tion, he would find them like Faltaff's, well peppered. I am not one of thofe who profefs myfelf contented with the lazy reafon, that there is no neceility for a reform, because things go on well enough as they are, and this at the end of a war, originating in corruption, but I think reformation ought to originate where I have faid, and it ought to be a fimple propofition, ftanding on its own bottom; the ear of the public is ever deaf to complicated matter; had this reformation been confined to thortening the duration of parliament, it would have been understood by thoufands that are bewildered in its perplexities; and I own that if that part of the reformation had been propofed, it fhould have had my fupport.

Mr. Flood-Sir, I have not mentioned the bill as being the bill of any fet of men, or body of men whatfoever. I am as free to enter into the difcuffion of this bill as any gentleman in this Houfe, and with as little prepoffeffion in favour of what I fhall propofe. I prefer it to the Houfe as the bill of my Right Hon. Friend, who feconds me.-Will you receive it from us?

[Here Mr. Flood fat down; but after a fhort pause he arose again.]

Mr. Flood-In the laft parliament it was ordered, that leave be given to bring in a bill for the more equal reprefentation of the people in parliament; this was in the Duke of Portland's adminiltration; an adminiftration which the Right Hon. Gentleman profeffes to admire; and which he will not fufpect of overturning the conftitution. I own from the turn which has been given to the question, I enter on it with the deepeft anxiety; armed with the authority of this precedent, I did not think any one would be fo defperate as to give fuch a violent oppofition to the fimple introduction of a bill. I now rife, Sir, for the first time to fpeak upon the fubject, and I call upon every man, auditor or fpectator, in the houfe or in the galleries, to remember this truth-that if the volunteers are introduced into this debate, it is not I who have done it.

The Right Honourable Gentleman fays, if the volunteers have approved it, he will oppofe it-but, I fay, I bring it in as a member of this Houfe; fupported with the powerful aid of the Right Hon. Gentleman who fits behind me, (Mr. Brownlow) we bring it in as members of parliament, never mentioning the volunteers. I afk you, will you receive it from us, from us your members, neither intending by any thing within doors, or without, to intimidate or overawe you? 1 afk, will you receive it as our bill, or will you conjure up a military phantom of interpofition to affright yourfelves?-I have not introduced the volunteers, but if the volunteers are afperfed, I will defend their conduct against all the world. By whom were the commerce and

the conftitution of this country recovered? By the volunteers. Why did not the Right Honourable Gentleman make a declamation against them when they lined our fireets, when parliament paffed through ranks of thofe virtuous armed citizens, to demand the rights of an infulted nation? Are they different men at this day, or is the Right Honourable Gentleman different? He was . then one of their body-he is now their accufer? He who faw the ftreets lined, who rejoiced, who partook in their glory, is now their accufer. What has changed them fince that time? Are they lefs wife, lefs brave, lefs ardent in their country's caufe ; or has their admirable conduct made him their enemy? May they not fay, we have not changed, but you have changed? He cannot now bear to hear of volunteers-but I will ask him, and I will have a fierling taught to hollow it in his ear, who got you the free trade? Who got you the free conflitution? Who made you a nation? The volunteers. If they were the men you now defcribe them, why did you accept of their fervice? Why did you not then accufe them? If they were fo dangerous, why did you pafs through their ranks, with your Speaker at your head, to demand a conftitution? Why did you not then fear the ills you now apprehend? Have your Lord Lieutenants refufed the fervice of those men? Look back to their offers in Lord Carlisle's adminiftration.--Have not fuch of them, as could obtain that honour, been proud to be escorted by them to the fea? And have not parliament returned repeated thanks to this body of men, who are now fo degenerated, that rectitude becomes depravity in them? Were not refolutions fought from them to give a fanction to the inadequate fecurity of fimple repeal? When betrayed into wrong, they were cherished-but now when right, oppofed.

