ed to find the Houfe peaceably doing the bufinefs of the nation; but thefe gentlemen wanted chefe three days, in order to fhift over, as they knew not which way to vote with every administration. Mr. Toler withdrew his oppofition to the adjournment, and the queftion thereon being put, that the Houfe do adjourn to Thursday, there appeared, Ayes, Majority for adjourning, 89 48 41 The order of the day being read for a committee on the infolvent bill, the Houfe refolved accordingly, Lord Delvin in the chair, when the bill being gone through, paragraph by paragraph, the Speaker refumed the chair, and it was ordered to be reported on Thursday, to which day the Houfe adjourned. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1783. The Right Hon. Luke Gardiner rofe, he faid, to make a motion, which he flattered himself would meet with the immediate concurrence of the Houfe, and this motion was for an addrefs to his Grace the Duke of Rutland, to congratulate him on his appointment to the government of, and fafe arrival in this kingdom. He was certain, this would be the lefs objected to, as a fimilar addrefs had been lately prefented to the Earl of Northington; and though his fucceffor was as yet a firanger to the moft of those who had then heard him; yet to thofe who had the honour of knowing his Grace, and who confidered his illuftrious ancestry, and eminent connections, he was certain fuch an addrefs would not be deemed more than the tribute due to his merit. He then moved that an humble addrefs be prefented to his Grace the Lord Lieutenant, to congratulate his Grace on his arrival in this kingdom to take upon him the government thereof, and to exprefs to his Grace the high expectations entertained by this Houfe from his Grace's ability and difpofition to promote the profperity and happiness of the people of Ireland. Lord Delvin rofe to fecond the motion of the Right Hon. Gentleman.-His Lordfhip faid, there was room to fpeak much in favour of his Grace's predeceffors, and the effential fervices rendered to Great Britain and this kingdom by them; and of the great character and connections of his Grace; but he de clined mentioning them. He only fupported the motion for the addrefs to the Duke of Rntland, as he was fully perfuaded his Grace would co-operate in every measure which had the profperity of Ireland for its object. Sir Edward Newenham obferved, that as the present Lord Lieutenant was but juft arrived among us, it was neceffary, in the first inftance, to lay our fentiments before him, that he might thereby be enabled to know our fituation, relieve the diftreffes of our ftarving manufacturers, and aid the general voice of the nation; that the Duke of Rutland came to this kingdom under many advantageous circumftances; his own character, and being united with men in another country who profeffed revolution principles, and who declared themselves in favour of a parliamentary reform; that he hoped more words were unneceffary in fupport of truth and incontrovertible facts. He then moved the following amendment" And we are firmly perfuaded that during your Grace's adminiftration fuch laws will receive the royal affent as will reftore the conftitution; and that the most effectual measures will be adopted to protect and extend the trade and manufactures of this kingdom, recent experience having convinced us that for want of fufficient encouragement our artificers and manufacturers are become objects of daily charity; and we are the more fanguine in thefe our hopes that fuch falutary objects will be perfected under the adminiftration of a nobleman whofe family and connections have (for a feries of years) been confpicuous for their bravery in the field, virtue and wisdom in the cabinet, zealous for the general rights of mankind, and conftant patrons of trade and commerce." Hon. Dennis Brown.-I cannot confent to the amendment propofed, as I think it conveys fome doubt of the noble Duke's intentions, which, as an individual, I do not feel; thinking thus I rife to exprefs my approbation of the addrefs propofed. I think it a matter of congratulation to this country to have a Chief Governor as remarkable for the independence of his principles as his fortune, I fhall certainly feel myfelf partial to the adminiftration of the Duke of Rutland, and will certainly give his Grace my fupport, fuch as it is, while he adheres to the principles of his connexions in England, I mean the great principles of conftitution and public economy; for, Sir, not only in my fhort experience, but in the experience of the oldeft man in either country, in the experience of record, I do affert, that there never were fuch daring attempts made on the trade and manufactures of both countries, as by a moft daring set of men, the late adminiftration. You may trace their attempts on the contitution of England from the Middlesex election in 1770 and 71, when they invaded the rights of the people, to 1783 and 84, when they invaded the juft prerogative of the crown; the art of those remarkable attempts fhook the King on the throne; the fecond has involved the fifter kingdom in a scene of confufion that may probably end in her ruin, from the mortal ftab it has given to public credit. But, Sir, in the intermediate time between the events of 1771 and 83, there were fome things happened worthy our recollection. Will England ever forget who loft America; who added 70 millions to the national debt? Will Ireland ever forget the unceafing enemies of her trade and conftitution, who fupported the rights of external legislation, who declared the fun of England was fet for ever when the acknowledged our freedom of constitution? Will they ever forget the trick of fimple repeal? I hope, Sir, both countries will join in fupport of a government born for the falvation of a tottering conftitution. Sir I could expatiate on this fubject for hours-I could dwell on a subject I feel myfelf deeply interested in, from being a warm well-wisher of both countries; but I feel myself too much obliged to the indulgence of the Houfe longer to trefpafs on its time. I fhall conclude with giving my affent to the original addrefs. The amendment being negatived without a divifion, the addrefs was agreed to nem. con. Ordered, That the faid addrefs be prefented to his Grace by fuch members of this Houfe as are of his Majesty's most honourable Privy Council. Mr. Gardiner faid, as gentlemen might be impatient, to know what fteps had been taken in fo important a matter, as the state of the manufactures of the kingdom, he would just enter on the fubject. The committee who had fat upon this business before the recefs, would meet