which they reprefented; 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 ballot, but not reported to the electors; the appointment was notified only to those 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 these 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 courfe 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 firft appeared in both kingdoms, and to trace, as fhortly as they can, their progrefs and intercourfe to the prefent 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 existed, but about this time affumed a new cha racter,) 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 fulleft extent, all the extrava gant 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 persons of fimilar principles, a fanguine hope of introducing into both countries, 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 enthusiasm with which they attached themfelves 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 represent the people of this country as groaning under intolerable oppreffion; to eradicate all religious principle; and to. recommend a recurrence to experiments of desperate 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 he yond 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 thefe 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 republice. The confpirators in Ireland, unquestionably, always meditated the complete feparation of that country from Great Britain: åll, however, confidered themselves as engaged in one common cause, as far as related to the destruction of the exifting conftitution; all looked to the fuccefs of the difaffected in each country as forwarding their common views; and each was ready to fupport the other in any resistance to the lawful government: a frequent intercourfe 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 disguise the real objects, under falfe 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 house (even on the circumstances known at that early period) refpecting the real nature and extent of the original confpiracy. * 1792. : 1794. May 1794. Trial of Muir, Skirving, Margarot, Gerald, Palmer, and others, for fedition in Scotland, in of Watt and Downie, for treafon in Scotland, in . of Hardy and others, for treason, in of Redhead, alias Yorke, for fedition, in June 1794. 1798. 1798. 1793 and 1794 1794. 1794. 1795. 1796. § 3. First § 3. First open Attempt in Scotland. The groundwork having been thus laid in each kingdom, the first public attempt which was openly directed to the object of overthrowing the government, and effecting a revolution, was made in Scotland, under circumftances which even then evidently marked the connection between the difaffected throughout his majefty's dominions. An affembly, ftyling itfelf "A General Convention of Delegates from the Societies of the Friends of the People throughout Scotland," met at Edinburgh, on the 11th of December, 1792. Thomas Muir, a leading member of this affembly, endeavoured to prevail upon its members, at one of their meetings, to receive and answer a paper, intituled, "An Addrefs from the Society of United Irishmen, in Dublin, to the delegates for promoting a Reform in Scotland," dated the 23d of November, 1792, and set forth in the Appendix (No. 1.); in which the United Irish addrefs the Scotch delegates in what they term "the fpirit of civic union in the fellowship of a juft and common caufe;" and rejoiced," that the Scotch did not confider themselves as merged and melted down into another country;" but that in the great national quef tion to which the addrefs alluded, "they were ftill Scotland." They added, "that the caufe of the United Irish was alfo the caufe of the Scotch delegates;" that "Univerfal Emancipation,. with Reprefentative Legislature, was the polar principle which guided the Society of United Irishmen;" that their end was "a national legislature, their means, an union of the whole people." And they recommended affembling the people in each county in (what they term)" peaceable and conftitutional convention;" the object of which they attempted to difguife by the pretence of reform and petition to parliament. Several meinbers of the Scotch convention appear to have been alarmed at the language of this addrefs, and, notwithstanding the efforts of Muir, no answer was fent; and the meeting adjourned to April, 1793. The conduct of Muir in this assembly formed part of the charge of fedition upon which he was afterwards tried and found guilty. His zeal, however, recommended him to the confpirators in Ireland; and on the 11th of January, 1793, he became a member of the fociety of the United Irishmen, of Dublin. He was abfent in France at the time of the fecond meeting of the Scotch convention, which assembled in April, 1793, and again adjourned itself to the 29th October following, when it met a third time at Edinburgh, after the trial of Muir, who was convicted and fentenced to tranfportation in Auguft, 1793. It is well known that he afterwards escaped from the place of his tranfportation, and has recently refided in France, pursuing a conduct marked by the most inveterate hoftility to his country. * This meeting of the Scotch convention in October, 1793, appears to have been held in concert with feveral focieties in England, and particularly the Conftitutional Society and the London Correfponding Society, already mentioned.