ganization, appears to have been gradually extended by the emiffaries of the Irish Directory into the provinces of Leinster, Munfter, and Connaught. The better to impofe on the people, the fyftem was first reprefented to be purely for civil or political purpofes. The inferior focieties, at their original inftitution, confifted each of thirty-fix members; they were, however, afterwards reduced to twelve: these twelve chose a secretary and treafurer, and the fecretaries of five of thefe focieties formed what was called a lower baronial committee, which had the immediate direction and fuperintendance of the five focieties who thus contributed to its inftitution. From each lower baronial committee thus conftituted, one member was delegated to an upper baronial committee, which in like manner affumed and exercised the fuperintendance and direction of all the lower baronial committees in the feveral counties. The next fuperior committees were, in populous towns, diftinguifhed by the name of district committees, and in counties by the name of county committees, and were compofed of members delegated by the upper baronials. Each upper baronial committee delegated one of its members to the diftrict or county committee, and thefe district or county committees had the fuperintendance and direction of all the upper baronials, who contributed to their inftitution. Having thus organized the feveral counties and populous towns, a fubordinate directory was erected in each of the four provinces, compofed of two members, or three, according to the extent and population of the districts which they reprefented, who were delegated to a provincial committee, which had the immediate direction and fuperintendance of the feveral county and diftrict 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 was fo managed that none but the fecretaries of the provincials knew on whom the election fell. It was made by ballot, 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 exercifed the fupreme and uncontrolled command of the whole body of the Union.

The manner of communicating the orders iffued by the Executive Directory was peculiarly calculated, to baffle detection. One member of the Executive alone communicated with one member of each provincial committee or directory. The order was tranfmitted by him to the fecretary of each county or district committee in his province. The fecretaries of the county and diftrict committees communicated with the fecretaries of the upper baronials in each county; they communicated with the fecretaries of the lower baronial committees, who gave the order to the fecretaries of each fubordinate committee, by whom it was

given to the feveral inferior members of the Union. It appears to your Committee, that the leaders and directors of this confpiracy having completed this their revolutionary fyftem in the province of Ulfter, fo early as the 10th of May 1795; and hav¬ ing made confiderable progrefs in establishing it in the autumn and winter of 1796, in the province of Leinfter, proceeded at that period to convert it into a military fhape and form, for the undifguifed project of rebellion; and this project has been diftinctly and unequivocally acknowledged by the aforefaid Arthur O'Connor, William James M Nevin, Thomas Addis Emmett, and Oliver Bond, who have confeffed themfelves to have been. leading and active members of this confpiracy, as will appear more diftinctly to your Lordships from the confeffions which they have made before your Committee, annexed by way of appendix to this Report.

From the confeffions of thefe perfons it appears to your Committee, that the military organization, as they termed it, was grafted on the civil. That the fecretary of each fubordinate society, compofed of twelve, was appointed their petty or noncommiffioned officer; that the delegate of five focieties to a lower baronial committee was commonly appointed captain of a company, compofed of the five focieties who had fo delegated him, and who made up the number of fixty privates; and that the delegate of ten lower baronials to the upper or district committee was commonly appointed colonel of a battalion, which was thus compofed of fix hundred men: that the colonels of battalions in each county fent in the names of three persons to the Executive Directory of the Union, one of whom was appointed by them adjutant-general of the county, whofe duty it was to receive and communicate military orders from the Execu→ tive to the colonels of battalions, and in general to act as officers of the revolutionary staff. In addition to this establishment, it appears that a military committee was appointed by the Executive Directory to prepare a regular plan for affifting a French army, if any fuch fhould make a landing in this kingdom, by directing the national military force, as it was called, to co-operate with them; or to form a regular plan of infurrection in cale it should be ordered, without waiting for French affiftance; and it appears to your Committee, that a regular and digefted plan of infurrection was actually formed and reduced to writing, in April 1997, which was given up for that time only, from the reprefentations of the Executive Directory of the Union, that Ipeedy and effectual affiftance was promifed from France. For the purpose of arming this body, orders were given by the Irish Directory, that every member of the Union who had the means fhould provide himfelf with fire-arms and ammunition; and that fuch perfons, whofe means would not afford any other wea

pons,

pons, fhould provide them felves with pikes-which order appeared to your Committee to have been executed in a very great extent throughout the provinces of Ulfter, Lein fter, and Munfter-in the province of Connaught the emiffaries of the Union feem not to have been enabled to proceed farther in their system of treafon than by adminiftering oaths to the people; their further progrefs feems to have been obftructed by the vigorous exertions of the executive government, when rebellion broke forth in acts of open hoftility. It appears to your Committee, that the Directory of the Union having thus eftablished a revolutionary government in themfelves over a great body of the people, iffued an order forbidding the ufe of any article of confumption liable to the excife duties, which order was ftated to your Committee by the aforefaid perfons, who had been members of the republican Directory, to have been generally and implicitly obeyed. And it further appeared to your Committee, from the teftimony of the fame perfons, or fone of them, that an order had been alfo iffued by the fame Directory to flop the currency of bank notes, and to forbid the purchafe of quit rents payable to the Crown, which, by an act of this feffion, have been vested in the Lords Commiflioners of the Treafury, to be fold for the fervice of the current year, with a threat on the part of the Directory, that fuch a fale would be difallowed at the approaching revolution, as an anticipation of its refources.

Your Committee having thus detailed the fyftem of treason and rebellion established within this kingdom, which has been fo acknowledged by fome of the molt active and confidential members of the Irith revolutionary Directory, will now proceed to open to your Lordships their dark and defperate defigns, which have been confeffed by them, of betraying their country to a rapacious and merciless foreign enemy.

