fulfil his engagement, as he had given good fecurity. Mr. Crofton lamented the wretched ftate of the Shannon navigation in other parts-the banks fallen in-locks without gates, requiring fifty men to drag a boat through them-the lock houfes, as unneceffary, fallen to decay, while whole families in Limerick were perifhing for want of fuel, though fome of the best coal mines in the world are on the Shannon. Ordered.

The Recorder prefented a petition from the corporation of Dublin, praying aid for carrying on the ballaft-office wall, and ftating that though 2000l. had been voted for this purpose last feffion, and made payable to the corporation, on their producing a clear account to the Lord Lieutenant and Council, and though petitioners had complied, and stated their account, yet from fome caufe, unknown to petitioners, they had not been able to obtain the faid 2000l. The Recorder moved to have it referred to a committee.

Mr. Beresford arofe; not, he faid, to oppofe the petition going to a committee, but to make fome obfervations upon it. He faid the petitioners had ftated the truth, but not the whole truth, for as to the grant of 2000l. which they had not received, they knew it was because their account was deemed unfatisfactory. He proved from the papers of the office, that all affiftance from the corporation revenues diminished in exact proportion as parlia mentary bounty increased: and thought, as the improvement of the harbour of Dublin was a great national object, it ought to be taken out of the prefent hands and placed in others, who would manage it more to the public advantage.

Mr. Fofter, in addition to what Mr. Beresford had advanced, faid, that the revenue of the ballaft office for the laft thirty years, had been 4000l. a year; yet in all that time they had expended but 4000l. of this revenue upon the improvement of the harbour.

The Recorder alfo prefented a petition of the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, Commons and Citizens of the City of Dublin, in common council affembled, which was read, fetting forth that the ornament and convenience of the Merchants-quay is rendered incompleat by means of the houfes immediately connected with and adjoining the west end of the faid quay, at the Old Bridge, and alfo at the eaft end thereof, near Ormond Bridge, and praying aid for removing the fame.

Mr. Latouche objected to the petition, as a tax upon coals had been granted for beautifying the city at large, and that in time it would of courfe reach the quays.

Mr. Hartley faid, that the widening Dame-ftreet would run away with the produce of that tax for a confiderable time; and that for a trifling fum it would be a shame to leave the quay unfinished.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1783.

The Houfe in committee, on the ftate of the manufactures and trade of Ireland, Sir Henry Cavendish in the chair, Mr. Hone and Mr. Eaton examined; after which the committee adjourned until Monday next.

The Right Hon. Mr. Speaker reported that he had, pursuant to order, communicated, by letter, to George Earl Temple, the refolution of this Houfe of the 15th of October, 1783, to which his Lordship was pleafed, by letter, to return the answer following:

"SIR,

Stowe, October 23d, 1783.

"I am honoured with your letter of the 16th, inclosing the refolution of the Houfe of Commons of the 15th inftant.

"I must request you to convey to the Houfe my fincere and grateful acknowledgments for this diftinguished mark of their goodness to me; my feelings of honeft ambition are amply gratified by the approbation of his Majefty and of the kingdom whofe interefts he was pleased to commit to my care; and the only return which I can make for the flattering teftimony which you have tranfmitted, is the affurance of my unremitting attention to the interefts of Ireland, which must be ever dear to me, and my fervent with for the continuance of the dignity and authority of your honourable House.

my

"Permit me to add fullest sense of the very favourable expreffions in your letter, and to affure you of the high refpect and regard with which

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your very obedient humble Servant,

NUGENT TEMPLE."

"Right Honourable the Speaker of the

Houfe of Commons of Ireland."

Some papers were delivered at the bar, concerning the barrack board accounts, which were ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. George Montgomery moved, that an order be given to print in future, all petitions on contefted elections at the charge of the House.

Mr. Toler, Mr. Flood, Mr. Monk Mason, and Sir Henry Cavendib opposed this motion, on the score of its creating an useless expence, and being without precedent. On the question being put, a divifion enfued, when there appeared for the motion,

Sir John Parnel prefented the petition of Sir A. Brooke, complaining of an undue election for the county Fermanagh.

Referred to the 5th of November next.

Mr. Crofton prefented a petition from William Irwine, Efq; alfo complaining of an undue election for the fame county; to which was added a petition from the freeholders of the fame. Referred to the 5th of November next.

Mr. Hatton moved, that the confideration of the petition complaining of an undue election for Baltimore, be poftponed to a further day.

Referred to the 25th of November next.

The Hon. Denis Browne moved, that the proper officer be ordered to lay before the House, an account of the feveral fums paid by the different collectors out of the 100,000l. granted for raising the 20,000 men voted on the 27th of May, 1782, to man the British fleet, with the agents receipts for the fame.

Mr. Gardiner prefented the petition of Jofeph Smith, cotton manufacturer, at Balbriggen, praying aid, in order to fupport the works carrying on at that place. Mr. Gardiner declared that he had, with feveral other gentlemen, vifited those works, which were of fuch magnitude as to employ 1200 perfons daily, of which number fix hundred were children. This, he said, was the true mode of promoting industry in early life, practised, indeed, in foreign countries, but little known here. Added to this, he faid, that Mr. Smith would give fecurity for the repayment of any fum the Houfe would think proper to vote for this purpose. Referred to a committee.

Mr. Gardiner likewife prefented a petition from the working worfted weavers, which was alfo referred to a committee.

The Hon. Richard Hely Hutchinfon prefented a petition from certain freeholders and freemen of the city of Cork, complaining of an undue election for that city, and containing allegations which made Mr. R. Longfield rife, and declare, that the petition was against him, and the allegations were totally falfe.

