from both thefe confiderations com- other than calicoes and muflins; glafs; haberdashery; hats; tin plates, wrought iron, and hardware; gold and filver lace, gold and filver thread, bullion for lace, pearl, and fpangles; millinery; paper, ftained; pottery; fadlery and other manufactured leather; filk manufacture; stockings -ten per cent. on the true value. Refolved, that it be the feventh article of union, that the charge arifing from the payment of the intereft, and the finking fund for the reduction of the principal of the debt incurred in either kingdom before the union, fhall continue to be feparately defrayed by Great Britain and Ireland refpectively, except as hereinafter provided: that, for the fpace of twenty years after the union fhall take place, the contribution of Great Britain and Ireland refpectively,, towards the expenditure of the united kingdom in each year, fhall be defrayed in the proportion of fifteen parts for Great Britain, and two parts for Ireland: that, at the expiration of the faid twenty years, the future expenditure of the united kingdom (other than the intereft and charges of the debt to which either country fhall be feparately liable,) fhall be defrayed in fuch proportion as the parliament of the united kingdom hall deem juft and reasonable, upon a comparison of the real value of the exports and imports of the refpective countries upon an average of the three years next proceding the period of revifion, or on a comparifon of the value of the quantities of the following articles confumed within the refpective countries on a fimilar average, viz. beer, fpirits, fugar, wine, tea, tobacco, and malt, or according to the aggregate proportion refulting which the whole amount of duty payable thereon would exceed the amount which will be thereafter payable in England on the like article: that if, at the end of any year, any furplus fhall accrue from the revenues of Ireland, after defraying the intereft, finking fund, and proportional contribution and feparate charges to which the faid country fhall then be liable, taxes fhall be taken off to the amount of fuch fur-, plus, or the furplus thall be applied by the parliament of the united Kingdom to local purposes in IreJand, or to make good any defici ency which may arife in the revenues of Ireland in time of peace, or he inverted, by commiflioners of the rational debt of Ireland, in the finds, to accumulate for the benefit of Ireland, at compound intereft, in eale of the contribution of Ireland in time of war; provided that the furplus fo to accumulate fall at no future period be fuffered to exceed the film of five millions: that, all monies to be railed after the union by loan in peace or war for the fervice of the united kingdom by the parliament thereof, thall be confidered to be a joint debt, and the charges thereof fhall be borne by the refpective countries in the proportion of their refpeétive contributions; provided that if at any time, in railing their refpective contributions hereby fixed for cach country, the parliament of the united kingdom thall judge it fit to raife a greater proportion of fuch refpective contributions in one country within the year than in the other, or to fet apart a greater proportion of finking fund for the liquidation of the whole or any part of the loan raifed on account of the one country than of that raifed on account of the * other country, then fuch part of the faid loan, for the liquidation of which different provisions shall have been made for the refpective coun tries, fhall be kept diftinct, and shall be borne by each feparately, and only that part of the faid loan be deemed joint and common, for the reduction of which the refpective countries fhall have made provifion in the proportion of their refpective contributions: that, if at any future day the feparate debt of each coun try refpectively hall have been liquidated, or if the values of their refpective debts (eftimated according to the amount of the interest and annuities attending the fame, and of the finking fund applicable to the reduction thereof, and to the period within which the whole capital of fuch debt shall appear to be redeemable by fuch finking fund) thall be to each other in the fame proportion with the refpective contributions of each country relpectively, or if the amount by which the value of the larger of luch debts fhall vary from fuch proportion thall not exceed one hundredth part of the faid value; and if it thall ap pear to the parliament of the united kingdom, that the refpective circumfiances of the two countries will thenceforth admit of their contributing indiferiminately, by equal taxes impofed on the fame articies in cach, to the future expenditure of the united kingdom, it fall be competent to the parliament of the united kingdom to declare, that all future expenfe thenceforth to be incurred, together with the intereft and charges of all joint debts contracted previous to fuch declaration, fhall be fo defrayed indifcriminately by equal taxes impofed on the fame articles in each country, and and thenceforth from time to time, as circumstances may require, to impole and apply fuch taxes accordingly, fubject only to fuch particular exemptions or abatements in Ireland, and in that part of Great Britain called Scotland, as circumftances may appear from time to time to demand: that, from the period of fuch declaration, it shall no: longer be neceffary to regulate the contribution of the two countries towards the future expenditure of the united kingdom, according to any fpecific proportion, or according to any of the rules hereinbefore prescribed; provided, nevertheless, that the intereft or charges which may remain on account of any part of the feparate debt with which either country fhall be chargeable, and which fhall not be liquidated or confolidated proportionably as above, fhall, until extinguished, continue to be defrayed by feparate taxes in each country: that a fum, not less than the fum which has been granted by the parliament of Ireland, on the average of fix years immediately preceeding the 1ft day of January, in the year 1800, in premiums for the internal encouragement of agriculture or manufactures, or for the maintaining inftitutions for pious and charitable purposes, thall be applied, for the period of twenty years after the union, to fuch local purposes in Ireland, in fuch