SPEECH OF MR. PLUNKET, On the competency of the Irish Parliament to pass the Measure of Union. Sir, 7 I in the | most ex- | press 7 | terms 7|7 deny the competency | 7 of parliament | 7 to | do this | act. 7 | 77 | 77 | 7 I | warn you | 7 7 | do not | dare | 7 to lay your hand | 7 on the consti- | tution. | 7 7 | 777 I tell you, | 7 that | if 7 | circumstanced as you | are 7 | 7 you | pass this | act, 7 | it will be a nullity, |7 and that no man in | Ireland | 7 will be | bound to o- | bey it. 77|77|7I make the as- | sertion | 7 deliberately, 7 7 7 I re- peat it, | 7 and call on | any | | | | | man who hears me, | 7 to | take | down my words; 7 | 777 you have not been e- | lected for this 7 | purpose, | 7 7 | you are ap- pointed | 7 to | make | laws, 7 | not 7 | legis- | latures; | 7 7 | you are ap- | pointed to exercise 7 the functions of legis- | lators, | 7 and | not to trans- fer them; | 77 | 7 and | if you | do so | 7 your act 7 | 7 is a | disso- | lution | 7 of the | govern- | ment; |77| you re- | solve so- | ciety | into its o- | rigi nal | elements, | 7 and | bound to o- | bey you. | no man | 7 in the | land | 7 is 77 | 7 7 | Sir, 7 | 7 I| state not 7 | merely | founded | 7 in | doctrines which are the immutable | laws | 7 of | justice and of truth; | 77 | 7 I state | not 7 | merely the o- | pinions 7 of the | ablest | men | 7 who have | written on the | science of | govern- | ment; 7|77| but 1 | state the | practice | 7 of our | consti- | tution | 7 as | settled | at the | æra of the | revolution, which 7 | 7 the 7 but I ❘ state the doctrine | under house of Hanover | 7 de- | rives its | title 7 to the throne. |77|77| Has the | king 7 | 7 a | right to trans- fer his | 7 to an- | nex it to the crown? |77| Is he competent crown of Spain, | 7 or of | any No, | 7 7 | but he may | abdievery man 7 | 7 who | other | country? | 7 7 cate it; 7 and | knows the | constitution, knows the conse- quence, | 77 | 7 the right re-verts to the next in suc- | cession ; | 77 | If they all abdicate, | 7 it re- | verts to the | people. | | 77777 The | man who | questions | this 7 | doctrine, | 7 in the | same | breath, | 7 7 | must ar| ar-raign the sovereign on the throne | 7 as a u- | surper. | 77 | 77 | Are you | competent | 7 to trans- | fer your | legislative rights 7 | 7 to the | French | council of | five hundred? | 77 | Are you | competent | 7 to transfer them to the British | parliament? | 77 | 7 I | answer, | No. | 77 | 7 7 | When you trans- | fer 7 | 7 you | abdicate, | 7 and the | great | 7 o- | riginal | trust 77 re- verts to the | people | 7 from whom it isI sued. 7 77 Your- selves | 7 you | may ex- | tinguish, 777 but | parliament | 7 you | cannot ex- | tinguish; 77 | it is en- | throned in the hearts of the | people; | 7 7 | it is en- | shrined | 7 in the | sanctuary | 7 of the consti- | tution; | 77 | it is im | mortal | 7 as the island | 7 which it pro- | tects; | 77 | 7 as | well | 7 might the | frantic | suicide | 7 7 | hope that the act 7 | 7 which de- | stroys his | miserable | body, | 77 | should ex- | tinguish | 7 his e- | ternal | soul. | | | | 7 7 | 77 | 7 A- | gain I | therefore | warn you, | 7 7 | do not dare to lay your | hands | 7 on the | consti- | | tution; | 7 7 | it is a- | bove your power. | 77 | 77 | | case a- | ri own | mer tution. 77 | 77 | 7 When-ever | such a ses, | 77 | 7 it must be de- | cided on its its: 777 but that is not ❘ this | case. | 77 | 77 | 7 If| government | 7 con- | siders | this a season | 7 peculiarly fitted 7 for ex- periments | 7 on the constitution, | 77 ❘ they may | call on the people. | 77 | 77 | 7 I | ask you, | 7 7 | are you | ready to | do so? | 77 | Are you ready to a- | bide the e- | vent of ❘ such an ap| peal ? 