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King's recovery the following spring put an end to the discussion of the question, and Government dismissed from place all the members who had voted on the popular side. Grattan and his party protested against this course in a famous document, signed by fifty-six noblemen and members of the House of Commons, binding them- selves not to accept the place of any person so dismissed, and FitzGibbon violently de- clared that those who signed were worthy of "being whipped at a cart's tail," and that it was a combination beneath that of j ourney men pin-makers. During a debate in August 1789, on a question at issue between Great Britain and Ireland, he said: "If Ireland seeks to quarrel with Great Britain, she is a besotted nation. Great Britain is not easily aroused, nor easily appeased. Ireland is easily roused, and easily put down." For this he was called to order by Flood, who said " he never heard more mischievous or more in- flammatory language, nor more saucy folly." Curran followed with a violent diatribe against FitzGibbon, and a duel ensued between them at Ball's Bridge. While the sheriff's officer was held down in a ditch, they fought, and after harmless shots on both sides FitzGibbon declared himself satisfied ; according to Lord Plun- ket, " Curran and FitzGibbon fought, but unluckily they missed each other." After FitzGibbon became Chancellor, he is said to have carried his animosity against Curx'an to the extent of making it aU but impossi- ble for him to hold a brief in Chancery. Curran was wont to declare that the Chan- cellor's hatred had been a loss of fully .£30,000 in his practice. It was mainly through his influence that anefiicient Police Bill was passed for Ireland, establishing a force of 3,000 sub-constables and 520 chief- constables. The system of county chairmen was also inaugurated by him. In 1 789, on the death of Lord Lifford, FitzGibbon was created Lord-ChanceUor of Ireland, Baron FitzGibbon of Lower Connello. It had not theretofore been customary to give the office to an Irishman ; and it is said that Pitt could not have overcome Lord Thur- low's objection to the appointment, but for the influence of the beautiful Dowager Duchess of Eutland, of whom FitzGibbon had at one time been an ardent admirer. His advancement in the peerage was rapid. In 1 793 he was created a viscount ; in 1 795 , Ear] of Clare; and in 1799 a British peer. He opposed the Catholic Relief Bill of 1 793 and other kindred measures. Dreading the march of " French principles," he held that the only hope of maintaining the in- • tegrity of the Biitish Empire lay in the
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union of Great Britain and Ireland, and therefore bitterly opposed all projects for re- form in any way likely to interfere with the carrying of that measure. Mr. Lecky writes: " There appears indeed to be little question that during the later years of the ministry of Pitt, it was the firm resolution of the Government not only to resist the attempts to purify the Parliament, but also steadily and deliberately to increase its corruption. FitzGibbon, afterwards Lord Clare, was the chief agent in attaining this end. His avowed political maxim was that 'the only security for national concurrence is a per- manent and commanding influence of the English executive, or rather English cabi- net, in the councils of Ireland,' and for many years before the Union, the Govern- ment was continually multiplying places, in order to increase that influence." "^ He opposed Lord FitzwiUiam's policy in 1795, and advised his recall ; and on the entiy of Lord Camden, his house would have been broken into, and he would have been sacri- ficed to the fury of the mob, but for the fortitude of his sister, Lady Jeffries, of Blarney Castle, who mixed with the crowd and led them to seek him elsewhere. His conduct during the Insurrection of 1798 has been thus eulogized : " Nor was it long before he had reason to perceive that his measures produced the desired effect. The disaffected were everywhere panic-stricken; the invading force became prisonei'sof war." As Chancellor of the University of Dublin, he effectually prevented the spread of revo- lutionary sentiments amongst the students ; and caused the expulsion of Robert Emmet and others knowu to be disloyal. Moore gives a vivid account of the visitation that was held, of the "awfulness" of the Chan- cellor's presence, and the difficulty with which he himself pulled through without implicating his friends. FitzGibbon's per- sonal character should be relieved of much of the odium attaching to it by his con- siderate conduct towards Lord Edward FitzGerald, Before the Insurrection broke out he besought Lord Edward's friends to induce him to leave the country, assuring them that all his plans were known, and that he would guarantee his escape if he departed immediately. And afterwards, when Lord Edward lay dying of his wounds in Newgate, DubUn, the Chancellor him- self accompanied his brother and aunt to his death bed, and waited for three hours in an outer apartment during the interview. Lord Clare's position upon the Bench en- abled him to counteract and overcome the anti-Union sentiments of the Irish Bar. When the measure was first discussed at a meeting of lawyers, it was opposed by 166 197
