HISTORY OF EtIROPE. 



(hat, on the contrary, it would in- 

 terrupt the exertions of government 

 in tracing the different ramifications 

 of the ' conspiracy. While such in- 

 quiries were going on, it would be 

 a matter of great difficulty to pre- 

 pare such a report as might not dis- 

 close facts and information, that 

 would defeat the views of govern- 

 ment in prosecuting their inquiries. 



Upon colonel Crawford's stating, 

 in explanation, that his charge 

 against the Irish government, for 

 want of preparation, was founded 

 on the circumstance of Dublin 

 being almost destitute of ammu- 

 nition for its garrison, the honour- 

 able Mr. Pole warmly denied the 

 faft. 



Mr. Windham. thought it strange, 

 that it should appear almost a mat- 

 ter of course to pass such a bill as 

 this. There were some gentlemen 

 who seemed to think no more of 

 stopping the constitution, or letting 

 it have its course, than a miller 

 would of stopping his mill, or set- 

 ting it a-going. They would order 

 it to march, or to halt, with as little 

 ceremony as a colonel would give 

 the orders to his battalion. From 

 the information the ministers pleas- 

 ed to give the house, no conclusion 

 could be drawn. Sometimes they 

 stated the insurrection of the 23d of 

 July, as a mere contemptible riot, 

 in which but a handful of men were 

 concerned ; and at other times, 

 >vhen it suited their purposes, they 

 described it of such formidable 

 magnitude, as to require no less a 

 measure than martial law to put it 

 down. It was true, that arbitrary 

 and despotic power might in some 

 cases have their advantages, but as 

 it seldom fell to our lot to have an- 

 gels to exercise it, mankind was ge- 

 nerally content to forego tlicsc ad- 



vantages, and take up the safer and 

 slower operation of laws and free 

 governments. In those ministers, 

 who now Mished for those arbitrary 

 powers to be entrusted to them, he 

 could place no confidence at all, as 

 their representations, hitherto, of 

 the state of that country, had been 

 fallacious. They had continued to 

 represent it as in a state of perfeCt 

 tranquillity, up to the day that it 

 was announced that' an insurrection 

 had burst forth ; that the lord chief 

 justice had been murdered ; and the 

 city of Dublin M'ithin an ace of be- 

 ing taken. The Irish government 

 appear to prefer the charge of neg- 

 ligence, to that of being taken by 

 surprise. There was, however, 

 every appearance of a surpri.->e. The 

 lord lieutenant himself was at his 

 country house ; and surely his friends 

 would not say that he would have 

 quitted the capital if he expefted an 

 explosion. He should not, however, 

 oppose this bill, because, as he was 

 without information on the subjcCl, 

 he Avas not prepared to say that it 

 was not necessary. 



The Chancellor of the Exchequer 

 conceived the necessity of the pre- 

 sent measure a question that ought 

 to bfe always kept separate, from 

 the conduct of the Irish government, 

 on the day that the insurre6tion had 

 broke out ; but since that had been 

 introduced, he must say that ho 

 considered the condu(5l of the Irish 

 government, on that day, as highly 

 laudable, and that they wcje not 

 at all taken by surprise. After 

 liaving made all the necessary ar- 

 rangements for defeating the insur- 

 rection, the lord lieutenant retired, 

 as usual, to his country house, to 

 prevent any public alarm or appre- 

 hension. He thought it very surpris- 

 ing, that the two right honourable 



gentlcmt'A 



