t 
1802.] 
country 3 and the mob had, for fome time, 
been in the habits of offering perfonal infult 
to thofe whom they fufpe&ted of being ad- 
verfe totheir wifhes, Unawed, however, by 
thefe circumftances, Mr. F. attended only by 
one or two friends, made his way through the 
crowd, reached the huftings, interrupted a 
popular orator in the midft of his harangue, 
told the theriffs that they had aéted illegaily 
in calling the meeting, commanded them to 
leave the chair, and threatened them with an 
informatioa ex officio*, if they prefumed to 
continue in it. He then left the aftonifhed 
affembly, amidft the hiffes of the mob; and 
the fheriffs inftantly diffolved the meeting. 
Hitherto Mr. F, had a&ed with an adminif- 
tration which poffeffed both the power and 
will to reward his exertions. When the 
event of the King’s illnefs, in ¥789, un- 
hinged the Irifh government, he ftood in dif- 
ferent circumftances. On that occafion, a 
majority of the parliament, among whom 
were many of the oldeft fervants of the crown, 
declared for the right of Ireland, as an inde- 
pendent country, to choofe its own regent. 
The Britith cabinet controverted that right, | 
and infifted that the regent chofen by the 
Britith parliament fhould be the regent for both 
countries, Mr. F. though no longer fupported 
by a majority, remained firm to his Englifh 
friends, and refitted, with his wonted bold- 
nefs, not only the voice of the people, but 
what was of more immediate concern, a vaft 
parliamentary majority. ‘The unexpected 
recovery of his Majefty, to Mr. F. certainly 
an happy event, rewarded his fuperior good 
fortune, or his greater forefight ; for, on 
Lord Lifford’s death, he was created a baron, 
and appointed chancellor: it is alfo nota little 
memorable, that he was the firft lrifhman who 
filled that important office! So far as 
refpefted juftice, the country had no rea- 
fon to lament-his appointment, for his a€ti- 
vity and difpatch made  chancery-fuits 
almoft ceafé to be an inheritance, 
banifhed chicane and unneceflary delay from 
his court; and though his decrees may fome- 
times be blamed as premature, the paucity 
of appeals feemed to augur, that all complaint 
on that {core was groundlefs, After his eleva- 
tion to the bench and the peerage, he 
had repeated opportunities of difplaying his 
former fpirit, and exprefiing, with even more 
effet than before, his deteftation of popular 
claims, and particularly that of a reform, 
He fhewed an equal abhorrence of the Ca- 
tholic pretenfions to fhare in the privileges of 
the conftitution. Of their claim to the re- 
prefentative franchife, it it known that he 
was the decided enemy; and though, by the 
paternal regard of his Majefty, and the pru- 
dence of the Britifh cabinet, the conceffion 
of that privilege was recommended to the 
Jrifh legiflature, and adopted in confequence 
———————— ee 
* A profecution without the intervention 
"i ofa grand jury, revived by him, 
Account of the late Earl of Clare. 
He 
283 
of that recommendation, yet his opinion re« 
mained unchanged. With refpe& to fubfe- 
quent claims, the Britifh miniftry paid 
more attention to his advice. During the laté 
unhappy troubles in Ireland, Lord Clare ex 
erted himfelf to intimidate the revolters by. 
threats, and punifh them by ‘coercion. it 
was lately afferted in the Houfe of Commons, 
that his Lordfhip had encouraged the ufe of 
torture 5 but that was loudly denied by one 
of his friends, who maintained that he had 
only excufed it*. Be this as it may, no one 
Was amore ftrenuous or able advocate for the 
Union 3 a meafure that opened a new and 
more fplendid career to the ambition of the 
Chancellor. Called to a feat in the Imperial 
Parliament, he foon acquired the perfonal 
confidence of the Sovereign, and, it has been. 
afferted, that the late changes took, 
place in our cabinet, in confequence of his 
Lordfhip’s averfion to the emancipation of the 
Catholics. During a recent debate, after 
fome ‘ftriétures on the charaéter of a large 
portion of his countrymen, he feconded the 
‘**note of preparation” for the coming battle, 
and appeared ready to engage Mr. Pitt and. 
his adherents, on the grand queftion relative 
to the civil franchifes of the greater part, 
of the Irith nation. His lordfhip had been 
for fome time in a declining ftate of health; 
but latterly, his difeafe aflumed fo alarming 
an afpect, that his phyficians thought proper 
to recommend a more genial climate; and, 
in conformity with this recommendation, he 
had arrived in Dublin from his country feat 
at. Mountfhannon, defigning to proceed im- 
mediately to Bath, or, if his ftrength per- 
mitted, to the fouth of France. The imme- 
diate caufe of his death was the lofs of a 
great quantity of blood while at Mountfhan- 
non, which was followed by fuch extreme, 
weaknefs, that, upon his arrival at Dublin 
on the 25th, there was reafon to fear ‘he 
could not furvive the enfuing day; on Wed- 
nefday thefe alarming appearances increafed 
fo much, that, upon a confultation of phy-. 
ficians, he was given over. Even on being, 
made acquainted with this melancholy truth, 
the firmnefs of his-Lordfhip’s mind did not 
forfake him. To prevent any impediment, 
to the public bufinefs, he dire€ted the new 
law officers to be called, and from his bed ad- 
miniftered to them the neceffary oaths, Soon. 
after, his Lordthip fell into a lethargic flum- 
ber, and continued motionlefs until Thurfday, 
when he. ceafed to breathe. On the 3rft, 
his remains were interred in St. Peter’s, 
church, Dublin; the gentlemen of the 
law, to the number of 600, and 74 of the.no-. 
bility and gentry, making up the proceffion, 
The pall was borne by the Marquis of Ely, 
* See the debates. We hope and believe, 
however, for the honour of human nature, 
that the whole is a grofs mis-ftatement, and 
this appears the more evident from a late 
fpeech of his Lordship. 
the 
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