CONTENTS THE FIRST VOLUME Administration of Townshend.-Octennial Bill. His declining popularity.-The American War.-Its influence in Ireland Resignation of Harcourt.-Buckinghamshire succeeds him CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME Division of opinion between the English and Irish Governments English Government favour the Catholics.-Relief Bill, 1793 Whig secession to Pitt.-Fitzwilliam made Viceroy. Early difficulties about his position Arrives in Dublin January 4, 1795.-History of his Viceroyalty Part played by Grattan after the recall-Windham's letter. Camden Viceroy.-Policy on the Catholic question. Alarm of Grattan.-Violent speeches The Union resolved on.-History of opinion relating to it Attitude of Presbyterians and Episcopalian Protestants 'No Popery' election.-Religious movement hostile to Catholics Irish Protestant opinion much less so PAGE 279 283 Anti-popery movements towards the close of the century.-Duigenan 289 292 Catholic petition taken out of his hands.-Election of 1818 304 Last days of Grattan.-Sidney Smith's character of him ib. 308 LEADERS OF PUBLIC OPINION IN IRELAND INTRODUCTION AMONG all the satires of Swift there is none more savage than the Legion Club, in which he describes the Irish House of Commons as 'a den of thieves : 'Scarce a bowshot from the college, Half the world from sense and knowledge,' and expresses his earnest hope that a legislature so corrupt and so tyrannical might one day be extirpated from the island. It is all the more remarkable because Swift had a few years before, in his famous fourth Drapier's letter, taken up the doctrine of Molyneux that the King, Lords, and Commons of Ireland had by right the sole power of legislating for Ireland, and that the powers exercised in Ireland by the English Parliament and by the English Privy Council were essentially an usurpation. The immediate cause of this invective of Swift was a resolution passed by the House of Commons in 1735 exempting from the payment of tithes pasture land, and thus seriously injuring the interests of his Church. Although the resolutions of one House had no force of law, the effect of this resolution was to establish during the VOL. I. B |