HISTORY OF EUROPE. [115 



be injured by the loss of their pre- 

 scriptive privileges. By the new 

 arrangements, he added, the ques- 

 tion of parliamentary reform would 

 be superseded, as the present plan 

 was a reform of the most popular 

 kind. — With regard to the church, 

 another important and a delicate 

 topic, and what had been frequent- 

 ly a subject of acrimonious contest, 

 be expressed his conviction of the 

 insecurity of that of Ireland, if it 

 should continue separate from the 

 English establishment ; but, in event 

 of an union, he had no doubt that 

 the present ecclesiastical establish- 

 ment, founded on the protestant 

 ascendancy, would be stable and 

 permanent. The catholics, who, 

 trusting to their great superiority 

 of numbers, were continually urg- 

 ing claims against the minority, 

 would be checked in their confi- 

 dence and forwardness, and exhibit 

 fewer marks of jealousy and mis- 

 trust; and their pretensions would 

 be temperately discussed by an im- 

 perial parliament, at a time when 

 local circumstances would cease to 

 irritate and inflame. 



On the subject of trade, lord 

 Castiereagh observed, that the cir- 

 cumstances of the two countries did 

 not admit a complete incorporation 

 of commercial interests, because 

 some of the Irish manufactures were 

 not sufficiently advanced to prosper 

 without protecting duties; and the 

 disparity of the burthens borne by 

 the British manufactures, in conse- 

 quence of a greater share of taxa- 

 tion, rendered it impracticable to 

 adjust this part of the system on 

 any other principle than that of 

 a full freedom of export between 

 the countries. 



Tlie noble secretary of state pro- 

 ceeded next to maintain the pro* 



priety of the financial system of the 

 plan proposed for an union. This 

 part of the arrangement, he said, 

 was more beneficial to Ireland than 

 to Great Britain : but he entered a 

 strong caveat against any idea that 

 this pecuniary advantage was in- 

 tended as a compensation to the 

 former realm, for the loss of honour, 

 or of other interests. The offer 

 Vv'as made on the wide basis of a fair 

 and mutual agreement. It were 

 greatly to be wished, he said, that 

 the two kingdoms should be so 

 completely incorporated, as not to 

 have distinct revenues; but, in the 

 present circumstancesof both realms, 

 this point could not be satisfac- 

 torily adjusted. It was therefore 

 expedient to select a criterion of 

 relative ability, by which the sepa- 

 rate contributions could be regu- 

 lated. Lord Castiereagh, having 

 compared the exports and imports 

 of Ireland with those of Great 

 Britain, and the excised articles of 

 consumption in one kingdom with 

 those of another for the last three 

 years, estimated the ratio of ability 

 in the different kingdoms, as one to 

 seven and a half. And to shew the 

 operation of this proportion, he 

 stated the respective expenditures 

 of the two countries in the last 

 yeai', and compared that of Ireland 

 with what it would have been, ac- 

 cording to the alleged ratio, so as 

 to prove that nearly a million ster- 

 ling would have been saved by the 

 western realm. Ireland would gain 

 another advantage in a participa- 

 tion of a proprietary right in the ter- 

 ritorial revenue of Britain, whence 

 she would derive two-fifteenths of 

 the sum annually paid to govern- 

 ment by the East-India company. 



This project, or plan for an 

 union, was opposed by various 



[12] 



