his kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, on the broad and permanent basis of mutual advantages and general security, we beg leave to express our sentiments on so important a question, and to declare to your excellency, that we consider it the most effectual means to promote the strength and happiness of the empire, to allay the unhappy distractions which have raged, and that nothing short of this salutary measure can ensure to us a continuance of the confidence, of the tranquillity, and the blessings which the wisdom of your auspicious government has restored to this country.

[Signed by 308 Subscribers.]

To the Roman Catholics of the City of Cork.

IT affords me singular pleasure to be assured, that the govern ment of Ireland has been administered in a manner that has given you satisfaction during the period in which his majesty has graciously thought proper to commit it to my care.

In full expectation that the salutary measure to be brought forward will upon the completion of it, be the means of eventually terminating all religious and civil dissensions, and of giving reciprocal advantage and general security to the whole empire, it is with unfeigned gratification that I find a coincidence of opinion in this great work on the part of the loyal Roman Catholic inhabitants of the ancient and opulent city of Cork.*

CXIX.

THE ARTICLES OF UNION....PAGE 294.

RESOLVED, 1. That in order to promote and secure the essential interests of Great Britain and Ireland, and consolidate the strength, power, and resources of the British empire, it will be advisable to concur in such measures as may best tend to unite the two kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland

Many other such addresses were made by the different bodies of Roman Catholics: viz. From the county of Leitrim, signed by 1836; one from the county of Longford; from the inhabitants of Tipperary and Cahir; from those of the united parishes of Monasterevan, Lacka, Harristown, Nurney and Ballybrackin; from the gentlemen, clergy, and freeholders of the county. of Kilkenny; from those of the diocese of Elphin in the county of Roscommon, &c. &c.

into one kingdom, in such manner, and on such terms and condi❤ tions as may be established by the acts of the respective parliaments of Great Britain and Ireland.

Resolved, 2. That for the purpose of establishing an Union' upon the basis stated in the resolution of the two houses of parliament of Great Britain, communicated by his majesty's command in the message sent to this house by his excellency the lord lieutenant, it would be fit to propose as the first article of Union, that the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland shall upon the first day of January, which shall be in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and one, and for ever after, be united in one kingdom, by the name of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and that the royal style and titles appertaining to the imperial crown of the said united kingdom and its dependencies, and also the ensigns, armorial flags and banners thereof, shall be such as his majesty by his royal proclamation, under the great seal of the united kingdom shall be pleased to appoint.

Resolved, 3. That for the same purpose, it would be fit to propose, that the succession to the imperial crown of the said united kingdom, and of the dominions thereunto belonging, shall continue limited and settled in the same manner, as the succession to the imperial crown of the said kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland now stands limited and settled, according to the existing laws, and to the terms of the Union between England and Scotland.

Resolved, 4. That for the same purpose it would be fit to propose, that the said united kingdom be represented in one and the same parliament, to be styled the parliament of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland."

Resolved, 5. That for the same purpose it would be fit to propose, that the charge arising from the payment of the interest and sinking fund, for the reduction of the principal of the debt incurred in either kingdom before the Union, shall continue to be separately defrayed by Great Britain and Ireland respectively.

That for the space of twenty years after the Union shall take place, the contribution of Great Britain and Ireland respectively, towards the expenditure of the united kingdom in each year, shall be defrayed in the proportion of fifteen parts for Great Britain and two parts for Ireland, that at the expiration of the said twenty years, the future expenditure of the united kingdom, other than the interest and charges of the debt to which either country shall be separately liable, shall be defrayed in such proportion as the said united parliament shall deem just and reasonable, upon a comparison of the real value of the exports and im

pörts of the respective countries, upon an average of the three years next preceding the period of revision, or on a comparison of the value of the quantities of the following articles consumed within the respective countries, on a similar average, viz. beer, spirits, sugar, wine, tea, tobacco and malt; or according to the aggregate proportion resulting from both these considerations combined, or on a comparison of the amount of income in each country, estimated from the produce for the same periods of a general tax, if such shall have been imposed on the same descriptions of income in both countries, and that the parliament of the united kingdoms shall afterwards proceed in like manner, to revise and fix the said proportions according to the same rules or any of them, at periods not more distant than twenty years, nor less than seven years from each other, unless previous to any such period the united parliament shall have declared as herein after provided, that the general expences of the empire shall be defrayed indiscriminately by equal taxes, imposed on

the like articles in both countries.

Resolved, 6. That for defraying the said expences, according to the rules above laid down, the revenues of Ireland shall hereafrer constitute a consolidated fund, upon which charges equal to the interest of the debt and sinking fund, shall, in the first instance be charged, and the remainder shall be applied towards defraying the proportion of the general expence of the united kingdom, to which Ireland may be liable in each year.

That the proportion of contribution to which Great Britain and Ireland will by these articles be liable, shall be raised by such taxes in each kingdom respectively, as the parliament of the united kingdom shall from time to time deem fit, provided always, that in regulating the taxes in each country by which their respective proportion shall be levied, no article in Ireland shall be liable to be taxed to any amount exceeding that which will be thereafter payable in England on the like articles.

