declares, that, to attain the rent, by internal diffatisfaction mach wifhed-for end of a fecure and difcontent. In Ireland, afpeace, it is abfolutely neceffary fairs feemed approaching faft to a to curtail and destroy the arbitrary crifis. It was not to be expected proceedings and maxims of the that a country dependent on Great English maritime power; an ob- Britain, and much limited in the ject, in the attainment of which ufe of its natural advantages, all other maritime powers, and fhould not be affected by the even all nations in general, are caufes and confequences of the become much interested. American war. The fagacious in that kingdom could not avoid perceiving in the prefent combination of circumftances an advantage, which was to be now improved, or given up for ever. Such are, in part, the danger ous combinations, and alarming defigns, to which our fatal civil commotions have afforded too fubftantial a being. * The juftifying memorial of the king of Great Britain, in anfwer to the French manifefto, compleated the circle of thofe formal appeals to mankind, which the etiquette of modern courts has stablished, as a fort of preludes to the opening of thofe real fcenes of war and deftruction, which they are preparing to exhibit. They ufually trumpet forth the godlike attributes of justice, equity, mercy, and, above all, that univerfal benevolence and tendernefs to mankind, with which their refpective courts or fovereigns are fuppofed to be infinitely endued; and deplore, in the most pathetic train, thofe very evils which they are bringing on, and thofe miferies which they are exerting their utmoft powers to inflict. If they produce little, or no effect, it is, however, generally as much as is expected from them; and, however small the hare of credit which they obtain with the public, it is, almoft to a certainty, as much as they deferve. In this ftate of danger from our foreign enemies, the empire feemed convulfed in almost all its parts, and on the point of being farther A new state of public and private ditrefs, along with a strong fenfe of recent affronts, (as they were now confidered) were the powerful agents, which combined with feveral others of a fubordinate degree, produced this revolution in the temper and difpofition of the people of Ireland. We have on former occafions, and particu larly in our laft volume, taken notice of fome of thefe matters. Habitual refraint feems in length of time to become fo much a par of our nature, that it requires fome new exertion, or an application to fome tender or untried part, in order to excite any very uneasy fenfation, or at least any particular degree of refentment. The reftrictions on the commerce and manufactures of Ireland, might have been paffed over for fome ages to come, with perhaps even leis difficulty than they had been endured for near a century past, if a temporary diftrefs had not quickened their apprehenfions. Of all the evils of which they complained, the three years embargo on the oply staple export of that kingdom, feemed the mot immediately mifchievous; and be [P] 3 ing ing confidered, from the concef had generally prevailed, during fions to America, as particularly infulting, was accordingly the moft highly refented by the people. One of the public writers of that country fays" That it was fent as a curfe, and operated as a peftilence." It was likewife, along with its penicious tendency and effects, charged with being not only unconftitutional, but directly illegal; and a gentleman of the Irish Houfe of Commons only failed in bringing the queftion of legality to a final decifion in a court of law, by the unexpected death of a custom-houfe officer, who, from the feizure of a cargo fitted out on the purpose, was rendered defendant in the fuit which the former inftituted. But what aggravated every circumftance relative to this bufinefs to the higheft poffible degree, was the national contempt, which it was fuppofed to convey. For it being confidered merely as a government job, and calculated only (as they faid, without referve, both in parliament and out) to raife immenfe fortunes for a few English and Scotch adherents to the British miniftry, nothing could exceed their indignation at the reflection, that the interells of the kingdom fhould be facrificed, and a whole nation reduced to diftrefs, only (as they afferted) to favour the rapacity of a fet of contrac the prefent reign, had continually enhanced every article of the public expenditure, until the whole was fwelled to its prefent enormous and ruinous ftate; far exceeding the ftanding revenues of the kingdom, and ftill much farther all paft example of expence. Thus, inftead of a full exchequer, as heretofore, which might happily afford encouragement to the cultivation and improvement of the country, and to arts and induftry among the people, the great object and labour now of every feffion cf parliament, was the multiplication of taxes, and the making fome farther accumulation to that national debt, which had been contracted under this ruinous fyftem. Some other real or fuppofed