Resigned the Lord-Lieutenancy of Ireland, March
Appointed Lord Steward of the Household

1828

1831

Resigned

1833

Second time Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, September

1833

Resigned the Lord-Lieutenancy, December
Appointed Lord-Chamberlain to his Majesty
Resigned

LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL AUTHORITIES CITED

IN THIS WORK.

MSS. Collection of the late Marquess Wellesley in the British Museum. Dispatches of Marquess Wellesley, edited by Montgomery Martin, Esq., 5 vols.; occasionally collated with MSS.

Asiatic Annual Register.

Parliamentary History and Debates.

Parliamentary Register (Ireland).

Dispatches of the Duke of Wellington, edited by Colonel Gurwood.

Parliamentary and State Papers.

London and Calcutta Official Gazettes.

Annual Register.

Mill's History of India.

Lushington's Life of Lord Harris.

Hook's Life of Sir David Baird.

Lord Teignmouth's Life, by his Son.

Malcolm's Works on India, &c., &c., &c.

CONTENTS

OF

THE FIRST VOLUME.

CHAPTER I.

Antiquity of the Wellesley Family.-MS. Pedigree.-De Wel-
lesleys of Somersetshire, temp. William I.-De Wellesleghe accom-
panys Henry II. to Ireland-settles there.-Contest between Abbot
of Glastonbury and Philip De Wellesleigh.-English Estates pass
to Banastres, &c.-Sir W. De Wellesley in Parliament.-Edward
II. grants Kildare Castle.-Edward III. grants Demor.-Lord John
De Wellesley captures O'Tool. Estates County Meath.-Sir
W. De Wellesley, Sheriff County Kildare, in Parliament, ap-
pointed by Richard II. Governor of Carbery Castle--Pursues the
O'Briens.-De Wellesleys "Barons of Norragh."-Spelman MSS.
-Dengan Castle (birth-place of Wellington), A.D. 1411. — Lord-
ships of Mornington, &c.-Alliances with Cusackes and Plunkets.
-Drops the "De."-Walter Wellesley, Abbot, studies at Oxford,
Master of the Rolls, Bishop.-Henry VIII.-Cowleys, Wellesleys,
and Cusackes intermarry.-Pedigree traced to Dermot Macmo-
rough, King of Leinster, and to Roderick O'Connor, King of
Connaught. - Name of Wellesley contracted to Wesley-proof,
Athenæ Oxonienses.-Methodists.-Rev. Charles Wesley.-Colleys
or Cowleys settle in Ireland.-Lord Cowleye, Staffordshire, holds
various high offices.-Sir H. Cowley in Parliament.-Providore of
Queen Elizabeth.-Sidney, &c.-Family History.-Richard Colley
takes the name, &c. of Wesley on the death of Garret Wesley.-
Created Baron.-Son becomes Viscount Wellesley, Earl of Morn-
ington, father of Richard, first Marquess, &c.-Marries Lord Dun-
gannon's Daughter.-Doctor of Music, T.C.D., &c.-Musical Com-

positions.-Richard Lord Wellesley at Eton.-Musæ Etonenses.—

Oxford-Prize Poem.-Death of his Father.-Becomes Earl of

Mornington.-Generosity to his Mother.-Assumes his Father's

Debts.- Education of his Brothers. Ages of William, Anne,

Arthur, Gerald Valerian, Mary Elizabeth and Henry, on the death

of their father

-

CHAPTER II.

Lord Wellesley (Earl of Mornington) enters upon public life,

1781. State of Europe and America.-The Age of great men-

Chatham, Pitt, Fox, Sheridan, Burke, Curran, Plunkett, Grattan,

Flood, Grey, Erskine.-Takes his seat in the Irish House of Lords.

-Repeal of Poyning's Law.-Position of the Parliament of Ire-

land. In favour of Catholic Emancipation.-Advocates Economy

in the Government Expenditure.-A Knight of St. Patrick.-Lord

Bellamont attacks the Order.-Earl of Mornington defends it.—

Advocates the holding a Parliament every Year.-Censures the

Profusion of Government.-Supports a loyal Address to the Crown.