to-morrow to digeft the various matters that had appeared before them, in order to be enabled to make a fpecial report to the Houfe of the fame, for the purpose of framing a bill for laying fuch duties on foreign manufactures, as fhould be found expedient. After this, he hoped the Houfe would fix a day for the final difcuflion of the matter. He had, he faid, on his own part, given the business every attention in his power, previous to his going to England; and when he went there, he exerted every endeavour for its full accomplishment. It was an object of the greateft magnitude to the well-being of the trade of Ireland, and he found himfelf happy in forwarding what he confidered his most effential duty. Sir Lucius O'Brien declared he entertained as high a fenfe as any man of the Right Hon. Gentleman's affiduity and abilities but confeffed himself ignorant of what was meant by digesting evidence. He could fee no objection to reporting fpecially, and prefenting a printed report of the whole evidence, as he could not conceive that any part of it was to be concealed from the public. Mr. Gardiner replied, that he had no objection to meet the wifhes of the Hon. Baronet, in that refpect; but had the Hon. Baronet been prefent, at the examination of this evidence, he would find that the publication of a fubjet fo complicated and defultory, could not tend to any useful purpose. The whole formed an lio of extraneous matter; and numerous, which to understand properly, it was neceffary to decompofe. As to the report of digefted evidence, it was neither new or uncommon; it had long been the practice of England, and a cafe lately occurred in point, as would appear from the preamble of the report, made from the committee appointed to enquire into the fmuggling abufes. The very difference of idea entertained by the parliament of England, in refpect to the balance of trade between both nations, could not be conciliated by fuch publication. Some part of the evidence was explanatory of commercial ufages between Ireland and other countries, which it would be prejudicial to the kingdom to make public. But this did not preclude gentlemen from having recourfe to the evidence as delivered in, and reading the whole. It was under this idea, of its being imprudent to publifh the whole, that he took leave to fuggeft to the committee the digefting of the evidence, and to report it in that form. It was not, he faid, to be fuppofed that the evidence delivered to the committee was taken down verbatim & literatim; it was not done in any committee, though when a committee reports, the Houfe has an 'implicit reliance on that report. On his own part, he did not care if the whole evidence was puplifhed in the moft ftaring capitals, if he did not think that the publication of fome things would be productive of a national injury. He declared, with an honeft warmth, he did not want to digeft, in order to conceal the truth. He would not have it fuggefted, that he endeavoured to prevent any gentleman from reading the whole of the evidence, or that he wifhed to fupprefs any part of it; he only meant to serve his country. Sir Lucius O'Brien bore the most honourable teftimony to the integrity and abilities of the Right Hon Gentleman, and was certain that all his exertions were directed to the fervice of his country; but he only wished for a fpecial report. He confidered it as a former practice to digeft the evidence, but on being much complained of was difcontinued. Mr. Griffith acknowledged that many thanks were due to the Right Hon. Gentleman, ior his laborious Inveftigation of this important bafineis; but he was of opinion, that the whole of the evidence fhould be published. Here Mr. Gardiner faid, he never imagined fo voluminous a work would be called for. Mr. Griffith faid, he had read what was taken down by the Committee before the recefs, and he could fee nothing in it, the publication of which might hurt the trade of the kingdom. He believed the Right Hon. Gentleman himself, had made a motion to have it printed before the recefs, and he could not conceive the reafon for the prefent alteration of that opinion. The Right Hon. Thomas Conolly alfo acknowledged the many obligations which this country owed to the indefatigable labours of Mr. Gardiner; but he was certain protecting duties would never answer any good purpofe. What was the confequence, he faid, at the time a non-importation was agreed to? Four fhillings a yard was paid for home-made cloths, more than cloth of a fimilar quality could be had for in England. Add to this, that it would deftroy an old branch of trade, now well' eftablished, which had brought millions into this country; for if the English were provoked, by this meafure, to withdraw their bounties on Irish linens, that trade would fink into immediate ruin. Honefty, he faid, was the beft policy, and he wished to stick to the old trade we had fo long enjoyed. Right Hon. Mr. Gardiner apologized for fpeaking again, but faid that as the Houle fometimes indulged convertations of this kind, he would beg leave to add one word to what he had faid. In the courie of the committees inquiry, various fubjects had been laid before them, the woollen, the cotton, and almost every other branch of manufacture. Now, as gentlemen entertained opinions, various on almost each of thefe manufactures, it would be but juft to feparate the manufactures themfelves in the committees report, and let each ftand on the ground of its own merit. Besides, the fubject of reftraining the export of the raw materials had alfo come before the committee-this ought, in the report to be kept a distinct bufinefs, for if fo many dif ferents matters were to be blended together, it would combine against the whole gentlemen, who might difapprove of any particular one. Right Hon. Mr. Brownlow highly approved of what had been faid by the Right Hon. Gentleman, on whofe ability and integrity, for his own part, he was well content to rely, and thought that the Houfe might with great fafety truft to the committee; who, by their clofe inveftigation of the fubject, had proved themfelves fo worthy of confidence. The speaker having declared that there was no queftion before the Houfe, Sir John Parnell begged the attention of the Houfe to a circumftance important in itself, and as it involved the character of an Hon. Gentleman, whofe noble and amiable conduct had rendered him the object of general etteem, claiming precedence to any other. Sir Jon chen informed the Houfe, that Mr. Ogle having been called upon to give teftimony before the committee appointed to try the Enniscorthy election, had, after making every apo |