Let us confider this queftion a little farther once your Parliament is given up, can you say to yourselves that you are represented in an English one? No. Can you govern or direct any measure favourable to your native foil? No. Can you improve your agriculture, encourage arts, manufactures and fciences? No, you fay. Will your petitions be heard, or your grievances redreffed, by an English Legislature ? No, England by her conduct, has given you demonstrative evidence of all this. What then is our fituation? reduced to the ftate of an abject province, robbed of our Representatives; we are taxed beyond our means, we are plundered and oppreffed, we appear but as a cypher, a blot in the map of Europe, and our petty tranfactions as a province, fcarcely confidered as worthy of a margin in the page of English hiftory: Good God! my countrymen, what a fituation! But you will not bear it, no, for on the bare recital, I fee indignation and difdain painted in your countenances, I behold your fouls ennobled with the greatest and nobleft of defigns-the liberty of your country-and with heart and hand finewed and well ftrung, I behold you ready and anxious to oppofe, every bafe and unconftitutional attempt that may be made on your freedom and independency; fear not then, my countrymen, but preferve this determination, and your rights are fecured to you, if you fwerve from it, you are loft.

One of the many queftions, which naturally offer themselves to the imagination, is whether or not the reprefentatives of our nation, have any power or authority whatever, to make away with the Constitution, and with the Conftitution, the rights of their Conftituents. "Tis furely a matter fit for enquiry. I do in the first place deny that any fuch power or authority is placed in the Parliament; and do declare, that in cafe they do commit fo enormous a crime, they are refponfible to the people; and the people are in no wife bound by fuch act or deed of theirs.

It is allowed by every friend of human nature and fociety, that in every nation where there is any fhadow of liberty, there does exist a mutual compact tacit or exprefs, betwixt the governors and governed, and that if the governors will not perform their duty and offices, the governed are released from theirs. And as the people are the fource and origin of all civil power and authority, that power and authority returns to them again, on fuch non-fulfilment of the duties of their governors.

Moreover, when the Legiflative powers act contrary to the trnft repofed in them, there still remains inherent in the people, a fupreme, natural and original right, to remove or alter: the Legislative, when, they may place their authority in the hands of thofe in whom they have C

confidence, and who will fulfil their duty as governors. The King Lords and Commons of Ireland conftitute its government, and

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power of the King, Lords and Commons of “Ireland is not an arbitrary power, they are the truftees not the owners of the ftate, the fee-fimple is in Us, they cannot " alienate, they cannot wafte. When we say "that the Legiflature is fupreme, we mean, "that is the higheft, in comparison with the "other fubordinate Powers established by the "laws. In this fenfe, the word fupreme is re"lative not abfolue. The power of the Le

giflature is limited, not only by the general

"rules of natural juftice and the welfare of "the community, but by the forms and prin

ciples of our particular conftitution. If this "doctrine be not true, we must admit, that “King, Lords and Commons have no rule to direct their refolutions, but merely their own "will and pleasure. They might unite the legiflative and executive power in the fame "hands, and diffolve the conftitution by an act " of Parliament."

This doctrine, my countrymen, requires no comment; you need but apply it to yourselves, if it appear in your eyes falfe or abfurd condemn it; if on the contrary, it appear to you just and equitable; fhew to the world that you think fo by acting up to it's precepts.-Your

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Representatives, I hope, will be mindful of their duty. I trust in God that at the prefent moinentous period they will preferve the dignity and character of men, that they will fhew themfelves fuperior to the corruption, bribery and machinations of the Minifter, and inspired with National Liberty and national pride, they will make Ireland rife above the ftandard of her former felf. Ye Senators of Ireland! your country looks up to you with joy and gladness in her countenance-she beholds in you the brave defenders and affertors of her rights, privileges and interefts. She beholds you in your fenate, on fo folemn an occafion, with afpects calm, fteady and ferene, and finding you armed with truth and virtue on one hand, and patriotifm on the other, fhe cries out in the emphatic words of "Hibernia's Sons come off victorious."-Yes, and O never let it be faid that you would be capable of betraying that truft your Country has reposed in you. The Representatives of Ireland," my countrymen, will not defert you in the time of need, they will not forfeit your faith and friendship. They know they cannot, they therefore, never will attempt to delegate that right to others, which they poffefs not themfelves. But you yourfelves, my countrymen, as a great body, must not remain either filent or indolent, never was there a period in the Irish Hiftory more awful and critical than the prefent; you are now to determine by your conduct whether you are

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hereafter to be Slaves or Freemen, whether or not you will bafely floop to be governed' by English Laws and English Men, or stand up nobly and affert that independence and right of Legiflature, which the brave Volunteers have tranfmitted to you, which you now poffefs, and which is your birth-right. Be fteady then, my countrymen, be firm, united and determined. Call upon the Sheriffs of your different Counties and Cities, convene your meetings, enter into refolutions, and fhew, to your Representatives and to the Kingdom, what your fenfe is of this unnatural measure, fhew thus your abhorrence and deteftation of it: you have no time to lofe; delay is defeat:-filence is your death. monftrate then to your Country and to Europe, by an honorable and fpirited conduct, that, you are worthy of the bleffings of liberty, and fit to be ranked amongft Patriots and heroes. The metropolis of the kingdom has pointed out to you the path-the bar and the corporations of this city have expreffed themfelves with loyalty, boldness and firmnefs. I doubt not but will do fo likewife, for that ardour and patriotifm which they have diffufed through the City, is beginning to fhew itself in every corner of the kingdom. Let divifions and difcord no longer remain among you, unanimity, my countrymen, can alone fave you. This is a caufe in which every rank, every fect, every defcription of Irifhmen is interefted. Our lives, properties,

you