Report Of The Proceedings Of The British Parllament.

arms , in arts , and even in literature ; they were men over whom Courts could never htive any influence , and who were to be led—not driven : such were the men in the North of Ireland . The whole South was characterized by unruly passions , which were always the prominent features of men unemployed . It required the greatest ingenuity , an ingenuity not less than that of the present Ministers , which was rapidly bringing this country to ruin , to unite the South and the North of Ireland . It had been objected that his Majesty had always been in the habit of making concessions to Ireland , all of which , he must remark by the

way , had proved to be beneficial . The real ground of objection , however , was not that Ins Majesty had made concessions , but that he had stopped on a sudden , and at a time in which it . was of the most importance that no such stoppage should take place . Mr . Erskine said well in his admirable pamphlet , * you need pay no attention to your navy , if you will only reconcile the people of Ireland / In other ivords , he desired Ministers to reconcile three millions of people , and the country might then defy all the exertions of France , and the whole world . . The Marquis of Townsend took notice of the depredations in the North of

Ireland , and imputed them , in some degree , to men of large fortunes not residing on their estates , nor superintending the conduct of the persons employed hy them . The Marquis of Lansdowne , in reply , said , that with regard to the observation that had fallen from the Noble Marquis who had spoken last respecting absentees , he had to observe , that it was certainly a misfortune that men of large property did not reside there ; but it was a greater misfortune ttiat their property should be ravaged and broke into . Great assistance teas due to the poor in Ireland , and to the poor here too . There were two facts with respect to the former country

, which he begged leave to mention ; the first was , that there- was a great quantity of land uncultivated in Ireland , which might be made productive ; and also , a great number of poor , who might be employed in cultivating it . For hisown part , he should be extremely happy to give a year ' s income , for the purpose of making a number of small properties , and of rendering Ireland tranquil . But whatever he did , should be done voluntarily ; he would do nothing by constraint , nor would

iie subscribe any thing to the present destructive war . The Earl of Darnley alluded to the assertions that had been made use of respecting the general discontent in Ireland . He declared that he had made particular enquiries , and he had found that the people of Ireland were never more attached to the Government than at this present moment . The enthusiasm which hadbeen shewn , in resisting the late expedition of the French , was a proof of this . ' The Duke of Bedford replied to the Earl of Darnley . The Noble Earl had saidthat he thought the le of Ireland were not discontented and had

, peop ; instanced their conduct on the late expedition of the French . If their conduct on that occasion deserved praise , in what light must the House view the conduct of Ministers since ( hat period ? Had any reward been bestowed on the Irish for their enthusiasm ? None . His Grace then recurred to the arguments used by Ministers , which he thought were more trifling on the present occasion than he had ever heard from them before . But it was lhe privilege of lhe House to ex- ' pose the fallacy of such arguments , and hold them up in their true light . After

a variety of solid reasoning and just cb : erva'ion , his Grace insisted that the only means of restoring peace to the distracted people of Ireland , was restoring them ' a Noble Lord ( f itzwilliam ) who , by his talents and virtues , during his very administration , had gained the affection of every heart in that country . The Duke of Bedford observed , that there had not been any thing like an argument used on the opposite of the question ; on the contrary , what had been advanced , consisted wholly of misrepresentation . He maintained , that during the period he had taken a part in 'he debates of the House , he had never , when

mentioning any circumstances relating to the Sovereign , in the smallest degree detr . ic ed . fro . ii him : he was always in the habit of bestowing on him every proper tribute of praise ; it had never been his practice to panegyric his Sovereign , as he did not conceive it necessary , or his duty , so to do . Ah he meant to state , and in fact all he did state , was , that notivi hstandiug all the beneficial acts which had been done bv the King , towards Ireland , Ministers had so conducted themselves , that the eifect of those acts , was counteracted , and that country actually in a state of rebellion . VOL . IX . Jl