The Irish standard., 1902-04-19
AS Mark of Distinguished Honor He is
Given a Seat on the Floor
of the Assembly.
Both Courtiers and Patriots Entertained
the Representative of the
American Rebels.

ored to confirm them, with the expec-
tation that our growing weight might
in time be thrown into their scale, and
by joining our interest with theirs, a
more equitable treatment from Eng
land might be obtained for them. The
gentry are a very sensible, polite and
friendly people. Their parliament
makes most respectable figure, with
number Of very good, speakers in
both parties and able men Of business"
This opinion of the Irish House of
Commons he had favorable oppor-
tunity Of forming. Describing his visit
to College Green, in the letter to Mr..
Gushing, from which 1 have just
quoted, he says: II must not only omit
acquainting you that, it being a stand
ing rule to admit members of the Eng
lish parliament to sit Though not to
vote in the House among the members,
while others are only admitted into the
gallery, my fellow-traveler, being an
English member, was accordingly ad-
mitted as such. But I supposed
must go to the gallery, when the
speaker stood up and acquainted the
House that he understood there was in
town an American gentleman of (as he
was pleased to say distinguished char
acter and merit, member or delegate,
of some Of the parliament of that coun-
try, who was desirous of being present
at the debates of the House; that there
was rule of the House for admitting
members of English parliaments, and
that he supposed the House would con-
slider the American assemblies as Eng
lfsh parliaments, but as this was the
first instance, he had not chosen to
give any order in it without their di-
rection. On the question the House
gave loud, unanimous Aye when
two members came to me without the
bar, led me in between them, and
placed me honorably and commodious-
ly." 1t was in reference to this action
of the Irish members that Franklin
expressed the hope to his son that "our
assemblies will not fall short of them
in this politeness if any Irish member
should happen to be in our country"
1t was an historic scene, this reception
Of the great American by the Irish
parliament. Needless to say, the same
compliment was never again repeated
to any Of his fellow -countrymen.
The opinions formed by Franklin as
to the condition of Ireland and the
character Of her people were not the
result Of any one-sided favoritism
shown to him during the continuance
Of his visit. AS he himself said, he
was entertained by both parties-the
courtiers and the patriots. If he met
the veteran patriot, DR.. Charles Lucas,
in the pleasant intercourse Of friend
ship. he found himself, on the other, a
guest at the dinner table Of the Lord
Lieutenant, the Marquis of Townsend,
where he met, amongst others, "the
Lord Chancellor, the speaker, and all
the great officers of state"
But neither official flattery nor aris-
tocratic compliments could wean
Franklin's robust mind away from it's
fine standard of rectitude, or prevent
him from passing what he considered
just judgment on what he saw.
Hence, when his seven weeks tour in
Ireland had come to an end, we find
him framing one of the most savage
condemnations that was ever put into
words Of the system which had Grip
pied and beggared that land of mis-
fortune. Writing from London to his
friend, Mr.. Joshua Babcock, of Amer
lea, under date the 18th Of January,
1772, he says: II have lately made a
tour through Ireland and Scotland. In
those countries small part of the so
ciety are landlords, great noblemen,
and gentlemen, extremely opulent, liv-
ing in the highest affluence and mag
nificence. The bulk Of the people,
however, are tenants, extremely poor,
living in the most sordid wretched-
ness, in dirty novels of mud and straw,
and clothed only in rags. I thought