vived by Mr. Crew and fir Philip Jennings Clerke, for dif abling revenue-officers from voting at elections, and exoluding contractors from the house of commons. Thefe now paffed with approbation and applaufe; Mr. fecretary Fox declaring, that not an hour fhould be loft in giving the public the ftrongest proofs that his majefty's ministers were fincerely determined to make fuch reforms as should be neceffary, and to enforce that fyftem of government which they had repeatedly called for when not in place. He faid, "his worst fufpicions of the negligence and scandalous mifmanagement of the late minifters were now matured into knowledge; that, bad as things had been defcribed, the reprefentation was by no means fo bad as the reality. And he should not think that the prefent minifters acted fairly or honeftly by that houfe, or by the people at large, if they did not institute enquiries which might give the country a true and correct idea of the prefent fituation of affairs."

Thefe bills were vehemently though ineffectually oppof ed in the house of peers by the lord chancellor, who seemed to hang as a dead weight on the measures of the prefent administration, whofe fentiments could never affimilate with thofe of men of liberal and comprehenfive views, and who now appeared as the avowed and determined enemy of every fpecies of civil or political reform. The attenti on of parliament was however foon occupied by affairs of much higher moment.

In the month of November laft, Mr. Grattan, a distinguished member of the Irish parliament, had moved for a limitation of the perpetual mutiny bill. This was rejected by a great majority, extremely to the diffatisfaction of the people of that kingdom.

At a subsequent meeting of the representatives of one hundred and forty-three corps of volunteers affembled at Dungannon, RESOLUTIONS paffed, DECLARATORY of the RIGHTS OF IRELAND, and in exprefs'terms afferting, "that

the

the claim of any body of men, other than the KING, LORDS, and COMMONS of IRELAND, to make laws to bind that kingdom, was unconftitutional and illegal, and a grievance of which it was their decided and unalterable determination to feek the fpeedy and effectual redress. They knew," they faid, "their duty to their fovereign, and were difpofed to be loyal; but they knew also what they owed to themselves, and were RESOLVED TO BE FREE.

4

In a very fhort time after thefe refolves paffed, Mr. Grattan moved the houfe for an addrefs to his majefty, confonant with, and founded upon, the fame principles. This motion, after a long and warm debate, was also rejected. But, on the 16th of April 1782, he again moved "a declaration of rights, under the form of an addrefs to the throne." In his fpeech on this occafion, he pronounced an animated panegyric on the volunteers, and the late conduct of the Irish nation-" He beheld," he faid, "with joy and admiration, her progrefs from injuries to arms, from arms to liberty. The Irish volunteers had fupported the rights of the Irish parliament against thofe temporizing trustees, who would have relinquifhed them. Allied by liberty ftill more than by allegiance, Great Britain and Ireland formed a constitutional confederacy. The perpetual annexation of the two crowns was a powerful bond of union, but magna charta was more efficacious ftill. It would be eafy anywhere to find a king, but to England only can we look for a conftitution. Ireland was planted by Britons, and was entitled to British privileges. It was by charter, and not by conquest, as had been falfely afferted, that the mutual connection of the two countries was originally established. Every true Irishman, would fay, liberty with England, if England is fo difpofed but at all events LIBERTY. : The Irish nation were too high in pride, character, and power, to fuffer any other nation to claim a right to make their laws. Was England ready to acknowledge the independency of Ame

rica, and would fhe refuse liberty to Ireland? If fhe was capable, after enabling his majesty to repeal the declaratory act against America, of wishing to retain that against Ireland, the Irish nation was not capable of fubmitting to it." Such was the spirit which now pervaded the kingdom, and fuch the refiftlefs enthusiasm excited by the eloquence of Mr. Grattan, that the addrefs was voted without a diffentient voice; and being unanimously acceded to by the peers, was immediately tranfmitted to the king. In this famous addrefs the two houses affirm, "That the crown of Ireland is an imperial crown, infeparably annexed to the crown of Great Britain, on which connection the intereft and happiness of both countries effentially depend: but that the kingdom of Ireland was a diftinct kingdom, with a parliament of her own, the fole legislature thereof. In this right they conceived the very effence of their liberty to exist. It was a right which they, in behalf of all the people of Ireland, claimed as their birth-right, and which they could not yield but with their lives." They declared, "that they confidered the claims of the parliament of Great Britain, in the act paffed for better fecuring the dependency of Ireland, to be irreconcileable to the fundamental rights of that nation." They added, " that they had a high veneration for the British character, and the people of Ireland did not defire to fhare the freedom of England without likewife fharing her fate ;-and it was their determination to ftand or fall with the British nation."