matters of irritation, or caufes of jealoufy, as they excited difcon tent, tent, fufpicion, or apprehenfion, ferved likewife to render the fenfe of immediate grievance or diftrefs ftill more infupportable in that country. The doctrines of taxation without reprefentation, and of unconditional fubmiffion, which were extended to America, were urged, not unplaufibly, as matter of apprehenfion and alarm to Ire: land; and it was openly faid, that the chains forged for the colonies, would, in cafe of fuccefs, afford a mode for the fetters which would foon after be made fitting to themfelves. Some ftrong and very unprofitable language ufed in the British parliament, ferved very much to increafe this apprehenfion and jealouty, in drawing parallels between the conftitutions of Ireland and the colonies, and deriving arguments for the fub miffion miffion of the latter, from the reftraints to which the former had been fubject. duced a directly contrary effect; being confidered as nothing less than mockeries, and as infults offered to their distress. Still, however, the hopes of fome confiderable enlargement of In this manner, things were retheir commerce, which were re- prefented and felt in Ireland; and peatedly held ont in parliament, when the attempt to keep parliaoperated wonderfully in foothing ment fitting for the purpose of dfcontent, and in preferving the fettling fome plan for their fatisfactemper, and fortifying the pa- tion was defeated, the flame, tience of the people. Thus all which had for fome time been public bufioefs, for a confiderable fmothered, broke out with great time, was ftill carried on smoothly; violence. and the compliance and obfequioufnefs of their parliament, with reSpect to all the propofals and mea fures of government, continued to be as confpicuously difplayed as ever. But when the people of Ireland found that little effectual was done in confequence of thefe declarations, and that little attended with much difcontent and oppofition from many of the trading parts of Great Britain, the hopes of redrefs became daily more faint, and the acquiefcence, and good temper founded upon them, were proportionally exhausted. They obferved that when a bill, which, although of no vaft confequence, would have afforded fome alleviation to their diftreffes, had been nearly carried through in the Britith House of Commons, the minifter himself, who they had been taught to confider as a friend, came in person, armed at all points, to 1779. defeat this their only and laft hope. The two bills which were afterwards paffed in the fame feffion, for permitting the cultivation of tobacco, and encouraging that of hemp, in Ire. land, instead of affording fatisfaction, or promoting harmony, pro March 18th. Affociations against the purchase and ufe of British manufactures, and for the encouragement, in every poffible degree, of their own, had already taken place in fome parts of that country; but feemed to be kept back as a matter of confideration, and a final refort in cafe of extremity, by the greater part of the kingdom. All referve upon this fubject was now at an end; affociations became univerfal; and, the non-importation, and non-confumption agreements, included the ufual penalties, or denunciations of vengeance, not only against violators, but against thofe importers or fellers of the prohibited commodities who had not acceded to the gene. ral compact. By this means they computed, that, even in the prefent weak ftate of their manufactures, they would fave a full million fterling, which went annually to Great Britain. This great faving would, they faid, afford compenfation or redrefs for many of their grievances and diftreffes; and, what was no fmall object of fatisfaction with them, would be the means of pulling down and punishing the pride and ingratitude of Manchester and Glasgow; towns which had been conftant [B] 4 and a nd immenfe gainers in the Irifh it were by magic, vaft bodies of trade, and which had notwithstanding, they complained, been the foremoft, the loudeft, and the most effective, in oppofing and defeating every measure of redress or relief which had ever been propofed in favour of that kingdom. But the turn of affairs, and perhaps the future fortune of Ireland, were to depend on affociations of a more effective, if not more dangerous nature, than any which related merely to commercial or domeftic regulation. To the accumulation of alarms which we have already feen, had been lately added, the imminent danger of foreign invafion; a measure evidently in tended, if not abfolutely avowed by France. This fituation was the more alarming, as the military force fupported by Ireland, had been continually drained of and weakened for the American war. In order to provide for their defence, they faid it must be placed in those who had the best intereft in it. The ftate was unable, or unwilling to defend them effectually; and the mode of defence, which was unequal to their protection, might be ruinous to their liberties. Military affociations were renewed; and the spirit of thefe affociations foon