they appealed to his majesty in parliament, they did ⚫ not bring their cause before a competent judicature; and they represented, that the practice of appeals from the Irish parliament to the British peers, was an usurped jurisdiction assumed by the latter; the bad consequences of which they pointed out very fully.

This representation being laid before his majesty in parliament, it was resolved, that the barons of exchequer in Ireland had acted with courage and fidelity, according to law; and an address was presented to his majesty, praying him to confer on them some mark of his royal favour, as a recompense for the injuries they had sustained from the Irish legislature. This was followed by a bill for the better securing the dependency of Ireland upon the crown of Great Britain. By this it was determined, "That the house of "lords of Ireland have not, nor of right ought to "have, any jurisdiction to judge of, affirm, or reverse, any judgment, sentense, or decree, given or "made in any court within the kingdom; and that "all proceedings before the said house of lords, upon

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any such judgment or decree, are utterly null and "void to all intents and purposes whatever." It was

also determined in this bill, that "The king's ma

"jesty, by and with the advice of the lords spiritual " and temporal, and commons of Great Britain as"sembled, had, hath, and of right ought to have, "full power and authority to make laws and statutes, "of sufficient force and validity to bind the people of "Ireland."

This bill was looked upon by the Irish to be equivalent to a total annihilation of their liberties; and they were still further exasperated in the year seventeen hundred and twenty-four, by the patent granted to one Wood an Englishman, to coin halfpence and farthings for the use of Ireland. In this affair Wood is said to have acted very dishonourably, insomuch that a shilling of the halfpence he made were scarcely worth a penny. Great quantities of this base coin were sent over; and it was used not only in change, but accounts were likely to be paid with it, so that dangerous consequences were likely to ensue. Irish parliament in an address to the king, represented that they were called upon by their country to lay before his majesty the ill consequences of Wood's patent, and that it was likely to be attended with a dimunition of the revenue and the ruin of trade. The same was set forth in an application made to his majesty by VOL. I.

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the privy council. In short, the whole nation seemed to unite their efforts in order to remedy an evil of such dangerous tendency, the effects of which already began to be felt.

Among the controversial pieces which appeared on this occasion, those of the celebrated dean Swift were particularly distinguished. His Drapier's Letters are to this day held in grateful remembrance by his countrymen, but he was in danger of suffering deeply by the cause. He had been at particular pains to explain an argument used by the Irish on this occasion, that brass money, being illegal, could not be forced upon the nation by the king, without exceeding the limits of his prerogative. Hence the opposite party took occasion to charge the Irish with a design of casting off their dependance on Britain altogether; but Swift, having examined the accusation with freedom, pointed out the encroachments made by the British parliament on the liberties of Ireland; and asserted, that any dependance on England, except that of being subjects of the same king, was contrary to the law of reason, nature, and nations, as well as to the law of the land. This publication was so disagreeable to government, that a reward of three hundred pounds

was offered for the discovery of the author; but as nobody could be found who would give him up, the printer was prosecuted in his stead; however, he was unanimously acquitted by a jury of his countrymen.

The Irish continued to be jealous of their liberties, while the British ministry seemed to watch every opportunity of encroaching upon them as far as possible. Apprehensions being entertained of a design upon Ireland by the partisans of the pretender, in seventeen hundred and fifteen, a vote of credit to government was passed by the house of commons to a considerable amount. This laid the foundation of the national debt of that kingdom, which was quickly augmented to several hundred thousand pounds; for discharge of which a fund had been provided by administration. An attempt was made during the administration of lord Carteret (who governed Ireland till seventeen hundred and thirty) to vest this fund in the hands of his majesty and of his heirs for ever, redeemable by parliament. This was opposed by the patriotic party, who insisted that it was inconsistent with the public safety, and unconstitutional to grant it longer than from session to session. In seventeen hundred and thirty-one, another attempt was made to vest the same

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in the crown for twenty-one years; but when the affair came to be debated, the strength of both parties was found to be equally balanced. Immediately before the vote, however, colonel Tottingham, who had rode post on the occasion, arrived in the house and determined the question against government.

The behaviour of lord Chesterfield, who was made governor of Ireland in seventeen hundred and fortyfive, is highly extolled on account of his moderation, and the favour he showed to the liberties of the people. As the apprehensions of government were then very 'considerable, on account of the rebellion which raged in Scotland, his lordship was advised to augment the military force of Ireland to four thousand men. Instead of this, however, he sent four battalions to the duke of Cumberland, and encouraged the volunteer associations, which formed in different parts for the defence of their country. These battalions he replaced by additional companies to the regiments already on the establishment; by which means he saved a considerable expence to the nation, without augmenting the influence of the crown. The supplies asked by him were small, and raised in the most easy and most agreeable manner to the people, expending the money