PROCLAMATION to the IRISH NATION. AT various periods you have manifefted your horror of that flavery to which the ambition of England has reduced you; and notwithstanding your natural bravery, your efforts to shake off the yoke have been unfuccefsful, and defeated by the arts and perfidy of the English Minifter, who, employing all the means of corruption, has always fpread divifion among your leaders, and fucceeded, by their treachery and difunion, in preferving the chains by which you are fettered. At prefent, when the glorious and ever memorable Revolution of France has rekindled the facred flame of the love of liberty, which tyranny had in vain endeavoured to extinguish in your hearts, your Secret Central Revolutionary Committee juftly thought itfelf bound to profit by the moment, when the arms of France, every where triumphant, enabled her to lend affistance to Ireland, in order to recover her ancient independence. In the hope of obtaining it, the Committee applied to the Executive Power of the French Republic, gave the moft pofitive affurances of the difpofition which an immenfe majority of the Irish felt again to become a free people. It at the fame time communicated the measures long fince taken in filence, and for the fuccefs of which nothing was wanting but the arrival of a French army, with arms and warlike ftores; and affurances that, immediately upon that event, all the patriots able to ferve would flock to the French ftandard, and foon expel the English and their partizans from the Irish territories. This affecting reprefentation of your fituation, and of your wishes, made by your Secret Committee; its petition for affift ance, prefented in the name of the whole nation, having excited in the minds of all French Republicans thofe fentiments of generofity and kindness, which they delight to beflow upon nations which are oppreffed; the Executive Power refolved to afford you its aid, in a manner calculated to fulfil your moll fanguine hopes. For this purpose I have landed upon your fhores at the head of an army of Republicans, accustomed to victory under their com mander. We prefent ourselves as fincere and zealous friends of all those who fhall efpoufe the caufe of liberty; and we are only ambitious of the glory of breaking your chains, and punishing your tyrants. It is no longer the ftruggle between the Houfes of Hanover and Stuart; the one to continue, the other to become again a defpot. Free men fight only to maintain equality of rights, and deteft even the very name of mafter. Convinced that you share with us thefe noble fentiments, we offer you our hands and our hearts for the re-establishment of your national dignity, by the free choice you shall make of a form of Government fitted to fecure the duration of your independence, uncontrolled liberty to declare your opinion with refpect to men and measures. We will guide your reprefentatives in their labours to accomplish your views; 8 B 2 the the publicity which you will give to their deliberations will prevent error; the order and tranquillity which I will affift you to maintain, will guard you against the violence of enthufiafm, fometimes more dangerous than the attempts of difaffection. The example of other nations, the experience obtained by their various attempts, every thing promifes you a happiness which has been dearly purchafed by your friends, and which they have the generofity to offer you, on the fingle condition that you will de clare yourselves with the firmnefs suitable to, and worthy of, a nation confifting of four millious of people. There is not certainly a fingle Irifhman of information, who is not aware of the advantages to be derived from his geographical fituation, from the population of his country, and the fertility of its foil; from the activity, ftrength, and courage of its inhabitants, and from the numbers, the excellence, and the happy fituation of its harbours. His indignation must then be excited to the highest pitch, when he contemplates the dreadful wretchedness of the very great majority of his countrymen, and reflects that nature has lavished her benefits on him in vain, if he cannot control the mischiefs of the fyftematic tyranny of the English Government, feated in the heart of cruel Albion. It is indeed in confequence of this ufurping fpirit, that England has fucceffively been able to paralize all the phyfical and moral refources of Ireland. The policy of England has conftantly nurtured the feeds of animofity and diftruft between the different religious fects, whofe fanaticifm, excited and directed by the Court of London, prevented the force of Ireland from rallying against the common enemy. From this difunion arofe the facility of treating the Irish like flaves, by excluding them from all employments, civil, military, and ecclefiaftic. By this arrangement alone the nation foon becomes the prey of a handful of Proteftant ftrangers; creatures devoted to the Machiavelifm and to the rapine of the English Government. Thefe fatellites of defpotifm, by means of plunder and injuftice exercised upon your ancestors and yourselves, have become almost the only poffeffors of the landed property of your country, the rent of which being carried to England, configns you to the most wretched indigence; and from a dread left your industrious activity fhould enable you to rife above this oppreffion, the act of navigation was employed to complete the preffure, and to deprive you of every means of forming a navy. The abfolute nullity of national reprefentation in your Parlia ment, allows you no hope of a red refs of your grievances. The prohibitions to acquire a property in land, and to grant leases of long duration (prohibitions which have but recently undergone fome flight modifications) have compelled the greatest part of the farmers to become the day labourers and fervants of the ufurpers of their ancestors' eftates. By the feverity of the laws, laws, by the want of the means, you are deprived of the power of educating your children. In a word, barbarity has been car ried to fuch a length, that you are even prohibited to use the language of your forefathers. To this sketch of the picture of your wretchedness, and the fpectacle which prefents itfelf to paffengers in the streets of London, where crowds of Irishmen, defcended from the mot antient families of a formerly flourishing country, are compelled day and night to earn a fubfiftence by the meanest occupations, and are inceffantly overwhelmed by the infolent popu Lace of that inhofpitable land with humiliations and reproaches. Compare now with thefe melancholy truths the certain means: which I bring you (if you have courage for the attempt) of obtaining an independent form of Government, calculated to promote your higheft interefts, without any limits to its authority but impoffibility itself, or the