8 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804 



law bill existed ; and attributed this 

 tranquil state to his peace of Aiuiens! 

 So far from, feeling any confidence 

 in those declarations, he, on the 

 contrary, felt a sort of superstitious 

 foreboding of some great calamity 

 impending, whenever he heard the 

 confident boastings of ministers. It 

 must be recollected what a clamour 

 ■was raised against his right honour- 

 able friend, (Mr. Windham) for 

 saying, that the Irish government 

 had been taken by surprise on the 

 23d of July ; but, certainly, every 

 appearance warranted that supposi- 

 tion ; for, if they had any informa- 

 tion, they neither communicated it 

 to the chief justice, who lost his 

 life for want of such infprmation, 

 nor to the lord mayor, whose house 

 tvas that day plundered of a quan- 

 tity of arms, nor yet to any person 

 to whom it might be supposed na- 

 tural they Avould communicate it. 

 Although he could not give his ne- 

 gative to the bill, yet he wished 

 that it might not make any more 

 progress, until information was 

 given to parliament of its necessity. 

 Mr. secretary Yorke said, that 

 the information before the house 

 •was, that although the insurrection 

 had been suppressed, yet that mea- 

 sures of precaution were absolutely 

 necessary ; especially, while Ave 

 ■were at war with an enemy that en- 

 couraged the disaffefted to break 

 out into insurrecStions, in order to 

 support his plan of invading and 

 conquering these countries. These 

 grounds appeared to him simple, 

 clear, and satisfaftrry. As the 

 honourable gentleman had asserted, 

 that the Irish government was taken 

 by surprise, on the 23d of July, he 

 must now, and whenever he heard 

 that assertion, positively deny it. — 

 The garrison of Dublin, oil that 



night, consisted of near 4000 vete.. 

 ran troops, a number completely 

 adequate to suppress an insurrci^tion 

 ten times more formidable. It was 

 absurd to suppose the city of Dub- 

 lin, or the castle, to be for a mo- 

 ment in danger from that contemp- 

 tible mob ; and if the honourable 

 gentleman had any charge to bring 

 forward against the Irish govern- 

 ment, he w as ready to meet it. 



Colonel Crawford was averse from 

 the renewal of the bill without some 

 further iniormation being given. He 

 could not but conceive that there 

 was great negligence, or want of 

 precaution, in the Irish government, 

 upon the occasion alluded to, es- 

 pecially, when the blowing up of a 

 gunpowder mill, belonging to the 

 rebels, ought to have put them com- 

 pletely on their guard. 



Mr. Francis spoke against the 

 bill. 



Lord Castlereagh replied to the 

 two last speakers. He did not think 

 the government could fairly be 

 blamed for not bringing before the 

 consideration of parliament, sub- 

 je6ts, which they could not produce 

 any specific legislative mode of 

 amending. If any other honourable 

 gentleman thought he could bring 

 forward any plan for the advantage 

 of any part of the united kingdom, 

 it was his duty to do so. and it would 

 be for the wisdom of the legislature 

 te decide on its policy. If there 

 were any charges to be brought 

 against the Irish government for 

 negligence and want of precaution, 

 he should wish those charges to be 

 brought fairly and openly, and not 

 by a sort of side wind. He did not 

 conceive that preparing a report of 

 the information which government 

 had upon the subject, w.ouldbepro- 

 dudlive of any good purpose j but 



that 