It appears to your Committee, that early in the year 1796 a propofition was made from the Executive Directory of the French republic, by Theobald Welfe Tone, late a barrister of this country, who abfconded thortly after the conviction of a man of the naine of Jackson, for treafon, in the year 1794, to the Executive Directory of the Irish Union, that a French army thould be fent to Ireland to aflift the republicans of this country in fubverting the monarchy, and feparating Ireland from the British Crown. The aforefaid Meffrs. Arthur O'Connor, Thomas Addis Emmett, William M.Nevin, and Oliver Bond, all of whom have been members of the Irith republican Directory, have depofed to your Committee, that this was the first communication within their knowledge which took place between the Irish and the French Directories, and that the propofition originally moved from France; your Committee, however, are of opinion, that the communication thus made to the Irish Directory through Mr.

Tone must have taken place in confequence of an application originating with fome members of the Irish Union, inafmuch as it appears by the Report of the Secret Committee of this Houfe, made in the last feffion of Parliament, that a meffenger had been difpatched by the fociety of United Irishmen to the Executive Directory of the French republic, upon a treasonable miffion, between the month of June 1795 and the month of January 1796, at which time the meifenger fo fent had returned to Ireland; and your Committee have ftrong reafon to believe that Edward John Lewins, who now is and has been for a confiderable time the accredited resident ambaffador of the Irish rebellious Union to the French republic, was the perfon thus difpatched in the fummer of 1795. It appears. to your Committee, that the propofition fo made by the French Directory, of affiftance to the rebels of this kingdom, was taken into confideration by the Executive Directory of the Irish Union immediately after it was communicated to them; that they did agree to accept the proffered affiftance, and that their determination was made known to the Directory of the French republic by a special meffenger; and your Committee have ftrong reason to believe, that the invafion of this kingdom, which was afterwards attempted, was fully arranged at an interview which took place in Switzerland in the fummer of 1796, near the French frontier, between Lord Edward Fitzgerald, the aforefaid Mr. Arthur O'Connor, and General Hoche. It appears to your Committee, that in the month of October or November 1796, the hoftile armament which foon after appeared in Bantry Bay, was announced to the Irish Directory by a fpecial meffenger difpatched, from France, who was alfo inftructed to inquire into the state of preparation in which this country ftood, which army was then ftated to the Irish Directory to confift of fifteen thousand troops, together with a confiderable quantity of arms and ammunition intended for the ufe of the Irish republican Union: in a few days after the departure of the meffenger who had been thus fent to announce the speedy arrival of this armament on the coafts of this kingdom, it appears to your Committee, that a letter from France was received by the Irish Directory, which was confidered by them as authentic, flating, that the projected defcent was poftponed for fome months; and to this circumftance it has been fairly acknowledged to your Committee, by one of the Irish Directory, that this country was indebted for the good conduct of the people in the province of Munfter, when the enemy appeared in Bantry Bay. He has confeffed that these contradictory communications threw the Irish Directory off their guard, in confequence of which they omitted to prepare the people for the reception of the enemy. He has confeffed that the people were loyal, because they were left to themselves. It appears to your Committee, that after the attempt to invade this kingdon in Decem

ber

ber 1796 had failed, the Irish Directory renewed their folicita tions to France for affiftance, and it was determined by them to eftablish a regular communication and correfpondence with the Directory of France, by a refident accredited Irish minifter at Paris; accordingly it appears to your Committee, that in April 1797, Edward John Lewins of this city, attorney at law, was difpatched from hence, under the affumed name of Thompfon, to act as the minifter of the Irith republican Directory at Paris. That he went by way of Hamburgh, where he obtained a letter of credence from the French minifter to General Hoche, with whom he had a conference at Franckfort, from whence he proceeded to Paris, where he has continued to refide from that time, as the minifter of the Executive Directory of the republic of Ireland. It appears to your Committee, that in June 1797, a fecond meffenger, Doctor William James M'Nevin, was dif patched by the fame Directory to Paris, with more precife inftructions than they were enabled to give to Lewins, and that M'Nevin alfo took Hamburgh in his way, where finding fome difficulty in obtaining a palport from Rheynhart the French minifter to enable him to go to Paris, he prefented a memoir in writing to that minifter, containing the fubftance of his inftructions from his employers, to be tranfmited to the Directory of the French republic. M'Nevin has ftated to your Committee the principal points of this memoir, in which it was recommended particularly to the Directory of the French republic, on their next attack upon this kingdom, rather to make a landing at Oyfterhaven than at Bantry, as the reduction of the city of Cork would be thereby confiderably facilitated-and he has ftated, that it alfo contained' every fpecies of information which occurred to the Irish Directory as ufeful to the enemy in their projected invafion of this kingdom, the particulars of which your Committee forbear further to detail, as they have annexed the faid M'Nevin's confeffion made to them by way of appendix to this Report. It appears to your Committee, that the faid M'Nevin having obtained a paffport from the French minifter at Hamburgh, foon after the delivery of his memoir to him, proceeded directly to Paris, where he had feveral conferences with fome of the minifters of the French republic, in which he preffed ftrongly upon them the advantages of a fecond armament against this kingdom, in which an additional fupply of arms was reprefented as neceffary, from the feizure which had been made, by order of Government, of arms which had been collected for rebellion in the northern province; and the expenfes of this armament, as well as of that which had already failed, he undertook, for the Irish Directory, fhould be defrayed on the establishment of a republic in Ireland: and in thefe conferences it appears to your Committee, that it was ftrongly impreffed upon the French