Resolved, 7. That if at the end of any year, any surplus shall accrue from the revenues of Ireland, after defraying the interest, sinking fund, and proportioned contribution, and separate charges to which the said country is liable, either taxes shall be taken off the amount of such surplus, or the surplus shall be applied by the united parliament to local purposes in Ireland, or to make good any deficiency which may arise in her revenues in time of peace, or invested by the commissioners of the national debt of Ireland in the funds, to accumulate for the benefit of Ireland, at compound interest, in case of contribution in time of war. Provided the surplus so to accumulate, shall at no future period be suffered to exceed the sum of five millions.

Resolved, 8. That all monies hereafter to be raised by loan in peace or war, for the service of the united kingdom by the par

liament thereof, shall be considered to be a joint debt, and the charges thereof shall be borne by the respective countries in the proportion of their respective contributions. Provided, that if at any time in raising the respective contributions hereby fixed for each kingdom, the parliament of the united kingdom shall judge it fit to raise a greater proportion of such respective contributions in one kingdom within the year than in the other, or to set apart a greater proportion of sinking fund for the liquidation of the whole, or any part of the loan raised on account of the one country than that raised on account of the other country, then such part of the said loan for the liquidation of which different provisions have been made for the respective countries, shall be kept distinct, and shall be borne by each separately, and only that part of the said loan be deemed joint and common, for the reduction of which, the respective countries shall have made provision in the proportion of their respective contributions.

Resolved, 9. That if at any future day, the separate debt of each kingdom respectively shall have been liquidated, or the values of their respective debts (estimated according to the amount of the interest and annuities attending the same, of the sinking fund applicable to the reduction thereof, and the period within which the whole capital of such debt shall appear to be redeemable by such sinking fund) shall be to each other, in the same proportion with the respective contributions of each kingdom respectively, or where the amount by which the value of the larger of such debts shall vary from such proportion, shall not exceed one hundredth part of the said value; and if it shall appear to the united parliament, that the respective circumstances of the two countries will thenceforth admit of their contributing indiscriminately, by equal taxes imposed on the same articles in each, to the future general expence of the united kingdom, it shall be competent to the said united parliament to declare, that all future expence thenceforth to be incurred, together with the interest and charges of all joint debts contracted previous to such declaration, shall be defrayed indiscriminately by equal taxes imposed on the same articles in each country, and thenceforth from time to time as circumstances may require to impose and apply such taxes accordingly, subject only to such particular exemptions or abatements in Ireland, and that part of Great Britain called Scotland, as circumstances may appear from time to time to demand, that from the period of such declaration, it shall no longer be necessary to regulate the contribution of the two countries towards the future general expences, according to any of the rules herein before provided.

Provided nevertheless, that the interest or charges which may remain on account of any part of the separate debt with which

either country is chargeable, and which shall not be liquidated or consolidated proportionably as above, shall until extinguished, continue to be defrayed by separate taxes in each country.

Resolved, 10. That a sum not less than the sum which has been granted by the parliament of Ireland, on the average of six years, as premiums for the internal encouragement of agriculture or manufacture, or for the maintaining institutions for pious and charitable purposes, shall be applied for the period of twenty years after the Union to such local purposes, in such manner as the parliament of the united kingdom shall direct.

Resolved, 11. That from and after the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and one, all public revenue arising from the territorial dependencies of the united kingdom, shall be applied to the general expenditure of the empire, in the proportions of the respective contributions of the two countries.

Resolved, 12. That for the same purpose it would be fit to propose that lords spiritual of Ireland, and lords temporal of Ireland, shall be the number to sit and vote on the part of Ireland in the House of Lords of the parliament of the united kingdom, and one hundred commoners (two for each county of Ireland, two for the city of Cork, one for the University of Trinity College, and one for each of the thirty-one most considerable cities, towns and boroughs) be the number to sit and vote on the part of Ireland, in the House of Commons in the parliament of the united kingdom.

Resolved, 13. That such acts as shall be passed in the parliament of Ireland previous to the Union, to regulate the mode by which the lords spiritual and temporal and the commons to serve in the parliament of the united kingdom on the part of Ireland, shall be summoned or returned to the said parliament, shall be considered as forming part of the treaty of Union, and shall be incorporated in the act of the respective parliaments, by which the said Union shall be ratified and established.

Resolved, 14. That all questions touching the election of members to sit on the part of Ireland in the House of Commons of the United kingdom, shall be heard and decided in the same manner as questions touching such elections in Great Britain now are, or at any time hereafter shall by law be heard and decided, subject nevertheless, to such particular regulations in respect of Ireland, as from local circumstances the parliament of the said united kingdom may from time to time deem expedient.

Resolved, 15. That the qualifications in respect of property of the members elected on the part of Ireland to sit in the House of Commons of the united kingdom, shall be respectively the same as are now provided by law, in cases of elections for counties, and cities and boroughs respectively, in that part of Great