Happy indeed was it that a radical change of counfels had taken place in Britain before thefe high and peremp tory, though juft and equitable, claims were preferred on the part of Ireland; for the folly, obftinacy, and pride of the late minifters would fcarcely have fcrupled to involve the empire in a fecond civil war, rather than have conceded in points which militated so strongly against what they would undoubtedly have ftyled "the honor and dignity of the crown and the effential interefts of the people."

Some

Some days previous to the motion of Mr. Grattan, a royal meffage was delivered to the house of commons by the fecretary of state, "recommending to their most serious confideration the state of affairs in Ireland, in order to such a final adjustment as may give a mutual fatisfaction to both kingdoms." And on the 18th of May, Mr. Fox, at the close of a long and able speech, moved for the repeal of the obnoxious act for fecuring the dependency of Ireland; which he called "a measure of neceffity, refulting, however unpleasant it might be to fome, from the conduct of the late miniftry, who had awakened the prefent fpirit in Ireland, by refufing their most modest and reasonable requests. With that generofity and openness of fentiment by which this eminent statesman has been fo long and fo remarkably distinguished, Mr. Fox obferved nevertheless," that his own decided opinion had always been, that Ireland, being a part of the British empire, was entitled to the full and equal participation of all the benefits and immunities enjoyed in England, and which were confonant to the principles of the British constitution. His ideas of Ireland correfponded," he said, " exactly with his ideas relative to America. He thought it abfurd and unjuft for any country to pretend to legiflate for another without, much less against, their consent and concurrence;

-nor could it at any time fo legislate to any good purpose. As to Ireland, he made no fcruple in the most exprefs and unequivocal terms to declare, that he confidered her present claims to be fubftantially juft, and that he felt himself inclined to move the resolution which he was about to propose, in favor of Ireland, as much on the ground of justice as prudence." This repeal, which paffed both houses without oppofition, was confidered in both countries as a virtual renunciation of the claim of legiflating for Ireland, And fo highly gratified were the Irish parliament and nation with the liberality of these conceffions, that a vote of the house of commons in that kingdom paffed unanimoufly

for

for raifing twenty thoufand feamen for the service of the British navy.

On the 15th of April another meffage was delivered to the house by Mr. Fox form the king, ftating, "That his majefty, taking into confideration the fupplies which have been given with fo much liberality, and fupported by fuch uncommon firmness and fortitude by his people in the prefent extenfive war, recommended to his faithful commons the confideration of an effectual plan of economy throughout all the branches of the public expenditure." An addrefs of thanks was then moved for, and immediately agreed to by the houfe; at the clofe of which it was faid, "That a king of Great Britain cannot have so perfect or fo honorable a fecurity for every thing which can make a king truly great or truly happy, as in the genuine and natural fupport of an uninfluenced and independent house of commons." This was language novel and highly pleafing to the refpectable part of the public, who had been fo long naufeated by the fulfome adulation of the addreffes prefented of late years to the throne, fo contrary to the fpirit of freedom, which requires the representatives of the people to respect the majefty of the people, and to use language confonant to the high and dignified fituation in which they themselves are placed.

In confequence of this meffage, Mr. Burke's reform. bill was a third time brought forward, under far more favorable aufpices than before. By this bill, which now paffed the houfe with little difficulty, the board of trade, and the board of works, with the great wardrobe, were abolished; together with the office of American fecretary of ftate, now rendered useless by the lofs of the American colonies;-the offices of treafurer of the chamber, cofferer of the household, the lords of police in Scotland, the paymafter of the penfions, the master of the harriers, the matter of the ftag-hounds, and fix clerks of the board of green cloth. Provifion alfo was made to ena

ble