conftitution against this daring attempt to fubvert it is not lefs to be attributed, than to the diftinguished fidelity and bravery of the King's troops, both regulars, militia, and yeomanry.

On confideration of the whole of the evidence, your Committee are of opinion,

That the rebellion originated in a fyftem, framed not with a view of obtaining either Catholic emancipation or any reform compatible with the existence of the conftitution, but for the purpose of fubverting the government, feparating Ireland from Great Britain, and forming a democratic republic, founded on the deftruction of all church establishment, the abolition of ranks, and the confifcation of property.

That the means reforted to for the attainment of thefe defigns was a fecret fyftematized combination, fitted to attract the multitude, by being adapted to vulgar prejudices and vicious paffions, and artfully linked and connected together with a view of forming the mafs of the lower ranks into a revolutionary force, acting in concert, and moving as one body, at the impulfe and under the direction of their leaders.

That for the farther accomplishment of their object, the lead-. ers of the confpiracy entered into a negotiation, and finally concluded an alliance with the French Directory, by which it was ftipulated, that an adequate force fhould be fent for the invafion of this country, as fubfidiary to the preparations that were making for a general infurrection.

That, in purfuance of this defign, measures were adopted by the chiefs of the confpiracy, for giving to their focieties a military form; and that, for arming their adherents, they had recourfe partly to the fabrication of pikes, and partly to the plundering of the loyal inhabitants of their arms.

That, from the vigorous and fummary expedients resorted to by Government, and the confequent exertions of the military, the leaders found themfelves reduced to the alternative of immediate infurrection, or of being deprived of the means on which they relied for effecting their purpofe; and that to this cause is exclufively to be attributed that premature and defperate effort, the rafhnefs of which has fo evidently facilitated its fuppreffion.

That the vigilance of the executive government, in detecting and arresting many of the principal confpirators in the very act of concerting their plans of infurrection, the convictions which have enfued, and the ftill more complete developement of the treafon by the confeffion of fome of its most active and efficient conductors, have not only effentially contributed to the defeat of the rebellion, but, by enabling the Committee to difclofe the views and machinations of the confpirators, may fuggeft means for fecuring the future tranquillity of the country.

Your

Your Committee cannot conclude without observing, that, on a review of the treafon which has employed their attention, they trace a perfect coincidence, in its commencement and in its progrefs, its means and its objects, with that by which the government, the religion, and the happiness of France have been defroyed; which has extended its defolating influence over some of the most profperous and flourishing countries of Europe, and has fhaken to its foundation the fabric of regular fociety throughout the civilized world. That the leaders of the fyftem, in order to adapt the minds of the multitude to the purposes of their treafon, have, after the example of their Jacobin allies in France, left no means unemployed which the moft malignant fubtlety could fuggeft, for eradicating from amongst the working claffes, every fentiment both of private and public duty: all quiet and peaceable habits, all focial as well as moral obligations it has been their object to deftroy; and the more facred the tie, the more induftriously have they laboured to diffolve it: they have incited the foldier to betray his King; they have armed the tenant against the landlord; and they have taught the fervant to confpire with the affaffin of his mafter; blafting the repofe and confidence of private life even in its fanctuary, and effacing every law of truth, of justice, of gratitude, and of religion, except where it has been poffible to make even religion itfelf the perverted inftrument of their execrable views. Such have been the leading principles and the long-laboured preparatives for that rebellion from which your Committee truft this country has been happily rescued; and they indulge a fanguine hope, that their prefent statement, authenticated as it is by fuch a mafs of evidence, will contribute ftill farther to the complete re-establishment of tranquillity, by throwing the fulleft light on the dangers to which the community has been expofed, and against which it is ftill neceffary to guard*.

Report from the Committee of Secrecy of the House of Lords in

Ireland.

Die Jovis, 30 Augusti, 1798. THE HE Lord Chancellor, from the Lords Committees appointed to examine the matters of the fealed-up papers received from the Commons on the 23d of July laft, whofe Lordships had power to fend for perfons, papers, and records, and to examine

We have thought it unneceffary to lay before our readers the Appendix to the Report, which contains only details of the principal facts stated in the body of the Report.

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all fuch perfons as they might fummon before them in the most folemn manner, and to communicate from time to time with the Committee of Secrecy appointed by the Houfe of Commons, made the following Report:

My Lords,

THE Lords' Committecs appointed to examine the matters of the fealed-up papers received from the Commons on the 23d of July laft, and to report the fame as they fhall appear to them to this Houfe, have met and examined into the matters to them referred, and directed me to report to your Lordships as follows:

