IRELAND. 



255 



from every county and large town ; and the meeting of 

 ' this congress actually took place in Dublin, on the 25th 

 ctober, 1"8>, notwithstanding the emleavonrs of 

 government to prevent it, which were carried, at least, 

 as far M the law warranted. 



At the first meeting nothing of importance was done ; 

 but, at the second meeting, at which there were assejn- 

 bled above 200 members from 27 counties and most of 

 the large towns, it was resolved to petition parliament, 

 but to leave the specific form of redressing the grie- 

 vance complained of to be determined by the v 

 of the legislature. 



Though Mr. Pitt was inimical to parliamentary re- 

 form, both in Britain and Ireland, yet he was disposed 

 to free the commerce of the latter country from some of 

 the restraints under which it laboured, and to protect 

 it from foreign competition. But his attempts to esta- 

 blish a more advantageous system of commerce between 

 Britain and Ireland, were in a great measure defeated 

 by the jealousy of the British manufacturers and mer- 

 chants. This obliged him to new model the proposi- 

 tion* whieh he hail originally sent to Ireland, and which 

 were adopted by the legislature there with the most per- 

 fect and cordial approbation, to such a degree, that 

 when they were again introduced into the Irish House 

 of Commons, they paxjed in the affirmative, with only 

 a majority of 19 in a bouse consisting of 235 im : 

 This trifling majority induced the Irish government to 

 withdraw mem altogether. The system of tithes has 

 always been a source of ill will, even where those who 

 paid them were of the established religion ; but it setm- 

 ed very hard and unjust to the Catliolics. 

 should pay to wants the support of a clergy *ho*e ser- 

 vices thry did not need, nor wish for. I 

 tithe* preyed hard on the poor it-liters of a piece of 

 ground, perhaps scarcely large enough to support a 

 man and hi* family, even if h>- lii.l ri , . . ! i',. .. '. 

 produce. From t the 



on of thhe*. arose, in irsii, r . 

 A. D. ! :-,. in the sooth of Ireland, carried on ! 

 led themselves Right-boys Tht-y a 

 brndir-c the people not to pay more a the tithi 

 acre, than a sum they fixed to |*n 

 :iot to allow the clergyman to t 



they proceeded farther ; to fix the rents of l.i 

 raise the wages of labour and to oppose tl> 

 of the tax called hearth- money. This called forth the 

 attention of the legislature, and in 17S7 an act was 

 passed, to prevent tumultuous assemblies and illegal 



if till the illnrss of his majesty in 1789, 

 nothing important in the alTairs of Ireland occurred. 

 <>n the occasion alluded to, minister* found themselves 

 deserted by so many of their friends, that they were 

 left in a minority in both houses , and it was resolved 

 to request his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to 

 take upon him the government of Ireland, during his 

 majesty's indisposition, under the title of Prii 

 gent, with all the legal prerogative* belonging t.. the 

 . rown thereof. The auk war 

 two countries would thus have been thrown. 

 gent's power being retti 



Inland, WM prcventcil .tunate recovery 



"I" his majesty ; and thit circumstance restored to the 



Ir'-ii nirni.try thrir i:. ii..: n .. - in Uith hou- ,. 



The American revolution, as we have seen, 

 a wonderful effect on the affairs of Ireland ; the I 

 revolution, which commenced about the time 



King's illness, was destined to affect the affairs of Ire- Hi.- 

 land in a still greater degree, but unfortunately not in |^T - "/~7' 

 so favourable a manner. It was natural that those in ,i,* e j.'* e ncii 

 Ireland, who had been so long and so ardently endea- revolution 

 vouring to gain for their own country what they deem- on Ireland. 

 ed its rights, and essential to its prosperity, should re- A D. 1791. 

 joice at the French revolution when it began, and that 

 they should feel by it inspired to renew their attempts 

 to obtain their favourite objects of parliamentary reform 

 and Catholic emancipation. The mode in which they 

 might hope to attain these objects seemed pointed out 

 to them by the volunteers, by union and associations 

 they had prevailed, and thus also they might be equal- 

 ly successful. Accordingly, in June 1791, there ap- ^,,4 

 jieared at Belfast the plan of an association, under the 

 name of United Irishmen ; and in November th's as- 

 sociation was actually instituted at Dublin ; their decla- 

 red object was, " the forwarding a brotherhood of af- 

 fection, a communion of rights, and a union of power, 

 among Irishmen of e\n- - pervasion, and 



v obl.-tining a complete reform in the legislature, 

 founded on the principles of civil, political and religious 

 liberty." Such were their avowed objects : but there 

 in to Iwlieve, that, even at the i'.r*t torn'ation of 

 this association . the leading members looked further; 

 or, at least ; it -him Id K- 



necessary, to obtain their piufc-Mil <>!.j >\t> by means 

 tent with public tranquillity, ami with their 

 duty as subject*. Th.it they had such n ncce.-sity in 

 contemplation, is evklmt from the formation in Dublin 

 of national guar. uniform, 



and by buttons with a Iv -\ in- 



stead of a crown. The Qth of Decembe r -, ap- 



pointed for the gener.il m .1 all 



to attend ; but 



the muster never took place. e of the 



ktrong mea rnment. 



Thin prevented from assembling, the leading men 

 ami*].; the t'iMti 

 Archibald Hamilton K.,J 

 theyexpmsedt! 

 resume their arm* i 



. - 



agair 



.1 pin' T, Mailed by 

 their secretary, in which 

 n that the volunteer* would 

 aintenance of tr.uicjiiillity 

 < mies, and the Protc-t nils 

 'ly to choose deputies to a national convention, 

 with which, when formed, the Catholics might act. '1 lu- 

 es, ni might I>e supposed, were not indisposed to 

 take advantage of this state of the country. Besides the 

 grievances which were common tn them and tlie Pr. 

 ants, they had \ariout grievances of their own, arising 

 heir relij. ! from the declaration of the 



I nited Iri y were led to hope that the Pro- 



testants, so far from opposing their claims, would now 

 co-operate with th . endeavours to obt.u:i 



them. Accordingly they also had their convention, 

 which assembled on the 3d of December, 1 793, in Dub- Catholic 



\fter voting a petition to the king, and appoiu ing convention, 

 a permanent committee for the management of Catho- A - D - 

 lie affairs during the recess, they adjourned. That the 

 real nature of the claims which they put forth m.^ht be 

 understood, and the objections generally urged against 

 iied with might be removed, 

 is tenets which they were com- 

 monly supposed to entertain that excommunicated 

 s might be murdered or deposed by their sub- 

 jects ; Ui.it the murder of heretics is lawful ; that no faith 

 is to >>< kept with them ; that they could be absolved 

 from their oaths of allegiance ; that the I <>; had any 

 . within the realm ; or that any human power 

 could forgive sins, without sincere repentance. Thoy 