-Objects to the Position of the Volunteers.-Armed Convention

in Dublin.-Excited state of Public Feeling.-Lord Mountmorres's

Reply to the Earl of Mornington, ridiculing his theatrical gesture.

-Speech for the Liberty of the Press. Elected Member in the

English Parliament for Beeralston.-1785, Privy Councillor in

Ireland. 1786, Lord of the English Treasury.-Colleague of Pitt.

-Speaks on the Rohilla War.-Attacks Lord North.-Returned

for Saltash.-Speaks on the Treaty of Commerce with France.

- Elected Member for Windsor. The King's Indisposition.

-The Regency Question.-Opposes the Pretensions of the Prince

of Wales in Ireland.--Protests.-Defends the Lord Lieutenant.-

Extraordinary proceedings of the Irish Parliament. - Collision

with the English Parliament.-Remarks on the Regency Question.

-Historical Retrospect.-Great Importance of the Constitutional

principle at issue. Recovery of Geo. III. Earl of Mornington

re-elected for Windsor

--

CHAPTER III.

-

Supports Mr. Wilberforce on the Slave Trade. - Opposes Mr.

Dundas's Resolution for gradual Abolition.-Moves an Amendment

for its immediate Suppression is defeated. Moves a second

Amendment. Denounces the traffic as infamous, bloody, and

disgraceful to human nature.-The Amendment supported by Mr.

Pitt-defeated.-Clarkson's Labours -Vote of the House of Com--

mons against the Slave Trade.-Lord Mornington opposes Mr.

-

Grey's motion for Reform in Parliament, both in Spirit and Sub-

stance-Examination of his Arguments.-Fallacy that Reform was

synonymous with American Democracy or French Republicanism.

-Eulogies on the general Spirit of the British Constitution.-Mr.

Fox replies-ridicules Lord Mornington's Positions.-Boroughs and

great Towns then unrepresented.-Saltash, Beeralston, &c. com-

pared with them.-Changes since effected by Parliament.—Mar-

quess Wellesley Member of the Reform Government.-1793, sworn

a Member of the English Privy Council.--Appointed Commiss-

ioner for Affairs of India.-Devotes his attention to the posture

of the British Government and native Powers in India.-Con-

fidence reposed in him by Mr. Pitt

CHAPTER IV.

The War with France.-Difficulty of deciding whether War

might honourably have been avoided, or not.-The right of the

French to depose the Power that violated their fundamental Laws

and the Principles of Natural Justice. The French originally

justified in their Proceedings.-Events become complicated, and

the question in relation to Great Britain altered.-Palliating cir-

cumstances of the French Revolution considered.-Publications

of Burke, Macintosh, and Erskine.-Death of Louis XVI.-The

French Ambassador required to quit the Kingdom.—Message from

the King to Parliament to augment the Forces.—In ten days after-

wards the fact of War communicated to both Houses.-Opening of

Parliament, January 1794.-Address to the Crown on the War.-

Lord Mornington's great Speech, reviewing the Revolution, exhi-

biting its progress, and tracing the Revolutionary Government step

by step, holding up to reprobation all the atrocities, blasphemies,

violence, perfidy, and cruelty that were enacted in France; pointing

out the spirit of aggression and wanton violation of the Laws of

Nations that animated the French, and urging upon the Parliament,

by every consideration that could be supposed to influence English-

men, to support the Crown in carrying on with becoming energy

this just and necessary War.-Effect of the Speech on the House.

-Mr. Sheridan's brilliant reply to Lord Mornington. Mr. Wynd-

ham and Mr. Dundas defend Lord Mornington.-Mr. Fox criticises

his Lordship's Speech.-Mr. Pitt warmly eulogises it. The effects

of the French Revolution on the mind of Europe considered

CHAPTER V.

Earl of Mornington's Marriage.-Lady Mornington's Parentage.

-Madame Roland the French Heroine.-Allusions to Lady Morn-

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