GENERAL HISTORY. 



[47 



CHAPTER IV. 



Motion concerning the State of Ireland. — Petitions from Irish and 

 English Roman Catholics, and Proceedings respecting them. — Neio 

 Alien Bill. 



ON the 26'th of April Sir J. 

 Newport rose in the House 

 of Commons to submit a motion 

 concerning the state of Ireland. 

 He commenced his preliminary 

 speech witli a historical vicAv of 

 those errors of government which 

 had brought it to its present con- 

 dilionj and began with the period 

 of James I. in which the luminous 

 work of Sir John Davis aftbrds an 

 excellent guide. From this work 

 he quoted the following passage, 

 which may be considered as the 

 basis of the right hon. bai'onet's 

 idea of meliorating the state of 

 the country. "There is no na- 

 tion under the sun that doth love 

 equal and impartial justice better 

 than the Irish, or will rest bet- 

 ter satisfied with the execution 

 thereof, althougii it be against 

 themselves, so as they may have 

 the protection and benefit of the 

 law, when upon just cause they 

 do desire it.'.' 



He then passed through all the 

 systems and principal measvires 

 of Irish government from that 

 age down to the present time, 

 with a rapidity which precludes 

 abridgment : and after touching 

 upon the existing evils of the 

 country, he said, "We are now- 

 arrived at a season of profound 

 trancpiillityj and if the House 

 shall decide that no attempt shall 



be made to trace to their source 

 tliose evils which afllict Ireland 

 and endanger the empire, it will 

 be my duty to bow to their deci- 

 sion, but I shall then deeply de- 

 plore the day which connected 

 Ireland to this country by legis- 

 lative union." The right hon. 

 member concluded with a motion 

 which we copy at length. 



" That an humble address be 

 presented to his Royal Highness 

 the Prince Regent, humbly to 

 represent, that the necessity of 

 providing an army of 25,000 naen 

 in time of profound peace, to se- 

 cure the internal tranquillity of 

 Ireland, obliges us to consider 

 the state of that great, valuable^ 

 and interesting portion of the 

 rmited kingdom, as most distress- 

 ing and afflicting to the legisla- 

 ture, and dangerous in an ex- 

 treme degree to the well-being of 

 the empire: That we feel our- 

 selves imperiously called upon by 

 a sense of public duty to direct 

 to the consideration of this im- 

 portant subject our earnest and 

 undivided attention: That we 

 therefore pray his Royal High- 

 ness may be pleased to order, 

 that there be laid before us, with 

 convenient speed, such docu- 

 ments as may put us fully in pos- 

 session of the extent and nature 

 of the evils which demand the 



temporaiy 



