The volunteers having accomplished the objects which they originally had in view, did not disband themselves, but directed their views and exertions to a reform in par liament. In order to act with vigour and efect, they fol lowed their former plan of a national convention, which they appointed to be held in Dublin on the I Oth of Novem ber, 1783. On the 29th of the same month, a motion was made in the louse of Commons by Mr. Flood, founded on the resolutions of this convention, which, after a long and warm debate, was rejected by a vety large majority. This termination, instead of rousing the volunteers to perse verance. as it. would have done, when they had their ori gi ad object in view, scents to have disconcerted and alarm ed them ; for the convention adjourned to an indefinite period, after having passed a resolution to carry on, indivi du tlly, their for parliamentary reform ; and having agieed to address the king, expressing their loyalty, and beseeching him not to ascribe their efforts to restore the constitution to its pure and pristine form, to any love of innovation, or want of attachment to his government or power. Soon after this the volunteer system declined, ministers hastening its decline by raising fenciblc regi ments, into which they drew the officers of the volunteers by pecuniary inducements.
The cause of parliamentary reform, though no longer supported by the volunteers in their associate character, was not deserted by the people, or by its advocates in par liament ; and their hopes were raised by the circumstance, that Mr. Pitt, who had been its most strenuous supporter, was now prime minister. It was soon found, however, that Mr. Pitt was no longer of the same opinion ; and Mr. Flood's motion for leave to bring in a bill to reform the Irish House of Commons, was negatived, though not till after a long debate. The advocates for this measure, out of doors, were not cast down ; the citizens of Dublin, legally convened by the sheriffs, voted a series of resolu tions in favour of this measure, and also appointed a com mittee to prepare an address to the people at large, and a petition to the king. The people were invited to form a national congress, composed of five persons from every county and large town ; and the meeting of this congress actually took place in Dublin, on the 25th of October, 1784, notwithstanding the endeavours of government to prevent it, which were carried, at least, as far as the law warranted.
At the fist meeting nothing of importance was done ; but at the second meeting, at which there were assembled above 200 members from 27 counties and most of the large towns, it was resolved to petition parliament, but to leave the specific form of redressing the grievance complained of to be determined by the wisdom of the legislature.
Though :Nit-. Pitt was inimical to parliamentary reform, both in Britain and Ireland, yet he was disposed to free the commerce of the latter country from some of the restraints under which it laboured, and to protect it from foreign com petition. But his attempts to establish a more advanta
geous system of commerce between Britain and Ireland were in a great measure defeated by the jealousy of the British manufacturers and merchants. This obliged him to new model the propositions which he had originally sent to Ireland,and which were adopted by the legislature there with the most perfect and cordial approbation, to such a degree, that when they were again introduced into the Irish House of Commons, they passed in the affirmative,with only a majo rity of 19 in a house consisting of 235 members. This trifling majority induced the Irish government to withdraw them al together. The system of tithes has always been a source of ill will,even where those who paid them were of the established religion; but it seemed very hard and unjust to the Catho lics, that they should pay towards the support of a clergy whose services they did not need, nor wish for. Besides, the tithes pressed hard on the poor renters of a piece of ground, perhaps scarcely large enough to support a man and his family, even if he had received the whole produce. From this feeling with regard to the oppression of tithes arose, in 1786, a species of insurrection in the south of lie land, carried on by persons who styled themselves Right boys. They administered oaths, binding the people not to pay more as the tithe of an acre, than a sum they fixed—to permit no proctors—and not to allow the clergyman to take his tithes in kind. Not being sufficiently opposed in this outrage, they proceeded farther ; to fix the rents of /and—to raise the wages of labour—and to oppose the col lection of the tax called hearth-money. This called forth the attention of the legislature, and in 1787 an act was pass ed to prevent tumultuous assemblies and illegal combina tions.
From this time till the illness of his majesty, in 1789, no thing important in the affairs of Ireland occurred. On the occasion alluded to, ministers found themselves deserted by so many of their friends, that they were lefr in a minor ity in both houses; and it was resolved to request his Roy al Highness the Prince of Wales to take upon him the government of Ireland, during his majesty's indisposition, under the title of Prince Regent, with all the legal preroga tives belonging to the crown thereof. The aukward situa tion into which the two countries would thus have been thrown, by the Regent's power being restricted in Britain, and unrestricted in Ireland, was prevented by the fortunate recovery of his majesty ; and this circumstance restored to the Irish ministry their majorities in both houses.