UNION. 



be gracioufly pleafed to fufpend all proceedings on the 

 Irilli union till the fentiments of the Irifh people refpefting 

 that meafure could be afcerUmed ;" was rejefted by 236 to 

 io. The bill founded on thefe refolutions received the 

 royal affent in Englai--<i on the 2d of July, and in Ireland 

 on the lit of AufA) vvhen the lord lieutenant, on proro- 

 guing parliament', congratulated it on the accompliftiment 

 of tliis great »'ork. 



As the general outline of the meafure, already dated in 

 the refolations of the Britifh parliament, was not departed 

 from snd as much of the detail muft be unintercfting, it will 

 be fafficient here briefly to ftate the articles, enlarging only 

 on thofe points which have not been before noticed. The 

 firft article was, That the two kingdoms (hould be united for 

 ever from lit Jan. 1801 ; the fecond, That the fucceffion 

 to the crown (hould continue as at prefent ; the third, 

 That the united kingdom (hould be reprefented in one 

 parliament ; the fourth, That four lords fpiritual, by rota- 

 tion of feflions, and twenty-eight lords temporal, elefted 

 for life by the peers of Ireland, fhould fit in the houfe 

 of lords of the parliament of the united kingdom ; and 

 that one hundred commoners (two for each county of 

 Ireland, two for the city of DubUn, two for the city of 

 Cork, one for the univerfity of Dublin, and one for each 

 of the thirty-one mofl confiderable cities, towns, and 

 borouo-hs,) (hould be the number to fit and vote on the 

 part of Ireland in the houfe of commons of the united 

 kingdom. Under the fourth article were contained pro- 

 vifions, that the Reprefentation Aft of the Iri(h parha- 

 ment (hould form part of the treaty of union ; that the 

 rotation and eleftion of the lords (Spiritual and temporal 

 (hould be according to a form prefcribed ; that Iri(h peers, 

 who are not elefted to ferve as peers, may ferve as Britilh 

 commoners, during which time they are not to have any 

 privilege of peerage ; that the crown may create new Iri(h 

 peers on the extinction of others, under certain regulations, 

 fo that one hundred may be kept up over and above thofe 

 entitled to an hereditary feat in the houfe of lords of the 

 united kingdom ; that peerages in abeyance (hall be confi- 

 dered as exifting peerages ; that queftions touching the 

 eleftion of Irifh commoners (hall be decided in the fame 

 manner as thofe touching Englilh ones, fubjeft to fuch 

 particular regulations as local circumllances may require, 

 and the united parliament deem expedient ; that quabfica- 

 tions as to property (hall be the fame in both parts of the 

 united kingdom ; that the king may conftitute the lords 

 and commons of the prefent parliament of Great Britain, 

 members of the refpeftive houfes of the firll parliament of 

 the united kingdom, on the part of Great Britain, to (it 

 writh thofe returned for Ireland ; that no more than twenty 

 Iri(h commoners holding places (hall fit in the united parlia- 

 ment ; that the lords of parliament on the part of Ireland, 

 fliall have the fame privileges as thofe of Great Britain, and 

 take precedency next to thofe of the fame rank ; and that 

 the peers of Ireland, not reprefentatives, (hall have all pri- 

 vileges of peerage, except the right and privilege of fitting 

 in the houfe of lords, and on the trial of peers. The fifth 

 article provided for the union of the churches of England 

 and Ireland, fo that the prefervatiou of the faid united 

 church (hould be deemed an effential and fundamental part 

 of the union. By the fixth article, his majefty's fubjefts 

 of Great Britain and Ireland are from the ill of January, 

 1 801, entitled to the fame privileges, and are to be on the 

 fame footing as to encouragements and bounties on tlie like 

 articles, and in refpeft of trade and navigation in all places 

 in the united kingdom and its dependencies ; there is to be no 

 duty or bounty on exportation of the produce of one country 



to the other ; but there fnall be countervailing duties on fe- 

 veral articles enumerated, fomc for twenty years only, and 

 others as the united parliament may dircft, but never to ex- 

 ceed thofe paid at the time of the union. By the feventh 

 article, the charges for debts incurred by either kingdom be- 

 fore the union (hall be feparately defrayed ; for twenty years 

 the contribution towards the expenditure of Great Britain 

 and Ireland (hall be as fifteen to two, after which the ex- 

 penditure fliall be defrayed in fuch proportion as the parlia- 

 ment of the united kingdom (hall deem juft and reafonable, 

 according to a fyftem detailed in the article ; the revenues of 

 Ireland (liall be a confolidated fund, which (hall be charged in 

 the firft inftance with the intereft of the debt of Ireland, and 

 with the finking fund apphcable to the reduftion of the 

 faid debt, and the remainder (hall be applied towards defray- 

 ing the proportion of the expenditure of the united king- 

 dom to which Ireland may be liable in each year. Under 

 this head it is provided, that no article (hall be more highly 

 taxed in Ireland than in England ; that any furplus of the 

 revenues of Ireland (hall be applied to the peculiar benefit 

 of that country ; that all monies raifed after the union (hall 

 be a joint debt ; and that premiums for the internal encou- 

 ragement of agriculture or manufaftures, or for maintaining 

 inititutions for pious and charitable purpofes, (hall be con- 

 tinued for twenty years in Ireland. By the eighth article, 

 all civil and ecclefiaftical laws and courts (hall remain as 

 eftablilhed at the time, fubjeCt to future alterations ; all 

 writ;-, of error and appeals (hall be decided by the lords of 

 the united kingdom ; and there (hall be a court of admiralty 

 in Ireland, with an appeal to the court of chancery in 

 Ireland. Such were the provifions of the Aft of Union, 

 as it was finally paded. We (hall now add an addrefs 

 moved in the houfe of commons of Ireland on the 6th of 

 June 1800, the purpofe of which was to record the objec- 

 tions to this meafure on the journals of parliament. When 

 we conlider the great abilities of the members who drew up 

 and fupported it, a Grattan, a Fofter, a Ponfonby, a 

 Plunket, and many others of diftinguifhed talents, we may 

 fuppofe that every thing has been urged which ingenuity 

 could devife, or an acquaintance with the alfairs and interells 

 of Ireland could fugged ; and, therefore, it (hould be read 

 by every perfon wilhing to form an opinion on the fubjeft. 

 It was moved that the following addrefs be prefented to 

 his majeity. 



" We, your majelly's loyal and dutiful fubjefts, the 

 commons of Ireland, at all times fenfible of the numerous 

 and elTential advantages which we, in comm.on with your 

 fubjefts in Ireland, have derived under your aufpicious 

 reign, beg leave to aflure you, that none have more impreffed 

 the hearts of your majefty's fubjefts, than the adjuftment, at 

 your majefty's gracious recommendation, entered into by the 

 parliaments of Great Britain and Ireland in 1782, thereby 

 forming the molt folemn compaft which can fubfift between 

 two countries under a common iovereign ; that the refult 

 of that compaft was the increafe of our trade .and of our 

 revenue, together with the harmony of the two parhaments, 

 and the fupport of the conneftion ; that the faid compaft 

 on the part of your majefty's parliament of Ireland has 

 been rehgioufly and beneficially adhered to, inlomuch that 

 a final tennination of all conltitutional queftions between 

 the two nations took place, and the commercial points 

 which at that time remained to be fettled, have fince, with- 

 out agitation or ferment, been gradually and fatisfaftorily 

 dilpoied of. 



" Tliat under thefe circumftances, it is with the deepeft 

 concern and the greateft furprife we have feen a meafure 

 propounded, under the name of Union, to fet afide this 



moll 



