d, that shortly after the
establishment of their legislative independence, a convention met in
Dublin, consisting of representatives from the different Volunteer
Associations, by whom the country had been saved from the common enemy,
and who were supposed to have contributed much to the establishment of
her independence. This convention had been constituted on the same
principle (but with more circumspection and order) as that which was so
well known by the name of the Dungannon meeting--an assembly, which
though perfectly military, so far as its being constituted by armed
citizens could make it so, did more towards asserting the independence
of Ireland and procuring for her the most important advantages of
constitution and commerce than any other which ever sat in Ireland. To
the Dungannon meeting, however, no exceptions were taken--they were
suffered to meet--to resolve--and to point out in the most decisive tone
the grievances under which they supposed the country laboured. Their
remonstrances were carried even to the foot of the throne, and the
father of his people, uninfluenced by that romantic sense of dignity,
which has since produced such lamentable effects in Irish
Parliaments--graciously received, and wisely attended to their
remonstrances.--The jesuitical or Machiavelian distinction between
citizens in red clothes and in coloured ones, had not yet been thought
of--it was considered sufficient to entitle an address or petition to a
respectful hearing, if it was substantially the sense of a great body of
the property and population of the state, no matter whether they spoke
in the character of volunteers associated to defend the constitution, or
as freeholders assembled only to exercise its privileges.

It is not for me now to defend the convention of that day from the
imputation of false policy and imprudence, in preferring the character
of soldiers to that of citizens in their deliberative capacity, but I
cannot help observing--First, that the Irish administration have never
manifested any dislike of military bodies--real, mercenary, foreign
soldiers,--expressing publicly _their_ sentiments on great public
questions, when those sentiments coincided with the politics of the
Castle--witness the manifestoes with which the Irish newspapers have
for the last year or two been crouded, from Scotch and English mercenary
troops, in which these zealous advocates for religion and liberty
declare themselves friends to th