HISTORY OF EUROPE. 137 



" above all things, to calumniate 

 the glorious settlement of 1688, 

 by imputing any narrow principle 

 oi' exclusion to that consummation 

 and triumph of political freedom. 

 The truly great man, under whose 

 banners our ancestors made their 

 successful struggle, — that tried 

 friend of liberty, civil and reli- 

 gious, is known to have consented 

 witli great reluctance to the in- 

 fliction, on any portion of his sub- 

 jects, of those disabilities, which 

 in this country were rendered per- 

 haps indispensable by a sad and 

 over-powering necessity. But no- 

 thing can justify their continuance 

 after their necessity has ceased to 

 exist ; and what noble lord will 

 put his hand to his heart, and say 

 that we are not already arrived at 

 that happy period ?" 



Though it was not thought pru- 

 dent by the legislature to grant the 

 claims of the Irish Roman catholics, 

 without certain precautions and 

 conditions, due attention, andsuch 

 as had a tendency to conciliate at- 

 tachment, was paid to the Irish na- 

 tion in other respects. In 1S07, 

 Ireland was in such a state, that 

 the government of that day did not 

 think they would be justified in 

 undertaking to secure the tranquil- 

 lity of that country, unless they 

 were armed with the powers of the 

 insurrection act. To repeal that 

 act, Mr. Wellesley Pole, in the 

 House of Commons, May 30, 

 moved for leave to bring in a. bill. 

 It was with the most sincere plea- 

 sure he could state, that the go- 

 vernment of Ireland, after the 

 fullest investigation, had come to 

 the resolution, that the continu- 

 ance of the act was not, under the 

 present circumstances, necessary. 

 No lover of the constitution, he 



was persuaded, could wish to see 

 such a law on the statute book, un- 

 less the circumstances of the times 

 rendered it necessary. The act in 

 question, however, in addition to 

 that part of it which might be 

 properly called the insurrection 

 act, contained some provisions 

 which ought to be re-enacted, and 

 rendered permanent. Agreeably 

 to the statements given by Mr. 

 W. Pole, leave was given to bring 

 in bills for repealing the Irish in- 

 surrection act ; for the more effec- 

 tually preventing the administer- 

 ing and taking of unlawful oaths 

 in Ireland, and for the protection 

 of magistrates and witnesses in 

 criminal cases ; and for continu- 

 ing for two years, and from thence 

 until the end of the then next 

 session of parliament, and amend 

 an act of the 47lh of his present 

 majesty, for preventing improper 

 persons from having arms in Ire- 

 land. Leave was given to bring in 

 these three bills, and, through the 

 usual course, they passed into laws. 

 Lawswere alsoenacted for amend- 

 ing the laws relative to the sale of 

 flax-seed and hemp-seed in Ire- 

 land ; for encouraging the con- 

 sumption of malt liquor in Ire- 

 land ; and for respiting certain 

 fines imposed on stills in Ireland; 

 and for the encouragement of 

 licensed distillers in Ireland. 



While these and other bills were 

 on their progress through the 

 houses of parliament, for the ge- 

 neral improvement, some v/ere 

 passed, and others brought under 

 the consideration of parliament, 

 relating to the civil laws, and to 

 the state of religion in the country. 



On the ninth of February, 

 sir Samuel Romilly proposed to 

 the House of Commons some al- 



