Refolved, That an humble addrefs be prefented to his Grace the Lord Lieusenant, that he will be graciously pleased to offer fuch reward as he fhall think fit for the difcovering and apprehending of the writers, publishers and printers of the newspaper, intitled "The Volunteers Journal, or Irish Herald,"

of Monday the 5th of April, 1784.

Ordered, That the faid addrefs be prefented to his Grace the Lord Lieutenant by fuch members of this Houfe as are of his Majefty's most honourable Privy Council.

Ordered, That his Majefty's Attorney General do profecute the faid writers, publishers and printers of the faid paper.

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 1784.

The House, according to order, refolved itfelf into a committee of the whole House, to take into confideration a bill for the more effectually paving, cleansing and lighting of the streets of the city of Dublin, and other places therein mentioned, and for making fewers, and erecting fountains and conduits in the faid city for the use of the poor; and after fome time spent therein, Mr. Speaker refumed the chair, and Mr. John Monck Mafon reported from the committee that they had made fome progress in the matter to them referred, and that he was directed by the committee to defire leave to fit again.

Refolved, That this Houfe will, in half an hour, refolve itself into a committee of the whole House, to take the faid bill into further confideration.

Sir John Blaquiere moved, "To expunge the clauses for erecting turnpikes on all the avenues into the city." He said, he had promised fome Honourable Gentlemen, not then present, that he would expunge thefe claufes; he thought himself bound to his promife; but what he chiefly refted upon was the infufficiency of the tax propofed to be raised by turnpikes, to effect good and permanent roads from the circular road into the city; he therefore relinquished that object of his firft intention.

The Prime Serjeant thought the neceflity of making good the avenues fo great, that he hoped the Honourable Knight would not abandon his firft defign; and propofed, if the turnpike tax itated in the bill should be deemed infufficient, to double the quantum of that tax.

This propofal was fupported by Mr. Beresford and Mr. Gardiner, who afferted, that the avenues into Dublin were in fuch a ftate of ruin and filth, as difgraced the second city in the empire: That it was not in the power of grand juries, while they retained any compaffion for the landholders of the county of Dublin, to VOL. III.

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tax them beyond what they at prefent pay, that is two fhillings an acre for repairing the roads; that therefore the aid of a turnpike tax was abfolutely neceffary, and that nothing could be more juft and equitable than fuch a tax, as it affeffed upon each carriage a fum exactly proportioned to the damage it did to the said

roads.

General Luttrell faid, the introduction of this tax, after the Honourable Knight had declared his intention of giving it up, must be confidered as a furprize, and therefore he trufted the candour of the Right Honourable Gentleman, (Mr. Gardiner) would induce him to reject it: He urged the diflike his conftituents had always fhewn to it, and in their names called upon him. He afferted, that if time was allowed for the freeholders to affemble, that they would not fail to intruct the Right Honourable Member, and to petition parliament againft this tax, which to him as well as to them, appeared an unneceffary and oppreffive burthen.

Right Honourable Mr. Cuffe declared his difapprobation of the

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As did Alderman Warren, who faid, that it would prove equally vexatious to the inhabitants of the city and county of Dublin; thofe within the city would be reftrained in their liberty, and highly taxed by the increafed price of provifions-while thofe without would feel themselves fo embarraffed between turnpike taxes and county charges, that grand juries, he doubted not, would hereafter refufe to harrais the fubject with new impofitions; and as the turnpike tax would of itself be infufficient to keep the roads in repair, they would foon be in a worfe condition than at prefent.

Sir John Blaquiere and General Luttrell again urged, That confiftent with good faith to the abfent members, and to the public, the tax could not, after what had paffed, be now introduced in fuch a thin committee.

The queftion was thereupon put, when there appeared,

Ayes, for the turnpikes

Mr. Beresford then gave notice, that he would again bring forward this queftion in the Houfe, and hoped it would not be thought a furprize.

Mr. J. Wolfe, according to order, reported from the committee of the whole Houfe, appointed to take into confideration a bill for making appropriate pariines belonging to archbishops and bifhops perpetual cures, and the better to enable fuch archbishops and bishops to endow and augment the endowments of vicarages and curacies to them refpectively appropriate, and to render more effectual the feveral acts now in force to enable the clergy, hav

ing cure of fouls, to refide upon their refpective benefices, and to build upon their refpe&tive glebe lands, that the committee had gone through the bill, paragraph by paragraph, and made feveral amendments therein, which he read in his place, and after delivered in at the table.

Ordered, That the bill, with the amendments, be engroffed.

The Houfe, according to order, refolved itself into a committee of the whole Houfe, to take into confideration a bill for the more effectually preventing the counterfeiting of the current coin of this kingdom, and the uttering or paying of falfe or counterfeit coin; and after fome time spent therein, Mr. Speaker refumed the chair, and Sir Hugh Hill reported from the committee that they had gone through the bill, paragraph by paragraph, and made feveral amendments thereto, which he read in his place, and after delivered in at the table.

Ordered, That the bill, with the amendments, be engroffed.

Right Honourable John Fefter read from the Evening Chronicle several paragraphs, which he declared to be of a feditious and libellous tendency, and faid, that as he would be always ready to punih in a conflitutional way, fuch daring attempts to excite tumult and difcontent, he would move that F. Rofs, the publisher of that paper, fhould be brought to the bar to-morrow morning, in cuftody of the ferjeant at arms.

He alfo complained of a feditious and libellous paragraph in the Freeman's Journal, and moved that the publisher thereof fhould be brought to the bar to-morrow, in cuftody of the Serjeant at Arms.