became univerfal in that kingdom. They declared they were intended for the double purpofe, of defending their fafety againft foreign enemies, and their rights against, what they called, domeftic ufurpation. That they were loyal to the king, and affectionate to Great Britain. But that it was with fuch loyalty and affection, as confifted with their own liberty and profperity. In every part of the kingdom were feen to arife, as citizens, ferving at their own charges, choofing their own officers, trained to great expertnefs, and obeying with exemplary regularity and steadiness. No nobleman, no gentleman, could fhew his face in the country, who did not fall in (and they did univerfally, and for the most part chearfully concur) with the prevalent difpofition of the inferior and middiing forts of their countrymen. Men of great fortunes ferved in the ranks. All this was done without any fort of confufion or diforder whatever. On the contrary, the peace of the country and the obedience to the laws was ne ver better provided for. Confidering the temper lately prevalent in that country, and its fcenes of inteftine divifion, this ought to be confidered as one of the most extraordinary revolutions recorded in history. The numbers, thus trained and armed, have been variously reprefented. They were not probably much under thirty thousand men in the very first year; and they have fince been very confiderably increafed; fome fay to forty, others affert to fixty thousand men, admirably appointed. Government faw this proceeding with attonishment. It was in vain to offer the leaft refiftance to the defign of a general armament; ncr could it be wished to restrain the fpirit fo far as regarded a foreign enemy. They wished to regulate this force, and to bring it, if poffible, to act under the authority of the crown; but after a very few and feeble attempts, which were fruftrated with fcorn, it was thought more wife to concur in what what could not be prevented. Government gave out a confiderable fupply of arms to the volunteers, although far fhort of what was neceffary; and thus this new eftablifhment, fo favourable to the rights of citizens, and of an ex ample fo flattering to the fuffici ency of the people at large to provide in an orderly and effectual manner for their own defence, without any pofitive law, or the interpofition of the ordinary magiftrate, has been fanctified and recognized by the ftate itself. After having provided for their defence against foreign enemies, the Irish began to look towards their rights, or claims of rights and in general declared all authority in the British parliament over them to be a grofs ufurpation. Among others, the British mutiny at was denied to be valid. This was carried to fuch a length, that the troops were for fome time, in a confiderable degree, confined to their respective ftations, as fcarcely a magiftrate could be found in the kingdom, who would iffue billets for their quarters. It required the greatest degree of temper and circumfpection in thofe who governed in Ireland, and in the commanders of the king's forces there, to prevent a collifion of two fuch armies; and it would be invidious to deny them very great praife for the prudence of their conduct. This ftate of things was not the work of a party, or of any particular order of men; but was pro duced and upheld by every rank, clafs, and denomination of the people. The wife and humane conduct of the British legislature, in relaxing the penal reftrictions of the laws against the English Roman Catholics, was a measure of fuch obvious utility, that the example was speedily followed by the Irish parliament; who communicated fimilar benefits to thofe of that profeffion in their own country. This measure tended in a great degree to deftroy thofe animofities, which had for fo many ages been the fource of weakness and diftrefs in that kingdom. The newly restored citizens, who form fo vaft a majority of the people in Ireland, foon perceived, that as they now poffeffed a common share in the common interefts, fo they were equally called upon with all others, to the public defence, and to the fupport of the public rights. All envy and averfion on the one fide, and all diftruft and apprehenfion on the other, appeared to vavith, and one general principle and fpirit to operate upon the whole people. A free and unlimited commerce with the whole world was the first, the great, and the general object of redrefs; for which no compenfation could be admitted, and without which, no other conceffions or advantages, however great or beneficial, could afford fatisfaction. This was the fine qua non, from which there was no departure. Such was the state of affairs in Ireland, previous to, and during the recefs of the British parliament. During the long courfe of real or fuppofed grievances, of public difcontents, or of actual commotion, which, for several years paft, have more or lefs agitated every other part of the British empire, Scotland alone had the fortune to efcape the general contagion; and, feeling the happiness of her own peculiar |