Your Committee beg leave first to recall your Lordships' attention to a report made to this Houfe on the 7th of March 1793, by the Lords' Committees, who had been appointed to inquire into the caufes of the diforders and difturbances which prevailed in this kingdom in the years 1792 and 1793, by which it appears, "That confiderable bodies of infurgents, then diftinguished by the name of Defenders, infefted the counties of Meath, Louth, Cavan, Monaghan, and other adjacent diftri&s, during that period, and that the meafures which were then purfued by them appeared to be concerted with a degree of fyftem and regularity which proved diftinctly that they were directed by men of fuperior rank, who ftimulated the lower orders of the people to tumult and outrage, as leading to the abolition of tithes, hearth and county taxes, and to the reduction of rents. That, during that period, very confiderable fums of money were levied upon the Roman Catholics of this kingdom, under the authority of a committee of perfons of that perfuafion, who then aflumed, and eemed, in a great degree, to fucceed in the government and direction of the whole body of Irith Catholics; and that, out of the general fund thus created, protection was extended to perfons who were criminally profecuted for the most daring and flagrant crimes. That, during the fame period, an unufual ferment difturbed feveral parts of the northern province, particularly the town of Belfast and the county of Antrim, kept up and encou raged by every artifice which turbulence and difaffection could fuggeft, and more particularly by the most licentious abuse of the prefs. That the conduct of France was openly held up as an example for imitation; that hopes and expectations were given of French affiftance, by a defcent upon this kingdom, and that prayers had been publicly offered up at Belfaft, from the pulpit, for the fuccefs of the French armies, in the prefence of military bodies, which had been newly levied and arrayed in that town, without any legal authority. That feveral other military affociations had, in like manner, been entered into, in different parts of the province of Ulfter, compofed of perfons of a very VOL. VII. inferior

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inferior description, armed without authority, and disciplined by officers of their own election. That these armed bodies were daily increafing in numbers and force, and had exerted their best endeavours to procure military men of experience to command them; fome of them having exprefsly ftated, that there were men enough to be had, but that officers were what they wanted. That arms and gunpowder, to a very large amount, much above the common confumption, had been recently fent to Belfaft and Newry, and that orders had been given for a much greater quantity, which could be wanted only for military operations. That at Belfast large bodies of men in arms affembled nightly, by candle-light, to be drilled and exercifed, and that repeated attempts were made to feduce the foldiery, which, much to the honour of the King's forces, had proved ineffectual. That at the fame period a body of men had been arrayed at Dublin, under the title of first battalion of national guards-their uniform copied from that of the French national guards, and marked with emblems of difaffection. That the declared object of these military preparations was to procure a reform of Parliament; but that the plain and palpable intention was to overawe the Parliament and executive government, and to dictate to both.”

Your Committee next beg leave to recall your Lordships' attention to a report made to the House on the 12th of May 1797, by the Lords' Committees, appointed to examine the matters of the fealed-up papers received from the Commons on the 4th of the fame month, by which it appears, "That the fyftem of treafon which had been eftablifhed in the year 1792 was then much matured and extended under the influence and direction of numerous affiliated focieties, calling themselves United Irifhmen, in conjunction with the affociated body of Defenders. That a traitorous correfpondence and communication between the leaders and directors of the focieties of United Irishmen and the Executive Directory of the French republic had been carried on between the month of June 1795 and the month of January 1796, and that the means by which it had been carried on were diftinctly proved."

Your Committee are now enabled more fully and accurately to ftate to your Lordships the nature and extent of the treafon which fo justly alarmed your Lordships in 1793, and which has recently broken forth in open rebellion, having examined four perfons who were members of the Executive Directory of the Irish revolutionary Union, namely, Arthur O'Connor, Efq. who was lately tried at Maidstone for high treafon, William James M.Nevin, doctor of phyfic, Thomas Addis Emmett, barrister at law, and Oliver Bond, late convicted of treafon, all of whom have acknowledged themfelves to have been confidential leaders

and

and directors of the Irifh Union, and that their object was, to effect a revolution in this kingdom, by feducing his Majesty's fubjects from their allegiance, under a variety of fpecious pretences, and, by introducing a French army into their country, to affift them in this moft foul and unnatural project.

The original conftitution of the traitorous focieties of United Irifhmen, their gradual progrefs to open rebellion, and the means by which they hoped to fucceed in fubverting the exifting establifhments in church and state, have been fo fully detailed in former reports upon the fubject appearing on the Journals, and by the report recently made by the Secret Committee of the Houfe of Commons, which has been communicated to your Lordships, that your Committee have forborn now to enter fo minutely into this difgufting fubject, as they might otherwife have confidered a duty incumbent on them; they have therefore taken up the detail of it from that period when the confpiracy was fo matured as to have for its avowed object the array and levy of a regular military force, in every part of the kingdom, for the purpofe of affifting the French, if they should be enabled to make a defcent upon this country; or, if foreign affiftance could not be procured, of making a general infurrection, in the hope of fubverting the monarchy and ecclefiaftical establishment, of feizing the perfons, and confifcating the property of his Majefty's loyal subjects, and of establishing a republican government, guaranteed by the power of France. It appears to your Committee, that the organization, as it is called, by which the Directory of the Irish Union was enabled to levy a revolutionary army, was completed in the province of Ulfter on the 10th of May 1795. That the fcheme of extending it to the other provinces was adopted at an early period by the Irith Directory; but it does not appear to your Committee that it made any confiderable progrefs beyond the northern province, before the autumn of 1796, when emiffaries were fent into the province of Leiniter to propagate the fyftem. It appeared diftinctly to your Committee, that the ftale pretexts of parliamentary reform and Catholic emancipation were found ineffectual for the feduction of the people of that province, and therefore the emiffaries of treafon, who had undertaken it, in order to prevail with them to adopt the system of organization, first reprefented, that it was neceflary in their own defence, as their Proteftant fellow-fubjects had entered into a folemn league and covenant to deftroy them, having fworn to wade up to their knees in Popith blood."

The people were next taught to believe that their organization would lead to the abolition of tithes, and to a diftribution of property, inafmuch as they would become members of a democracy which would govern the country; and under the influence of thefe falfe, wicked, and artful fuggeftions, the system of organization

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