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ples which originally produced the French revolution, with all the miferies and calamities fince experienced in France, and now tended over a large part of Europe. The most effectual engine, employed for this purpofe, has been the inftitution of political focieties, of a nature and defcription before unknown in any country, and inconfiftent with public tranquillity, and with the existence of regular government. The effects of this fatal caufe, operating in its fulleft extent, have been unhappily felt and exemplified in the diftractions and calamities of Ireland. fame cause is known to have prepared the way for all the different revolutions by which France has fucceeded in fubverting fo many of the governments of Europe, and reducing fo many independent ftates to vaflalage and fubjection. In this country fimilar meafures have been attempted; and although they have been hitherto defeated, by the precautions of the legislature, by the vigilance of his majefty's government, and ftill more by the general good fenfe and loyalty of the nation, the object is not abandoned. utmost diligence is ftill employed in endeavouring, not only to fuftain and revive thofe focieties, whofe feditious and treasonable purposes long fince attracted the notice of parliament, but to extend their correfpondence to every part of this kingdom, to Ireland, to France, and to those places on the continent where French emillaries are eftablished; and to inftitute new focieties, formed precisely on the fame plan, and directed by the fame object, as thofe whofe influence in Ireland has produced fuch pernicious and formidable effects; and of

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which, the confequences might have proved fatal to that kingdom, if they had not been averted, in a feafon of the greatest difficulty, by the wifdom, firmnefs, and exertion of his majesty's government, and the parliament of Ireland. The extent and uniformity of this fyftematic confpiracy are equally ftriking. The formation and ftructure of all these focieties, in this country, in Ireland, and on the continent, are fimilar; their views and principles are the fame, as well as the means which they employ to extend their influence. A continued intercourse and concert has been maintained from their firft origin to the present moment; fometimes between the focieties themselves, fometimes between their leading members; and a frequent communication has been kept up with the government of France; to which they appear to look as their protector and ally, and which has repeatedly furnished an afylum to thofe, who, on account of their principal fhare in thefe criminal tranfactions, have become fugitives or outlaws from the British dominions.

In ftating the grounds of this opinion, although your committee will have much and important new matter to lay before the houfe; yet they will also be obliged to recall to the recollection of the house, many particulars which have already been brought under the confideration of parliament, but on which new lights have been thrown by the events which have fince occurred, and by the fubfequent intelligence which has been received. The information which has been produced to your committee, on the whole of this fubject, has been moft ample and extenfive. The indifL4

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penfable neceffity of fecrecy, with respect to the fources of many parts of that intelligence, must be felt by the houfe, as refulting from confiderations of good faith as well as public fafety. They are convinced, that the early and uniform defeat of all attempts to difturb the public tranquillity of this kingdom, is, in a very great degree, to be afcribed to the meritorious and laudable diligence of the perfons filling thofe departments of his majefty's government to which this duty has peculiarly belonged. They appear, during a long period of time, to have obtained early and accurate information of the chief defigns and meafures of the confpirators; and the ftriking manner in which the most important particulars of the fecret intelligence thus procured, have, in a great variety of inftances, been completely confirmed, by events now notorious to the world, and by the confettion of parties concerned, entitles, in the opinion of your committee, the whole of the information derived from the fame fources, to the fulleft credit.

§1. View of the Nature and Syftem of the Society of United Irishmen, as fully efablished in Ireland.

Your committee are induced, in the first inftance, to ftate the nature, extent, and influence, of the fociety of United Irifhmen; because this fociety has proved the moft powerful engine, in the hands of the confpirators, against the government of their country, which has ever yet been devifed; and becaufe its proceedings place in the cleareft view, the real object of all focieties of this defcription, either in Ireland or Great Britain; the peculiar means

by which they act; and the extreme danger which fuch focieties muft produce, whenever they are fully eftablished. It is this which has given exertion, confiftency, folidity, and force to the Irish rebellion; which has enabled the confpirators to form themfelves, under the eye and in defiance of government, into one body, compacted by one bond of union, under an oath of fidelity and fecrecy; engaging themselves, in the firft inftance, to mifprifion of treafon, and, fucceffively, to the perpetration of the most atrocious crimes. This fociety, thus united and combined, extended itfelf, by its fubdivifions, through every part of the kingdom; and was enabled to involve in one general confederacy, a very numerous defcription of individuals of almoft every clafs, connected with each other by a pledge of fecrecy, by confcioufnefs of guilt, and by the fenfe of perfonal danger, either from the violated laws of their country, or from the refentment and power of their affociates. These bonds of union were ftrengthened by the use of secret signs, frequentlý changed and applied to different ranks in the confpiracy, for the purpofe of preventing difcovery.

