of reducing that principle into action operated upon the two kingdoms in the inverse ratio of the respective difpofitions of the two parliaments to effect it. In Great Britain scarcely one hundredth part of the population profeffed the Roman Catholic religion: and that body had long enjoyed a fort of tacit protection from the rigor of the penal laws. *Yet as Lord Afhburton obferved on feconding the motion of Sir George Savile, "the mildness of government had hitherto foftened the rigor "of the law in the practice, but it was to be confidered, that the Roman Ca"tholic priests were still left at the mercy of the lowest and basest of man"kind; for on the complaint of any informing conftable, the magifterial and judicial powers were bound to enforce all the fhameful penalties of the act.” On the 14th of May, 1778, Sir George Savile moved for leave to bring in a bill for the repeal of certain penalties and difabilities provided in an act of the 10th and 11th of William III. intituled, "An act to prevent the further growth of popery." In propofing this repeal, the honorable baronet ob * 8 Eng. Deb. p. 228. Speech of Mr. Dunning. Some time before this period the penal laws had been enforced against two priefts, a Mr. Malony, and Mr. Talbot, the brother of the Earl of Shrewsbury. But to the humanity of the British nation it must be recorded, that these proceedings had been reforted to by a folitary individual, one Pain, a carpenter, who having two daughters, little business, much bigotry, and more covetoufnefs, had formed the fingular fpeculation of acquiring 20,000l. apiece for his daughters fortunes by informations under the penal ftatutes against the Catholics. ferved, ferved, that he meant to vindicate the honor and affert the principles of the Proteftant religion, to which all perfecution was foreign and adverfe that the penalties in queftion were difgraceful not only to religion, but to humanity: they were calculated to loosen all the bands of fociety, to diffolve all focial, moral, and religious obligations and duties: to poifon the fources of domestic felicity, and to annihilate every principle of honor. Such was the liberality of the house, that the motion was carried without a diffentient voice. Lord Afhburton, then Mr. Dunning, feconded the motion with his ufual ability, and Mr. Thurlow, the attorney general, explained and strongly fupported the bill. Lord Beauchamp, in expreffing his extreme fatisfaction at the motion, observed that it gave him the more pleasure at that time, as he thought the commercial advantages, which parliament then meant to beftow on Ireland would be of very little ufe to that country, unless they were accompanied by a repeal of the penal laws, which had long depreffed three fourths of the people there; and that bill he hoped would, when paffed, be an example to the Irish parliament, in whofe power it was to give that relief to their brethren; and he was forry to fay he thought, though their faith were in fome degree pledged for the effect of fome fuch measure, nothing had yet been done for that people. They had begged to have a teft of loyalty and obedience to the government given them: that teft was made, and taken by a large and refpectable number of Roman Catholics; yet nothing had been granted them in return. Nay more; when a bill had been brought into the Irish parliament to allow Papifts to take building leafes in corporate towns, that most reasonable indulgence was ungeneroufly refused them. Something, he faid, might be suggested in excufe with relation to the late disturbances in the south west part of Ireland; but he affured the houfe, that he never knew a Roman Catholic of property in that country who did not exprefs the greatest abhorrence of thofe violences; and he was convinced, that it was want of employment, want of industry, and want of reward for labour, that caufed them; and he concluded with a declaration, that he did not think the little indulgence, which was then propofed to be given to the Roman Catholics of this kingdom, fhould be accompanied by any test, as he was fure, that any member, who read over the act of King William (which he then held in his hand) would think that in repealing it he was not fo much employed in conferring favours on the Catholics as in refcuing the ftatutes from difgrace. The |