7 | 7 7 | 7 7 | What 7 | is it | you must | 7 in that e- | vent, 7 | 7 sub- | mit to the ¦ people? |77| Not 7 | this par- ticular project, | 7 7 | for if you dis- | solve the present form of government, |77| they be- | come 7 | free to choose any other; | 77 | 7 you | fling them to the | fury of the ❘ tempest, | 7 7 | you must | call on them 7 to un-house them- selves | 7 of the es-tablished consti- | tution, | 7 and to | fashion to themselves 7 | 7 an- | other. | 77 | 77 | 71 | ask a- | gain, 7 is this the ❘ time | 7 for an ex- | periment | 7 | of ❘ that 7 | nature? | 77 | 7 Thank | God 7|7 the people have | mani- | fested | no such | wish; | 77 so far as they have spoken, | 7 7❘ their 7 | voice is de- | cidedly a- | gainst | 7 this daring inno- | vation. | 77 | 77 | 7 You | know | 7 that | no | voice | 7 has been | uttered in its | favor, | 7 7 and you cannot be in- | fatuated e- | nough | 7 to | take 7 confidence 7 from the silence | 7 which pre- vails kingdom, | 77 | 7 if you | in some 7 parts of the know how to ap- preciate | 7 that | silence, | 7 it is more formidable than the most sition; 77 | you may be ❘ rived and clamorous | oppo- | shivered by the lightning | 7 be- fore you | hear the | peal of the | thunder! 7 7 7 7 | But Sir, | 7 we are told 7 | 7 7 | that we should discuss this | question | 7 with | calmness | 7 and composure! | 77 |I am called on | 7 to surrender my birth-right |7 and my honor, |7 7 | and I am | told I should be calm, | 7 com- | posed! | 77 | 77 | National | pride! | 7 7 | Independence of our | country!|77| These, 7 | 7 we are told | 7 by the | minister, | 7 are only | vulgar | topics | 7 7 | fitted for the me- ridian | 7 of the mob, | 7 but un- | worthy | 7 to be mentioned | 7 to such an en-¦ lightened as- | sembly | 7 as this. 777 They are | trinkets and ¦ gewgaws, fit to catch the | fancy of childish | 7 and un| thinking | people | 7 like | you, Sir, 1 7 or | like your| predecessor | 7 in that | chair, | 77 | 7 but | utterly un-worthy | 7 the con- | side- | ration | 7 of | this house, 7 7 1 or of the ma- | tured | under- | standing | 7 of the noble lord 77 who conde- | scends | 7 to in- | struct it! | 7 7 7 7 | Gracious | God! 7 7 7 7 we see a Perry | re-as- | cending from the tomb | 7 and | raising his awful | voice 7 | 7 to warn us | 7 a- | gainst the sur- | render of our | freedom, 7 and we see that the | proud and | virtuous feelings | 7 which | warmed the breast of that aged 7 and | venerable | man, | 7 are only | calculated 7 to ex- | cite the con- | tempt | 7 of this | | young philosopher, |77| who has been trans- | planted | 7 from the nursery | 7 to the | cabinet | 7 to outrage the feelings | 7 and under- | standing | 7 of the country. | 77 | 77 | EXECUTION OF THE EARL OF ARGYLE. Fox's History of James II. 7 On the ❘ thirtieth of | June, | 7 one | thousand | 7 six | hundred | 7 and | eighty | five, | 7 the | Earl of Argyle 7 was brought from the castle, | 77 | first, | 7 to the | Laigh | council house, | 7 and | thence, 7 to the place of exe- | cution. | 77 | 7 7 | Be- | fore he left the | castle, | 7 he | had his | dinner 7 at | the | usual | hour, | 7 at | which he dis- | coursed, | 77 | | not only calmly, | 7 but | even | cheerfully, | 7 | with | Mr. | Chateris | 7 and others. | 77 | 77 | After dinner | 7 he re- | tired, 7 7 | (as was his | custom,) | 7 to his bed-chamber, |77 | where | 7 it is recorded, | 7 he slept | quietly | 7 for a- | bout a | quarter of an hour. | 77 | 7 7 | While he was in | bed, | one of the members of the council | came, | 7 and | intimated 7 to the at- | tendants, | 7 a de- | sire to 1 speak with him : | 77 | 7 upon | being told | 7 that the | Earl | 7 was a- | sleep, | 7 and had left | orders | not to be disturbed, | 7 the | manager | disbe- | lieved the ac- | count, 77 | which he conas a de- | vice | 7 to avoid | further ings. | 77 | 77 | |sidered | 7 question 7 To satisfy him, | 7 the | door of the bed-chamber, 7 was half | opened, | and | then he be- | held, 7 enjoying a sweet and tranquil | slumber, | 7 the man, | 77 | 7 who | 7 by the | doom of | him and his | fellows, 7 was to ❘ die | 77 | 7 with- | in the | short | space | 7 of | two hours. | 77 | 77 |Struck with |