GENERAL HISTORY. 



[31 



positive evil, which can be endured 

 only so long as the probable dan- 

 ger to be incurred by its removal 

 exceeds the mischief of its con- 

 tinuance. How does this reason- 

 ing apply to the catholics of Ire- 

 land ? what justification remains 

 for continuing the restraint of 

 which they complain ? The mar- 

 quis then declared that, in his 

 judgment, the mischief of continu- 

 ing the system of restraint greatly 

 overbalanced any danger to be ap- 

 prehended from reverting to the 

 more mild and liberal policy which 

 had adorned the earlier periods of 

 his majesty's reign. The political 

 power possessed by the catholics of 

 Ireland afforded matter of deep re- 

 flection. It must be the policy of 

 everj' wise state to connect all per- 

 sons possessing such power with 

 the general frame of the commu- 

 nity, to blend their individual pur- 

 suits with the common interests of 

 the state, and to attach them by the 

 ties of honourable ambition and ho- 

 nest gain to the established order 

 of the government. It was not so 

 much a question whether additional 

 political power should be given to 

 the Irish catholics, as whether they 

 should now be refused those ap- 

 pendages to their political power 

 which would identify its exercise 

 with the interests of the state, and 

 constitute the bonds and pledges of 

 attachment to government. After 

 pursuing this vein of reflection for 

 some time, lord Wellesley touch- 

 ed upon the delicate point of the 

 danger to the protestant establish- 

 ment in Ireland ; and contended, 

 that the removal of the catholic 

 restraints, so far from being dan- 

 gerous to the establishment, was 

 indisjjensably necessary for its se- 

 curity, since it could never be safe 



while such a force of discontent 

 was arrayed against it, a force 

 which would be disarmed most ef- 

 fectually by abolishing the causes 

 of dissatisfaction. He then shew- 

 ed, that their desires were not un- 

 reasonable, or the off'spring of a 

 criminal ambition, but implied a 

 just sense of the constitutional use 

 of the advantages they had al- 

 ready gained. Having expressed 

 his opinion on these points, he pro- 

 ceeded to say, that he trusted he 

 should not be accused of a spirit of 

 procrastination or delusion if he 

 now objected to enter into a com- 

 mittee for the purpose of instan- 

 taneously removing the restrictions 

 under which the catholics laboured. 

 His reasons for this conduct were 

 drawn from the menacing attitude 

 which they assumed, their outrages 

 on the law of the land, the passing 

 trials of the offenders, and the pro- 

 priety of giving time for the return 

 of tranquillity before the voice of 

 petition could be heard in a tone 

 adapted to the solemnity of the oc- 

 casion . 



The Marquis of Lansdowne 

 wished to inquire how the last no- 

 ble speaker, after urging his argu- 

 ments for the removal of all partial 

 restrictions, could come to his final 

 conclusions. In his mind there 

 could be no period more appro- 

 priate for a full discussion of this 

 subject than the present, when 

 parliament was about establishing 

 a new government. He then took 

 a view of that part of the marquis's 

 speech which went to vindicate the 

 conduct of the Irish government, 

 and attempted to shew that it had 

 been wavering and inconsistent, 

 and that the judicial proceedings 

 had been deficient in candour and 

 justice. 



A number 