What do fome of the greateft men in England fay, fpeaking of the volunteers, "That the hiftory of mankind, the annals of the world do not furnish fuch another glorious example of patriotifm and moderation ;" and now will any man condemn them, if they wish to crown themfelves with never-fading glory, and finish their labours by rendering perfect the conflitution that their virtues have acquired? Should you comply, it would for ever render unneceffary the interference of fuch bodies of men as they are. I am confcious that I have not done juftice to that much honoured, and much injured body of men; but be it remembered, that it was not I who introduced their name: it was not I who wifhed to inflame your paffions when I had not argument to fupport me : it was not I who wished to debauch them to the fide of fear-fuch a proceeding fhews the rottennefs of the caufe. If the volunteers and parliament fhall ever be committed, which God almighty forbid, no great thanks will be due to thofe men who reprefent the volunteers as endeavouring to dragoon parliament-men who

endeavour to exafperate them, and if their moderation was not greater than the wildom of their accufers, great and miferable would be the confufion indeed; but they have too much wisdom not to defpife their accufers, though I will tell the man who accufes them, that there was a time when he was proud to join in their ranks, and share the glory of their conduct.

I am called on for an explanation of my plan of reform, in order that exceptions may be taken to it; but I am ready to explain it, and to refute all exceptions on the ground of reafon and argument. As in this houfe votes go by tale, and not by weight, and as the vote of the meaneft wretch that ever difgraced the walls of parliament, though reprefenting the moft venal borough, tells for as much as the mott illuftrious character, representing the first county in the kingdom, the people with to correct the ill, effects of this by opening the boroughs, and giving them an opportunity of being virtuous. This is the voice of the people, and it is oppofed because it is faid to be the demand of the volunteers; but the volunteers and the people are the fame; they have been made conftitutional by every act, but that of being placed on your establishment, which they defpife. Does any man fay, that there is not a pofitive act of parliament, directing every proteftant to bear arms? And will you fay, that because one man fulfils more of his duty, as a citizen, than another, that he should lefs enjoy a citizen's privilege? Or will any man fay, that becaufe the volunteers, in obedience to the laws, bear arms, that that obedience fhould ftrip them of their franchise ?

But who will deny that the reprefentation of cities and boroughs demands reform? And are plans of reform to be rejected, because agreeable to the volunteers? If fo, how came the Duke of Portland to fend volunteer delegates to the throne with letters to deliver into the facred hand of Majefty? And if the Duke of Portland acted thus, will any man fay, that the volunteers have fince done any thing to transform them into the gorgons and hydras they have been reprefented? No, they are not changed, they are feen through the medium of borough intereft; it is this that has given them this terrible afpect, it is the fordid interest of a prostituted government to fay they have ftrength, though it be the ftrength of borough-mongers; but it is the ftrength of a virtuous government to be fupported by the public good opinion; and it is no credit to any government to depend rather on a venal parliament, than on the honeft voice of an ingenuous nation. The bill fets at defiance all objection; for is there a man who will fay, however political declamation may attempt to mislead, that the conftitution wants no reform? Will any man fay, that that conftitution is perfect, when he knows that the honour of the peerage may be obtained by any ruffian who poffeffes borough inte rett ?

Mr. Flood then proceeded to trace the general outline of the plan of reform agreed to at the Convention, and concluded with faying I fhall neither endeavour to intimidate nor overawe the Houte, but on the contrary I shall moft humbly hope, that in the infancy of your liberty, and because it is no argument to tell you, that a body of men who are determined to treat with refpect that conftitution which they have recovered by fortitude, bear arms for their country's fervice: I hope, I fay, you will not go to fith for objections until thefe people fhall do fomething derogatory of that authority which they have established-no body of men can make me affirm to be right what I know to be wrong-neither will I be fo abfurd as to deny that which I know to be right, because other men think fo too.

