48] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



temporary application of this great 

 military forcCj and may enable 

 us to proceed with active and un- 

 ceasing enei-gy to their complete 

 investigation: Thatweliave arm- 

 ed the executive government with 

 all the mtans icquisite to sup- 

 press tunsult and punish outrage ; 

 and we would now apply all our 

 powers to a deliberate examina- 

 tion of the existing evils, and tlie 

 causes fiom whence tlicy oiigi- 

 nate, as the surest foundation for 

 affording to his Royal Highness 

 the cordial and active concnrrence 

 of this House in such mcasuies as 

 shall be proposed for their eficc- 

 tual removal, and for adopting 

 such othci" Avholcsome and cHica- 

 cious reuicdies, formed in the 

 spirit of British constitutional 

 lec'islalion, as may a])pcar to our 

 dispassionate judgmenl most adc- 

 (|uatc to eflect tlic extirpation of 

 those evils with which Ireland is 

 aHlictcd, and In rescue that fair 

 portion of the cuii)irc from its 

 present deprcssi'jn and disorgan- 

 ization." 



Ml . Peel, on rising to explain 

 and defend the measures pursued 

 by the go\ernment with which he 

 was coiuiccledj began with an 

 acknowledgment of the tone of 

 modoi'ation which the right hon. 

 baionet had in gcneial displayed. 

 With cei tain parts of tlie addj-e.ss 

 which he had })roposed it Avas his 

 mtcntion to concur, but he 

 thought it precipitate, to |)!edge 

 the I louse to a general iiKjuiry 

 without explaining- the kind of 

 inquiry which ic \\as desired to 

 institute, and how it was to be 

 conducted. Before following (he 

 details into which he had entered, 

 the viglit hon, gentleman sup- 

 posed a statemeat of the pre- 



sent condition of Ireland would 

 be expected from him. Gene- 

 rally speaking (he said) the 

 north of IreTaiul was trar:quil, 

 no distmbance prevailing there 

 except what arose from illicit 

 distillation, and the consequent 

 opposition to the revenue laws in 

 certain districts. The extreme 

 west, and tlie counties of Mayo, 

 Cralway, and Carlow were com- 

 paratively tianquil ; and tlie 

 same might be said of the south, 

 <jf Cork, Wexford, &c. The east 

 was likewise so far trantpii], that 

 no apidications to government 

 fm- extiaordinary police had been 

 made from those counties. The 

 counlies in which disturbances 

 actually jirevailed \\ ereTijijierary, 

 King's Comity, Westineath, and 

 Limerick. The magistrates of 

 King's County had reijuestcd the 

 •application of tlie insurrection 

 act, but had since petitioned for 

 il? removal, asserting that tran- 

 quilh'ty \Aas perfectly restored. 

 In ^W'stmcath and Limerick a 

 co'.isidcraldo imiirovcment had 

 taken idnce, but the insurrection 

 act was still in force. The ma- 

 gistrates of Louth and Cavan had 

 petitioned the government for 

 (he application, not of the insur- 

 rection act, but of the extraordi- 

 nary police act. This was the 

 general state of the coimtn-; but 

 nothing was more difficult than 

 to give a character of the precise 

 nature of the disturbances now 

 agitating if. Formerly tumults 

 and outrages might be traced to 

 jiarlicular causes ; but those 

 which now prevailed seemed to 

 be the effect of a general con- 

 federacy in crime — a sy.3tcmatic 

 o])j)osition to all laws and muni- 

 cipal institutions. The right hon. 



gentleniaa 