The fyftem thus established, gradually acquired the means of dif turbing the tranquillity of the country in all its parts; of impeding the execution of juftice, by forcible refiftance to the authority of the laws; by the protection of accufed perfons; by the refeue of prisoners, the feizure of arms, and, at length, by the affaffination of informers, of witneffes, of magiftrates, and of jurymen; till, by the general terror which was diffufed, the loyal inhabitants in different counties were

fucceffively

fucceffively driven into the towns, or compelled wholly to quit the kingdom. At the head of this extenfive confpiracy was placed a committee, terming itfelf "An Executive Directory," extending its influence and power over the difaffected through every part of the kingdom by "Provincial and Baronial Committees ;" through whom, and by the miffion of itinerant delegates over the country, an univerfal correfpondence was established between this executive directory and all the fubordinate powers and members of this fyftem. An intercourfe was maintained, in the name of the whole, with individuals and focieties in this country, as well as with the governments of his majesty's enemies; and the confpirators were thus enabled to conceal or display their numbers at will, and confequently to magnify their power, or to hide their weakness; to circulate, with rapidity and effect, the most atrocious calumnies against his majefty's perfon and government, and against all defcriptions and bodies of men whom they thought it their intereft to vilify; to raise contributions, extorted frequently from those who had not be come members of their union; to procure, difperfe, and conceal arms, ammunition, and artillery; to collect military information: and, finally, to raise an army formed of all thofe among them capable of bearing arms, and placed under the command of officers, in military divifions, correfponding with those eftablished for the general purpofes of the confpiracy.

It is material to ftate,* in detail, the formation of the different

branches of this fyftem, in order to compare it with the inftitutions of a fimilar nature, which have been fince formed in Great Britain, and which will be hereafter mentioned. Each of the inferior focieties confifted, according to their original inftitution, of thirty-fix members; which number was afterwards reduced to twelve. Thefe twelve. chofe a fecretary and treasurer; and the fecretaries of five of these focieties formed what what was called a "Lower Baronial Committee;" which had the immediate direction and fuperintendance of those five focieties. From each lower baronial committee, thus constituted, one member was delegated to an

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Upper Baronial Committee;" which, in like manner, affumed and exercifed the fuperintendance and direction of the lower baronial committees in the respective counties. The next fuperior committees were, in populous towns, diftinguished by the name of "Diftrict Committees;" and in counties, by the name of

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County Committees ;" and were compofed of members delegated by the upper baronial committees, each upper baronial committee delegating one of its members to the diftrict or county committee; and the diftrict or county committees had the fuperintendance and direction of the upper baronial committtees. Having thus " organized" (as it is termed) the feveral counties and populous towns, a committee, called a "Subordinate Directory," was erected in each of the four provinces of Ulfter, Leinfter, Munster, and Connaught, compofed of two members or three, according to the extent and population of the districts

of lords of Ireland, August 17, 1798; an

* Report of fecret committee of houfe abstract whereof we have given in our Register for 1798.

which they represented; who were delegated to a provincial committee, which held the immediate direction and fuperintendance of the feveral county and district committees in each of the four provinces; and a "General Executive Directory," compofed of five perfons, was elected by the provincial directories; but the election of this directory was fo managed, that none but the fecretaries of the provincial directories knew on whom the election fell. It was made by bailot, but not reported to the electors; the appointment was notified only to thofe on whom the election devolved; and the executive directory, thus compofed, affumed and exercised the fupreme and uncontrolled command of the whole body of the union, which, by thefe fecret modes of election, was kept utterly ignorant who were the perfons to whom this implicit obedience was paid.