Here he was interrupted by the Speaker, who faid it was contrary to order that he fhould proceed; and Mr. Longfield attempting to explain, Sir H. Langrijke infifted on the point of order.—Mr. Hutchinfon alfo attempting to explain, was filenced by the fame

rule.

The Provost put an end to the matter, by obferving that a petition had been lodged against him, with, he fuppofed, as heavy charges, but he heard it read without feeling any emotion, or giving it any interruption, until it should appear before the committee, who, in his mind, were the proper jury to give it a trial. He could not, at the fame time, help obferving, that when the order of the Houfe was tranfgreffed, and unparliamen tary language used, which might occafion a difference, that gen

tlemen would prevent a member from giving an explanation. Here Mr. Longfield declared he did not, in mentioning the untruth of the petition, allude to the Hon. Member who prefented it; and Mr. Hutchinfon declared he was fatisfied.

The Provoft declared, he wished to fee the gentlemen live on the most friendly terms, and he was, in regard to himfelf, of the fame difpofition, though local occafions might fometimes make them differ in opinion.

Referred to the committee on the Cork election.

Mr. Beresford faid, that as he was returned for two places, he prayed leave to make his choice for the county of Waterford. Leave granted.

Mr. Flood. Sir, I wish to take the earliest opportunity of fpeaking a few words to you, and addrefling a few to the House, upon the fituation in which I left this House laft Tuesday. You heard, Sir, and the public heard me; the fubject, as I think, of an unwarranted attack. I rofe to defend myself, I am fure with temper. I am not lightly moved; and I think I should be lightly moved, indeed, if I could have been moved by that. I was, however, interrupted, though I did not bring any fictitious fubject before you, or fet out without the leaft appearance of any argument. In confequence of this interruption, Sir, I left the Houfe; but foon after, I understand, that the House thought proper to fay, they would give me liberty to proceed, and I with to take the earliest opportunity of returning them my thanks for that permiffion. At the fame time, Sir, that I return my thanks for that permiffion, I hope they will fuffer me to render it not an empty indulgence, but, upon the prefent occafion, to take up the subject where I left it the last night.--[Mr. Toler rofe to order; but Mr. Flood proceeded] ---I hope gentlemen will not interrupt me: when they find me going out of order-when they hear me drawing fictitious characters, let them ftop me-when I fay any thing unparliamentary-when I recall the afperity of that day, which, whilft I defpife, I must disapprove. I rife in defence of what I think, an injured character. As I have endeavoured to defend the rights of this country for twenty-four years, I hope they will permit me to defend my reputation. My life, Sir, has been divided into three parts, and it has been difpatched by three epithets: one part, Sir, that which preceded Lord Harcourt's adminiftration; another which paffed between Lord Harcourt's and Lord Carlifle's; and the third, which is fubfequent. The firft has a fummary juftice, or injuftice done to it, by being faid to be intemperate; the fecond is treated in like manner, by being faid to be venal; and the conduct of the third is faid to be that of an incendiary.

Mr. O'Hara, to order; it is against order. to speak of what paffed on a former day, not that any thing the Hon,

Gentleman has faid now, is improper, but that the order of the Houfe forbids a reference to the debates of a former day.

Mr. Flood. I take this matter up, upon the ground of an interrupted cebate; it is in that light it comes within order. I have a right to begin where I was interrupted; but, Sir, there are fome cafes of fo particular a nature, that a ftrict adherence to a general order would be the height of injuftice. In the attack made upon my perfon, I went back, not only to the arguments of two or three days before, but to the conduct of twenty years antecedent -therefore, Sir, I hope, that if animadverfions of twenty years are allowed to one, I may have an opportunity of referring to arguments ufed three days ago: With refpect to that period of my life, which is difpatched by the word intemperate, I beg gentlemen would confider the hard fituation of public characters, if that is to be their treatment; that period takes in a number of years, not less than fixteen, in which there were five adminiftrations, and in which the public were pleafed to give me their fentence of approbation. Sir, it includes, for I wish to speak to facts, not to take it up upon epithets, it includes the Duke of Bedford's, Lord Halifax's, the Duke of Northumberland's, Lord Hertford's, and Lord Townshend's.

Now, Sir, as to the fact of intemperance, I will state to you how that ftands, and let the gentleman fee how a plain tale fhall put him down. Of thofe five adminiftrations, there were three to which I was fo far from giving an intemperate oppofition, that I could not be said, in any sense of the word, to oppose them at all; I mean the three firft.-I certainly voted against the Secretary of the day, but oftener voted with him. In Lord Hertford's adminiftration, I had attained to a certain view and decided opinion of what was fit, in my mind, to be done for this country. I had fixed upon three great objects of public utility. I endeavoured to attain them, with that fpirit and energy with which it is my character and nature to fpeak and to act; as I must take the disadvantages of my nature, I will take the advantages of it too. Thefe three great objects were refifted by that adminiftration: What was the confequence? A conflict arose between that administration and me; but that conflict ought not to be called oppofition on my part; no, it ought rather to be called oppofition on theirs; I was the propounder, and they refifted my propofitions. This may be called a conflict, not an oppofition to that adminiftration. What were those three objects? One was to prove that the conftitution of parliament in this kingdom, did ftill exift; that it had not been taken away by the law of Poyning's, but that it was an infamous perverfion of that ftatute, by which the conftitution had fuffered: The other was the establishment of a conftitutional military force, in fuperaddition to that of a itanding army. The only idea that ever occurred to England, or any tree country of Europe, I adopted, namely, that of a conftitu