common and national intereft. The Irish legislature itfelf feemed to encourage the pleasing and patriotic idea ; and. seeing the great distress and embarraffment of England during the last years of the American war, Ireland eagerly em braced the golden opportunity to extort from her, first the grant of a free trade, and then the recognition of her poli tical independence.

4

In making thefe demands the Irish parliament felt itself fupported by the voice of the whole nation-the intereft of the Catholics being no lefs concerned than that of the Protestants in the one, and their national pride no lefs gratified by the other. But no fooner had these two grand points been carried by the aid and powerful concurrence of the Catholics, than they reverted with keener fenfibility to those severe unrepealed laws which still placed them, as they conceived, out of the pale of the conftitution.* They now, therefore, bent all their efforts to obtain a radical reform of the representation; which, as they justly believed, would lead to a total abolition of the existing penal statutes. But the Irish parliament, which had no longer any caufe of contention with England, received their applications with the highest degree of jealoufy and averfion. Whither this radical reform would ultimately tend was indeed too obvious not to excite the fpirit of determined refiftance in the legiflatures of both countries, who trembled at the apprehenfion of a ferious investigation of the fubfifting abuses in church and ftate: and, fhould a majority of Catholics be elected in confequence

"The declared object of the popexy-laws," fays Mr. Burke, in his letter to fir Hercules Langrifhe, "was to reduce the Catholics of Ireland to a miferable populace, without property, without estimation, without education. They divided the nation into two diftin&t bodies, without com mon intereft, fynipathy, or connexion. The old code was a complete system full of coherence and confiftency, well digetted, and well compofed, in all its parts; it was a machine of wife and elaborate contrivance; and as well fitted for the oppreffion, impoverishment, and degradation of a people, and the debafement in them of human-nature itself, as ever proceeded from the perverted ingenuity of man." r. 86-87.

confequence of this reform, the very existence of the Proteftant government and Proteftant establishment in Ireland. would be endangered. Though fome conceffions were made therefore in fubordinate matters, every motion brought forward in parliament for a reform in the representation was rejected by vaft majorities-the influence of the executive government being in perfect unison on this point with the inclinations, fears, and prejudices, of the legislative body.

In confequence of their repeated disappointments, the Irish Catholics remained in a state of extreme diffatisfaction, and almost despondency, till the great event of the French revolution inspired them with new hopes and fresh courage. The juft and noble principles of government promulgated by the Constituent Affembly, so congenial to the feelings of an oppreffed and perfecuted people, were eagerly and enthusiaftically embraced by the Catholics of Ireland; as well as by that large proportion of the Irish Proteftants who diffented from the established church,-a great and refpectable class of men, who were formerly for, the moft part adverse to the claims of the Catholics, but who were now the avowed and zealous defenders of their equity and justice.

In the year 1791 the famous fociety of United Irishmen was formed, which profeffed to have in view the abolition of all legal tests and profcriptions; the entire emancipation of the Catholics; and a radical reform in parliament :-and there exifts not the leaft proof of prefumption that the views of the fociety at its first inftitution, or for several years afterward, extended beyond these profeffions, whatever might be the concealed defign of individuals. The governments of both kingdoms nevertheless continued ftill as inimical as ever both to the reform in parliament and the complete emancipation of the Catholics.

Such was the ftate of things when Great Britain, against every rule of good policy, and even of common sense, entered into the confederacy against France. As it was now of the utmost importance that the spirit of difcontent in Ireland

