him acquitted of all the charges alleged against him by the commons, and all the matters contained therein. Thus, after a protracted trial of more than feven years, was terminated this celebrated caufe, fo highly expensive to the nation at large, and ruinous to the fortune of the accused individual.

The feffon terminated on the 27th of June with the ufual formalities. His majefty, in his fpeech, noticed the liberal and fpirited fupport which he had received from parliament in the profecution of the war; and thanked the house of commons for the ample fupplies

which had been granted both on this account, and in fettling the establishment of the prince and princess of Wales, and in extricating the former from his embarraffments. He expressed his hope to both houfes of fuch a change in the government of France, as might enable her to maintain the accustomed relations of peace and amity, and profeffed his intention in the mean time to make the most effectual ufe of the force with which he was intrufted. The lord chancellor then prorogued the parliament to the 19th day of Auguft.

CHAP.

friends, and more ftrenuous fupporters. That party they knew to be intimately connected with those leading characters in Ireland, on whom they had the ftrongest reliance; and even before the appointment of earl Fitzwilliam to the ftation of viceroy, they had taken most effectual means for preffing their claims on the first favourable opportunity.

In two letters to the earl of Carlife, published by lord Fitzwilliam, the latter nobleman has expofed, in very manly terms, the manner in which the Portland party were "duped," as he expreffes it, in the famous coalition, and in the fubfequent tranfactions of miniftry. He ftates, that "when the duke of Portland and his friends were to be enticed into a coalition with Mr. Pitt's adminiftration, it was neceffary to hold out fuch lures as would make the coalition palatable." "If the general management and fuperintendance of Ireland had not been offered to his grace, that coalition could never have taken place;""accordingly it was offered from the beginning of the nego tiation; as was alfo the home department of fecretary of state." Ask the duke of Portland," his lordship continues, "when he engaged to accept, if he doubted that the office offered to him was to be entire, and fuch as his predeceffors held it? Afk him if he was forewarned by Mr. Pitt that it was to be divefted of half its duties, half its importance, and all its character? Afk him if he was apprifed that another fecretary of state was to be made out of the department, and that he was to be left

but a joint poffeffor with an in

mate?"

Lord Fitzwilliam proceeds to ftate, that, the inftant they had proclaimed their acceptance," the fcene began to open: then it was firft discovered that the object of all this mighty work was, not to ftrengthen administration by an acceffion of character, but to debase, degrade, and difgrace that character. When the junction was irre vocably avowed and declared, then the pretenfions of Mr. Dundas to the continued management of the war were immediately brought forward; and a new office was to be cabbaged out of the duke of Portland's, and an obvious dimi. nution of his credit and authority was proclaimed." What follows is ftill more extraordinary-for his lordship affirms, that, even in Auguft, Mr. Pitt affared lord Weftmore> land that he should not be removed. After this the reader will not be furprized when he learns from the fame authority, that not only earl Fitzwilliam had, previously to his acceptance of his office, fatisfied himself, "that the catholics ought to be relieved from every remaining difqualification," but that "the duke of Portland uniformly concurred with him in this opinion;" and "when the question came under difcuffion, previous to his depar ture for Ireland, he found the cabinet, with Mr. Pitt at their head, ftrongly impreffed with the fame conviction;" and his lordship adds, "had I found it otherwise, I never would have undertaken the govern

ment."

Lord Fitzwilliam, however, ap pears to have proceeded with a

proper

proper caution in the bufinefs. It was his intention, when he affumed the government, by no means to prefs the queftion forward on the part of government, but rather to endeavour, to protract it to a period of more general tranquillity; but as the principle was agreed upon by all parties, he refolved (with the concurrence of the English cabinet) "if the catholics fhould appear determined to fir the bufinefs, and to bring it before parliament, to give it a handfome fupport on the part of government."

He was no fooner landed, than he found that the queftion would force itself upon his immediate confideration. Faithful, therefore, to the fyftem that had been agreed upon, he loft no time in gaining the neceffary information, and in tranfmitting the refult to the Britifh cabinet. He was, however, compelled, by another circumftance, to put in effect the refolution which had been formed by him in concert with the British ministers, viz. whenever the queftion fhould be preffed upon the government, to give it a handfome fupport. The circumftance to which we allude, was, that the bufinefs had been put by the catholics into the hands of Mr. Grattan, a gentleman in whom his lordfhip could place entire confidence; and after the delivery of their petitions, there appeared a riling impatience among the catholics; and had any delay interpofed, there was reason to apprehend that the measure might be transferred from the hands of Mr. Grattan to thofe of another, with whom he might have no connection, and confequently over whom he could have no hopes of controul. There was no want of candidates, as there were numbers ready to feize upon

it. Many other circumftances concurred to favour this plan of proceeding; particularly, his lordship obferves, the Irifh, with their ufual good fenfe and love of liberty, were remarkably averfe to the war; and therefore fome confiderable conceffions were neceffary to conciliate them.,

Perhaps no administration was ever more popular in Ireland than that of earl Fitzwilliam, not excepting even that of the celebrated lord Chesterfield. It feemed to ynite all parties, and to reconcile all differences of fentiment. The Irish parliament affembled on the 22d of January, the addrefs in the lords was voted unanimously,-that in the commons with only three diffentient voices. On the 9th of February the Irish houfe of commons agreed to the most liberal fupplies that ever had been voted, without a divifion, and almost without a debate. On the 12th, Mr. Grattan moved for leave to bring in a bill for the further relief of his majesty's fubjects profeffing the Roman catholic religion; and, after a feeble oppofition, leave was given to bring in the bill; and Mr. Grattan, Mr. G. Ponfonby, Mr. Forbes, and Mr. Knox, were appointed to prepare it.

From this period to the twentyfixth, but little of importance was agitated in the Irish parliament, except two refolutions, which were carried on the fourteenth, relative to the neceffity of a reform and retrenchment in the national expenditure.

On the appointment of a new viceroy, it is natural to fuppofe that fome removals and changes in the adminiftration of the coun try would be abfolutely neceffary. Thefe had been fully canvaffed in the British cabinet previous to the departure of the noble earl: and