tions, while they bear to visible a stamp of fincerity and truth, as your addrefs difcovers, muft afford a pleafing earneft of the happy confequences that neceffarily follow from mutual confidence and reciprocal truft among the inhabitants of the fame empire, and manifeft the wisdom of the meature that had led the way to that unity of fentiment and intereft, on which, as on their only folid basis, the ftrength and profperity of nations reft,

"In the faithful discharge of my duty to his Majefty, it fhall be my ftudy to call to my councils those who are diftinguished and known for their wisdom, their integrity, and their talents-and who poffefs the confidence of his Majefty's people. Affifted by their advice, and availing myself of their support, I trust that I fhall be enabled to promote the firft wishes of his Majefty's heart, by fecuring the full and cordial union of all his fubjects, as the fureft means of fecuring their happiness. On your part I fhall rely for correfponding sentiments, and that you will evince, by more than profeffions, that you are determined to make common caufe with a brave, loyal, and free people, in oppofing all the enemies of his Majefty's perfon and government, in guarding against all encroachments on our excellent Conftitution, and in preferving the internal peace and tranquillity of your country."

PROTESTANT DISSENTERS ADDRESS.

To his Excellency WILLIAM FITZWILLIAM, Earl FITZWILLIAM, Lord Lieutenant General, and General Governor of Ireland.

"May it please your Excellency,

"We beg leave, in the name, and by the appointment of his Majesty's dutiful and loyal fubjects, the Proteftant

Diffenters

Diffenters of Ireland, to prefent our finçere congratulations. to your Excellency on your fafe arrival in this kingdom.While we approach your Excellency with peculiar fatisfaction, as the approved friend of civil and religious liberty, and the inheritor of the virtues of your illuftrious kinfman, the late Marquis of Rockingham, we cannot but deem your Excellency's appointment to the high ftation you now hold, a distinguished mark of his Majesty's paternal regard for the interefts of this country."

Deriving from our ancestors a high and facred veneration for the principles of the glorious revolution, which placed the auguft house of Hanover on the Throne of thefe kingdoms, we humbly truft that our conduct will on every occafion fecure your Excellency's favourable reprefentation of our affectionate and fteady attachment to the perfon, family, and government of our most gracious Sovereign."

"Permit us to exprefs our conviction that your Excellency's administration will be directed by that enlightened wif dom which cannot fail to promote the true dignity of his Majefty's Crown, and your Excellency's highest honour, as infeparable from the real welfare, profperity and happinefs of Ireland."

To which his Excellency was pleafed to return the following Answer:

"Gentlemen,

"It is with peculiar fatisfaction I receive this address from the Proteftant Diffenters of the kingdom of Ireland."

"Whoever reveres the Conftitution or values the liberties, which the fubjects of the British empire fo fingularly en

joy,

joy, muft recollect with pleasure, that at a moment of moft fignal danger to both, when from the intrigues and machinations of France, this kingdom was involved in all the horrors of civil war, it was to the dauntless spirit and the perfevering efforts of the Proteftant Diffenters, that it was, in a great measure, indebted, for their preferva

tion."

"I give you full credit for your profeffions of attachment to the person, family and government of our most gracious Sovereign, and for the high and facred veneration, which you express for the principles that placed his august family on the Throne, as guardians, under Providence, of our rights and liberties; and I am perfuaded, that now, when these rights and these liberties are, as in the days of your ancestors, threatened and endangered by the fame restless enemy though under different difguifes, you will enable me by your conduct to represent you to his Majesty, as cordially uniting with every other description of his Majesty's fubjects of this kingdom in defending the rights of his Crown, and in fecuring the bleflings which we all enjoy under his most auspicious reign."

"As to myself, perfonally, you have indeed gratified the best and deareft feelings of my heart, by calling to my recollection and propofing to my imitation the revered kinfman, under whofe eye I have been brought up, and by whofe precepts, my principles and opinions have been formed."

"The interests of this kingdom, occupied at all times a principal plan in his cares; and it fhall be my peculiar ftudy, during the course of my administration, to enable her to enjoy in quiet and tranquillity the bleffings of that conftitution which it was the last act of his life to fecure to her."

From

From the character, difpofition and abilities of Earl Fitzwilliam, the most zealous hopes were entertained, that all ground of internal differences would be done away, that a comple at emancipation of the Roman Catholics. would take place, and that Irish freedom and national unanimity would be established on a happy and permanent basis.

This expectation however, was foon difappointedthe removal of that nobleman was fuddenly determined on, and he furrendered the government of this country, taking his departure from it on 25th March.

No fooner was the intention of their change discovered, than he received addreffes from almost every corporate body in the kingdom :-and remonftrances against it were even carried to the foot of the Throne. The limits of

this work, will not admit an infertion of all the refolutions and addreffes, entered into and framed on this occafion -the following proceedings may, nevertheless, fufficiently evince the public opinion, and serve as an abridgement of what occurred upon that fubject.

At a numerous and respectable meeting of the freemen and freeholders of the city of Dublin, convened by public notice at the Royal Exchange, on Friday 6th February, 1795. Alderman Henry Howison, in the Chair,

The following refolutions were unanimously agreed to:

That this meeting humbly petition the King's most excellent Majefty, praying that he will permit his dutiful and loyal fubjects, the freemen and freeholders of the city of Dublin, to lay before the Throne, their fincere profeffions of the warmest and moft unalterable attachment to his Majelty's perfon, family, and government, and with hearts impreffed with the most grateful fenfations for the many

distinguished marks of paternal regard and attention which his Majesty has from time to time conferred on us and our country, humbly now to implore his royal favour and protection."

L

"That amongst the numerous inftances of his Majefty's beneficence to his Irish fubjects, we have been peculiarly affected by his appointment of the Earl Fitzwilliam to the chief government of this kingdom, a nobleman endowed with thofe public and private virtues which peculiarly fitted him to become the reprefentative of his Majefty, in prefiding over a free and loyal nation, and that we looked to his administration as to a period in which Ireland was to enjoy contentment and profperity."

"That we were induced to anticipate this happy consequence from Earl Fitzwilliam's administration, by obferving that he had called to his councils and confidence, those perfons who had ever acted as the true friends of their King, country, and the conftitution, and whose mcafures tended uniformly to promote the infeparable interest of his Majefty and his people.

"That on this occafion we fondly hoped, that a little time would have completed the happy union of all his Majesty's fubjects, by the removal of those civil diftinctions, arifing from differences in religious opinions; that a due and effectual investigation would take place of those abuses which time and corruption had introduced into public offices and expenditure; and that fuch falutary measures would be adopted as might fecure his people from oppreffion, and perpetuate their attachment to the conftitution."

"That these, our pleafing expectations, being fufpended, by an apprehenfion of the fudden removal of the Earl Fitzwilliam from the government-we fear from the utmoft anxiety a return of councils and measures, which

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