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their peaceable behaviour, and treated with ridicule CHAP. all attempts to alarm him; as, for inftance, when the vice-treasurer, Mr. Gardiner, came one morning in a fright to affure him, that the people of Connaught were actually rifing, he replied with perfect composure, looking on his watch, “it is nine o'clock, and certainly time for them to rife; I therefore believe your news to be true." Instead of raising new regiments, or demanding troops from Britain, he fent four battalions to reinforce the royal army in Scotland, fupplying their place with additional companies to the regiments already on the establishment, and encouraging volunteer affociations for defenfe, without augmenting the public expenditure, the influence of the crown, his own patronage, or his private emolument. Refting the support of his administration on its rectitude, he abstained from the pernicious cuftom of gaining partizans by reverfionary grants. The fupply afked by him was very moderate, collected with ease, and managed with fuch œconomy, that a part remained from the intended uses, and this was applied to the improvement of Cork harbour. From his excellent conduct a profound tranquillity reigned in Ireland, where not a man espoused the pretender's cause, while in Scotland thousands were in arms under his banners, and feemed to threaten the restoration of a Romish line of kings to the British throne. The boon to Ireland of fuch a governor, as it had been extorted from the British cabinet by the neceffity of circumftances, was recalled as foon as that neceflity ceafed. Nine

days

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CHAP.days after the total rout of the rebels in the battle of Culloden, which was fought on the fixteenth of April 1746, the amiable Stanhope departed from this kingdom, deeply regretted by the na. tion, who, as a mark of gratitude, placed his buft, at the public expenfe, in the castle of Dublin.

Primate

Stone.

Under Chesterfield's government the conteft between the English and Irish intereft lay dormant ; but, after thofe halcyon days, it revived in full force. The chief management of the former devolved from primate Boulter to primate Hoadley, and from him in 1747 to his fucceffor, George Stone, promoted from the fee of Derry. Haughty, determined, and devoted to his party, this prelate fcrupled at no means for the accomplishment of his purpose. Regardless of his paftoral duties, and folely intent on politics, he facrificed religion and morality to the confirming and gaining of adherents, to whom, in the extreme of hospitality, he is faid to have furnished gratifications, not only for the palate, but also for another appetite, the love of the moft familiar intercourfe with females. To depreciate the protestant religion in a country of catholics, by placing fuch a man at the head of the church, and employing him as the engine of intrigue, was not confiftent with found policy. By the virulence of party his vices were expofed, and he was even accufed of an abominable indulgence, in allufion to which his enemies gave as a toast, may the importation of Gamymedes be difcontinued in Ireland." His chief opponent, as leader of

66

the

the patriots, or Irish intereft, was Henry Boyle, Chap. speaker of the commons, afterwards created earl of XXXVI. Shannon. This party received alfo confiderable aid from an individual originally obfcure, whofe activity, talents, and intrepid perseverence, raised him to eminence in the esteem of his country

men.

From innovations made in the charters of corporate towns in the reign of Charles the fecond, the power of choofing their own magiftrates had been taken from the commons of the city of Dublin, and placed in the board of aldermen, fubject in its exercife on each election to the approbation of the chief governor and privy-council. Charles Lucas, an apothecary, anxious for the rights of the citizens, into whofe common-council he had been admitted, but unable to oppose a positive law, difcovered, by a laborious investigation of charters and other records, that encroachments, without legal fanction, had been made on their privileges in other respects. By publishing his difcoveries in 1741, with fuitable obfervations, he raised a furious conteft, purfued with acrimony, between the commons and aldermen, which, though unavailing to the former, tended to excite in the nation a fpirit of inquiry and oppofition to the invafion of political rights. His publications in favour of the claims of the people, and of Ireland as a feparate kingdom, among which was a memorial to the earl of Harrington, the lord lieutenant, gave at length fach an alarm to the partizans of administration, that a refolution was taken

Lucas.

to

XXXVI.

CHAP. to crush him at once by the hand of power. For this purpose the intereft of the court was exerted with fuch fuccefs, that in the October of 1749, the house of common in parliament voted Lucas an enemy to his country, and, by humble addreffes to the viceroy, requested the profecution of the offender by the attorney-general, and the iffuing of a proclamation for the feizure of his perfon. Unable to withftand fo formidable a force, he retired into exile, whence he was deftined to return, fome years after, with augmented honour, to be elected a reprefentative in parliament for the city of Dublin, in his purfait of which office he had at this time been fruf trated by ministerial influence.

Nevil.

Notwithstanding this partial defeat, the popular party was gaining ftrength. Under the viceroyalty of the earl of Harrington, who fucceeded Chesterfield in 1746, a question was started concerning the disposal of national revenue in a particular case, which remained undetermined till the fecond adminiftration of the duke of Dorset, who returned to Ireland as the fucceffor of Harrington in 1751. Previously to this determination an important point was gained in the punishment of one of thofe delinquents of state, who had hitherto been protected from juftice by the parliamentary influence of the cabinet. Arthur Jones-Nevil, a member for the county of Wexford, furveyor and engineer-general, was, in the March of 1752, on an examination by a committee of the house of commons, found guilty of fcandalous embezzlement of the public money

in

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in a contract for the building and repairing of CHAP. barracks; was ordered by a refolution of the commons to fulfil his contract without any additional charge to the public; and in the November of the following year, was expelled the houfe, on the report of a committee that he had not complied with this refolution.

VOL. II.

CHAP.