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cious anfwer to the address of this houfe.

Your majesty's favourable acceptance of the grateful acknowledgements of your faithful commons cannot fail to excite in them the moft lively tentiments of zeal and attachment to your majefty's perfon and government.

Dublin Cafle, 'May 25. This day the houfes of lords and common's waited upon the lord lieutenant with their respective addrefses, which are as follow:

Tobis Excellency SimonEarl Harcourt, Lord Lieutenant General, and General Governor of Ireland.

The humble Addrefs of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, in Parlia ment affembled.

May it pleafe your Excellency,

E the lords fpiritual and

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Animated with a lively and grateful sense of the happiness we enjoy, we cannot forbear expreffing our most earnest wishes that his majefty, out of his paternal regard for his loyal fubjects of this country, may be graciously pleased to continue your excellency in the government of this kingdom, where your prudence, abilities, and experience have gained you the confidence of the people, who confider their affection for your excellency as the beit teft of their regard to

W temporal, in parliament their country, and who wish to

affembled, beg leave to congratulate your excellency on the approaching conclufion of a feffion of parliament, diftinguished by fo many beneficial laws, effential to the profperity and happiness of this kingdom.

We are truly fenfible of your excellency's concern for the welfare of this nation, manifefted by thofe wife and prudent measures which have already fo effectually established the declining credit of this kingdom, and for thofe neceffary and ufeful regulations effected by your provident care in the revenue and other departments of the state, which must be productive of the moft permanent and substantial benefits.

make your administration as eafy to yourself as it is honourable to the crown, and fatisfactory and advantageous to the publick.

His Excellency's Anfwer

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exertion of my best efforts for the welfare and true interefts of this kingdom.

To his Excellency Siman Earl Harcourt, Lord Lieutenant General, and General Governor of Ireland.

The bumble Addrefs of the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, in Parliament affembled.

WE

May it please your Excellency, E, his majefty's most dutiful and loyal fubjects, the commons of Ireland, in parliament affembled, impreffed with the trueft fense of gratitude, and impelled alike by our inclination and our duty, moft fincerely and chearfully offer to your excellency our warmest congratulations upon the approaching conclufion of this feffion of parliament.

Your excellency's uniform attention to every important object of government, and the peculiar wifdom which your excellency has manifefted in thofe regulations in our finances, which have fo effectually re-established the declining credit of the nation, muft, we are perfuaded, have laid the best foundation for that fuccefsful interpofition with our most gracious fovereign, to which we attribute fo many useful and falutary laws obtained for us this feffion of parliament, among which the act for the improvement of tillage, fo long the object of our warmeft wishes, will leave the most lafting impreffion on the minds of a grateful and loyal people.

We have endeavoured to emulate your excellency's example, in fupporting government, by means the moft conducive to the intereft of

those we reprefent; and we have the utmost fatisfaction to find, that the scheme for difcharging the arrears upon the establishment has been, at the fame time, one principal caufe of raifing the publick

credit of the nation.

We feel, in the perfect enjoyment of every bleffing of liberty, good order, and tranquillity, the peculiar obligations we owe to his majefty's goodnefs and paternal care, in placing over us a chief governor, whofe administration, like his own great character, has been eminently diftinguished by juftice, moderation, firmnefs, and wifdom; whofe unwearied endeavours to promote the profperity of this kingdom, and whofe virtues and exemplary conduct, which have fecured him the juft confidence of 'his majesty's loyal fubjects of Ireland, fill our minds with the warmeft hopes that his majefty, as the higheft mark of his royal favour unto us, will be graciously pleafed long to continue your excellencythe chief governor of this kingdom.

His Excellency's Anfwer.

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felf. To have stated it moft favourably to his majefty, was to have reprefented it truly; it is thoroughly understood, and moft graciously accepted: your dutiful behaviour and difpofitions are impreffed upon the mind of the belt of princes; and I fhall take every other poffible method to deferve the efteem of the commons, and to promote the profperity of this kingdom.

His Excellency Simon Earl Harcourt,

Lord Lieutenant General and Ge

neral Governor of Ireland, his
Speech to both Houses of Parlia-
at Dublin, on Thursday the
2d Day of June, 1774.
My Lords and Gentlemen,

ment,

HE great and uncommon

Tvariety of publick bufinefs in which you have been engaged, and your conftant attention to the performance of your duty, must make you wifh for the conclufion of. a feffion, in which the many difficult and important fubjects under your confideration could only have been relieved by that fingular good temper and wifdom in your deliberations, which have thrown a peculiar luftre upon all your proceedings, and crown your labours for your country with merited fuccefs.

I reflect, with the greatest fatisfaction, that the many difficulties and embarrassments, which appeared at our first meeting, have

been furmounted and removed fo

ably and effectually, as to anfwer my warmest wishes, and to exceed my moft fanguine expectations.

Gentlemen of the house of

commons,

I have his majesty's exprefs com

mands to thank you, in his name, for the extraordinary and seasonable fupplies which you have granted, and which his majefty justly confiders as a confpicuous inftance of your attachment to his royal perfon and government; and I am to alfure you, that they are as gracioufly and favourably accepted, as they have been liberally and chearfully given. It is a ftriking proof of your wisdom and fagacity, that the means which you have used for raifiug the fupplies have not only fupported his majefty's government, but have, at the fame time, raised and established public and private credit, and promoted the commerce, manufactures, and industry of the kingdom.