212

Ireland fhould not be fuffered to arife to difaffection, the famous Catholic Toleration Bill was introduced into the IrishParliament in the feffion of 1793, under the fanction of government, and on the exprefs recommendation of the fovereign. This bill, in' its paffage through the two houses, was much cramped and limited in its operation by the spirit of bogotry and folly: when paffed, it was perceived to fall extremely fhort of its profeffed object; and the Catholics, difpleafed and difappointed, declared loudly that nothing lefs would fatisfy them than a complete emancipation and admiffion to all the privileges of the constitution. To this claim the English government, whose intentions respecting the Catholics had not been fulfilled by the late bill, appeared to hearken with favorable attention: and, at the close of the year 1794, earl Fitzwilliam was appointed lord-lieutenant of Ireland, with full powers, as he himself, and the whole kingdom of Ireland, understood, to carry the plan of emancipation into effect.---That thus much might have been conceded with the most perfect safety, and that the most beneficial confequences would have resulted from it, there cannot exist the shadow of a reasonable doubt: and that the fpirit of conciliation and of wisdom might have happily compromised the remaining difficulties, relative to parliamentary reform and the ecclefiaftical establishment, is fcarcely more problematical. But by fome indifcreet and premature difmiffals from office, lord Fitzwilliam alarmed the whole body of king's friends," Tories, and "Swifs of State," who would moft probably have conformed to any plan, however favor able to liberty and liberality (that is, in other words, how ever contrary to their own malignant prejudices and inclinations), had they been allowed to retain their places. But the immediate confequence of the too daring attack of lord Fitzwilliam upon this formidable phalanx was the peremp-tory recall of his lordship, the re-inftatement of the difplaced courtiers, and the grief, rage, and ruin, of the country.

This

This virtuous and patriotic nobleman was fucceeded in the government of Ireland, as has been already related, by the earl of Camden; under whofe difaftrous administration, difaffection and oppreffion, each operating alternately as the efficient cause of the other, were foon carried to a most alarming and terrible height. In the month of March 1796 was paffed the famous Insurrection Act, empowering the magistrates in any county or district to proclaim it out of the king's peace; and confequently to subject the wretched inhabitants, at their difcretion, or, in other words, their pleafure, to military law, under colour of which the most horrible outrages were perpetrated.

Nevertheless, to the conclufion of that year, the Catholics ftill flattered themselves that a change of system would take place in their favor; and when the French attempted an invafion in the month of December, the whole kingdom, Catholics and Proteftants, forgetting for the time their contentions and animofities, difplayed only an emulation of ardor in the national defence,-as the lord-lieutenant himself acknowledged in his official dispatches. But the patience and forbearance of the Catholics was at length exhausted; and the government, still fhewing itself proudly and obftinately hostile to their humble claims, they suddenly and totally altered their whole plan of policy; and, in despair of obtaining justice at home, they entered into dark and dangerous intrigues with the French government, which in a short time matured into a fecret and treasonable conspiracy, by the aid and affiftance of that hoftile power, to fubvert the existing constitution of their country, and to diffolve for ever its connexion with Britain.

Although the impolicy of the English government in raifing the hopes of the Irish Catholics to the highest pitch by the appointment of lord Fitzwilliam, and then dashing the cup of expectation from their lips by his fudden recall, is fo egregious as to admit of no extenuation, it by no means follows that the revolt of the Irish Catholics, in actual circumitances,

cumstances, was to be vindicated upon any true principles of reafon. To whatever motives it might be afcribed, no one could controvert the fact that the prefent reign had been to the Catholics a reign of indulgence and conceffion. By the laft act of toleration, they wanted, comparatively, but little of being restored to the perfect enjoyment of civil liberty; and as the current upon the whole ran in their favor, notwithstanding fome occafional and temporary disappointments, there is good ground to believe that, had they conducted themselves with temper and moderation, they would ultimately have succeeded in their attempts to be restored to their rights as men and citizens in their fullest extents---to their political as well as civil existence. After the act of 1793 they fuffered under no positive oppreffion; their grievances were thenceforth negatived only and furely it is not every error in government, it is not every refufal to comply with a claim in itself just and equitable, that will justify resistance, or authorize an appeal to arms. Obedience to the magiftrate is the general rule of duty not to be departed from but on great and extraordinary occafions, and upon urgent motives, fuch as can never be pleaded in defence or extenu» ation of the Irish revolt of 1798.

And to view this tranfaction in another light, it may be pronounced no lefs rafh and imprudent than immoral and unjuft. The number of those who had entered into the affociation of United Irishmen, who had fworn fidelity to the rules of the institution, and who had been led on, step by step, to engage in this confpiracy against the government, was indeed prodigious; but still the power both of the fword and the purfe, that moft potent of all combinations, was in the hands of the Proteftants: and, in cafe of neceflity, the government of Ireland would, no doubt, be fupported by the mighty force of Britain. The Irish Catholics must therefore be reduced to an abfolute dependence upon France in order to establish their vifionary independency.