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bring her captain to account after the danger is over. Let us, in cafe of invafion, confider not who is the Minister, but who is the enemy." This, Sir, was his language, and it ftamps immortal honour upon him. I have differed from him upon many political points; I have not the happiness of being intimately acquainted with him, but I admire and venerate his conduct. I with those by whom he has been attacked would give us the benefit of fo good and noble an example. I move, Sir, for leave to bring in a bill, for the fuppreffion of rebellion in Ireland, and for the protection of the perfons and property of his Majefty's faithful fubjects there.

Mr. Windham faid, he wished to fuggeft the real fituation in which the Houfe was placed. Whether the measure was right or wrong, he should not attempt to pronounce. He must take it on the reprefentation and knowledge of his Majefty's Minifters, who themselves had taken it from the representation and knowledge of others. He thought it a measure too strong to be taken on the authority of fuch information. As the queftion ftood, martial law was to be eftablished in Ireland, because the right hon. Gentleman, for reasons which he could not declare, told the House it was neceffary. From this circumftance he might derive a juftification of what he faid before, for every twenty-four hours might bring fomething. It would be defirable that fome further information thould be given. All that was known was, that an infurrection had broken out in the country. It was a circumftance worthy of reflection, that the perfons on whofe authority they were to rely for the neceffity of the meature propofed, were the very Ministers by whom the last acts had been repealed. It was very remarkable, that they who, at no very diftant period, repealed the acts, fhould now defire the Houfe to renew them. When the House was not allowed a moment to deliberate, it naturally created doubt. Perhaps it was the repeal of the acts that hadcreated the neceffity for renewing of them. The hon. Gentleman proceeded in a state of irony to obferve upon the eulogiums of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mr. Sheridan in favour of each other.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in explanation, stated, that the Government of Ireland had not repealed the acts after the peace, but had fuffered them to expire.

Mr. Sheridan faid he was not infenfible of the eulogium, of which the right hon. Gentleman (Mr. Windham) re

minded him, but was highly flattered by it. The right hon. Gentleman, on a former occafion, had faid fomething of his (Mr. Sheridan's) fpeaking at one fide of the House: the right hen. Gentleman, however, had, he believed, himfelf been upon all fides of the Houfe. First, he fat on the bench near him, then creffed the House and fat as long as he would be allowed upon the treafury bench; then, by a diagonal movement, he croffed the Houfe, to the bench where he now fat, and where he was pretty likely to continue (loud laughter). The right hon. Gentleman (continued Mr. Sheridan) has talked of eulogies, but he cannot charge me with being much in the habit of complimenting Minifters, not even himself or his colleagues in office; neither can he charge me with calling the prefent Minifters by opprobrious names-fuch as fil by dow'as, and afterwards wrapping myself in a skirt of that dowlas. On whatever fide of the argument I may have fpoken in this House, I defy, and challenge the right hon. Gentleman, and those with whom he acts, to point out in my political life a fingle act of inconfiftency. I never deferted a private friend, a political connection, or sentiment; nor did I ever regret a vote I gave in this Houfe but one, and that was for the indemnity of the right hon. Gentleman and his colleagues in office. It is certain that I have, on many occafions, given my fupport to his Majefty's prefent Minifters; but it was because I thought they acted like honeft men, to the best of their opinions and abilities, for the good of their country. So long as they continue to act fo, they fhall have my feeble fupport to the belt of my power; but it fhall be perfectly independent, and perfectly difinterested ; and equally regardless of cenfure or praife from the right hon. Gentleman, or his colleagues in or out of office. thall continue to act as I always have done, with the best of my zeal for my King and country; that country which I believe, from the bottom of my foul, contains within it the beft, the worthieft, and the happiest community on the face of this globe!

I

Mr. Hawthorn fupported the motion, because he thought the measure would be productive of moft falutary effects in the hands of that illuftrious nobleman now at the head of the Government in Ireland, whofe conduct he had long witneffed with admiration, and which, he was convinced, was calculated to conciliate the affections, and better the condition of the people of Ireland; and which he believed it had done in a very confiderable degree, particularly in that

part

part of the country where he lived; and he was of opinion, that, notwithstanding the partial inftance of infurrection and horrid outrage which had recently occurred, the Spirit of infurrection was by no means general in Ireland, and fo far as it did exift, was confined to the lowest orders of the people.

Mr. Kerr obferved, that the fituation of the people of Ireland had been materially altered for the better fince the union, though there were ftill lurking the feeds of rebellion. He believed if the enemy were to land in Ireland, they would find as determined an oppofition as from any class of subjects in his Majesty's dominions. He had lived in Ireland during the late rebellion, and was in a private corps, and he could affure the Houfe that martial law was never exercifed with feverity Upon the reprefentation of himself, and fome other Gentlemen, courts martial were reforted to, and they had the effect of eradicating the rebellion as to all outward appearance.

