4

body of English forces reduced feveral of the principal towns, king William then arriving and at the head of 36,000 men, encamped on the South fide of the river Boyne, about four miles from Drogheda, in the county of Louth, oppofite to king James's army, which was composed of twenty-fix thousand French and Irish. William paffed the river with his army, which took the men up to their waifts, drove those before him who oppofed his landing, and gaining an elevated part of the ground, drove the enemy from thence, and obtained a compleat victory, which eftablished king: William on the throne of Ireland. In this engagement marfhal Schomberg and feveral eminent officers were killed and near one thousand private men; about the fame. number were killed of King James's army. This was the only victory William ever gained in perfon. James it is true fought at the head of an undifciplined rabble, but his French auxiliaries were by no means courageous; he afterwards retired to St. Germain's i in France, where he died. It is almoft in~· credible the amount of the forfeitures, and from fome authentic MSS. relative thereto which I have seen, and are now in the poffeffion of a gentleman in Dublin, they are numerous, which fell to the crown on ace count of the rebellion: but the avoiding ton profecute for the forfeited eftates too rigor oufly against the Roman Catholics, have been attended with many great advantagest at present to this kingdom; the Roman Ča

tholics

tholics being in poffeffion of great property, which enables them to improve the countries in which they refide. They have been much benefited by the many acts of parliament paffed in their favour in 1779, particularly an act to enable them to take leases for 999 years; they being previous to this period, not permitted to take leafes for a longer term than 31 years. They are well attached to the prefent royal family and to the English government.

The great fervice which this kingdom receives from the many charter schools, where children are educated in the proteftant religion, cannot be fufficiently expreffed. An act having paffed (1768) for limiting the duOration of parliaments to eight years, hath been productive of infinite benefit to Ireland, and has been one great means of promoting the improvements which are making throughout this kingdom. But it is to the late acts which have paffed (1779), in the British legifla ture granting a free trade to Ireland ; to the affociations of volunteers throughout this kingdom, amounting to near 50,000; and to the declared refolutions of a great number of gentlemen, not to wear any other manufactures but thofe of Ireland, must be attributed her prefent emerging from all thofe circumftances her former re stricted commerce fubjected her to. The benefits of are trade to Ireland will ap pear in the enfuing pages. C

VOL. I.

CON

CONSTITUTION and GOVERNMENT.

Ireland being connected with the crown of England, varies but little, with respect to its conftitution and government; previous to the 33d of Henry VIII. it was entitled only the dominion or lordship of Ireland, fince which the kings of England are alfo kings of Ireland, and in the reign of Henry II. at a council held at Lifmore, the English laws were received and agreed to be conformed to by the Irish nation; from the time of which council, it has been the opinion of many, that as the Irish acknowledged their allegiance to the king of England, and conformed to the laws of Great Britain, it has been fuggested that Ireland can be bound by acts of the British legislature. The king of England fends a viceroy thither to adminifter the public affairs of Ireland, (whom he reprefents) who goes by the name of lord lieutenant general and general governor of Ireland, the jurifdiction and authority of whom is ample and royal by the terms of his commiffion; but according to the king's pleafure, or as the exigencies of the times may require, his power may be in fome measure reftrained or enlarged. On the arrival of any chief governor in Dub lin from England, the lord mayor, recorder, aldermen and sheriffs, wait on him

at

at his landing, and prefent to him the keys of the city, who afterwards returns them to the lord mayor, &c. On his arrival at the Caftle, and entering upon this honourable employ, his letters patent are publicly read in the council-chamber, and having taken the ufual oaths before the lord chancellor, the fword which is to be carried before him, is then delivered into his hands, and he is feated in the chair of ftate, attended by the lord chancellor, the members of the privy council, the lords fpiritual and temporal and nobles; the king at arms, a ferjeant at arms, a ferjeant at mace, and other officers of ftate. Hence if he be considered respecting his jurifdiction, his authority, his train, his 3 fplendor or his attendance, there is no viceroy in the known world that comes nearer the grandeur and majesty of a king; and he never appears on any public occafion without being attended by a body of horse guards, or goes to the parliament house but in great ftate and proceffion, and the fix regiments on Dublin duty lining the streets through which he paffes. He has a council, compofed of all the great chces of the crown; namely the chancellor, the primate of all Ireland, and fuch other of the archbi-, fhops, duke, earls, bishops, barons, judges and gentlemen as his majefty is pleased to appoint. When a lord lieutenant dies, the lord chancellor hath power, to fummon the 1 privy council to elect another, to serve unC 2 til

E

til the king authorizes one and he be sworn; in pursuance of a ftatute of Henry Vill.

The parliament in Ireland as well as in England, confifts of a houfe of lords and commons. In the Irish houfe of lords are one duke, 37 earls, 46 viscounts, 42 barons, and 22 bishops, in all 147. The reprefentatives of the commons are 300. The noblemen of Ireland have greater privileges in fome refpects than the noblemen of Scotland; they are capable of fitting in the houfe of commons of England, and of being made peers of Great Britain: the eldeft fon of a Scots peer cannot fit in the British houfe of commons, but the eldest fon of an Irish peer may. The Irish parliament is the fupreme court, and is convened by king's writ, and hold feffions every fecond year; those noblemen who are Roman Catholics, cannot fit in the house of lords without being properly qualified agreeable to law. In 1771, an act paffed to give up their parliamentary privileges in cafes of all law proceedings. The laws of Ireland take their first motion either from the privy council of this kingdom or from either of the houses of parliament; but by the law of Poyning's they must be certified over by the council to England for the reyal approbation, when if approved of by his majefty and council, they pass the

great