General Luttrell fuggefted that the offenfive paragraph might have been only copied from fome other paper in the hurry of bufinefs, and if fo, the printer who copied ought not to be deemed fo culpable as he who originated a fcandal.

Mr. Fofter faid, that while the General was fpeaking a member had put into his hand the Volunteer Journal, from which it appeared that paragraphs had indeed been copied; but as it was well known that paper was under the cenfure of the Houfe, he thought a printer much to blame who would copy fuch matters from it.

The General replied, that poffibly the copy had been taken, and the Freeman's Journal gone to prefs, before the difpleasure of the Houfe against the Volunteers Journal was known.

The Houfe ordered the printers to be brought to the bar in cuftody of the Serjeant at Arms.

The Right Honourable Mr. Secretary Orde acquainted the Houfe, that the addrefs of yesterday to his Grace the Lord Lieu

tenant, requefling his Grace to iffue a proclamation, offering fuch reward as his Grace fhould think proper for the difcovery of fuch perfons as had been concerned in tumultuously breaking into the Houfe on faid day, or who had incited or encouraged others thereto; as alfo the addrefs of yesterday, requefting his Grace to iffue a proclamation, offering a reward for the difcovering and apprehending the writers, publishers and printers of the news paper, intitled "The Volunteers Journal, or Irish Herald," of Monday the 5th of April, 1784, had been feverally prefented, and that his Grace would do as was defired.

The Right Honourable John Fofter reported from the committee appointed to enquire into the conduct of the magiftrates of the city of Dublin, refpecting an outrageous mob which broke into the Houfe efterday, and behaved riotously and abufively to feveral of the members, the refolutions which the committee had directed him to report to the Houfe, which he read in his place, and after delivered in at the table, where the fame were read, and are as follow:

Refolved, That it appears to this committee, that the Right Honourable Thomas Greene, the Lord Mayor, received notice on Monday morning laft, at nine o'clock, from Mr. Secretary Orde, that he had information of an intended tumult in the city on that day; and that the Lord Mayor had feen, on Sunday evening laft, one of the feditious hand-bills, which were dispersed throughout this city on that day.

Refolved, That it appears to this committee, that notwithftanding fuch information the faid Lord Mayor did not take any ftep to prevent the tumultuous rifing of the people, which happened in this city on Monday laft.

Refolved, That it appears to this committee, that the faid Lord Mayor has not acted with that caution and prudence which becomes the chief magiflrate of this city.

Mr. Griffith faid, he had not objected to the two first resolutions, as they contained only matters of fact, but he would give his utmoft oppofition to the third, which he thought could not by any means be fairly deduced from them. In his opinion the Lord Mayer had acted with a becoming regard for the principles of the conftitution. He had refrained from calling on a military force, which the conftitution abhors, until compelled by the laft extremity. In doing this, he was warranted by the prudent and conftitutional advice of Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker rofe to inform the Hon. Gentleman, that he had not advised upon the occafion.

Mr. Griffith faid, the advice he alluded to was given in November laft, upon an occafion fimilar to that complained of.'That found advice had coincided with the Lord Mayor's fenti

ments, as it must do with thofe of every man that regarded liberty. The Lord Mayor acted in conformity to it, and it had produced happy effects.-His Lordship had every reafon to fuppofe it would again fucceed, but when he found himself mistaken, his perfonal activity had made ample amends. Upon the whole, as any error of his lordship could only be attributed to an excefs of caution, and regard for the conftitution, no cenfure should therefore be paffed upon him.

The Prime Serjeant faid, that the Lord Mayor had entered upon his office at a time when the city was in the molt perfe&t state of tranquility, and when its police was much more completely regulated than ever it had been at any former period. In this ftate his prodeceffor's great ability, and unwearied application to the duties of his high office, had left the city; but hardly had Mr. Greene entered upon his year of mayoralty, when he, who had been an active magiftrate in the county of Wicklow, fuffered every thing to run into diforder; the ftreets became impaffable, riots became frequent, and every duty neglected. The man who could fo far forget himself, as not to prevent fuch tumults as had arifen, he faid muft be confidered as little better than an accomplice, and therefore, though with infinite reluctance he would confent to any thing difgraceful to a magiflrate, he thought Mr. Greene ought to be cenfured; the cenfure of the House of Commons he confidered as the cenfure of the nation, which, however fevere a punishment, he thought was juflly incurred, for if unhappily in the late riot any unfortunate individual had fallen, there remained no doubt that the Lord Mayor, who neglected to prevent it, would have been guilty of his blood. The Lord Mayor, he faid, had no excufe-there was before him the excellent example of his predeceffor, the example of the worthy and refpectable board of Aldermen, He might have had their affistance and advice, he might have had the advice of that able magiftrate the Recorder, but as he had neglected all thofe advantages, and acted folely from himself, it was jutt that he alone fhould bear the reproach.

Mr. Jones faid, he had attended the committee for enquiring into the conduct of the city magiftrates, and had feen futhcient evidence there to give a negative to thofe refolutions; that he would do the fame here, though doing fo, he fhould ftand alone-but the first importing a meffage from the Secretary, he fhould not oppofe, becaufe the Lord Mayor had himself admitted it.

Neither his abilities, nor at that particular moment his fpirits, were fuch as to induce him to enter into a combat with the phalanx who would become his opponents, thould he enter on a detail of his motives for highly disapproving the refolutions; and he should content himfelf, ftanding alone as it fhould feem he would, with giving a bare negative, unlefs fome gentleman de