63'i 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



and attended by an escort of four 

 or five dragoons, (for the Sheriff 

 is not at the expense of paying the 

 dragoons.) Indeed, where needy 

 or penurious High Sheriffs are no- 

 minated, and where the office of 

 Sub-Sheriff becomes an affair of 

 indirect management, an improper 

 and inefficient attendance upon 

 the Circuit Judges is generally to 

 be expected. However, thus at- 

 tended, (or rather unattended) we 

 drove through Callan; when a 

 boy, about seven years old, flung 

 a stone idly, either at the Sub- 

 Sheriff, or at the dragoons, or both. 

 This was the entire outrage. I 

 did not hear of it, until long after- 

 wards, when the newspaper para- 

 graphs led me to the inquiry; but 

 my servants are ready to vouch the 

 fact upon oath. This story, with 

 prodigious exa^^geration, has been 

 since officiousily circulated through- 

 out the empire in order to show, 

 that this country is in such a state 

 of disturbance, that the going 

 Judge of Assize was pelted with 

 stones, or shot at, and in immi- 

 nent danger of his life. Can any 

 instance more strongly illustrate 

 the propriety, nay, even the ne- 

 cessity, of a full and unreserved 

 statement of the true and actual 

 condition of Ireland, than the ex- 

 traordinary currency wliich this 

 paltry fabrication has received, and 

 the avidity with which it has been 

 magnified into a momentous and 

 alarming event. 



Gentlemen, I may, perhaps, be 

 warranted iu feeling a personal in- 

 dignation at the mischievous abuse 

 of my name, thus attempted, for 

 the purpose of vilifying the coun- 

 try ; and, possibly, this impres- 

 sion may have partly led me to 

 enter into the copious details and 



observations with which I have 

 this day troubled you. 



Gentlemen, if you should feel 

 that any of these observations are 

 founded in truth and reason, you 

 will give me, at least, the credit 

 of upright motives for those, from 

 which you may differ. I can have 

 no other motive, indeed, than a 

 hope of doing some public good, 

 by inciting other persons to useful 

 and meritorious actions. Other 

 Judges have very frequently, and 

 with great propriety, charged va- 

 rious Grand Juries upon the ge- 

 neral state of this country, its dis- 

 turbances, and the cause of its 

 commotion ; and some of them 

 have ascribed those disturbances 

 and commotions to a general spirit 

 of disafl'ection and sedition. If I 

 have a very different and far more 

 consolatory view of the same sub- 

 ject it cannot be improper or un- 

 becoming my functions, to take 

 the like opportunity of stating my 

 judicial opinions, of enumerating 

 the several causes, which in my 

 fixed judgment have generated 

 those disturbances, and have re- 

 tarded peace and prosperity in this 

 country ; and distinctly pointing 

 out tiie remedies and correctives 

 proper for terminating all those 

 mischiefs, and allaying all discon- 

 tents. These considerations will, 

 I trust, vindicate as well the mo- 

 tives as the propriety of my con- 

 duct in this respect, through every 

 scrutiny, and against every cavil. 



Gentlemen, you will now retire 

 to your Jury room, and there dis- 

 pose of such bills, and other offi- 

 cial business, as shall come before 

 you. Let all your private affairs, 

 J our settlements with tenants, your 

 canvassing of freeholders, and such 

 occupations, be postponed to ano- 