Mr. Molyneux-This is one of the most important questions ever agitated in this Houfe, and I lament the ill treatment the motion has received from the other fide, in the courfe of which fuch illiberal reflections have been thrown on the faviours of their country, for their interference to reform a vicious reprefentation of the people. The queftion is, Whether Ireland is truly reprefented or not? The fentiments of all are that we are not truly reprefented, and this opinion has coincided with the volunteer army, who have proved themselves the faviours of their country. We have been told that no reform is neceffary; but I deny it : Reform is neceffary, I am an inftance of that neceffity of reform. Are not boroughs fold at market like an afs or an ox? Who are they that propofe it? Some of the most refpectable perfons in this kingdom, with one of the greatest characters in this, or perhaps in any other kingdom, at their head; it is the voice of the people; it should not be flighted; I therefore give my hearty concurrence to the motion.

Sir Hercules Langribe faid, that it would be paying a "great compliment to the requifition of the Honourable Member, notwithstanding any partiality he might entertain towards him, if he were to furrender every faculty of his understanding-to shut his eyes at what every man fees-to fhut his ears against what every man hears—and this he must do, if he were perfuaded to treat this as a fimple propofition for leave to bring a bill into parliament.

The Hon. Member has ftated his plan, and it is unneceffary to tell you it is literally the plan, fhaped and fashioned in another affembly, and fent here through the means of two refpectable members just to receive the form of law. Can any man, without making a furrendeer as far as in him lies, of the rights and exiftence of parliament, confent to the reception of it under those circumftances? We all know whence it cometh, and whither it goeth-we have read it in every newípaper, paragraph by paragraph, as it came out printed by authority; and we are now cal

led upon to give up ourfelves, and take it as the plan and propofition of two honourable members. I will never thus impofe upon myfelf. I will never agree to the propofition, because I know where it originates. I will never agree to the plan, becaufe I know, and think it would be fubverfive of the conftitution. I have a great refpect for the authority of the honourable member who made the motion; but where is the authority that could juftify a member of parliament in an attempt to demolish antient charters that have taken root in the conflitution, and are the growth of fo many centuries? Where is the authority that could juftify us in extinguishing or transferring to others the rights and franchises of thofe who fent us here? Where is the authority that could juftify an attempt to alter the effential principles of a conftitution, which has been the admiration and the envy of all nations and all ages, and which perhaps is the only one in the world that has preferved political liberty to this day? And is there common fenfe in your attempts to alter it the very moment you have acquired it? To reject it, before you have tried it? I have confidered this fubject with all its confequences. I have ftudied the deliberations of focieties in your own country. I have travelled over every page that has been written and tranfmitted to you from another country, by perfonages who were appointed arbiters of the conftitutional deftiny of Ireland; and I conclude in the words of one of them, I mean a noble duke of great abilities, of great extent of thought, and great learning, on this fubject, confidering thofe plans of partial reform, (and one would think the prefent plan was particularly in his thought) who fays, "It proceeds on the fame principle as the abufe it pretends to rectify-it is ftill partial and unequal-there is no leading principle-all is at sea, without any compafs to diftinguifh the fafe from the dangerous courfe." (He recited the various plans and inconfiftencies propofed by different perfons, and faid)-On what a precipice you tand? How the faculties of the mind are loft in apprehenfion, when you look down from the eminence of your venerable conftitution, on the perplexities, the difficulties, the dangers, that are prefented to you by thofe fages of reform. When you fee each cafuift differing from his brother, and almoft every one differing from himself, if the fubject were not too ferious, it would be laughable enough to fee how thofe doctors differ; they differ, because they do not know the disease-there is no difeafe—the conftitution is reftored. I muft do them the juftice to fay, they differ from the generality of advertifing doctors in this, they do not declare their medicines equally good for all conflitutions, for fcarcely one recommends them as fuited to Ireland. It was lately your ambition to contend for, it is now your glory to have acquired, the British conftitution. Now you have obtained it, confider it well before you change it. There are fome things too