corps, and the corps that appointed that committee-the committee of the Catholics, their late convention, and all the Catholics who appointed that committee, that is the whole Catholic body, offenders-men guilty of an unlawful affembly, and this moment liable to be profecuted ?-For fo much has the bill in object, not the peace of the country, but reflection on great bodies, and the gratification of fpleen at the expence of the constitution, by voting false doctrine into law, and the brighteft paffages of your hiftory into unlawful affemblies.

Gentlemen have conceived this bill an expedient to quell the infurgents; let them read the bill. It is not a riot act ; the riot act seemed forgotten until a friend of mine put it into his temporary ftatute bill; it does not go against riots that are, but conventions that are not. The title of the bill as firft brought in, was to prevent riots and tumults arifing from conventions; but as the bill had nothing to fay to riots, and no riots appeared to have arifen from conventions, fuch title was in decency dropped, and the real object of the bill profeffed-an act against conventions.

The bill, therefore, neither is, nor profeffes to be a bill against riots; it is only an expedient against conventions, and only an expedient for peace, as far as conventions now difturb it; Sir, there are none.

But gentlemen fay, a national convention at Athlone was intended. Sir, I do believe that such a one was intended fome time ago, and that now it is not fo; or, if now intended, that it would be trifling and contemptible. But if that is the object of the bill, direct the bill to that object, Do not extend the bill to every delegation from any county, city, town, district, from any description of any number of

his

his Majefty's fubjects appointed to procure redress in any abuse relating to church or flate. My objection to your bill is, that it is a trick-making a supposed national conventioni at Athlone in 1793, a pretext for preventing delegation for

ever.

I have already faid, that fuch a meeting as was invited to affemble at Athlone should be withftood. I know not what fuch meeting would be, except from the fummonfes read by gentlemen in this Houfe, and fuch a meeting, I repeat it, as would affemble pursuant to fuch fummonfes, with fuch a view, and under all the circumstances held out, should be withflood-for fuch a meeting would not be an affembly to promote the reform of parliament, but to put itself in the place of parliament :-But does it follow, therefore, that the people fhould lofe the power of delegation for ever ?—I acknowledge the people retain their right to hold fuch primary affemblies, as meet in the aggregate; but do not we know that fuch meetings have been inefficacious-the object not of your refpect, but of the courtiers fcorn and ridicule; and, therefore, the people have reforted to delegates who have given to their wishes concert and effect; and, therefore, I fear it is, that a bill has been introduced when parliamentary reform is in contemplation, to prevent fuch delegation, leaving to the people fuch popular meetings as gentlemen flatter themselves cannot have any popular effect.

My apprehenfion, therefore, is, that the fuppofed meeting at Athlone is a pretence, and that the real object of this bill is to prevent in future all popular effect whatsoever, particularly now, when reform has been propofed in this House, a measure offenfive to all men who dislike the people-offenfive to most of those who diflike the Catholics, and deteftable to thofe men who hate both. Does it follow,

because

because the fuppofed national convention at Athlone should be prevented, that all committees of correfpondence on the fubject of redrefs fhould be put down for ever? No County, no city, no defcription of men can delegate a few individuals to concert the most legal and effectual method of procuring in an acknowledged abuse a temperate remedy.

I am against this bill, because it is not confined to the fuppofed convention, but is levelled against all popular delegation in all time to come; and as I was against the exceffes of fome of the people which shook the principles of Government, fo am I now against exceffes on the other fide, which attack the principles of liberty. I confider the bill as one excefs reforming another-as the violence of one fide attacking the conftitution, as that of the other did the government: It seems to me to be compounded of a diflike to the people in general, and the Catholics in particulara concern at past acquifition, and a present apprehenfion of the reform of parliament: it avails itself of the present panic to abridge popular rights, and it finds support in fanguine but weak minds, who know there is a difeafe, but have not fenfe enough to difcover the remedy, and think that a convention bill is to restore us all to peace; who think, that in time of local difturbance, the remedy is a bill, not against the particular disturbance, but against liberty and the people.

་

I must repeat my conviction against this bill, and beg to refort to the memories of gentlemen wherein to depofit my entire difapprobation of this measure.

Major Doyle, in a speech of much conciliation, expreffed his regret that any measure should be brought forward at this time, which was likely to create a difference of opinion ;-for furely nothing could tend more to the public tran

quillity,

quillity, and of courfe to the fecurity of Government, than that the feffion fhould have clofed with the moft perfect unanimity; and the people be impreffed with the idea, that the measures of Government were fuch as met the approbation of those who did not ufually concur with the minifter. He faid, it had been candidly admitted from the treasury bench, that oppofition, as it was generally called, had fhewn, during the feffion, every wish to ftrengthen and support the Government of the country, in the prefervation of the public peace. He would fay for himself, and those with whom he had the honour to act, that they would be always found ready to give every ftrength to the executive Government, that did not trench upon the juft rights and, privileges of the people.

With refpect to the bill, he faid, if it were fo diftinctly. defined as to attach folely to the object it profeffed to meet, namely, the national convention at Athlone, it should have his decided approbation.-But, in its prefent ftate, he thought it too loofe and undefined, and likely (without fome modification) to raise doubts and fears in the minds of the moft peaceable and well-difpofed fubjects. The bill muft have reference either to the Catholic convention, which is past-the riots and tumults which at present exift or to the national convention to meet hereafter.

With refpect to the first (the Catholic Convention) I regret, faid he, the manner in which it has been introduced into the debate. By affuming that that affembly is the fource of this measure, what object can you propofe to yourfelves? Do you mean by innuendo to cenfure the benignity which has flowed from the throne, at the prayer of that very convention, which the bill by implication ftigmatizes? -Will you, by a fentence grounded upon novel and ex poft facto declarations of law, condemn an affembly whose pro

ceedings

1

ceedings you have already fo far approved, that you have admitted their prayer, and ratified its juftice, by the immunities which you in confequence bestowed, and observe, that this fentence is paffed against an affembly no longer exifting, for it fpontaneously diffolved itfelf? Now, Sir, it either was, or it. was not, illegal; if it were illegal, parliament was the caufe of the illegality, you drove the Catholics to a convention, you refused their original petition, affigned as the reason, "that the framers of it affected to fpeak the sentiments of the whole body, without having been duly deputed."

A

To obviate your objection, they had recourse to fyftematic delegation, and thus formed the convention; but if it were illegal you should have punished it; do you do fo? No; you rewarded it, by attending to its prayer. If thus you legalize it, how can the neceffity for the present bill be juftified by a reference to the illegality of that meeting? No, Sir, as to the prefent tumults, no man can more de plore them. I lament exceedingly the fate of those deluded people who have fallen victims to the juft vengeance of the laws. But why fearch for distant reasons when an obvious one prefents itself.-A new experiment has been tried, in the formation of a national militia. Certainly there can be no more conftitutional force; but unfortu nately the ignorant peafantry have not had time to know its value; and as ignorance is always fufpicious, they view that establishment as an object of terror, which upon experience they will find their beft fecurity. I feel the more juftified in attributing the prefent difgraceful tumults to the misconception of the people on this fubject rather than to politics or religion, when I reflect the very fame effects were produced by the introduction of the militia act in England, many lives were loft on that occafion, and feveral counties in that kingdom were for many years without carrying