I E E L 
of the money as he thought proper, the propofol was ac¬ 
counted an irfVafion of the privileges of the houfe of com¬ 
mons. No notice was therefore taken of the direction 
given by Dorfet, but the bill was fent over to England as 
ufual, without any notice taken of his majefty’s confent. 
In England, however, this very material alteration -was 
made, and the word confent ^introduced into it. The com¬ 
mons at this time did not take any notice of Such an 
eflential alteration; but next year, on its being repeated, 
the bill was rejected. Government were now at the ut- 
moll pains to defend the meafure they had adopted, and 
pamphlets were publifhed in which it wasjuftified on va¬ 
rious grounds. The event at laft, however, was, that his 
majefty by letter took the money which had been the Sub¬ 
ject of difpute out of the treafury. The difcontent ex¬ 
cited by the withdrawing of the public money from the 
country, was increafed by the difnriffal of moft of thofe 
favourer's of the popular caufe who held employments un¬ 
der government. The patriots, or the party in oppofition, 
were ftudioufly reprefented to the king and the Britifti 
miniftry as a jacobite and popiih faction, who aimed at 
the expuliion of his majefty from the throne. To coun- 
teraft thefe calumnies, the earl of Kildare, as the eldeft 
peer of the realm, prefented a memorial to the fovereign, 
fating that he had come forward at the requeft of feveral 
thoufonds of his fellow-fubjetls, to allure him, that, if his 
loyal kingdom of Ireland wore an afpeft of difcontent, it 
was occasioned folely by minifterial misapplication. This 
procedure, as might be expected, gave the highell offence 
to minilters ; but the people in general began to exprels 
their Sentiments with fuch freedom, that the viceroy, 
alarmed for his perfonal Safety, retired from the kingdom, 
as if making his efcape, under the protection of his guards, 
and a mob hired for the purpofe. 
The augmentation of the revenue, which had left a Sur¬ 
plus to extinguilh the public debt, had been lefs the eftefl 
of the increafe of the national riches than of the national 
extravagance, which, by an undue importation of foreign 
luxuries, had caufed a considerable rife in the cuftoms. 
This is a very remarkable circumftance. From 1748, when 
the revenue firft began to rife considerably, to 1754, this 
extravagance increafed to fuch a degree, that the produce 
of the latter exceeded that of the former by upwards of 
two hundred thoufond pounds. The real poverty of the 
kingdom, however. Soon reverfed this deceitful picture of 
wealth. From 1754 the revenue decreafed through the 
three Succeeding years; and, in 1757, from the want of 
due encouragement to tillage, the kingdom, and Ulfter in 
particular, was afflicted with famine. One of the firft aCts 
of the adminiftration of the duke of Bedford, who Suc¬ 
ceeded the marquis of Hartington in 1757, was to obtain 
a king's letter for twenty thoufond pounds, to be expended 
for the relief of the poorer chiffes. Various grants were 
likewife made by parliament for public works; and, had 
all the fums voted for fuch purpofes been faithfully ap ¬ 
plied, the benefit to the public would have been very 
great. An erroneous opinion of the national wealth Seems 
to have been entertained both in England and Ireland, 
even after the decline of the revenue. The government 
of the former augmented the military expences and pen¬ 
sions on the civil eftablifhment, while the grants of the 
Irifh parliament were bountiful beyond the public ability. 
A new national debt, the origin of the funded ftock of 
Ireland, rofe with rapidity. In 1759 votes of credit were 
given for45°,oool. The Supply of thefe loans, in a coun¬ 
try fo poor, drained the bankers of their caih; and the 
three principal houfes in Dublin flopped payment. Art¬ 
ful perlons, however, found means to divert the public 
difcontent occafioned by thefe circumftances into a wrong 
channel. About this time an addr€fs from the catholics 
of Dublin, exprefflve of their loyalty, was prefented to the 
lord-lieutenant, who returned fuch a gracious anfwer, that 
Similar addreffes poured into the caftle from the catholics 
in all parts of the kingdom. Deligning perlons Seized this 
opportunity to infinuate that the Scheme of an union of 
Vol. XI. No. 757. 
