mies, and applauded by the friends of that gentleman, than any thing that ever came from his mouth. Soon after that answer had been given, the Whig club, of which the leading friends and supporters of earl Fitzwilliam's administrations were members, published the following declara "To be thus loved and admired, is surely an enviable distinction. It may "not, perhaps, be sufficient to preserve or purchase station and power at "court, but to a well formed mind it is a source of purer satisfaction, than "the favour and protection even of monarchs or their ministers. "Few men have had it in their power to do so much for their native land as "you have done for Ireland. When you first entered into public life, garrison ha"bits, and provincial prejudices were opposed to Irish interests and feelings; "and what was still more discouraging, the different descriptions of people "in this country, far from being to meet in a common point for their mutual "advantage, were kept asunder by perverse and unintelligible antipathies of a "religious nature. Into this chaos of contradiction you infused your spirit, and brought order in some measure out of confusion. "The first effort of your eloquence, was to rouse the Irish parliament to "assert its own independence; and notwithstanding the habits of subjection "which particular causes had induced, you were successful. "At present you are engaged in a pursuit equally honourable to your head, "and still more to your heart. As mover of the Catholic bill, you are endeavouring to inculcate the necessity of moderation and justice, where you before inspired courage; and urging men who triumphed over foreign su premacy, to an act of much greater dignity and difficulty, a sacrifice of the "prejudices of their youth and education. "In this work, so full of genius and public spirit, and which goes to the "creation of a people, as your former exertions went to the forming a consti"tution, you have already made considerable progress; and when you and your "illustrious friends were called to the councils of a virtuous viceroy, we looked "with confidence to the accomplishment of your patriotic intentions. "Some enemy, however, to the king and to the people, has interposed his "malignant and wicked suggestions, and endeavoured to throw obstacles in "the way of our total emancipation. But we are far from giving way to sen"timents of despondency and alarm. We feel the justice of our pretensions; "and we are persuaded that what is just will prevail over the arts of perfidy "and falsehood. "What gives us the most sensible satisfaction, is the general union of sen"timent that pervades all ranks and descriptions of Irishmen on the present "occasion. Never before did Ireland speak with a voice so unanimous. Pro"testants and Catholics are at this moment united, and seem to have no other contest, but who shall resent most the outrage that has been offered to Irish pride, in the intended removal of a patriotic viceroy from the government, "and you and your friends from the councils of this kingdom. "For our own part, it shall be our study to cultivate an union so happily begun. We have no selfish or narrow views. We do not wish to acquire pri"vileges for ourselves in order to abridge the privileges of others; for we "know that in matters of liberty and constitution, to give is to gain. "With regard to the men who may have the hardihood to take the situa"tions, which you and your friends are about to lay down, if unfortunately for "this country such an event should happen, we shall only say, that we do not "envy them the sensations which they must take up at the same time; that "man's temper must be of steel, who can hold up his head amidst the hisses "of a betrayed and irritated nation. "As to you and your friends, your departure from power will not disturb "the serenity of your minds. The veneration and gratitude of the people will tion and resolution: The Whig club at this interesting pe"riod, deems it proper to declare its concurrence in sentiment "with the several counties, cities and meetings, with expres"sing their regret at the departure of earl Fitzwilliam from the "attend you in retirement, and will preserve you from reflections, which must "be the portion of those who may be your dismal and melancholy successors. Signed by order. "THOMAS BRAUGHALL, Secretaries." To which Mr. GRATTAN was pleased to return the following answer. "IN supporting you, I support the Protestant; we have but one interest and one honour; and whoever gives privileges to you, gives vigour to all. The Protestant already begins to perceive it: a late attack rallied "the scattered spirits of the country from the folly of religious schism to the "recollection of national honour, and a nation's feuds are lost in a nation's re sentment. Your emancipation will pass, rely on it; your emancipation must "pass: it may be death to one viceroy-it will be the peace offering of another; " and the laurel may be torn from the dead brow of one governor, to be craftily converted into the olive of his successor. "Let me advise you by no means to postpone the consideration of your for. "tunes till after the war: rather let Britain receive the benefits of your zeal "during the exigency which demands it; and you yourselves, while you are "fighting to preserve the blessings of a constitution, have really and bona fide "those blessings. "My wish is, that you may be free now: there is no other policy which is not low and little : let us at once instantly embrace and greatly emancipate : "On this principle I mean to introduce your bill, with your permission, im"mediately after the recess. "You are pleased to speak of the confidence and power with which for a "moment I was supposed to have been possessed. "When his majesty's ministers were pleased to resort to our support, they "took us with the incumbrance of our reputation, and with all our debts and "mortgages which we owed to our country. "To have accepted a share of a confidence and council without a view to "private advantage, will not meet I hope with the disapprobation of my coun"try; but to have accepted that share without any view to public advantage, "would have been refinement of the folly of ambition. Measures, therefore, public measures and arrangements, and that which is now disputed, were "stipulated by us-were promised in one quarter, and with assurances they "were not resisted in another. "In the service of government, under his excellency's administration, we "directed our attention to two great objects, the kingdom and the empire. "We obtained certain beneficial laws-the discovery and reformation of cer"tain abuses, and were in progress to reform more; we obtained a great force "and a great supply, with the consent and confidence of the people. These "were not the measures of courtiers-they were the measures of ministers. "His excellency, lord Fitzwilliam, may boast that he offered to the empire "the affections of millions, a better aid to the war than his enemies can fur"nish, who have forfeited those affections, and put themselves in their place. "So decidedly have the measures of Ireland served the empire, that those who "were concerned in them, might appeal from the cabals of the British cabinet "to the sense of the British nation. I know of no cause afforded for the dis"pleasure of the British cabinet; but if services done to Ireland are crimes "which cannot be atoned for by exertions for the empire, I must lament the "gloomy prospects of both kingdoms, and receive a discharge from the ser VOL. IV. X "government of this country, have manifested their anxiety for "the reform of abuses, and the union of the people of all de"scriptions; and have also remonstrated against the re-establish"ment of the old system of violence and venality, necessarily "attendant on the return into power of the authors of that sysThe Whig club returns its unanimous thanks to Mr. "Grattan, for his manly, seasonable, and constitutional answer "to the address of the Roman Catholics of Dublin. ❝ tem. "(Signed) THOMAS CONOLLY, Sec'y." Addresses and resolutions were daily multiplied from different bodies of Roman Catholics, who not content with having addressed his majesty, his vicegerent, and parliament, now addressed particular characters of extraordinary influence or supposed power in the country, as the last resort of this desponding body of men, importuning them to prevent the threatened catastrophe. All however was fruitless. On the 25th of March, 1795, lord Fitzwilliam took his departure from Ireland, when the resentment, grief, and indignation of the public were most strongly marked. It was a day of general gloom: the shops were shut; no business of any kind was transacted, and the whole city put on mourning. His coach was drawn to the water side by some of the most respectable citizens, and cordial sorrow appeared on every countenance. The reception of earl "vice of government as the only honour an English minister can confer on an "Irish subject. conceive the continuance of lord Fitzwilliam is necessary for the prospe rity of this kingdom: his firm integrity is formed to correct, his mild man"ners to reconcile, and his private example to discountenance a progress of vulgar and rapid pollution: if he is to retire, I condole with my country"for myself, the pangs on that occasion, I should feel on rendering up my "small portion of ministerial breath would be little, were it not for the gloomy prospects afforded by those dreadful guardians which are likely to succeed. "I tremble at the return to power of your old task-master; that combination "which galled the country with its tyranny, insulted her by its manners, ex"hausted her by its rapacity, and slandered her by its malice: should such a "combination at once, inflamed as it must be now by the favour of the British "court, and by the reprobation of the Irish people, return to power, I have no hesitation to say, that they will extinguish Ireland, or Ireland must re"move them: it is not your case only, but that of the nation. I find the country already committed in the struggle; I beg to be committed along with "her, and to abide the issues of her fortunes. 66 "I should have expected that there had been a wisdom and faith in some "quarter of another country that would have prevented such catastrophe; "but I know it is no proof of that wisdom, to take the taxes, continue the "abuses, damp the zeal, and dash away the affection of so important a mem ber of the empire as the people of Ireland; and when this country came "forward, cordial and confident with the offering of her treasure and blood, "and resolute to stand or fall with the British nation, it is, I say, no proof of "wisdom nor generosity to select that moment to plant a dagger in her heart. "But whatsoever shall be the event, I will adhere to her interests to the "last moment of my life." Camden, who arrived in Dublin five days after, wore a very different complexion; displeasure appeared generally: many strong traits of disapprobation were exhibited, and some of the populace were so outrageous, that it became necessary to call out a military force in order to quell the disturbances that ensued. Still the rage for meetings and addresses continued. On the 9th of April a most humerous and respectable meeting of the Catholics was had in their chapel in Francis street, to receive the report of their delegates, who had presented