manner as the parliament of the united kingdom fhall direct: that, from and after the 1ft day of January, 1801, all public revenue arifing to the united kingdom, from the territorial dependencies thereof, and applied to the general expenditure of the united kingdom, fhall be fo applied in the YOL. XLII. proportions of the respective contributions of the two countries. Refolved, that it be the eighth article of the union, that all laws in force, at the time of the union, and all the courts of civil and ecclefi aftical jurifdiction within the ref pective kingdoms, fhall remain now as by law eftablished within the fame, fubject only to fuch alterations and regulations from time to time as circumftamces may ap pear to the parliament of the united kingdom to require; provided that all writs of error and appeals depending at the time of the union, or hereafter to be brought, and which might now be finally decided by the house of lords of either kingdom, fhall from and after the union be finally decided by the houfe of lords of the united kingdom; and provided that, from and after the union, there fhall remain in Ireland an inftance court of admiralty, for the determination of caufes civil and maritime only; and that the appeal from fentences of the faid court, fhall be to his ma jefty's delegates in his court of chancery in that part of the united kingdom called Ireland; and that all laws at prefent in force in either kingdom, which fhall be contrary to any of the provifions which may be enacted by any act for carrying thefe articles into effect, be from and after the union repealed. that, in conformity to your majefty's gracious meflage, laying before us, the refolutions of the lords and commons of Ireland, we have proceeded to refume the confideration of the great and important fubject of a legiflative union between Great Britain and Ireland; and it is with unfpeakable fatisfaction we. have obferved the conformity of the faid refolutions to thofe principles, which we humbly fubmitted to your majefty in the laft-fetion of parliament, as calculated to form the bafis of fuch a fettlement. With the few alterations and ad-, ditions which we have found it neceflary to fuggeft, we confider thefe refolutions as fit to form articles of union between Great Britain and Ireland; and if thofe alterations and additions fhall be approved by the two houfes of the parliament of Ire land, we are ready to confirm and ratify thefe articles, in order that the fame may be established for ever by the mutual confent of both parliaments. We offer to your majefty our humble congratulations upon the near profpect of the accomplithment of a work, which your majefty, as the common father of your people, has juftly declared to be fo near your heart; concurring, as we do, with your houfes of parliament in Ireland, in the full conviction that, by incorporating the legiflatures, and confolidating the refources of the two kingdoms, we hall increase the power and ftability of the British empire, and fhall at the fame time contribute in the moft effectual manner to the improvement of the commerce, the fecurity of the religion, and the prefervation of the liberties of your majetty's fubjects in Ireland. 14 1 tives for the people of Ireland fhall be added to the British houfe of commons, confifting of 558 members, and that the prefent entire British houfes of parliament, with the faid additional members, fhall form their united parliament; from which it is evident that the entire power of making laws and impofing taxes muft refide in the preponderating majority of the British members in fuch parliament; which power, though it might without danger be entrufted to them if the two nations were to be fo perfectly incorporated as to form but one nation, and to have but one purfe, as in the anion as in the anion between England, Scotland, and Wales, yet in the intended union, where diftinct revenues, diftinct taxes, and distinct expenfes fhall continue to exift between the two nations, it mutt leave the liberties of the Irith nation at the, difpofal of fuch British majority, who will make the law's for the internal regulation of Ireland, which fhall not in any fort affect themfelves, and impofe taxes upon that kingdom, the preffure of which they will not feel. It appears to us that the exercife of fuch power muft neceffarily produce univerfal difcontent, and may pofand the loyalty of its refident gen-fibly tend to alienate the affections try, the former of whom the pro- of Ireland from Great Britain. pofed measure neceflarily removes from the country, and the latter of whom it must powerfully operate to withdraw. " 7thly Because we confider the prefent feafon of innovation il adapted for the difcuffion of new fyftems of government, more particularly in this country, which has only juft efcaped from the revolutionary projects of foreign and domeftic enemies, and in which the ordinary course of law has been neceffarily fufpended. 8thly, Because, next to the protection of Divine Providence, we hold this country indebted for its prefervation from thofe evils to the vigilance of its refident parliament, 10thly, And above all, becaufe we conceive that no fcheme of national adjuftment can be honourable, fatisfactory, or permanent, which is not confidered with mature deliberation, profecuted by fair and temperate means, and founded on the uninfluenced fenfe of parliament, no one of which effential requifites can we find in the present project. Leinster, Downfhire, tinatnefs of their legiflatures, appears to us as happily contrived as the limited nature of human inftitutions can admit to maintain na tional freedom in both countries, and unalterable connection between both. ile i 6thly, Because the plan propofed, whether it be good or whether it be ill, appears to us calcu lated to effect a total and fundamental change in the conftitution of Ireland; a change which ought not to be ventured on, without the unequivocal approbation of, the informed understanding and refident property of the country, both of which we confider to be adverle to the reception of the measure. 'i 9thly, Becaule, by the plan laid before us for conftituting the parliament of the united kingdoms, it is intended that four fpiritual and twenty-eight temporal lords shall be added to the British houfe of lords, confitting of upwards of 300 members, and that 100 reprefenta |