put an end to, but the Protestants of English origin who ruled Ireland had no feeling of kindness towards the Catholic Irish, and did not care to help them. Soon after the American War was over, the Parliament at Dublin insisted upon making itself quite independent of England, which it had not been before. Pitt, when he became Minister, saw that the best thing to be done for Irishmen was to help them to be richer than they were. They were not allowed to trade with England without paying duties as if they had been foreigners. Pitt therefore proposed to give to Ireland freedom of trade with England so that they might become better off than they had been. Pitt, however, was unable to give to the Irish all that they thought they ought to have, and the Irish Parliament rejected his proposal. They did not understand the proverb which says, 'Half a loaf is better than no bread.' Even after the French Revolution began, Pitt tried hard to do something for Ireland. The Catholics were now allowed to vote for members of Parliament, though they were not allowed to sit in it, any more than they were in England. Pitt at last sent over Lord Fitzwilliam to be Lord Lieutenant. He was to ask the Irish Parliament to make a law allowing the Catholics to become members of Parliament and to hold offices in the State. Unluckily some of the Irish Protestants came over to England and complained to the king. George III. thought it would be very wicked to allow Catholics to have any power, and that if they had it they would use it to hurt the Protestant Church. Most of his subjects in England

thought so too, and Pitt was obliged to recall Lord Fitzwilliam, and the plan about the Catholics had to be given up.

11. The Irish Rebellion of 1798.-It was a most unhappy ending to Pitt's first attempt to do good to Ireland. He was himself wiser than the English king or the English people. To the Irish it seemed useless to hope for anything good from England. Even some Irish Protestants were now ready to join the Irish Catholics, and a society was formed which bore the name of the United Irishmen. These men invited a French fleet and army to come to their help. The fleet and army actually arrived, but the general who was to command the army did not come. The rest of the expedition waited for him in Bantry Bay. A storm drove it out to sea, and not a single French soldier landed. In 1798 the Irish rose in rebellion. The rebels committed many cruelties, burning houses and murdering the people. The Irish Protestants who took the side of the English Government were as cruel as the rebels, and killed all they met without mercy. Things seemed to be as bad as they had been at the time of the Long Parliament. The rebels formed a great camp at Vinegar Hill. By this time an English force was ready to attack them, and their camp was taken. There were more brutal massacres on both sides. At last the rebels were put down. Then followed scenes of the utmost horror. Soldiers and officers and magistrates did as they pleased. Irishmen were treated with barbarity on the mere suspicion of having had something to do with the rebels. One

magistrate was usually known by the nickname of Flogging Fitzgerald, and he well deserved it. The government in England had no wish to see these atrocities continue. Pitt sent over a new Lord Lieutenant, Lord Cornwallis, who did all he could to stop this oppression.

12. The Union with Ireland.—Ireland was thus divided between two parties, hating one another most bitterly. Pitt thought that the best way of putting an end to this evil state of things was to unite Great Britain and Ireland by uniting the two Parliaments. He intended to accompany this change by admitting the Irish Catholics to offices and to seats in Parliament. He found it difficult to persuade the Irish Parliament to consent to the proposed union. But many of the members were ready to take money or promotion for their votes, and so he bought their votes, and the union was agreed to. Unfortunately, when he came to propose his plan for the relief of the Catholics, the King refused to allow him to make any change. On this refusal Pitt resigned office. The King had the mass of the English people on his side, and even Pitt could do no more.

13. Addington's Ministry and the Peace of Amiens. The successor of Pitt was Addington, a well-meaning man who was not a very wise one. Before Pitt resigned there had been great changes in France. Whilst Bonaparte was in Egypt, war had begun again in Europe, and the Russians and Austrians had beaten the French armies. Bonaparte left Egypt, came back to France, and with the help of his soldiers turned out the Assemblies which had

governed the country. He then proposed to the French people to set up a form of government of which he was to be the head, with the name of the First Consul. This proposal was accepted, and from that time the French allowed Bonaparte to rule them as he pleased. He led an army into Italy, beat the Austrians, and made a treaty of peace, by which it was arranged that France should extend as far as the

Rhine. England was now the only country at war with France. It made matters worse that the states on the Baltic were preparing to resist England, because English ships of war stopped their trading vessels, to see if they had any goods on board intended for the use of the French Government. Admiral Hyde Parker was sent with a fleet to the Baltic. Nelson was his second in command, and