wish of the people, reftored to their fovereignty. A fraternal toleration of all religions, which, laying afide thofe animofities which refult from religious opinions, will preserve you from the perfidious machinations of England, of which you, Prefbyterians and Catholics, have been alternately the fport. Confider in this new order of things, how much your union for your common happiness will fupply means of every kind to enable you to refit those who fhould dare attempt to disturb your tranquillity. Endeavour to afcertain the refources which you may derive from a population abounding in men of genius and courage; from a foil fertile in all the neceffaries of life; from an active and well directed induftry; from the certain and various conveniences you poffefs for foreign commerce. What an increase of ftrength will you derive from the many inhabitants which your liberty and your advantages will not only retain in your land, but will recall from the United States of America, to which they had retired through mifery and oppreffion. The abolition of all privileges and diftinctions, by affording to every individual the hope of attaining, by his talents and his virtues, the principal dignities of the State, will diffuse through every profeffion that falutary thirt of glory which multiplies great men. Your national reprefentation will then confift of perfons of the firft merit. In a word, a Conftitution freely chofen, which you will have, adapted in every refpect to what your fituation requires, will completely confolidate for ever your political exiftence, while it establishes your independence. Such and many more, O People of Ireland, are the advantages of the Liberty and Equality which the generofity of French Republicans offers you by me, and which the zeal and intrepidity of my companions in arms will infure to you. The power with which I am invested, authorifing me to make and iffue fuch regulations as shall appear most useful for the fuccefs of this noble undertaking, I am going, by the firft inftance in which I exercife it, to deftroy all poffibility of uneafinefs, which ill-difpofed perfons would endeavour to infpire into minds apprehenfive of the conduct which the brave army I have the honour to command might purfue towards the inhabitants during the period they fhall remain in the country. I therefore folemnly declare, that every violation of liberty of perfon and property, all difrefpect for the religion and authority legally conftituted by the good people of Ireland, fhall be punished with death, within four-and-twenty hours after the arrest of the offenders, whatever may be their quality or condition; and that order and difcipline fhall be inforced under the fevereft penalties. Banifh therefore, as you ought, all uneafinefs refpecting what might appear to you a fubject of difquietude. I flatter myfelf that I shall meet with, on your parts, all the zeal and affiftance which my operations will require. I am confident that all fincere friends of the happiness of Ireland, who may be able to bear arms for the defence of the caufe, will flock to the Republican ftandard, where they fhall immediately be furnished with arms, and that they will fpeedily co-operate with my exertions to compel the common enemy from your territory. Upon the celeity of this junction will effentially depend the effufion of blood, which you will on all occafions find me defirous to spare. I will take care that exact registers fhall be kept of the chriftian and furnames of perfons, as well of the time of their arrival, with memoranda of the degree of zeal which they fhall have displayed, in order that in the diftribution of the property which shall be confifcated from the enemy, the fricteft juftice may regulate its partition, according to the merit of each individual. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Mr. Rickett's divorce bill was read a fecond time, and ordered to be committed to a Committee of the whole Houfe on Thursday fe'nnight. Mr. Wallace moved-That there be laid before the Houfe an account of the quantity of copper purchased for the use of his Majefty's navy fince the year 1788, to the prefent period, diftinguishing the price at each year.-Ordered. Lord Hawkesbury faid, he was defired by his Right Hon. Friend (Mr. Ryder), who was unavoidably abfent, to move, that the order of the day for the fecond reading of the bill to prohibit the exportation of copper, be poftponed from Thursday to Monday next. He therefore moved, that the order be read, which being done, and the order difcharged, the bill was ordered to be read a fecond time on Monday next. Mr. Mr. Williams faid, he had given notice, that early after the holidays, he fhould move for a Committee to enquire into the ftate of the copper mines, &c. He faid he should make that motion on Thurfday next. Mr. W. Dundas gave notice, that he fhould move for leave to bring in a bill to explain and amend the last Act of Parliament relative to the land-tax in Scotland. Mr. Long moved, that a new writ be iffued for Harwich, in the room of Richard Hopkins, Efq. deceased. The Lord Advocate of Scotland gave notice that on Friday next he should move for leave to bring in a bill, the purport of which we understood to be, that of amending that part of the Law of Scotland which relates to the cafes of perfons charged with feditious practices, particularly with regard to the time of finding the indictment and the day of trial. The Scotch Distillery bill paffed a Committee of the whole House, and the report was ordered to be received to-morrow, on the motion of Mr. Rofe. The fecond reading of the Rochefter Theatre bill was de ferred to Wednesday the 24th inft. on the motion of Sir W. Geary. Deferred until to-morrow the further confideration of the report of the Militia Reduction bill, and the report of the India Finance, &c. Deferred to Thursday the order of the Attorney's Clerks' Indentures. Adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS. UNION WITH IRELAND. Lord Grenville rose to move that the order for having their Lordships fummoned to attend to-morrow, further to confider of the propofed Union between Ireland and Great Britain, be discharged, and that their Lordships be fummoned for Thursday fe'nnight, to take that important queftion into confideration. His Lordship, after taking a short retrospect of the topics that had already been difcuffed, when this fubject was first under difcuffion, obferved that for a variety of reasons he was rather averfe to resuming that question on fo early a day as to-morrow. It was a measure which the more deeply it was confidered, the more cordially would it be approved; and, as fuch, it could fuffer nothing from a fhort delay. Befides, the House was deprived of the acutenefs and information of the learned Lord who ufually prefided in that House. Indifpofition |