encouraged by the Dukes of York and Cumberland, and taught to believe that they had the secret support of the Regent, surpassed their usual indiscretion and violence, at their corporate meetings; and, to complete the distraction, the heat of parties was unexpectedly stimulated by the excitement of a general election, in which the interference of the Irish government to support the ascendancy-candidates, was rather more open than was consistent with the spirit of the constitution, and almost with the letter of the law.

CHAPTER VI.

MR. PEEL'S CAREER, AS IRISH SECRETARY.

MR. PEEL displayed very superior administrative abilities, when he commenced his duties as Irish Secretary; he found the business of his office in great confusion, and successfully exerted himself to bring it into order. The merchants and manufacturers of Ireland, who had occasion to seek interviews with him on matters connected with financial and excise regulations, were favourably impressed by his courtesy, his intelligence, and his anxiety to foster the trade of Ireland. He appears to have been anxious to act impartially, and to keep himself aloof from the violent factions which divided Ireland: but this was impossible; he was gradually drawn in to become the apologist of Orange clubs and societies; and the opposite party fixed upon him the nickname of "Orange Peel." Among the disgraceful tricks to which the opponents of the Catholic claims resorted, was the publication of, what professed to be, the "Third Part of a Statement of the Penal Laws affecting the Catholics;" and this malicious forgery was traced to the office of a journal notoriously in the pay of the Irish government. Though promptly disavowed by the Catholic body, it was studiously circulated throughout England, as an authentic manifesto of their sentiments, and Mr. Peel was sharply censured for having connived at so guilty a practice. In truth, the Secretary knew nothing about the publication, for he never could have sanctioned so clumsy a production; but he made but a poor defence, for not publicly marking his disapprobation of the authors.

In the debate on Mr. Grattan's motion for a committee, to take the Catholic claims into consideration, Mr. W. Wellesley Pole spoke in favour of the committee, and drew a very humorous picture of the state of the government of Ireland, in which the Irish Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. William Fitzgerald, and the Solicitor-General, Mr. Bushe, believed the concession of Catholic emancipation essential to the tranquillity of the country; while the same measure was resisted, as dangerous, by Mr. Secretary Peel and the Attorney-General, Saurin.

Mr. Peel replied in a very animated speech, and, with little foresight of his own future career, severely taunted his predecessor with inconsistency: "With regard to the right honourable gentleman's speech," said he, "I confess my inability to answer it, but will refer him for an answer to a speech of the right honourable gentleman himself." Mr. Peel grounded his opposition to the motion chiefly on the refusal of the Catholics to provide securities, and on their disclaimer of the sanctions which they had proffered to Mr. Pitt: "Let gentlemen recollect," he said, "when they charge us with bigotry and intolerance, that the claims now advanced by the Catholics are claims which would have been rejected without hesitation when a Catholic prince was upon the throne of these realms, and when Catholics themselves composed its legislature. I am not now inquiring whether the securities, which have been required of the Catholics, are adequate or not for the purposes for which they are proposed; but I contend, that as they are not unreasonable nor unprecedented, and are yet withheld by the Catholics themselves, that they have not the slightest ground to complain of the injustice of their present disqualifications." The worst part of the speech was an attack on the venerable Bishop of Norwich, for having attended a dinner given at Kilkenny by the Irish Catholics to their Protestant supporters; and for this indiscretion, he

was severely rebuked, by Mr. Marsh and Mr. Whitbread. The motion was carried by a majority of forty. Wilberforce, on this occasion, voted with the majority, and his accession was justly deemed a matter of great importance, by the advocates of emancipation. The second reading of Mr. Grattan's bill was carried by a majority of forty-three; but when in committee, the clause allowing Catholics to sit in parliament was rejected, by a majority of four, on the motion of the Speaker, Sir Charles Abbot, afterwards Lord Colchester. The bill was, consequently, abandoned.

Although Mr. Peel had opposed the measure of emancipation, he was anxious to show that he was not animated by anti-Irish feelings; and when a debate arose on the state of education in Ireland, he took the opportunity of paying a compliment to the character of the people: he said, that "Assuredly he was the last man who would throw any obstacles in the way of the extension of education to the Irish people; never would a refusal to such effect be more pregnant with injustice, for in no case could the claim be stronger, if capacity and anxiety to enjoy it could constitute a claim. Many instances, evincing the thirst for knowledge felt by the Irish peasantry, such as must arouse the warmest feelings in every generous mind, had come to his knowledge. It was a thing quite frequent, for working people to deprive themselves of all advantages from the labour of their children, in order that they might have their whole time devoted to literary acquirements; and he knew one parish, in which there were no fewer than eleven evening schools, where adults used to repair after the toils of the day, in order to procure that culture which had been denied in their earlier years.” this subject, the conduct of Sir Robert Peel has been consistent throughout; he supported the national board of Education in Ireland, which had been established by the Whigs,

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ANNA & 2e mora dedy on the refusal of the Cesures and on their disclaimer of the NAPURNA ad profered to Mr. Pitt: "Let gentleYor exits de sud, "when they charge us with bigotry and Stolerance that the claims now advanced by the Cathobox are clans which would have been rejected without hesiSutton when a Catholle prince was upon the throne of these seabus, and when Catholics themselves composed its legislature. I am not now inquiring whether the securities, which have been required of the C