A N D. 32Q 
Ireland to Great Britain was in contemplation. Inflamed 
by the report that their country was to be deprived of its 
parliament, and fubjeCled to the fame taxes a^ England, 
the populace of Dublin forced their way into the houfe of 
lords; Seated an old woman on the throne; fought, but 
in vain, for the journals, which they would have burned; 
forced fuch of the members of both houfes as they could 
find, to Swear that they Would never confent to an union; 
deftroyed the coaches, and killed the horfes, of Some ob¬ 
noxious perlons ; and erefled a gibbet for one gentleman, 
who fortunately efcaped their fury. The garrifon was 
under arms to overawe the rioters, who at night difperfed 
of them Selves. 
The profeflions of loyalty made by the catholics were 
feafonable at this time, when the kingdom was threatened 
with a formidable invafion from France. In this meafure 
three Squadrons were defigned to co-operate. While de 
la Clue and Conflans, each with a powerful armament, 
were to proceed from Toulon and Breft, a little Squadron 
of frigates was to caufe a diverlion, by alarming the north¬ 
ern coafts of Ireland. The two former being met and de¬ 
feated by admirals Bofcawen and Hawke, the latter alone 
reached the place of its deftination. The armament con¬ 
fided originally of five Ihips ; one of 48 guns, two of 36, 
and two of 24; having on-board a body of 1270 land- 
forces. They were commanded by the celebrated Thurot, 
whofe reputation, as captain of a privateer, had advanced 
him to this dignity. The Squadron, however, was driven, 
by adverfe winds to Gottenburgh ; where having conti¬ 
nued a few days, they again Set foil. On their arrival off 
the coaft of Ireland, they were obliged to ftielter themfelves 
in Lough Foyle from a violent ftorm which again over¬ 
took them. The wind, however, having drifted, and con¬ 
tinuing to blow tempeftuoufly, they were obliged to keep 
out to fea. Two of the Ships were thus Separated from 
the reft by the violence of the llorm, and returned to 
France; but the remaining three direfted their courfe 
to the ifland of Ilay, where they anchored; and, having 
repaired their damages, took in a fupply of provisions, 
and thence failed to Carrickfergus. 
In the mean time, an officer belonging to the fmall 
number of troops at that time in Carrickfergus took poll 
on a rifing ground, with an advanced party, to obferve the 
motions of the enemy. A Ikirmifh enfued betwixt this 
party and Thurot’s men, until the former, having expend¬ 
ed all their ammunition, were obliged to retire into the 
town. Having in vain attempted to prevent the enemy 
from taking poffefflon of it, the Britifh troops Ihut them¬ 
felves up in the caftle, where they were foon obliged to 
capitulate, after having killed about one hundred of their 
enemies, with the lofs of only three on their own part. 
The French, having plundered the town, fet fail on the 
26th of February; and three days after were all taken, 
by captain Elliot, Thurot himfelf being killed in the 
engagement. 
Soon after the acceffion of George III. Ireland firft be¬ 
gan to be dilturbed by a banditti who ftyled themfelves 
White Boys-, and, as thefe were generally of the Roririfh 
perfuafion, the prejudices againft that feft broke forth in 
the ufual manner. A plot was alleged to have been formed 
againft government; French and Spanifli emiffaries to have 
been fent over to Ireland, and actually to be employed to 
aftift in carrying it into execution. The real caufe of 
this commotion, however, was as follows : About the year 
1739 the murrain broke out among the horned cattle in 
the duchy of Holltein, whence it foon after fpread through 
the other parts of Germany. From Germany it reached 
Holland, whence it was carried over to England, where 
it raged with great violence for a number of years. The 
mitigation of the penal laws againft the papifts about this 
time encouraged the natives of the South of Ireland to 
turn their thoughts towards agriculture, and the poor be¬ 
gan to enjoy the neceffaries of life in a comfortable man¬ 
ner. A foreign demand for beef and butter, however, 
having become uncommonly great, by reaifon of the cattl’e- 
4 P . diftemner 