My Lords and Gentlemen,
I have reviewed my ad-

minihouldn hath little fatisfaction to myself, if, while fo much had been done for the honourable fupport of government, no acquifition had been obtained for this country. But, among the many useful laws, paffed this feffion of parliament, the act for granting an effectual bounty on the exportation of corn affords the ftrongest proof of the paternal

attention of the most beneficent

fovereign, to the welfare and profperity of his dutiful and affectionate fubjects of this kingdom; and has formed the most complete fyftem of laws for the encouragement of tillage, that exifts in any country, This reciprocal intercourfe of duty and protection, which has for fo many years happily prevailed, and from which fo many falutary confequences have been derived, during his majesty's aufpicious reign, holds out, to every part of his majesty's empire, an example reflecting the higheft ho

nour

nour upon the virtues of a moft amiable and excellent fovereign, and the wisdom and good conduct of affectionate and loyal fubjects.

In the high ftation, in which his majefty has placed me, I claim no merit, but a faithful execution of his majefty's gracious purpofes for the happinefs of his people of Ireland, and the most juft, and therefore the most favourable reprefentations of their loyal, dutiful, and affectionate conduct, which cannot fail to intitle them to the continuance of his royal favour and protection.

Your favourable acceptance of my endeavours to do my duty, and your kind approbation of my conduct, expreffed in terms. fo very distinguished and honourable to me, demand my warmest acknowledgements. I have fincerely wifhed to deferve your good opinion; it is my earneft defire to cultivate and improve it, and my unalterable refolution to exert my most ftrenuous efforts at all times, and apon all occafions, to promote the happiness and profperity of Ireland.

The Lords Proteft against the Bill for better regulating the Government of the Province of Majachufet's-bay.

Die Mercurij, 11o Maij, 1774.

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DISSENTIENT, Because this bill, forming a principal part in a fyftem of punifhment and regulation, has been carried through the houfe without a due regard to thofe indifpenfible rules of public proceeding, without the obfervance of which no regulation can be prudently made, and no punishment juftly inflicted. Before it can be pretended, that thofe rights of the colony of Maffachufett's-bay, in the election of counsellors, magiftrates, and judges, and in the return of jurors, which they derive from their charter, could with propriety be taken away, the definite legal offence, by which a forfeiture of that charter is incurred, ought to have been clearly stated and fully proved; notice of this adverfe proceeding ought to have been given to the parties affected; and they ought to have been heard in their own defence. Such a principle of proceeding would have been inviolably obferved in the courts below.

THE order of the day being. It is not technical formality, but

read for the third reading of the bill, intituled, 66 an act for the better regulating the government of the province of the Maffachufett's-bay, in New-England;" and for the lords to be fummoned The faid bill was accordingly read the third time.

;

fubftantial justice. When therefore the magnitude of fuch a caufe transfers it from the cognizance of the inferior courts, to the high judicature of parliament, the lords are fo far from being authorised to reject this equitable principle, that we are bound to an extraordi

nary

nary and religious ftri&tnefs in the obfervance of it. The fubject ought to be indemnified by a more liberal and beneficial justice in parliament, for what he must inevitably fuffer by being deprived of many of the forms which are wifely established in the courts of ordinary refort for his protection against the dangerous promptitude of arbitrary difcretion.

zdly, Because the necefity alledged for this precipitate mode of judicial proceeding cannot exift. If the numerous land and marine forces, which are ordered to affemble in Massachusett's-bay, are not fufficient to keep that fingle colony in any tolerable state of order, until the cause of its charter can be fairly and equally tried, no regulation in this bill, or in any of thofe hitherto brought into the house, are fufficient for that purpofe; and we conceive, that the mere celerity of a decifion against the charter of that province, will not reconcile the minds of the people to that mode of government which is to be established upon its ruins.

3dly, Because lords are not in a fituation to determine how far the regulations of which this bill is compofed, agree or disagree with thofe parts of the conftitution of the colony that are not altered, with the circumftances of the people, and with the whole detail of their municipal inftitutions. NeiNeither the charter of the colony, nor any account whatsoever of its courts and judicial proceedings, their mode, or the exercife of their prefent powers, have been produced to the houfe. The flightest evidence concerning any one of the many inconveniencies, stated in the

preamble of the bill to have arifen from the prefent conftitution of the colony judicatures, has not been produced, or even attempted. On the fame general allegations of a declamatory preamble, any other right, or all the rights of this or any other public body may be taken away, and any visionary fcheme of government fubftituted in their place.

4thly, Because we think, that the appointment of all the members of the council, which by this bill is vested in the crown, is not a proper provifion for preferving the equilibrium of the colony conftitution. The power given to the crown of occafionally increafing or leffening the number of the council on the report of governors, and at the pleasure of minifters, muft make thefe governors and minifters mafters of every question in that affembly; and by destroying its freedom of deliberation, will wholly annihilate its use. The intention avowed in this bill, of bringing the council to the platform of other colonies, is not likely to answer its own end; as the colonies, where the council is named by the crown, are not at all better disposed to a fubmiffion to the practice of taxing for fupply without their confent, than this of Maffachufett's-bay. And no pretence of bringing it to the model of the English conflitution can be supported, as none of thofe American councils have the least resemblance to the house of peers. So that this new scheme of a council ftands upon no fort of foundation, which the proposers of it think proper to acknowledge.

5thly, Because the new confti. tution of judicature provided by this bill is improper, and incongruous

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