of discontented. Thousands of anonymous pa pers were distributed of the most inflammatory description. Every man who bore a musket became a legislator; the duty of the soldier sunk before the glories of the patriot; Ireland was to be saved by thein, and they were to pronounce the terms of her salvation. Unexpected success had made them proud, pride had made them factious, and faction had made them foolish. They tarnished the lustre of their civic crown by endeavouring to adorn it with the meretricious ornaments of sedition. The delegates assembled on the 3d August. An address was moved to Lord Charlemont, in which was inserted a clause expressive of satisfaction with the simple repeal. A debate upon that clause ensued, and after eleven hours of legislative mockery it was rejected by a majority of two.. Thus altered, it passed unanimously. This was a short triumph to the designing few who had planned it; those few who, bred in the corruption of court influence, wished to bring that ministry into discredit which disdained to act upon so unconstitutional a basis.

CHAP. III.

Administration of Lord Temple-Institution of the order of St. Patrick-Intended establish ment of the Genevese colony-Lord Temple recalled, and succeeded by the Earl of Northington-The volunteers become clamourous for parliamentary reform-The conduct of Flood on this occasion-Appointed one of the committee to receive plans-Proceedings of the concention-Flood submits his own plan, which is finally adopted-Moves for leave to bring in a bill pursuant to 'that plan-Indignation of the house, who consider it as originating with an armed body-The bill rejected.

THE repeal of the 6th Geo. I. was the Magna Charta of Ireland. It gave them, substantially, freedom; it placed the sources of liberty in their own hands, redeemed them from the tyranny of a foreign power, and secured to them a bulwark against any subsequent attempts to re-assert that power. When we consider the magnitude and importance of the acquisition it is impossible not to admire the mode in which it was obtained; it is impossible not to feel astonishment in contemplating so great an event brought about by the instrumentality of an armed force, and yet the

sacred cause unpolluted by one drop of human blood. It really forms a phenomenon in the history of nations and of mankind.

Lord Temple arrived in Ireland on the 15th September, 1782, and was received with very ge neral expressions of joy. His administration was but a short one, though during the period, brief as it was, he set himself earnestly to work to correct multiplied abuses, which had crept into the management of public affairs. His brother (the present Lord Grenville) accompanied him as secretary. Like his father, (Mr. George Grenville,) Lord Temple took business as a pleasure he was to enjoy, and his application was undissipated and unwearied." Such assiduity was never before, and we believe never since, witnessed at the castle. Nor was he at this time more than 50 years of age. He was not awed either by situation or connexion. There was not a board throughout Ireland which did not tremble. The dismay was terrible. Clerks, secretaries, and treasurers fled in all' quarters. Some chiefs of particular departments did not indeed fly, but menaced or muttered eternal vengeance against Lord Temple; they shuddered to behold the ancient abodes of peculation on the point of being exposed to the eye of day. Lord Temple, however, went on fearless in the execution of his wise purpose; and it is only to be regretted that his stay was too short to render it likely his plan of reformation could be permanently operative.

The Irish parliament did not sit during the administration of Lord Temple, consequently there remains little to record.

In the English commons Colonel Fitzpatrick called the attention of Government, ou the 19th December, 1782, to a circumstance which had given much alarm to the people of Ireland; this was the decision of an Irish cause, in the English court of king's bench, notwithstanding the declaration of Irish independence had put an end to all such appeals. It was explained, however, by Mr. Secretary Townshend to have arisen from this circumstance, that the cause had been in the court for eighteen months, and that consequently the judges were bound to decide upon it. There was the most sincere desire on the part of England to do any thing that might tend to remove all doubts in Ireland as to the validity of the liberty she had acquired. On the 2 d January, 1783, Mr. Secretary Townshend moved and carried the motion unanimously, for leave to bring in a bill "for removing and preventing all doubts which have arisen or may arise concerning the exclusive rights of the parliament and courts of - Ireland in matters of legislation and judicature, and for preventing any writ of error, or appeal, from any of his majesty's courts in that kingdom from being received, read, or adjudged in any of his majesty's courts in the kingdom of Great Britain." In about a month after this the famous coalition ministry, in which Fox and Lord North joined their forces, was formed, and the consequence

was, that Lord Temple resigned his post of viceroy to the Earl of Northington.

Previously to quitting the subject of Lord Temple's administration, however, two events must. be recorded. Onc is, the institution of the Or der of St. Patrick. This was done to gratify the Irish by a mark of national consequence. The king was always to be sovereign of this new order of knighthood, the viceroy officiating grand master, and the Archbishop of Dublin chancellor. Among the knights were Prince Edward, (now Duke of Kent,) the Duke of Leinster, the Earl of Courtown, and the Earl of Charlemont. On the 11th of March they were invested at the castle, and on the 17th, the festival of their tutelar saint, the ceremony of installation was magnificently performed.

The other transaction alluded to, though it failed, was one of peculiar importance. There had arisen, in the little republic of Geneva, disputes and dissentions between the aristocratic and the democratic parties, in which the former were ultimately successful. The latter, zealous for liberty, disdained to live in a country which they no longer considered as free, and resolved, in consequence, to emigrate to some chosen spot, where tyranny was to be unknown. Ireland, young in her acquisition of freedom, was the country they fixed upon, and six commissioners * were appointed

* Messrs. G. Ringler, E. Clavier, Du Roveray, E. Gase, Grenus, and Divernois.