PONSONBY. 489 and sanguinary conflicts of civil war, strong reinforcements of British troops were poured into the country; and this auspicious opportunity was seized for carrying the Union, —by means the most pure and constitutional, no doubt? and transporting the skeleton of the Irish Parliament to England for ever. Mr. Ponsonby and his political friends gave the most strenuous opposition to this measure. They ardently, wished to see a period to the distresses of their distracted country, but they desired not to sacrifice her independence. They could not contemplate without pain the extinction of her separate legislature, and they deprecated such a change, as an experiment of problematical advantage, while they considered the consequent ruin of their country certain and unequivocal. At length, after a long struggle, a new order of things arose in the ministerial quarter; for, in 1806, in conse quence of the singular and unexpected coalition between Lord Grenville and Mr. Fox, some important changes took place in the governments of both countries. The talents and long services of Mr. Ponsonby were not for gotten, and he was appointed a member of the Irish privy council, and received at the same time the seals as lord chancellor. His brother, the Right Hon. William Bra bazon Ponsonby, was created an English peer, by the title of Imokilly, on the 25th of March in the same year; and soon afterwards his friend, Mr. Curran, was appointed, on the retirement of Sir Michael Smyth, master of the rolls: but, in the arrangements for this latter appointment, an unfortunate misunderstanding arose between these two friends, which was not reconciled until Mr. Curran lay on his death-bed. Mr. Ponsonby, who had negociated the resignation of Sir Michael Smyth to make way for Mr. Curran, on this occasion, understood that a gentleman named Ridgeway, should either retain his office of secre tary to the master of rolls, worth about 500l. a-year; o r , that i f Mr. Curran should appoint his own son t o that office, h e should pay Mr. Ridgeway the salary out o f his
