receive with the highest respect, the most perfect fatisfaction, and chearful conformity, your inftructions, on a fubject in which the national honor and fecurity are effentially engaged. To fuppofe that any power, except that of the "king, lords, and commons of Ireland, is competent to make laws to "bind this kingdom," is utterly inconfiftent with the idea of freedom; it is equal liberty alone, which can fecure that perfect harmony to the fubjects of the fame crown, fo neceffary to the profperity both of Great Britain and Ireland. You may rely, gentlemen, on every exertion I am capable of, to procure an unequivocal declaration of the fole rights of the legislature of this kingdom, to enact laws obligatory on the people of Ireland; and I doubt not in this, and every conftitutional measure, I fhall be always fecure of the support of my constituents. Your inftructions on this occafion will give a dignity to the vote you have intrufted me with, which it muft have wanted, if confidered as merely proceeding from my own private judgment. I have the honor, gentlemen, to be, With the most perfect refpect, and fenfe of obligation, At a Meeting of the High Sheriff and Grand Jury of the County of Dublin, on the 11th of April, 1782, the following Refolutions were agreed to. Refolved, That no power on earth, but the king, lords, and commons of Ireland can in right make laws to bind the people of this land. Refolved, That the members of the Houfe of Commons are reprefentatives of, and derive their power folely from, the people; and that a denial of this propofition by them would be to abdicate the representation. The following Addrefs was then read by the Chairman, and agreed to. To the Right Hon. Luke Gardiner, and Sir Edward Newenham, Knight. GENTLEMEN, WE, the high fheriff and grand jury of the county of Dublin, warmly coinciding with the determination refpecting the constitu tional rights of Ireland, with which the mind of every man in this nation is deeply impreffed, think it our duty to exprefs thofe feelings in the ftrongest terms. As you have already evinced your intention to fupport the fole and undoubted authority of the legislature of Ireland, to make laws for its government, we confidently hope and expect, that you will persevere in pursuing the most decifive and immediate measures, that may effectually carry that great object into execution, by a folemn ratification of our rights. Though this is, at the prefent critis, the principal matter under the confideration of parliament, we have no doubt but that muft confider it your you duty to act in all things that affect the freedom of our conftitution, in fuch manner as may become the reprefentatives of a great and independent county. Refolved, That copies of the above refolutions and addrefs, figned by the high sheriff and foreman, be presented to the Right Honorable Luke Gardiner and Sir Edward Newenham, knight, and that the fame, together with their anfwers be published. The following Anfwers were returned. To the High Sheriff and Grand Jury of the County of Dublin. IT gives me very fincere fatisfaction, that my past conduct, relative to the fole and undoubted authority of the legislature of Ireland, has merited your approbation. You may be affured, that I fhall perfevere in giving my warmeft fupport to the great and important object, as I confider it fo decifively founded in right, that no man who loves to be free, can hefitate to acknowledge and to affert it. With refpect to any other matter that may affect the freedom of our conftitution, I am fo confcious of my intentions to promote the perfect contentment of this country, that I have no doubt I fhall, in every particular deserve that confidence, with which you have hitherto honored me. I am very glad that you have given me an opportunity of declaring my fentiments thus publicly at this crifis; as I think that the time is now come, which demands an explicit and a permanent fettlement of the conftitution of Ireland, as the certain means of establishing the tranquillity of this country, and of perpetuating the harmony, which ought to fubfift between us and Great Britain. Henrietta Street, April 13, 1782. I have the honor to be, Gentlemen, Your very obliged humble fervant, LUKE GARDINER. To the High Sheriff, Foreman, and Grand Jury of the County of Dublin. GENTLEMEN, I ALWAYS received your inftructions with refpect and pleafure, for it is equally my duty and inclination to obey them; if I did not, I should betray that delegated truft, with which you have honored me. In refpect to thofe great objects in which you defire "I will perfevere," I affure you, I will most faithfully pursue that line of conduct marked out by you, confident that his majesty cannot, in justice to this independent kingdom, refufe his royal affent to fuch acts, as may be deemed by the Irish parliament "a folemn ratification of our rights." I flatter myself that no Irish minister will be found to be so presumptuous, as to impede the total annihilation of foreign ufurpation; if fuch a minifter fhould be found, the parliament of Ireland, fupported by the general voice of the people, ought to do their duty. Though effectual impeachments have been too long neglected, and thereby our fifter kingdom has nearly fallen a martyr to the corruption and wickedness of its miniftry, the fpirit of this nation is too high, to fubmit patiently to national infults. You are also pleased to direct me" to act in all things, that affect