— Thefe focieties afterwards fent dele *Report of the fecret committes of the houfe of commons, June, 1794. gates gates to the Scotch convention; the terms of whofe inftructions demonftrate the dangerous views of those who fent them. Hamilton Rowan, a member of the fociety of United Irishmen of Dublin (now a fugitive from Ireland, and attainted of high treafon), and the honourable Simon Butler likewife a member of the fociety of United Irishmen), attended this meeting; and Hamilton Rowan had previously been folicited, by letter from Scotland, on the fubject of fending delegates from Ireland to the convention. It does not appear, however, that thefe perfons bore the diftinct character of delegates, but they were received with marked attention; and the convention refolved, on the 5th November, 1793, that any of the members of the fociety of United Irishmen of Dublin fhould be admitted to speak and vote in the convention." On the 22d of November, 1793, the convention had changed its title to that of "The British Convention of Delegates of the People, affociated to obtain universal fuffrage and annual Parliaments." They affumed, in almoft every particular, the ftyle and mode of proceeding adopted by the national convention of France: they divided themselves into "fections, committees of organization, inftruction, finance, and fecrecy;" granted honours of fitting; made honourable mention in their minutes of patriotic donations; entered their minutes "in the first year of the British convention;" instituted "primary focieties, provifional affemblies and departments;" received from their fections a variety of motions and reports, fome of which, in their ftudied affection of French phrafes, had the words "live la convention" prefixed to them, and ended with "Ca Ira;" and fome were dated "first year of the British convention, one and indivifible." The views of this dangerous affemby appear from the minutes of their proceedings, and from the correfpondence of Skirving, their fecretary, Margarot and Gerald, the delegates of the London Correfponding Society, and Hardy, the fecretary of that fociety; which are stated in the report of the committee of this houfe in 1794, and in the Appendix to that report, and were given in evidence on the trials above referred to. It is obfervable upon the face of thefe minutes, that the funds of this convention were extremely low; fo low, that perhaps at firft fight the affembly itfelf may appear to have been rather an object of contempt, from the apparent inadequacy of its pecuniary means, than an object of alarm from the dangerous extravagance of its revolutionary defigns. It is happy for the peace of this country that the means of these focieties, in their different fhapes and ftages, have not been more equal to fuch defigns. But the recent proceedings in Ireland too plainly show, that though the want of money may retard the progrefs, and cripple the exertions of fuch confpiracies, yet numbers thus leagued together for the total fubverfion of the government and conftitution of a country poffels means which (if not feafonably counteracted) may introduce fcenes of the most horrid confusion, rebellion, and blood. This convention continued to hold its meetings in the city of Edinburgh until the 4th of December, 1793; when its objects evidently tending towards open rebellion, fome fome of the leading members were arrefted, together with Skirving, their lecretary; and Skirving, Margarot, and Gerald, were afterwards tried in Scotland for fedition, and fentenced to tranfportation. The members of this convention, notwithstanding the arreft of fome of their body, affembled again on the 5th of December, and refused to difperfe till compelled by the magiftrates; but they continued for fome time to meet privately, in different focieties, and to carry on a fecret correfpondence with various parts of England and Scotland. The fociety of United Irifhmen of Dublin, who had already fhown the intereft they took in the meeting of this convention, appear (as was to be expected) to have confidered its difperfion as hoftile to their views, and declared their fentiments, by a refolution of the 20th December, 1793; in which, after noticing what they called "the oppreffive attempt in Edinburgh to ftile the voice of the people through the British convention, and the truly patriotic refiftance to that attempt," they refolved, "That all or any of the members of the British convention, and the patriotic focieties which delegated members to that convention, fhould be received as brothers and members of their fociety." § 4. Attempts to affemble a Convention of the People in England. The leading English focieties, which have been already ftated to have fent delegates to the Scotch convention, had, during its fittings, and for a confiderable time previous thereto, been actively employed in measures directed to fimilar objects. For the purpose of promoting their 66 feditious projects, they had carried on a conftant correfpondence with all the numerous country focieties, which had been formed in many populous towns in different parts of the kingdom. They had, as early as in May, 1792, prefented an addrefs, fufficiently expreffive of their principles, to thofe whom they ftyled the friends of the conftitution at Paris, known by the name of Jacobins." In the end of the fame year, after receiving a letter of approbation from perfons calling themfelves "Friends of Liberty and Equality in France," they inftituted a regular committee of foreign correfpondence; and they had even proceeded to prefent addrefles to the national convention in France, which had then affumed the whole legiflative and executive power, and was affembled for the purpofe of framing a new conftitution, and proceeding to the trial of the king. In one of thefe addreffes (particularly noticed in the report of 1794, but which your committee think it materia! again to advert to) they ftyled the convention" fervants of a sovereign people, and benefactors of mankind." They rejoice that the revolution had arrived at that point of perfection which enabled them to addrefs them by fuch a title. They extol the proceedings of the 10th of Auguft as a glorious victory, and add, "The benefits will in part be ours, but the glory will be all your own; and it is the reward of your perfeverance, the prize of virtue." In January following, at the eve of the murder of the French king, and of the commencement of hoftilities againft this country, Barrere, Roland, and St. André, active members of the French convention, had been elected honorary members of the |