§ 2. Inflitution of United Irishmen in 1791; and Rife of different Societies in Great Britain.

For the purpose of obtaining a comprehenfive view of the attempts which have been repeatedly made, in the course of the laft eight years, for eftablishing a fimilar fyftem in this country, and of the means by which they have been hitherto defeated, as well as in order to enable the houfe to judge fully of the perfeverance with which the fyftem is purfued, and of the nature and tendency of the meafures which are carrying on at the prefent moment, your committee deem it neceffary, before they advert to more recent tranfactions, to go back to that period, when focieties of this tendency first appeared in both kingdoms,

and to trace, as fhortly as they can, their progrefs and intercourfe to the present time.

The fociety of United Irishmen was established in the year 1791; and other focieties in Great Britain, particularly the conftitutional fociety (which had long exifted, hut about this time affumed a new character,) the correfponding fociety (which was inftituted in the fpring of 1792,) and the focieties of perfons in Scotland terming themselves "The Friends of the People" (which originated at nearly the fame period,) appear to have adopted, in their fullest extent, all the extravagant and violent principles of the French revolution. The events which followed, in the course of that year and the year 1792, encouraged among the leading members of thefe focieties, and other perfons of fimilar principles, a fanguine hope of introducing into both coune tries, under pretence of the reform of abuses, what they termed a new order of things, founded on the principles of that revolution. The degree of bigotry and enthufiafm with which they attached themselves to these principles, was manifested, as well by the fpeeches and writings of the members of the focieties, as by the zeal with which they laboured to propagate among the lower claffes of the community, a spirit of hatred and contempt for the exifting laws and government of the country.

It can hardly be neceffary to recall to the recollection of the house, the induftry with which they endeavoured to diffeminate these fentiments, by the circulation of their own proceedings and refolutions; uniformly directed to vilify the forms and principles of the British conftitution;

conftitution; to reprefent the people of this country as groaning under intolerable oppreffion; to eradicate all religious principle; and to. recommend a recurrence to experiments of defperate innovation, fimilar to thofe which were at that time adopted in France. For the fame purpose, the works of Paine, and other feditious and impious publications, were distributed, throughout almost every part of the kingdom, with an activity and profufion beyond all former example.

So confident were the focieties of the efficacy of these measures, that they appear almoft univerfally to have looked forward from the beginning, to the entire overthrow of every exifting establishment in these kingdoms, and to the creation of fome democratical form of government; either by uniting the whole of the British empire into one republic, or by dividing it into two or more republics. The confpirators in Ireland, unquestionably, always meditated the complete feparation of that country from Great Britain: åll, however, confidered themfelves as engaged in one common caufe, as far as related to the deftruction of the exifting conftitution; all looked to the fuccefs of the difaffected in each country as forwarding their common views; and

*Proclamation and Addreffes Lords Report. Commons Report

each was ready to fupport the other in any refiftance to the lawful government: a frequent intercourse among them was therefore confidered as important to their ends; and they all invited, or expected, the countenance and aid of France.

The attempts made in the beginning of this confpiracy to difguife the real objects, under false pretences, which ought at no time to have impofed even on fuperficial obfervers, have long fince been abandoned. Subfequent tranfactions have not merely fhown the extremes to which the nature and principles of these focieties naturally led, but have completely unveiled the original and fettled defigns of the perfons chiefly concerned in them. Your committee beg leave, in this place, to refer the house to his majesty's proclamation of the year 1792, and the feveral addreffes of both houfes of parliament thereupon; to the reports of the committees of parlia ment in this kingdom and in Ireland; and to the different trials for treason and fedition in both kingdoms: and they are confident, that an attentive examination of those documents can leave no doubt in the opinion of the houfe (even on the circumstances known at that early period) refpecting the real nature and extent of the original confpiracy.

*

1792.

1794. May 1794.

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June 1794.

1798.

1798.

Trial of Muir, Skirving, Margarot, Gerald, Palmer, and

others, for fedition in Scotland, in .

1793 and 1794.

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