210 
- session took place on colonel Hutch- 
inson’s motion respecting the affairs 
of Ireland. “He began by stating, 
how material it was, especially at 
\ the present time, for his majesty to 
be enabled to avail himself of all 
the resources of every part of the 
united kingdom, and therefore ‘it 
was most desirable to put Ireland 
‘into'such a situation, as to make 
her natural 'strensth, wealth, and 
population, as conducive as possi- 
ble to the general security ‘of the 
empire. He, therefore, called upon 
ministers to attend to the state of 
Treland, and to’ reform, radically, 
the system by which it had been 
30 long governed; asthat appeared 
to him, the only means to place 
that country beyond the reach of 
foreign attack, or domestic treason. 
He did not mean to charge any set 
of men with a deliberate breach of 
promise, but he must say, gener- 
ally, that respecting Irish affairs in 
general, he saw more negligence and 
supineness than he had ever wit- 
nessed respecting the smallest Eng- 
lish interest. The revolution of 
1688, which gave liberty to Eng- 
land, brought no benefit to Ireland, 
but, on the contrary, laid the ifs 
‘dation of all those unhappy differ- 
ences which had so long distracted 
that country. Although many of 
the penal statutes against the Irish 
‘catholics had’ been done away, yet 
he thought the whole vicious sys- 
tem should be removed. It would 
be vain to look for harmony in a 
country where the minority is to 
lord it overthe majority, and where 
the meanest and basest of those 
professing the religion of the’ mi- 
nority, is to have more political 
power than the richest and most 
exalted ef those whose religious be- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1805. 
lief is different. He wished that 
a deputation would go from that 
house, to examine the miserable 
state of the Irish peasantry, and to 
report from what it saw. 
From the time that the union had 
been past nothing had been done to 
improve the system of government 
in that country, and render its ins — 
habitants more happy -and con- 
tented. No enlightened statesman 
could suppose, that merely passing 
the act of union, was sufficient to 
unite the people of both countries 
in affection. 
commended to government, in case 
any commotion should happen in 
Ireland, during the recess, to meet 
it with vigour, but not to suffer such 
He very strongly re- — 
cruelties to be practised, as were - 
done in the last rebellion. He con- — 
eluded by moving an address to his 
majesty, for information respecting 
the late rebellious outrage in Ire- 
land, and the present state of that — 
country. 
Lord Hawkesbury thought the 
motion highly inexpedient at the © 
very conclusion of the session when 
there was no time to discuss the — 
affairs of Ireland fully and fairly. 
He objected to the motion also as 
not likely to be productive of any — 
good effect in the present crisis. 
Mr. Elliot thought the motion 
proper and necessary. He thought — 
there had been manifestly a great — 
in the government of — 
Treland, and that parliament ought — 
not to separate without having suf-_ 
remissness 
ficient information of the state of 
that country. 
ligence which had been. received 
from private channels, it most :evi- — 
dently appeared that the Irish go-_ 
vernment had suffered itself to “bell 
Under suck — 
completely surprised. 
From all the intel-— 
circumstances — 