Mr. I. H. Browne faid, he should not have troubled the Houfe unless an idea had been thrown out that they were acting in confidence to his Majefty's Minifters. He thought that to call perfons in Ireland before courts martial, on the allertion of his Majefty's Minifters, was juftifiable. He was fully convinced of the neceffity of the measure, and that there ought not to be a moment's delay; but this conviction was not in confequence of any thing his Majefty's Minifters. had faid. It was in confequence of the atrocious act that had been committed, and not from that act alone, horrid as it was. He accompanied the act with the fad hiftory of the last ten years; with the recent war in which we had recently been engaged; with the efforts of the ufurper of France, against our liberties; with the meafures that had engaged every hand and heart in their defence.. If he did not believe a fyllable of what his Majefty's Minifters faid, the fact fpoke for itself. He thought it was of importance to whom the power was given. The prefent Government of Ireland, by not withing to avail themselves of the alarm by continuing the acts, thewed that they would not make a bad ufe of them if they were renewed. He fupported the measure with more pleasure, when he confidered the character of the prefent Government.

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Dr. Laurence, at confiderable length, fupported the arguments of Mr. Windham.

Mr. Hutchinson explained what he had before faid, and

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fpoke at confiderable length on a variety of topics. He wifhed that vigorous meafures fhould be exerted for putting down rebellion in the first inftance, but that measures of lenience and humanity fhould not be abandoned. He deprecated moft ardently the revival of thofe horrid fcenes of whipping, fhooting, and ftrangling, and houfe-burning, that during the late rebellion had been carried to enormous lengths, to the production of fo much mifery amongst the unfortunate people of that country, by entrusting the execution of strong measures to the hands of exafperated, prejudiced, and fanguinary men; and which tended rather to produce and to exaggerate than to fupprefs rebellion. He had witnelled many of thofe horrid fcenes, and he congratulated that House that their eyes had been fpared the painful view of fuch horrors. He earnestly befought the Houfe not to turn away its eyes from the complaints, whether real or imaginary, that agitated the minds of the unhappy multitude in that country; but that, instead of feparating, late as it was in the feafon, they would inveftigate, and probe to the quick, thofe queftions and meatures which could have, by poffibility, a tendency to fupprefs every difpofition to difcontent and tumult, by quiet rather than by coercive means; and he concluded by conjuring the Houfe to turn its eyes to that country, as one which was capable of being rendered a fource of impregnable ftrength and riches to the British Empire; but which, if not fully conciliated, by wife and lenient means, might be perverted to the contrary.

Lord Caftlereagh obferved, that the proof this meafure was not to be loosely committed to the hands of those likely to mifconceive or abufe its intentions was, that it was vefted entirely in the difcretion of the Lord Lieutenant. With refpect to the acts of severity alluded to by the hon. Member, they were unfortunately mutual, and the natural confequence of the mutual enmity and exafperation between two parties in the fame country, armed and at war against each other. He spoke at confiderable length in fupport of

the bill.

Dr. Laurence faid, that on a former occafion he had oppofed a bill for continuing martial law in Ireland. But the prefent measure was one for which he could confcientiously vote. That atrocious outrage by which the life of the first legal magiftrate in the country had been taken away, was a circumftance which peculiarly pointed to a measure of this kind.

Colonel

Colonel Craufurd approved of the measure; because it was effentially neceffary to strengthen the hands of the Government. He then began to enter into fome observations concerning fortifications, when the question was loudly called for, and feveral Members called him to order.

The Speaker faid he could not conceive how the hon. Gentleman's arguments applied to the bill before the House.

Mr. Windham and Dr. Laurence contended that Colonel Craufurd was in order.

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Mr. Bragge maintained that he was not; particularly fo after he had expreffed his approbation of the bill.

Colonel Craufurd then faid, that as he was prevented from delivering his fentiments on fo important a subject, he would give notice that on Monday he thould bring forward a motion relative to the defence of the realm.

Leave was given to bring in the bill; which was brought up by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, read a first and second time, and committed.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the Committee, introduced a claufe by which no court martial fhould confift of less than feven officers.

Mr. Hutchinfon complained that many perfons hitherto tried before courts martial in Ireland had been treated with great injuftice; and prevented from having the witnesses necellary for their defence.

Lord Caftlereagh denied the ftatement. He never knew an inftance in which a trial was not put off, upon a reprefentation being made that the neceffary witnelfes were not prefent. And he knew that Lord Cornwallis, when Lord Lieutenant, had always read over the minutes of every court martial, in order to fee that no unjust proceeding had taken place. It would therefore he better to leave this matter to the direction of thofe who were refponfible.

Mr. Ormby faid, he had acted as Judge Advocate on a great number of courts martial, and he could affure the Houfe, that the prifoners had always had notice given them of their trials, and might put them off, if they chofe, to any particular day. This was the practice after the rebellion; but he knew not what might have been done in the camp flagrante bello.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, it was very neceffary that no unfavourable impreffion on this fubject fhould go out into the world, and he called on the hon, Gentleman to ftate any particular inftances which he knew VOL. IV. 1802-3. 4 Z

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