UNION. 



inquiry into the comparative means rvf each country, tliis 

 kingdom ought not and is not able to contribute in any 

 thing like that proportion. They feel it a duty, too, to 

 protell mod folemnly againft any arrangement of taxation, 

 on which they have had no documents, or made any inquiry 

 to guide their judgment, and in which they underftaiid no 

 confideration whatever has been had to the different legal 

 intereit of money in this kingdom, which caufes a difad- 

 vantage of 20/. p(r cent, in procuring capital, nor to the 

 relative quantity of (hipping poffelTed and ufed by each 

 country, nor to the export trade in foreign articles, nor to 

 the extent of manufadure for home confumption, nor to the 

 balance of trade, which fhews the annual increafe of its clear 

 profit, and of courfe the annual increafe of the fund it 

 creates to contribute from ; in all of which, the means of 

 Britain very far exceed the foregoing proportion, and par- 

 ticiJarly in the balance of trade, which in Ireland amounts 

 to little more than half a miUion with all the world, but is 

 ftated bv authority to have amounted to fourteen millions 

 eight hundred thoufand pounds in Britain, exclufive of an 

 annual influx of money from the Eall and Weft Indies to 

 the amount of four millions to the proprietors refident in 

 Britain, and of two millions from Ireland to the proprietors 

 of Irifh eltates refident there, and of another million from 

 Ireland for the charges of her debt due in Britain ; whereas 

 the only known or vifible influx of money into Ireland is the 

 above balance of trade of half a million only : and thefe two 

 fums of two millions and one million, while they add to the 

 means and wealth of Britain, unfortunately take away in the 

 fame amount from the ability of Ireland. 



" Thus, had a due inveltigation been made, and a fair in- 

 quiry gone into, with a view to obtain a true knowledge of 

 fails whereon to ground a juft calculation, it would have 

 appeared that this proportion for Ireland is not only unjuil, 

 but far beyond what it will be in her power to difcharge ; 

 and the raftinefs of your majefty's minifters, in hazarding 

 fuch a meafure, is the more to be lamented or wondered at, 

 becaufe (liould Ireland engage to pay more than (he is able 

 to anfwer, the necelTary confcqueiice muft be a rapid de- 

 creafe of her capital, the decline of her trade, a failure in 

 the produce of her taxes, and, in the end, her total bank- 

 ruptcy. But under fuch circumftances, (lie cannot be alone 

 a bankrupt ; and (liouid (he fatally become fo, by an inju- 

 dicious or avaricious apportionment of conftitution. Great 

 Britain muft fhare in her ruin, and our great and glorious 

 empire be brought to the brink of dcllruAion, by an inno- 

 vating attempt to take from Ireland its conftitution, and 

 fubftitute a theoretic, vilionary, and untried fyilem in its 

 room. We (hould, therefore, earneftly fupplicatc your 

 majefty to oblige your ininillers to defer the meafure, until 

 a full and fatisfat^ory invcfligatiou (hould be made, if we 

 did not feel that it ought to be entirely relinquifhed, and 

 that the injuries and dangers attending on it could not be 

 removed by any change of that proportion, or reconciled by 

 any modification of detail 'wliatfoever. Subordinate, how- 

 ever, as the confideration of it is, we cannot omit remarking 

 to your majedy, that there is cunningly and Infidioully an- 

 nexed to it a provlfion for its ccafing, even within the fhort 

 period of three years, fhoiild the war continue fo long ; and 

 that when wp (hall increafe our debt, fo as that it (hall bear 

 the like proportion to the permanent debt of Britain, all the 

 delufive benefit held out by this proportion is to ceafe, and 

 wc are to undergo common taxes with Britain. We lament 

 that fuch delufion fliould be rtforted to ; it is too palpable 

 not to be fcen ; and iiiltead of the confidence which ought 

 to attend every arrangement between the kingdoms, fuch 

 conduft mufl excite difiidenLC and diflruft. 



