At a meeting of the Comittee of Correspondence appointed by the Delagates of Forty five Volunteer Corps, assembled at Lisburn on the 1st. July Inst. held at Belfast 19 July 1783. Present

Ordered that the following Letter, signed by the Secretary in the Name of this Comittee, be forwarded to his Excellency Benjamin Franklin Inclosing a Copy of the Resolutions of the Provincial meeting of Volunteers of Munster, and of the proceedings of the forty five Volunteer Delagates assembled at Lisburn on the 1st. Inst. respecting a Parlimentary Reform, as also a Copy of the Circular Letter written this day by this Comittee to the several Volunteer Corps of this Province.

Your attachment to the rights of mankind, induce us to address you on the present great and momentous occasion.

The Spirit of freedom, which pervades all ranks of people in Ireland, with the Justice and wise policy of the British Nation, having forever removed all possible cause of Jealousy between the Sister Kingdoms, and united us to Britain on the basis of equal liberty and similar Constitution; it becomes the Duty, as it is the interist of each Kingdom to assist the other in their endeavours to restore to its ancient purity and vigour, a decayed, enfeebled and sickly Constitution.

In both nations it is now generally acknowledged that this great object can be obtained by no other means, but by a reform of the representation in Parliament. In England, the measure has for the present miscarried, tho’ supported by so many wise, honest, great and independent men. We trust however it has misscarried only for a Season, and that the next attempt will prove successfull. Ireland has now taken up the Idea, and if we shall be so happy as to see success crown our efforts we think considerable weight will be thereby added to the endeavours of the freinds of the People in England. The People of the two nations united in pursuit of the same important object, must be not only powerfull but irrisistable.

The inclosed papers, which we request you may puruse, will show how far this Country has already gone in determining to procure a more equal Representation; the unanimous resolutions of about fifteen thousand Volunteers, already declared in a very few weeks assure us the resolves of the Delagates of Ultster, who are to assemble at Dungannon on the 8th Sepr. next, will be no less unanimous and we will know that what the Volunteers (vast numbers of whom are freeholders) shall determine on, the other freeholders and people in general, who are not Volunteers, will adopt and Support by every means in their power. The aged father cannot differ from their own respecting a matter on which depends every thing, that either holds dear for themselves, or their Posterity.

That you may see the very depraved state of our representation it is necessary to observe, that out of three hundred Members, of which o[ur] House of Commons consists, two hundred and twenty are returned by Boroughs. Those one hundred and ten Bouroughs are divided into three Classes. 1st. Those where the right of Election is vested in the Protestant Inhabitants at large. 2d Those where the right of Election is vested in the Chief Magistrate Burgess and Freemen. 3d Those where the right of Election is confined to the Chief Magistrate and Burgesses, frequently not exceeding five or Six in number and seldom above ten or twelve.

Almost all the Boroughs are venal and Corrupt, or implicitly obedient to the arbitary will of their respective Landlords, who dictate to the Elect in the most absolute manner, those Landlords, claim by prescription a kind of property in those Boroughs, which they transfer by sale, like an Estate, and receive from eight thousand to Nine thousand pounds for a Borough, and a seat for the Bourough is generally sold for Two thousand pounds, so that every Seven or Eight Years, the borough brings In four thousand pounds to the Patron. Unhappily for Ireland our Countries are also too much governed by our Peers and great men, whose influence over many of thier respective tenants is very great, and this consideration has given rise here, to a doubt in the minds of many well meaning men, as to the propriety of adding to the Number of     of the Shire, as generally now two great families endeavour to divide between them the Seats for the County, the others remain Neuter join the independent interest. It is alledged even then Six Seats for   County, six great Families woud divide them, and against such a junction, the independent freeholders woud not be able to make any effectual opposition.

May we now intreat as a most important favour conferred not only us, but on this Kingdom, that you may be pleased to favour us with your sentiments and advice, as to the best, most eligible and most practicable mode of destroying, restraining, or counteracting this Hydra of Corruption, Borough Influence; that we may be enabled to lay your opinion before the Provincial assembly of Delagates at Dungannon; and as our last meeting for arranging business previous thereunto, is fixed to be on the twentieth of August, we hope you will be obliging enough, to forward your reply so as to be with us about that time.

Many apologies are due for this long address and for the very great trouble we have requested you to take, but we are Young in Politicks, and wish for information from men of more wisdom, experience, and abilities. This however we may venture to assert, that if we can only be directed to the best mode. The mass of the inhabitants of Ireland is at this moment so compleatly alive and sensible to the necessity of a well     Reform, that there cannot remain a doubt, that what it attempts in conjunction with the Virtuous part of England, must be effectual.

The several matters on which we have requested your opinion are thrown into one Veiw in the following Queries. In order to the purity of Parliament and to restore that constitutional controul, which the constituent body shoud have over the Representative. 1st. Is it necessary that the Boroughs, when the right of election is vested in a few, and which ingeneral are at the absolute disposal of one or two persons, should be disfranchised, and in their place the Country Representatives increased. 2d The protestant inhabitants consist of near one million who return three hundred members, woud it be wise to encrease the Number of Representatives of the Nation at large? 3d A plausible objection (mentioned above) have been raised against an increase of Country Representatives, has that argument much weight, and if it has, is it remediable. 4th. Should the right of suffrage be extended, and it it should, who are the proper objects of such extension? 5th. In order to guard against undue influence woud it be wise to have the Members returned by Ballot? 6th. Woud not a limitation of the duration of Parliaments to a shor[ter] term then eight Years have excellent effects, and should it be less than biennial? 7th. If the abolition of the enslaved Boroughs in necessary, woud it be   table or expedient, that they be purchased by the Nation. 8th What specific mode of Reform, in the representation of Ireland best suits your own Ideas, considering the situation of this Country and what are the Steps which you conceive best adapted to effect the Reform.

You will be so obliging as to direct your reply to our Chairman Leiut. Col Sharman at Lisburn.

The long Connexion that has subsisted between America and this Country, and the ties of Nature which must ever hold that Country dear to this, must plead our apology for this Address Signed by order