Above : Painting Of Prime Minister Pitt

It had already been mentioned that, for several years previous to the1798 Insurrection, the project of a legislative union between England and Ireland had been present to the mind of Pitt, and that this was well known to the authorities at Dublin Castle, though carefully concealed from the country at large.

Above : Picture Of James Fitzgerald

From what has been said it will be clear that Ireland, so far from desiring a Union, was, on the whole, very decidedly opposed to it, and that, in order to carry the measure, Pitt would be obliged to make use of every means at his disposal, if not to alter the opinion of the country, at least to gain the votes of those who were supposed to represent it! Efforts were made to influence the public by means of the Press’ Merchants were assured that trade would increase, that English capital would flow into the country. To the Catholics it was suggested that since in a Union Parliament they would be always in a minority, the one great objection to their emancipation would vanish of itself • while Protestants ware reminded that England was their only defence against the Catholic majority, and that, therefore, it would be advisable for them to bind Ireland as closely to her as possible.

Above : Portrait Of Lord Cornwallis

Pitt, when making his famous defence of the Union project in January 1799, had broadly hinted that, should success in this be achieved, the Catholic disabilities would probably soon be removed. That he really desired that this should be done, and done so quickly as to seem a direct result of the Union, there can be no doubt. He soon, however, realised that he had greatly underestimated the strength of the King’s opposition and the difficulty, perhaps impossibility, of obtaining his consent. This discovery evidently disconcerted and even for a time alarmed him, as any violent display of hostility on the part of the Catholics would be most inconvenient, or possibly, even now, dangerous. His chagrin was shared by Castlereagh and still more by Cornwallis.