Vol. XXXVII. 



" This proportion of their refpeflive permanent debts is to 

 be attained by increafing our debt, which we muft do, and 

 by Britain lelTening lier's, which (he is in tlie aftual courfe 

 of reducing, as rapidly at leaft as that of Ireland increafes. 

 The abfurdity, therefore, of the pofition is felf-evident ; for 

 it fays, that Ireland by increafing her debt, and its annual 

 charges, will become more wealthy, and more able to bear 

 equal taxes with Britain ; but that Britain, by decreafing 

 her's, will be lefs able to defray her contribution, and can 

 only pay equal taxes. Another delufion (omitted, how- 

 ever, in the articles propofed) has been alfo plaufibly 

 offered, ftlll further to deceive your majefty's fubjefts of 

 Ireland into an approbation of this deftruclive meafure, and 

 a promife has been authoritatively announced or artfully in- 

 finuated by your minifters in this kingdom, that Ireland is 

 to fave by it, or that Great Britain is to give her a million 

 a year of revenue in time of war, and half a million a year 

 in time of peace. But we know that during a war like the 

 prefent, fuch a promife is imprafticable ; and both king- 

 doms muft ftrain every nerve, and draw forth every refource. 

 We feek not to load our filler kingdom urniecefiTarily, by 

 lelTening our own burden ; and our loyalty forbids us to 

 liften to arguments, which offer to lave our purfe at the ex- 

 pence of Britain. But it is all a delufion, for we fee 

 nothing in the uniting of the two parliaments, which can 

 change the courfe of the war, or leffen the total mafs of ex- 

 pence of both nations ; and we affert moft confidently, that 

 no gift can be made, or faving enfue in our expences, by 

 the union, however they may be attempted to be increaled 

 by the unfounded .ind unfair proportion afcertaincd for us 

 to bear of the general expenditure. But were the offer 

 founded, were it cffetlual and defirable, its advantages reft 

 on the misfortunes of war ; and we (hould feci ourfelves un- 

 worthy of the truft repofed in us, if we could fuffer a hope, 

 arifing from the continuation of fuch a dreadful calamity, to 

 direft our condudl in any meafure, much lefs in one which 

 calls on us to give up our conftitution for ever. 



" Neither can we look forward to any propofed faving 

 from the union in peace ; for we are not told, nor could we 

 believe it, if your majefty's minifters did tell us, tliat a bill 

 profefting to unite the two kingdoms, infeparably united 

 without a bill, can have an influence on the fituation of the 

 affairs of Europe, or that it can allow us, during tlie next 

 peace, to difpenfe with keeping up the fame military force 

 as during the hill ; and we are further given to underftand, 

 that your majefty's royal court, and all its eflablilliments, 

 the courts of law, the exchequer, and all the revenue ex- 

 pences, arc to be continued without the parliament equally 

 as with it. But were the faving praAicable, we feel it is 

 our own duty to make it without a union ; and we know 

 that no parliament can do it for Ireland with the fame 

 knowledge, the fame efficacy, and the lame fafety, as the 

 refident parliament of Ireland. 



" But it is not oiilv in refpeA to thefe delufions h?ld out 

 as to trade and revenue, that we feel it our duty to lay before 

 your majefty the condutl of your minifters on this meafure : 

 wc mufl ilate the means by which they have endeavoured 

 to carry it. That in the firfl inftance, admitting the ne- 

 cefTity of conforming to the fenfe of the parliament and the 

 people, they took the fenfe of the commons, and found that 

 fcnfe to be againft it ; that they then affeited to appeal 

 againft the parliament to the people, at the fame lime 

 endeavouring by their choice of (lHTifl"3 to obftrutl the re- 

 gular and conftitutional mode whereby tlie fenfe of the 

 people has been ufually coilefted : that, on the contrary, 

 they did ufc or abet and encourage tlie iifing of various arts 

 and ftrat.igcms to procure from individuals of the lovvetl 

 3 D order, 



