19* GOVERNMENT, 



was a remarkable inftance, but the whole government of thafc 

 ifland is one collective proof of it. The revolution was a mo- 

 ment in which all the forms of government were broken 

 through in order to aflert the fpirit of liberty, but Ireland 

 loft that opportunity ; meeting fecurity againft the Roman 

 catholics in the victorious arms of king William, ihe refted 

 fatistied with a government which fecured her againft the 

 immediate enemy. It is certainly more a government of pre- 

 rogative than that of England, and the law of the empire, 

 the common law of the land is in favour of that prero- 

 gative ; hence the abfurdity of proving the rights of Ire- 

 land in the details of common law, as Fitzgibbon and Me. 



have done. Ireland from diftance and backwardnefs 



loft thofe fortuitous opportunities which proved fo important 

 to the liberty of England ; (he could not claim the letter of the 

 revolution, but (he could have claimed the fpirit of it. 



The contribution of that territory to the general wants of 

 the empire is in two fhapes. i . By the penfion lift. 2. By the 

 military eftablifhment. The great liberal line for that king- 

 dom to purfue is to examine not only the prefent amount of 

 thefe articles, but what might be a fair eftimate for the future. 

 To come openly to the Englifh government with an offer of 

 an equal revenue applicable to whatever purpofes government 

 fhould find moft beneficial for the intereft of the whole em- 

 pire ; with this neceffary condition that the military ihould be 

 abfolutely in the power of the crown to remove and employ 

 wherever it plealed. To think of tying down government, 

 to keeping troops in- any fpot, is an abfurdity. Government 

 can alone be the judge where troops are moft wanting ; it has 

 an unlimited power in this refpect in England, and it ought to 

 have the fame in Ireland ; the good of the empire demands it. 

 It is the fleet of England that has prsved, and muft prove 

 the real defence of Ireland, and that ifland fliould take its 

 chance of defence in common with England. At the fame 

 time any apprehenfions, that they would be left without 

 troops, would be abfurd ; fmce it would be the king's intereft. 

 to keep a great body of forces there, for fever'al reafons ; 

 among others, the cheapnefs of provifions, which would ren- 

 der their fubtiftcnce comparatively eafy ; alfo, barracks being 

 built all over the kingdom : another point which induce him, 

 is the afliilance their circulation would be of to the king- 

 dom, whereas in England they would be a burthen. But 

 the point might as well be given up chearfuily, as to 

 have it carried by a majoricy in parliament. Penfions 

 have been always on the increafe and will be fo ; and as 

 to the troops, government carries its point at prefent, and 

 ought to doio, why not therefore give up the point chearfuily 

 for a valuable confideration ? As thefe things are managed 

 now, governm-nt is forced to buy, at a gre:xt expence, the 

 concuricnca of an Irifh parliament to what ii really neceflary, 



would 



