Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 1.djvu/453

 442 CAULFIELD. finially passed into law, much to the chagrin of many of those former opponents who had been arrayed against it under the ministerial standard, and were now obliged to sapport it under the like authority. Even in the house of lords, Chancellor Clare, who had been always the opponent of concession, and though on this occasion he vehemently marked his own hostility to the measure, yet he deprecated discussion, and voted in its support. Lord Charlemont, whose prejudices were unshaken, not only voted, bat entered his protest against it. The fact was, the British government felt that the conciliation of so numerous a portion of the Irish people was of more press- ing importance at such a crisis, than to indulge and sanc- tion any longer, the antipathies and prejudices of the ruling sect. And the catholics retired from the doors of parlia- ment, under a full conviction, that they owed gratitude for this boon, more to the kindness of his majesty and the British government, than to the liberality of that parlia- ment, who, but the year before, had rejected their bumble petition with contumely and reproach. In the following year, 1794, Lord Charlemont sustained a domestic calamity in the loss of his second son, James Caulield, a promising youth of seventeen. In the parliament this year, almost the only circum- stance worth notice that occurred, was the introduction of a bill, by Mr. W. B. Ponsonby, on the 4th of March, to improve the representation of the people in parliament, the second reading of which he moved for the next day. This was warmly opposed by ministers, who moved an amend- ment for postponing the second reading to the 2nd of August. The question, however, was debated with great ability ; parliamentary reform had long been the cry of the north of Ireland; Lord Cliarlemont himself was a warm friend to moderate reform, but he was extremely averse to the principles of reform for which the political societies of Belfast, echoed by those of Dublin, now began to clamour, namelyy universal suffrage and annual parliaments. The bill introduced by Mr. Ponsonby was to effect that mea-