I R E L A N D. 



253 



" Hearts qf Oak, from wearing oaken branches in their 

 v " h.ii.*. They soon, however, carried their views beyond 

 their original object ; and, on their proceeding to inter- 

 D. lisa f fre violently with respect to this, and the tent of land, 

 they were put down by an armed force. 



The first circumstance, after the accession of George 

 HI., connected with the history of Ireland, that de- 

 serres our notice and record, was the passing of the 

 octennial bill in 17^3. The Parliament of Ireland, un- 

 A. D. 17>;s>. like that of Britain, continued in existence as long as 

 the monarch lived, being dissolved only by his death 

 taking place. In 176), an attempt was made by Lucas 

 and others ofthe patriotic party, to limit the duration of 

 the Irish parliament, 2nd to place it on the same foot- 

 in this respect as, the British parliament ; this 

 however did not succeed, and it is even doubtful 

 whether the British government intended that the mea- 

 sure should be carried in 1768 ; for the British privy 

 council returned the heads of a bill transmitted to them 

 for limiting the duration of the Irish parliament to 

 me* years, with an alteration which extended the du- 

 ration to eight years j probably expecting that, by this 

 interference, the Irish parliament would be induced 

 eel the bill altogether; but the Irish parliament, 

 with great temper and good sense, passed the bill as re- 

 turned to them. 



At this period Lord Townshend was lord-lieutenant : 

 .ivourite and principal object was to destroy the 

 power of the I- '('racy, and to take out of their 



hand* the influence and distribution of places and pen- 

 sions, which had been hitherto allowed th.-m, in conse- 

 quence of the supposed nece- , their fa- 

 vour ami vote* Phis wai it the 

 viceroy carried it, though not by the most justifiable 

 means. From this time, the lord lieutenant. r in 

 other words, the British government, was regarded and 



honour- "T l-IMo!llT!'.|-Mt 



his nobleman, who was 



I."' I!"'!-' !'. l.II .' ' 



lit' ll 



vial, and thus 

 whom he 



it in t'UtiT, in 

 rr of letting 



of the small 



treated a* the only s 

 ]( the adminiu 

 imular amon 



on 



of hi MMK nii.iMirei. !MI 



tuition and mamv 



highly congenial to those < 



was placed, some ditur 



consequence of a system il th 



land on fine*. As the great m 



farmer* and peasantry were totally unalile to pay these 



tines, and were consequently irms. 



they became desperate, and committed uch \ 



outrages on those who had taken thrir lan< ! 



was obliged to have recourse to Military Hmja. 

 nMirectinn was thtu quelled ; but the distressed 

 inhabitants, deprived of the mean* of subsistence, were 

 driven to America in great numbers. 



\Ve now * j>pro*< h one of the most interesting and 

 important eras in the history of Irrl.v i tn the 

 conduct almost uniformly pursued by the British go- 

 vernment towar'U ' v. as we have detail 

 it ma -I appear evident, that Ireland could never ex- 



pect to obtain frr 

 that treitment, whi 

 been wise, she won 

 merely from a 

 own real interests. 



from Britain, thov privileges and 

 h. had th* government "t' Hr.tain 

 ixious to grant, not 

 e o jiiftioe, but from a view to her 

 Neither this feelin;;, however, nor 

 thi* enlightened and liberal view ol' her own interest 

 ;ig. the conduct of Britain to Irel.mil had liern. 

 with scarcely a single exception, marked by mean and 

 narrow jealousy ; and, what was worse, by a detTmi- 

 stiun, which ought not to have found a place in the 

 sad of Briton*, who prided themselves on their love 



of freedom, to treat Ireland in even' respect as a con- Histm. 

 quered country. S """Y"''~'' 



To Ireland there appeared no chance of escaping 

 from the degradation and thraldom in which she was 

 thus involved, when the American war broke out. 

 This immediately produced a remarkable change in the 

 language and conduct of the British government us 

 they related to Ireland ; proposals were made in the 

 British House of Commons in favour of Irish commerce; 

 and some of the penal statutes against the Catholics 

 were annulled. They were now enabled to acquire 

 full property in land, and a son could no longer force a 

 settlement from his father by conforming to Protestant- 

 ism, provided the Catholics subscribed an oath of alle- 

 giance and a declaration, which were prescribed. Still, 

 however, Irish commerce and trade languished, and 

 the patriots of Ireland aimed at much greater privi- 

 leges with respect to it, and to their political state in 

 general, than had yet been granted. 



The means by which their views might be forward- Origin of 

 ed were at hand. The American war had drawn from the volun- 

 Ireland nearly all her regular forces, and her coasts, teer6 - 

 thu-i unprotected, were exposed to invasion. In con- A- D ' 1719< 

 sequence of the town of Belfast not receiving a garri- 

 son adequate to their protection, the inhabitants, in 

 1779, entered into armed associations to defend them- 

 selves against the enemy. This gave rise to the 

 tern of volunteers, which soon spread over the whole 

 country. Tlic Iri!i now began to feel their strength, 

 and even the House of Commons unanimously passed 

 a resolution, on the first day of their session this year, 

 that, in their address to the king, it should be repre- 

 sented to his mnjesty, that " it was not by tcmi>orary 

 expedient', but l>y a free trade alone, that Ireland could 

 now Ite saved from impending ruin ;'' and in order to 

 give effect to this address, they voted their supplies only 

 v months. A motion was also made, that the 

 granting' of new taxes would at that time be inexpe- 

 dient, which was carried by a large majority. Thanks 

 were voted, iinnn.ni.-u.lv. in the House of Commons, 

 and, with only the dissentient voice of the Lord Chan- 

 cellor, in the House of I.onN, to the volunteers, for 

 their exertions in defence of their country. 



Ixord North, who was at this time prime minister, 

 now found himself obliged to give way; but hoping 

 that the Irish would be content with the removal of 

 commercial restrictions, he carried a bill through the 

 British parliament, which in some measure effected 

 that object. But the Irish looked to greater objects ; 

 and, unfortunately for hi own views, Lord North, in 

 order to induce the British manufacturers and mer- 

 chants to agree to his commercial concessions, had re- 

 presented them as a boon resumable nt pleasure. The 

 thu Irarned, that what had been granted, had 

 been granted, either through fear, or as a matter of fa- 

 vour, and r r ri-^ht, and they became sensi- 

 ble that they could not be secure, unless they had an 

 independent legislature of their own. Resolutions to 

 feet were published by the different volunteer 

 corp. * ho, in order that they might act with more e(- 

 rnMd i union among themselves, and they were 

 not only animated by the same spirit, but, in all their 

 resolutions and proceedings, directed to the same ob- 

 ject. 



This upirit animated all ranks and classes : it was no Their rew- 

 longer an association confined to one part of the king- ' 

 dom, composed of ignorant and poor men, without ta- 

 lents or influence, and aiming at some local and tem- 

 porary object. At the head of the Dublin volunteers 

 4 