their petition at St. James's: when Mr. Keogh reported, that in execution of their mission, they had on the 13th of March presented their petition to his majesty, and had received what was generally termed a gracious reception. That they had afterwards felt it their duty to request an audience with the duke of Portland, the secretary of state for the home department, to receive such information as he should think fit to impart relative to his majesty's determination on the subject of their address. That his grace declined giving any information whatever, save that his majesty had imparted his pleasure thereon to the lord lieutenant, and that he was the proper channel through which that information should pass. Here their mission was determined. Mr. Keogh continued to deliver his sentiments upon the critical situation of affairs, and amongst many strong things, which fell from him, one observation gave particular offence to government. He was not, he said, sorry that the measure had been attempted, though it had been defeated: for it pointed out one fact at least, in which the feelings of every Irishman were interested, and by which the Irish legislature would be roused to a sense of its own dignity. It shewed that the internal regulations of Ireland, to which alone an Irish parliament was competent, were to be previously adjusted by a British cabinet. A very animated debate ensued; in which the speakers emulated each other in enhancing the strength, power, and advantages of Irish union, and some of them like lord Clare, Mr. Conolly, and other gentlemen in parliament, deprecated an union with Great-Britain, to which they saw the present system of measures was obviously directed. Whilst this debate was going on, a very large party of the young men of the college came into the chapel, and were most honourably received. Some of them joined in the debate. They came that hour from presenting an address to Mr. Grattan, to thank and congratulate with him upon his patriotic efforts in the cause of Catholic emancipation, and the reform of those abuses, which had inflamed public indignation, to which Mr. Grattan made an appropriate answer. The freedom of speech used by the gentlemen who The following is the address presented on Thursday the 9th of April, to Mr. Grattan, by the students of the university. took part in this debate, gave no small offence to the old party of the castle, who now considered their permanence in power as irrevocably fixed. The spirit which actuated them in their whole conduct, was a higher sublimation of those principles, to which the marquis of Buckingham had left his majority in the Irish parliament completely broken in. On the other hand, the great majority of the Irish people sympathized with their senti "To the right honourable HENRY GRATTAN. "WE the students of the university of Dublin, entering with the warmest sympathy into the universal feeling and interest of our countrymen, beg "leave to unite our voice with theirs in declaring our admiration of your great ❝and uncommon talents, and a reliance on your steady patriotism and unsha"ken integrity. We have with sorrow beheld the removal of a beloved vice # roy, whose arrival we regarded as the promise of public reform, and his "presence the pledge of general tranquillity. "If this event should be accompanied (as we have reason to apprehend) "by your removal from his majesty's councils in this kingdom, our regret "will have received the last additional circumstance of aggravation, and our "despondency will be complete. Relying, however, on the wisdom and be. nignity of his majesty, we yet entertain a hope, that the nation will not be "deprived of the salutary measures flowing from your councils and advice, "and that the harmony and strength of Ireland will be founded on the solid "basis of Catholic emancipation, and the reform of those grievances which ❝ have inflamed public indignation. "We therefore intreat you to persevere in exerting the full energy of your "splendid talents for the attainment of those objects, which the present alarm"ing posture of affairs and the consenting wishes of the nation so loudly de"mand. "THOMAS MOOR, Chairman. Mr. GRATTAN's Answer. "Ingenuous young men, for this effusion of the heart, I owe you more "than ordinary gratitude, and am proud to sympathize in your native, honest, "and unadulterated impressions. I receive your address as the offering of "the young year, a better garland than the artificial honours of a court: it is "the work of disinterested hands, and the present of uncontaminated hearts. "May that ardour which glows in your breasts long exist, and may the sen"timents which you breathe long prevail; they are founded in principle, en"lightened by letters, and supported by spirit. "The subjects which you mention and recommend I feel and shall pursue. "I larvent the recal of a patriot viceroy. Assisted by men much abler than myself, the reform of that system you condemn, I shall not fail to at"tempt. Bound as I now am to the rising as well as the passing age, and "happy as I shall be, to go on in the service of both. "I join in your fullest wishes for the Catholics, and I feel the important "service, which you now render them, by marking in their favour the senti"ments of the rising generation, doing, at the same time so much honour to "yourselves, when you give, I had almost said, your first vote in favour of "your country. "I am bound to your university by every tie of affection and duty. The "sentiments of your address give me a new and just opportunity of saying to "her, through you, "Esto Perpetua," thou seat of science and mother of vir tue. "I am, with the sincerest regard, "Your most humble servant, |