HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



11 



Windham, on a former occasion, 

 •(vhen ho asked, " who is it we are 

 to conciliate ? Or for whom are we 

 called upon to relax the powers of 

 government ? Is it for traitors noto- 

 riously conspiring against the go- 

 vernment, and. against the loyil sub- 

 jects of that country ?" From the 

 language used by that right honour- 

 able gentleman, at a former period, 

 he could sufficiently furnish himself 

 ■with arguments on the present occa- 

 sion. He was convinced the loyal 

 people in Ireland would not be sa- 

 tisfied, unless such a measure was 

 passed. 



Mr. Windham, in explanation, 

 said, that he had given no opinion 

 of the propriety or impropriety of 

 the present measure, as he had not 

 sufficient information to judge ; but, 

 certainly, he had never made it a 

 reason against passing the bill, that 

 it might be disagreeable to those, 

 against whom it was to operate. 



The honourable Mr. Hutchinson 

 said, it was with reludlance and 

 pain that he felt obliged to give his 

 assent to the measure proposed, and 

 to allow that there was a great dif- 

 ference between the state of this 

 country and of Ireland ; he, how- 

 ever, hoped that the united parlia- 

 ment would at length consider seri- 

 ously the situation of that country, 

 and devise such measures as en- 

 lightened policy might di6tatc for 

 securing its permanent tranquillity. 

 A good government should shew it- 

 self no less a6livc in putting down 



rebellion, than in 



the 



causes of discontent, and he con- 

 ceived it impossible for any honest 

 or thinking man, in Ireland, to be 

 satisfied with the manner in which 

 its affairs were administered. 



The bill was then read a second 

 time, and ordered to be committed. 



Upon the report of the Committee 

 being brought up, on the 7th of De« 

 cember, and the question being p\tt 

 for the third reading, 



Admiral Berkeley gave notice, 

 that he should, on an early day, 

 move for papers to exculpate tho 

 Irish commander in chief (general 

 Fox) from the imputation thrown 

 on him by certain expressions of the 

 chancellor of the exchequer, who 

 had stated, " that the commander 

 in chief had early intelligence of the 

 intended insurredtion on the 23d of 

 July." 



The Chancellor of the Exchequer 

 denied having ever used these words, 

 or intended to throw any imputatioa 

 on the conduct of that honourable 

 officer. What he had said was, that 

 early information had been sent to 

 the superintending magistrate. 



Admiral Berkeley reiterated his 

 assertion. 



Mr. J. Beresford observed, that 

 the sphere of the insurre6lion being 

 confined to two or three streets, and 

 the night being excessively dark, it 

 might have happened without any 

 blame justly attaching cither to the 

 commander in chief, or to the Irish 

 government, 



Mr. secretary Yorke, in reply to 

 the observations of admiral Berke- 

 ley, said, that the chancellor of the 

 exchequer had corredtly stated the 

 language he had used on the former 

 occasion, and had properly disavow- 

 ed any intention, either on his own 

 part, or on that of any of the mem- 

 bers of his majesty's government, to 

 asperse or throw any imputation on 

 the character or condudl of the Irish 

 commander in chief, for whom he 

 felt a very sincere rcspeCt ; if, after 

 this explanation, the honourable ad- 

 miral was resolved to bring it for- 

 ward; it should be as a distinct 



charge 



