hill in the county of Armagh, where thirteen of the former were killed, and eighteen defperately wounded.^

On the feventeenth of May, a proclamation iffued against the commiffion of atrocities and difturbances in general, and offering pardon to all perions who, had been feduced, or entered into illegal affociations; ' provided they, before the twenty-fourth of June, appeared before a magiftrate, furrendered themicives,: took oaths of allegiance, acknowledged their errors, and entered into a recognilance to keep the peace, and be of good behaviour.

On the twenty-fecond of June, the time for tak ing advantage of this proclamation was extended to the twenty-fourth of July.

This wife measure was attended with the most falutary effects; for it induced thofe who had become united Irifhmen, from motives of terror, to renounce the connection; it confirmed in their allegiance thofe who were wavering; and it infpired the rebels with fear, left thofe who repented, and took the benefit of the proclamation, would betray them.

Notwithstanding this measure of mercy and warn ing to the difaffected, in the latter end of the fame: month a general infurrection, in Ulfter was decided on, and the plan of attack for each county was arranged.* At the fame time the inconfiftency of the difaffected could be equalled by nothing but their effrontery and malignity, in accufing government of wanton and unneceffary feverity, by which the people were ftimulated to commit acts of outrage and licentioufnefs.

The practice of feducing the military fill continued fo much, that, in the fpace of one month, the following foldiers were fhot for treafonable plots: Four of the Monaghan, at Blaris camp; two of the Wexford regiment, at Cork; two of the Kildare, in the Phoenix park, near Dublin; and two of the Louth, near Limerick.

It

Report of the fecret committee of the houfe of commons, Appendix, No. XIV. p. 123

It was difcovered, that houfes of entertainment were kept open in Dublin, Cork and Athlone, at a confiderable expence, for the feduction of the foldiers. They were regaled there gratis, with the moft delicious fare; and even proftitutes were kept to work on their affections.

In the month of May, feveral committees were furprised in the act of forming treasonable plots in Dublin; and it was difcovered that the blacksmiths there were bufily employed in making pikes.

In the month of June, the pay of the military was encreased, which at this critical time was a very politick measure, as the united Irishmen were endeavouring to feduce them with unceafing fedulity.

One Murtagh Mc. Canwell, fent from the North to the South for that purpofe, was known to be fo expert, and had done fo much mischief in that way, that a general court-martial, fitting at Limerick, of fered one hundred and twenty-five guineas for dif covering and apprehending him. The defenders were fo formidable at this time, in the counties of Meath, Westmeath, Kildare and Longford, that many of the proteftants were obliged to fly to the me tropolis for protection.

It was discovered, that there was to have been an infurrection of the defenders on the night of the twenty-fourth of May, in the counties of Meath, Cavan, Longford and Monaghan, for the purpose of murdering the army, the yeomanry, and all the loyal fubjects in them. It appeared that one of their emiffaries circulated four or five hundred let, ters, to apprize them of the precife time of rifing.

On the feventh of June, Mr. Barber, a presbyterian minister of Rathfriland, noted for turbulent and feditious principles, was committed to the goal of Belfast.

On the fourteenth of October, William Orr, a noted propagator of the doctrines of the united Irishmen, was hanged at Carrickfergus; and as he was one of the most active agents of the Irifh union,

great

great efforts were made to fave his life; but when they failed, the judge who tried him was reviled, the jury and the witneffes were calumniated, and the government was univerfally vilified by the difaffected, for having, as they faid, facrificed the life of this honeft and innocent man to the vengeance and acrimony of party.

As there was a confiderable space of time between i his fentence and execution, father Quigley, and two prefbyterian minifters, attended him conftantly, dreading that he would make difcoveries, as he had intimated an intention of doing fo; and they perfuaded him that he was not guilty of any crime, and that they could re-animate him. After being hanged, they carried his body to a prefbyterian meetinghouse, where two medical men endeavoured to reftore him to life, by transfufing the blood of a calf into his veins. Not fucceeding, his body was laid out in great state, and he was honoured with a most fplendid funeral, which was attended by a numerous body of united Irifhmen, who lamented in doleful accents the fate of this martyr to republican liberty, and bedewed his hearfe with tears of fympathetick civifm. The cap which he wore was cut into fmall fhreds, and diftributed among his difciples, who cherished it as a 'moft precious relick; and they, in every part of the kingdom, wore, in memory of him, fome kind of emblem in rings, lockets, or bracelets.

WHAT PROGRESS THE LEADERS OF THE CONSPIRACY MADE TO THE END OF THE YEAR 1797, IN UNITING THE PRESBYTERIANS AND PAPISTS.

THE only point in which the papifts and prefbyterians cordially united was, Revolution; but their views and expectations from it were widely different. The former confidered it as the only means of recovering their antient eftates, and of acquiring a complete afcendancy; whereas, the eftablishment of a republican government was the chief object of the latter.

. For the attainment of their ends, each wifhed to avail themselves of the affiftance of the other; and hence refulted that curious exhibition of hypocritical regard, which for fome time marked their declarations. But when the rebellion actually began, this thin veil of univerfal philanthropy was foon rent; their difcordant and feparate views became apparent to each other, and awakened thofe embers of antient hoftility, which a fpurious philofophy had in vain attempted to cover and keep dormant.

It is obfervable, that the defenders existed as an organized and armed body, at least three years before the united Irifhmen; for their plan, or profpectus, found on captain Sharky, in the county of Armagh, was dated the twenty-fourth of April, 1789; and as there were fimilar focieties in the county of Louth, affiliated with them, we may prefume that it required fome time to bring them to a perfect state of organization; and reference is made in that profpectus to oaths which they had taken formerly.

It appeared alfo, that they exifted at the fame time in the counties of Antrim, Down and Monaghan; as general Euftace was fent there to fupprefs them.

The

The united Irifhmen held their firft feffion at Belfaft, in the month of October, 1791; in Dublin, in the month of December.

The defenders, who were exclufively papifts, never appeared in any county except where popery predominated. They never exifted in any part of the county of Down or Antrim, except in the barony of Iveagh in the former, and in Carey and Glenarm in the latter, in which Roman catholicks are numerous. The only spring of action with them was a hatred to proteftants. The main object of the united Irishmen was, to unite the prefbyterians, and, if poffible, the members of the eftablifhed church with the Roman catholicks, for the purpofe of overturning the conftitution. Their oaths were quite different. The Catholick committee fhewed much zeal in promoting this junction; but the exterminating fpirit which their fectaries fhewed during the rebellion, in the counties of Dublin, Kildare, Carlow, Wicklow, Wexford, Mayo and Sligo, proved that they were not fincere, and that they meant to establish exclufively their own religion on the abolition of every other. We may fairly conclude then, that they meant merely to lull the fears and fufpicions of the prefbyterians, and not to unite with

them.

Samuel Neilfon, the most active member of the union, declared, that the affiliated fyftem began in fpring 1792, and that it was not completed in Ulfter till the tenth of May, 1795. The flow progrels of the organization in that province arofe from the very great difficulty of uniting the prefbyterians and papifts, be tween whom there exifted fo great an antipathy, that it is more than probable it never could have been accomplished, if the leading confpirators had not prevailed on the clergy of both to forward the intereft of the union; and yet, we have very good

reafon

*Examination before the fecret committee of the houfe of lords, Appendix, No. V..