_Copy of a Resolution of the House of Lords in Ireland,
Mercurii, 17ᵒ die Aprilis, 1782._
RESOLVED, By the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament
assembled _Nemine dissentiente_, That an humble Address be
presented to His Majesty, to return him our thanks for the most
gracious Message sent to this House by His Majesty’s command,
through the medium of His Grace the Lord Lieutenant, and to
assure him of our most unshaken loyalty and attachment to
His Majesty’s person and government, and of the lively sense
we entertain of his paternal care of his people of Ireland,
in thus inquiring into the discontents and jealousies that
subsist amongst them, in order to such Final Adjustment as may
give mutual satisfaction to his Kingdoms of Great Britain and
Ireland.
That, thus encouraged by His Royal Interposition, we shall beg
leave, with all duty and affection, to lay before His Majesty
the cause of such discontents and jealousies.
To represent to His Majesty, That his subjects of Ireland are
entitled to a free constitution; that the Imperial Crown of
Ireland is inseparably annexed to the Crown of Great Britain,
on which Connection the happiness of both nations essentially
depends; but that the Kingdom of Ireland is a distinct
dominion, having a Parliament of her own, the sole Legislature
thereof.
That there is no power whatsoever competent to make laws to
bind this nation, except the King, Lords, and Commons, of
Ireland; upon which exclusive Right of Legislation we consider
the very essence of our liberties to depend, a Right which we
claim as the Birth-right of the People of Ireland, and which
we are determined, in every situation of life, to assert and
maintain.
To represent to His Majesty, That we have seen with concern
certain claims, both of legislature and judicature, asserted
by the Parliament of Great Britain, in an Act passed in Great
Britain in the sixth year of George the First, intituled “An
Act for the better securing the Dependency of Ireland upon the
Crown of Great Britain:”
That we conceive the said Act, and the powers thereby claimed,
to be the great and principal causes of the discontents and
jealousies that subsist in this Kingdom:
To assure His Majesty, That this House considers it as a matter
of constitutional right and protection, that all Bills which
become Law should receive the approbation of His Majesty, under
the Seal of Great Britain; but we consider the practice of
suppressing our Bills in the Council of Ireland, or altering
them any where, to be a matter which calls for redress:
To represent to His Majesty, That an Act intituled “An Act
for the better Accommodation of His Majesty’s Forces,”
being unlimited in duration, but which, from the particular
circumstances of the times, passed into a law, has been the
cause of much jealousy and discontent in this Kingdom;
That we have thought it our duty to lay before His Majesty
these, the principal causes of the discontents and jealousies
subsisting in this Kingdom:
That we have the greatest reliance on His Majesty’s wisdom,
the most sanguine expectations from his virtuous choice of a
Chief Governor, and the greatest confidence in the wise and
constitutional Council His Majesty has adopted:
That we have, moreover, a high sense and veneration for
the British Character, and do therefore conceive, that the
proceedings of this country, founded as they are in right, and
supported by constitutional liberty, must have excited the
approbation and esteem of the British nation: That we are the
more confirmed in this hope, inasmuch as the people of this
Kingdom have never expressed a desire to share the freedom
of Great Britain, without at the same time declaring their
determination to share her fate, standing or falling with the
British nation.
Wm. Watts Gayer } Cler. Parliament.
Edw. Gayer }
_Copy of a Resolution of the House of Commons in Ireland,
Martis, 16ᵒ die Aprilis, 1782._
RESOLVED, That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty,
to return His Majesty the thanks of this House for his most
gracious message to this House, signified by his Grace the Lord
Lieutenant. To assure His Majesty of our unshaken attachment to
His Majesty’s Person and Government, and of our lively sense
of his Paternal Care, in thus taking the lead to administer
content to His Majesty’s subjects of Ireland; that thus
encouraged by his royal interposition, we shall beg leave, with
all duty and affection, to lay before His Majesty the causes
of our discontents and jealousies: To assure His Majesty,
that his subjects of Ireland are a free People; that the Crown
of Ireland is an Imperial Crown, inseparably annexed to the
Crown of Great Britain, on which Connection the interests and
happiness of both Nations essentially depend; but that the
kingdom of Ireland is a distinct Kingdom, with a Parliament of
her own, the sole Legislature thereof; that there is no body
of men competent to make Laws to bind this nation, except the
King, Lords, and Commons of Ireland, nor any other Parliament
which hath any authority or power of any sort whatsoever in
this country, save only the Parliament of Ireland: To assure
His Majesty, that we humbly conceive, that in this Right
the very Essence of our Liberties exist; a Right which we,
on the part of all the People of Ireland, do claim as their
birth-right, and which we cannot yield but with our lives: To
assure His Majesty, that we have seen with concern certain
Claims advanced by the Parliament of Great Britain, in an act,
intituled, “An Act for the better securing the Dependency of
Ireland;” an act containing matter entirely irreconcileable to
the fundamental Rights of this Nation; that we consider this
act, and the claims it advances, to be the great and principle
cause of the discontents and jealousies in this Kingdom: To
assure His Majesty, that His Majesty’s Commons of Ireland do
most sincerely wish, that all Bills which become Law in Ireland
should receive the approbation of His Majesty, under the Seal
of Great Britain; but that yet we do consider the Practice of
suppressing our Bills in the Council of Ireland, or altering
the same any where, to be another just cause of discontent and
jealousy: To assure His Majesty, that an Act, intituled, “An
Act for the better Accommodation of His Majesty’s Forces,”
being unlimited in duration, and defective in other instances
(but passed in that shape from the particular circumstances of
the times) is another just cause of discontent and jealousy
in this Kingdom: That we have submitted these, the principal
causes of the present discontent and jealousy in Ireland, and
remain in humble expectation of redress; that we have the
greatest reliance on His Majesty’s wisdom, the most sanguine
expectations from his virtuous choice of a Chief Governor, and
great confidence in the wise, auspicious, and constitutional
councils which we see with satisfaction His Majesty has
adopted; that we have moreover a high sense and veneration for
the British character, and do therefore conceive, that the
proceedings of this country, founded as they are in right, and
tempered by duty, must have excited the approbation and esteem,
instead of wounding the pride, of the British Nation; and we
beg leave to assure His Majesty, that we are the more confirmed
in this hope, in as much as the people of this Kingdom have
never expressed a desire to share the freedom of England,
without declaring a determination to share her fate likewise,
standing and falling with the British nation.