Flood, Henry, a distinguished orator and statesman, was born on the family estate near Kilkenny, in 1732; his father was Chief-Justice of the King's Bench; his grandfather came over to Ireland as an officer, during the War of 1641-'52. After the death of a brother and sister, he remained an only child, and his studies were attended to with the care proportioned to his expectations as the inheritor of extensive property. He entered Trinity College as a fellow-commoner when but in his sixteenth year, and completed his education at Oxford, where he studied under Dr. Markham, afterwards Archbishop of York. He devoted himself especially to the classics, and wrote some poetry. Having left Oxford, he entered at the Temple, and altogether he spent about seven years of study in England. He was passionately fond of private theatricals, and he is said to have occasionally acted with Grattan, although the latter was fully eighteen years younger. In youth he was a singularly attractive companion — "genial, frank, and open; endowed with the most brilliant conversational powers, and the happiest manner — 'the most easy and best tempered man in the world, as well as the most sensible,' according to Grattan. His figure was exceedingly graceful, and his countenance was in youth of corresponding beauty. He was of a remarkably social disposition, delighting in witty society and in field sports, and readily conciliating the affection of all classes." He entered Parliament in 1759 as member for Kilkenny, being the sixth of the name and family who sat in Parliament during the 18th century. Two years later, his marriage with Lady Frances Maria Beresford added to his position and prestige in the country. Endowed with remarkable eloquence, indomitable courage, and singularly acute judgment, he possessed almost every requisite for a leader of public opinion. The Irish Parliament was at this time corrupt to the last degree: of the 300 members, 200 were elected by 100 individuals, and nearly 50 by 10. Lord Shannon returned 16; the Ponsonbys, 14; Lord Hillsborough, 9; and the Duke of Leinster, 7. An enormous pension list and the entire Government patronage were systematically and steadily employed in corruption. Amongst the nobility absenteeism was the rule. The House was almost independent of popular control, lasting during the reign of each sovereign; while, under Poyning's law, the British Government had the power either of altering or rejecting all Bills. Flood's eloquence soon made him the leader of the growing party determined to abridge the corrupt influence of Government, and establish a modified independence. "His eloquence," says Mr. Lecky, "as far as we can judge from the description of contemporaries and from the fragments that remain, was not quite equal to that of some later Irish orators. He was too sententious and too laboured. He had, at least in his later years, but little fire and imagination; his taste was by no means pure; and his language, though full of force and meaning, was often tinged with pedantry. He appears, however, to have been one of the very greatest of parliamentary reasoners." "In comparison with Grattan," continues Mr. Lecky, "Flood was invariably considered the more convincing reasoner of the two. He was a great master of grave sarcasm, of invective, of weighty, judicial statement, and of reply; and he brought to every question a wide range of constitutional knowledge, and a keen and prescient, though somewhat sceptical judgment." Through his exertions a healthy public opinion soon began to spring up outside the walls of the House, and a powerful opposition was organized within. For about ten years a desultory warfare was carried on between the two parties — the Government, while growing weaker, still able to command working majorities — Flood becoming more and more the idol of the country. In 1767, however, a great and unforeseen change came to favour the popular party, after the appointment of Lord Townshend as Lord-Lieutenant. A measure for making the judges irremoveable was recommended from the throne and passed, but was considerably altered by the English Ministry. On the other hand, the Octennial Bill, urged on by Mr. Flood, and passed by the Irish Parliament in 1768, perhaps only to gain popularity, and in the hope of its being vetoed in England, was, much to the dismay of the majority, allowed to become law, and Parliament became in some real sense an organ of popular sentiment, as far at least as the Protestant portion of the nation was concerned. In the course of the election that took place after the passing of this Bill in September 1769, Flood had an unhappy quarrel with Mr. Agar, his colleague in the representation of Callan, who forced on two duels, and in the second was shot through the heart by Flood. As a matter of form Flood stood trial for the offence; but, in accordance with the feelings of the time, was triumphantly acquitted. The same year a money bill, originated by Government, was rejected
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