The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D. D., Vol. VI | Page 6

constitutional struggles were not at all infrequent towards the end of the
seventeenth and during the first quarter of the eighteenth century. The
efforts of Sir Constantine Phipps towards a non-parliamentary
government,[3] and the reversal by the English House of Lords of the

decision given by the Irish House of Lords in the famous Annesley case,
had prepared the Irish people for a revolt against any further attempts to
dictate to its properly elected representatives assembled in parliament.
Moreover, the wretched material condition of the people, as it largely
had been brought about by a selfish, persecuting legislation that
practically isolated Ireland commercially in prohibiting the exportation
of its industrial products, was a danger and a menace to the governing
country. The two nations were facing each other threateningly. When,
therefore, Wood began to import his coin, suspicion was immediately
aroused.
[Footnote 3: See Lecky's "History of Ireland," vol. i., p. 446, etc.]
The masses took little notice of it at first; but the commissioners of
revenue in Dublin took action in a letter they addressed to the Right
Hon. Edward Hopkins, secretary to the Lord Lieutenant. This letter,
dated August 7th, 1722, began by expressing surprise at the patent
granted to Mr. Wood, and asked the secretary "to lay before the Lord
Lieutenant a memorial, presented by their agent to the Lords of the
Treasury, concerning this patent, and also a report of some former
Commissioners of the revenue on the like occasion, and to acquaint his
Grace, that they concurred in all the objections in those papers, and
were of opinion, that such a patent would be highly prejudicial to the
trade, and welfare of this kingdom, and more particularly to his
Majesty's revenue, which they had formerly found to have suffered
very much, by too great a quantity of such base coin."[4] No reply was
received to this letter.
[Footnote 4: "A Defence of the Conduct of the People of Ireland," etc.,
p. 6.]
Fears began to be generally felt, and the early murmurs of an agitation
to be heard when, on September 19th, 1722, the Commissioners
addressed a second letter, this time to the Lords Commissioners of His
Majesty's Treasury. The letter assured their Lordships "that they had
been applied to by many persons of rank and fortune, and by the
merchants and traders in Ireland, to represent the ill effects of Mr.
Wood's patent, and that they could from former experience assure their
Lordships, it would be particularly detrimental to his Majesty's revenue.
They represented that this matter had made a great noise here, and that
there did not appear the _least want of such small species of coin for

change_, and hoped that the importance of the occasion would excuse
their making this representation of a matter that had not been referred
to them."[5]
[Footnote 5: _Ibid_, pp. 6-7.]
To this letter also no reply was vouchsafed. In the meantime, Wood
kept sending in his coins, landing them at most of the ports of the
kingdom.
"Then everyone that was not interested in the success of this coinage,"
writes the author of the pamphlet already quoted, "by having contracted
for a great quantity of his halfpence at a large discount, or biassed by
the hopes of immoderate gain to be made out of the ruins of their
country, expressed their apprehensions of the pernicious consequences
of this copper money; and resolved to make use of the _right they had
by law to refuse the same_".[6]
[Footnote 6: _Ibid_, p. 7.]
The Lord Lieutenant, the Duke of Grafton, had arrived in August, 1723,
and parliament sat early in September. Its first attention was paid to the
Wood patent. After the early excitement had subsided, they resolved to
appeal to the King. During the early stages of the discussion, however,
the Commons addressed the Lord Lieutenant, asking that a copy of the
patent and other papers relating to it, be laid before them. This was on
September 13th. On the following day Mr. Hopkins informed the
House that the Lord Lieutenant had no such copy, nor any papers. The
House then unanimously resolved to inquire into the matter on its own
account, and issued orders for several persons to appear before it to
give evidence, fixing the day for examination for September 16th. On
that day, however, Mr. Hopkins appeared before the members with a
copy of the patent, and informed them that the Lord Lieutenant had
received it since his last communication with them. This incident
served but to arouse further ridicule. A broadside, published at the time
with the title "A Creed of an Irish Commoner," amusingly reveals the
lameness of the excuse for this non-production of the exemplification.
Coxe says that the cause for the delay was due to the fact that the copy
of