CHAP. IV.

State of Great Britain.---Trials of Messrs. Muir and Palmer.---Of Messrs. Watt and Downie.--- Inconsistency of Mr. Pitt.---Trial of Messrs. Hardy, Tooke, &c.---German Auxiliaries.---A Body of Hessians land at the Isle of Wight.---Success of the British in the West Indies.---Capture of Corsica.---Signal Naval Victory of the 1st of June. ---An Act for raising Volunteer Corps.---Preparations for a Continuance of the War.

While convulsions agitated France and the greater part of the continent of Europe, Great Britain was not free from alarm. The revolution of France had produced many admirers in England, Scotland, and Ireland, who pleasingly anticipated a similar change in the British empire. Mr. Burke had published his sentiments on the French revolution. The Rights of Man by the celebrated Thomas Paine, issued from the press. Immense editions of the latter were sold with astonishing rapidity, and 1000l. the profit arising from the sale of the work, were presented by the author to a popular society for the purpose of printing an edition which might be sold for a mere trifle. It was circulated not only among the lower classes, but admitted into many respectable families; while

the work of his opponent was patronized by the higher orders only.

In the early part of Mr. Burke's political career, he had been distinguished by his liberality of sentiment, and attachment to freedom. However, from the very commencement of the French revolution, he manifested an opposite disposition, and condemned with bitter asperity those Gallic proceedings which met the approbation of Mr. Pitt, and were applauded by every friend to order and rational liberty. This conduct was viewed with suspicion, and generally (and justly) supposed to arise from sinister motives. It caused a separation between him and his former bosom friend Mr. Fox; but by ridiculously flourishing a dagger in the house of commons, whilst violently declaiming against the nascent liberties of France, and by urging the necessity of war, he attracted the attention of the court party, obtained a pension, and thus developed the seeming paradox of his conduct, exhibiting to the world the consummate hypocrisy of a fashionable politician.

In Scotland Muir and Palmer were tried for sedition, and sentenced to be transported; the former for fourteen and the latter for seven years. These sentences were regarded in England as far beyond the measure of guilt, and motions were made, though without effect, for a revision of the trials. The prisoners both professed themselves friends of reform. -Mr. Palmer's crime was writing what the Scotch law called a seditious hand bill; one of the charges

it

against Mr. Muir was requesting an itinerant musician to play "Ca ira*."!-Several others were tried, and many fled from the north; amongst the rest, Mr. Alexander Scott, printer of the Edinburgh Gazetteer. Notwithstanding, political meetings were held in various parts of Scotland, for the purpose, was said, of forming a convention. A person of the name of Robert Watt attended these meetings, but if we are to regard the correspondence between him and Mr. Dundas, in the character of a spy. Whether Mr. Dundas found him not exactly suited to the purpose is not known; but he referred the misguided man to the lord advocate, who acknowledged paying him thirty pounds either for his services in the way just mentioned, or as earnest for the future. Watt wished to have a thousand pounds before he betrayed what he pretended to know respecting the seditious meetings. The lord advocate would not agree to these terms. However, Watt let government sufficiently into his own secrets, as to form evidence which condemned him to death, and he was accordingly executed on the 17th of October, 1794.

David Downie was tried at the same time, and though condemned to die, was not executed; but, after suffering an imprisonment, was liberated, on condition of banishing himself the kingdom.

Ireland exhibited symptoms of discontent; but as a succinct account of these is intended to form an exordium to the rebellion of that country, to be de

* A favorite song of the French republicans.

tailed hereafter, we shall accordingly reserve it for

that

purpose.

Popular societies were established in many parts of England, but particularly in London and the large manufacturing towns. As early as 1792, government took notice of these meetings, and issued proclamations against seditious associations; but this measure, instead of having the wished-for effect, appeared to give new vigor to the mal-contents; and the Rights of Man, against the reading of which the proclamations were chiefly directed, was eagerly sought after, and immense editions were incapable of supplying the public demand. But when government was about to institute proceedings against its author, he quitted England, and was received at Calais with open arms.

At length the British ministry became alarmed at the firmness and regularity of these societies. The different minor associations all over the country corresponded and received instructions from that in London, known by the name of the Corresponding Society; and the latter had delegates in Scotland and communications occasionally with the French. In order to counteract these anti-ministerial proceedings, government instituted associations against republicans and levellers; which, instead of answering the avowed purpose, added fuel to the flame, and increased the activity of their opponents in a ten-fold degree. Ultimately, the papers of these societies were seized by order of government, and the busi

ness formally brought before parliament. However, as the proceedings of these associations had been regularly given to the world by their own free-will, and as their meetings were conducted in the most open manner, the public were already in possession of every thing the papers contained. Their professed object was a Reform in Parliament, and when Mr. Pitt represented the transactions of these societies in the most infamous light which the powers of eloquence could exhibit them, Mr. Grey (now earl Grey) reminded him of his own behaviour, when, in the early part of his political career, and out of place, he had made much bustle and noise about parliamentary reform, and at the Thatched House Tavern, along with Mr. Horne Tooke, strongly recommended to the people the very method these societies had pursued, in the following resolution, namely, "that, considering it was in vain to look to parliament for a regeneration originating within itself, it be recommended to the people throughout the kingdom, to assemble during the ensuing summer, in districts, for the purpose of an application to parliament on that subject."-" What difference could there be (said Mr. Grey) between the meetings thus recommended, and the proceedings of the sent societies? Were not their objects precisely similar? But how altered was the promoter of those former meetings! William Pitt, the reformer of that day, was the prosecutor and persecutor of reformers at the present! He then exerted himself to

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