county of Louth, which iffued fimilar declarations, in which they expreffed in the ftrongest terms their abhorrence of the wicked and daring attempts of circulating the letter figned by Mr. Byrne, which complains of a partial adminiftration of justice, and of their being oppreffed to flavery, and which tended to roufe the Catholics to difturb the peace of the Kingdom, by the illegal and unconftitutional affociation of a Popish Congrefs in the metropolis to overawe the legiflature. They therefore came to three refolutions: 1ft, That the national profperity depended upon the continuance of the Popery laws, particularly thofe which veft the fight of franchise in the Proteftants exclufively; and that fince thofe laws had been frequently called into operation the progrefs of the national profperity had been more vigorous and rapid. 2dly. That the allowing to Roman Catholics the right of voting for members to ferve in Parliament was deftructive of the conftitution and fettlements of the crown, and of their connection with Great Britain. 3dly, That with their lives and fortunes they would oppofe every attempt towards fuch dangerous innovations, &c, All the other Grand Juries, excepting two or three, iffued either the fame, or nearly fimilar declarations and refolutions. This was the laft ftruggling effort of a defperate junto, to fecure a political bias upon the country which was now growing too large even for their own ambitious ambitious grafp. Never furely was a more indecent effort attempted to prejudge the merits of an aggrieved people; to interpofe the political influence of the counties between the petitions of the subjects at large and the Crown; and to overawe and predetermine the legiflature against the recommendations which his Majefty might think proper to make (and which he did in fact make) in favour of his loyal, peaceful and aggrieved Roman Catholic fubjects of Ireland. This firft failure of men in power in their hackneyed attempts to metamorphofe the wishes and ftruggles of the people for relief, into fedition and confpiracy against the State, was a happy omen to Ireland, and the welcome herald of her dawning liberty. Notwithstanding this inveterate and powerful refiftance, the Roman Catholics proceeded coolly; advisedly and firmly in pursuing the grand object of their claims About this time Mr. Burke jun, arrived in Dublin to resume his office of Agent for the Roman Catholic Body of Ireland. СНАР CHAPTER V VII. OCTOBER, 1792. CONTENTS. Great power of the Governor General of India-Mr. Shore appointed to fucceed Lord Cornwallis-The conduct of the combined Princes afforded means and Atrength to the Jacobin party-Reports of treachery and bribery in the Pruffians-Their method of carrying on the war-Fraudulent mode of acquiring provifions-Duke of Brunswick's third ManifeftoHis folly in negociating-His difgraceful retreatFrance declared out of danger-French conquefts in Germany of Spires, Mentz, Franckfort-Report of a letter from the King of France, that caused the retreat of the King of Prussia. IN the present fyftem of governing our East Indian poffeffions, the Governor General is invefted with powers of unlimited extent and importance to Great Britain: he may involve this nation nation in war, and opprefs the most extenfive part of the British empire with all the dreadful calamities attendant upon that fcourge of mankind. When upon the nomination of Lord Cornwallis, Mr Fox in the House of Commons reprobated that fyftem as unconstitutional and dangerous, which vefted fuch abfolute and immenfe power in the hands of the Governors of India, his Majesty's Ministers opposed to it the well known. private virtues, worth, and dignity of the The spirit of the knew no fuch noble peer who was to exercife it. British Conftitution formerly grounds of engrafting abfolute and unlimited power upon the virtue and difcretion of the individual who was to exercise it. Bleft as we now are in the perfon of the firft executive magiftrate, with the best of Kings, the best of Fathers, the best of Husbands, the best of Friends, the best of Men; yet the Conftitution, with this fure earnest of prudential exercife, has not therefore entrusted him with fuch abfolute power. It was indeed fince the inveftiture of fuch powers in the Governors of India, that Mr. Burke has taught us, that "he is far from fure that a King of Great Britain does not poffefs a more real folid extenfive power, than the King of France was poffeffed of before this miferable revolution. The direct power of the King of England is confiderable. His indirect and far more certain power is great indeed. A fudden change change feems to have taken place in the principles and fyftem of governing India. Last year military were the only fit men to govern India; this year they are of all the most unfit. Mr. Shore was the perfon fixed upon to fucceed the Marquis of Cornwallis: he had, partly from ill health, and partly from a difguft of the measures lately pursued in India, retired from active life, and fettled his private arrangements for ending his days in retirement upon a very moderate fortune, which highly to his credit he had brought with him from Afia, after having enjoyed confiderable appointments there termed lucrative. Since our unhappy country is now fatally involved in the war, which in the experiment of one fhort month has afforded fuch a melancholy earneft of its effects, we become too nearly interefted in the turn of its events, to pafs over in filence the conclufion of its firft inglorious and deftructive campaign. The time and the manner of proclaiming this war were perhaps the only circumstances, in the indefinite poffibility of events, that could fo quickly and fo effectually have fecured to the Jacobin party in France the means of accomplishing their nefarious and tyrannous defign. The Crown could not be completely deftroyed, but by the previous abolition of the aristocracy, both in the party of the Emigrants and in that of the Conftitutionalifts: nor could this |