the free"dom of our conftitution, as may become the representative of a great and "independent county:" in order to accomplish that object, I have frequently introduced heads of a bill to fecure the freedom of parliament, by limiting the number of placemen, and totally excluding penfioners from fitting therein; a hostile band of parliamentary placemen and penfioners is the foundation of internal and external corruption. Every measure tending to maintain the freedom, or promote the trade and manufactures of your great, respectable, and independent county, shall meet my warmeft support in every station of life. I have the honor to be, with the greateft refpect, Your moft obliged and faithful trustee, EDWARD NEWENHAM. At At a full Meeting of the Grand Jury, Gentlemen, Clergy, and Freeholders of the County of Galway, affembled pursuant to public Notice from the High Sheriff, at the County-Hall, in Galway, March 31, 1782, the following Refolutions were unanimously entered into: RESOLVED, That a feat in parliament was never intended by our constitution as an instrument of emolument to individuals; and that the reprefentative, who perverts it to such a purpose, particularly at so momentous a period as the present, is guilty of betraying the trust reposed in him by the people for their, not his benefit.. Refolved, That the people who could tamely behold their fuffrages made the tool of private avarice or ambition, are still more criminal than the venal representatives, as they become the panders without even the wages of proftitution. Refolved, That when we daily fee the mandate of the minifter fuperfede all conviction in debate; when placed and penfioned members of parliament notoriously support in public measures, which they condemn in private; when the hirelings of corruption avow, and government have exemplified in recent inftances of diftinguished characters, that to vote according to conscience amounts to a difqualification to hold any office in the fervice of our country, it is time for the people to look to themselves, and in great national queftions to affert their right to control thofe, who owe their political existence to their breath, and may be annihilated by their displeasure. Refolved, That at an æra when every thing which can be dear to a nation is at stake, we are called upon by our duty to ourselves, to our country, and to pofterity, to stand forth, and by the most unremitting exertions stem the returning torrent of corruption at home, and refift the ufurpation from abroad, that all mankind may fee we are determined to preserve the purity, while we vindicate the rights of our legiflature. Refolved, therefore, That we do hereby folemnly pledge ourselves to each other, and to our country, by every tie of honor and religion, which can be binding to man, that, as the facred duty which we owe to the community fuperfedes all ties and obligations to individuals, we will not fuffer private friendship or private virtues, to warp our fettled determination not to vote for any man, at a future election, either for county, town, or borough, who fhall 5 U2 fhall act in oppofition to our inftructions, and who will not fubfcribe a teft to obey them previous to the election, or who fhall absent himself when those questions, on which we instruct him, are agitated in parliament. Refolved, That the king, lords, and commons of Ireland are the only power competent to make laws to bind this kingdom, and that we will refift the execution of any other laws, with our lives and fortunes. Refolved, That if force conftitutes right, the people of this country have a right to ufe force against the man, who dares to maintain doctrines fubverfive of their conftitution; but as the object is beneath the dignity of the national resentment, we fhall only bid fuch a man beware how he hereafter trifles with the rights of his country, and provokes the vengeance of a people determined to be free. Refolved, That we highly approve of the refolutions of the volunteer delegates, affembled at Dungannon and Ballinafloe. Refolved, That the thanks of this county be returned to the minority in parliament, and particularly to our countrymen Anthony Daly, Sir Henry Lynch Bloffe, and Robert Dillon, Efqrs. Refolved, That the following addrefs be prefented to the Right Honorable Denis Daly, and W. P. Keating French, Efqrs. representatives in parliament for this county. SIR, TO DENIS DALY, Efq. THERE is a moment in the affairs of nations as well as of individuals, which if feized and happily improved, may lead to profperity, if neglected, may terminate in the riveting of its oppreffions. Such a moment is the prefent: the eyes of Europe are upon us, and pofterity will read our conduct with applause or execration according to the use we make of the opportunities, which a providential combination of events has afforded us. When the rights of a nation become objects of public queftion or difcuffion, not to affert is to relinquish, to hesitate is to betray. The die is caft; if we advance with a manly and determined step, we enfure fuccefs; if we recede or divide, we fink for ever; in fo awful an hour, who is the man that, however unwilling to provoke the queftion, will not at the day of trial be found in his poft? Your private opinion, Sir, muft give way to the national voice; the affemblage of qualities which formed and elevated your character, raised you to one of the most exalted fituations a subject could arrive at. Your abilities |