But while on one side the chiefs of the United Irish proceeded in their plans, with a resolution to avoid, if possible, an insurrection, till by the landing of the French auxiliaries, or some other favourable event, their prospect of success might be nearly certain, or highly probable, the government, on the other, was determined to disorganize their system, if possible, and to destroy the strength of the conspiracy, before such an event should occur. After the proclaiming of many districts in the southern and midland counties, the imprisonment and transportation of many persons, and other acts of power, a very severe wound was inflicted on the union by the arrest of the thirteen members composing the provincial committee of Leinster, with other principals of the conspiracy, at the house of Oliver Bond of Bridge-street, in Dublin, on the 12th of March. This arrest was grounded on the information of Thomas Reynolds, a Roman catholic gentleman, of a place called Kilkea-castle, in the county of Kildare, colonel of an United Irish regiment, treasurer of the county of Kildare, and provincial delegate for Leinster, who having travelled in the same carriage with William Cope, a wealthy and respectable merchant of Merrionsquare, in Dublin, about the twenty-fifth of the preceding month, had been induced by the arguments of that gentleman, and the picture which he drew of the horrors of a revolutionary

war in Ireland, to disclose for the use of government what he knew of the conspiracy-pretending, however, to receive from time to time his information from another person, not to be himself the original informer.-In this arrest were included the most able and active leaders of the union-Thomas Addis Emmet, a lawyer of prime abilities; Doctor William James M'Nevin; Arthur O'Connor, and Oliver Bond. The vacancies made in the directory and elsewhere, by the seizure of these and other persons, were quickly filled, but with men less fit for the arduous attempt of overturning an old government, and establishing a new. To prevent a despondency among the members of the union on this occasion, a hand-bill, dated on St. Patrick's day, the seven teenth of March, was distributed, of which the following is an extract.

"For us, the keen but momentary anxiety, oc"casioned by the situation of our invaluable friends, subsided, on learning all the circum"stances of the case, into a calm tranquillity, a con

'soling conviction of mind, that they are as safe as "innocence can make them now; and to these "sentiments were quickly added a redoubled

energy, a tenfold activity of exertion, which "has already produced the happiest effects. The organization of the capital is perfect. No vacancies existing, arrangements have been made, "and are still making, to secure for our oppres

"sed brethren, whose trials approach, the benefit "of legal defence; and the sentinels whom you "have appointed to watch over your interests, "stand firm at their posts, vigilant of events, "and prompt to give you notice and advice, "which, on every occasion at all requiring it, "rely on receiving.-This recital, Irishmen, is "meant to guard those of you who are remote "from the scene of the late events, against the

consequences of misrepresentation and mistake.' "The most unfounded rumours have been set "afloat, fabricated for the double purpose of de"lusion and intimidation. Your enemies talk "of treachery, in the vain and fallacious hope "of creating it; but you, who scorn equally to "be their dupes or their slaves, will meet their forgeries with dignified contempt, incapable of

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being either goaded into untimely violence, "or sunk into pusilanimous despondency. Be firm, Irishmen-but be cool and cautious; be patient yet a while; trust to no unauthorised "communications; and above all, we warn you "-again and again we warn you-against doing the work of your tyrants, by premature, by

partial, or divided exertion." If Ireland shall "be forced to throw away the scabbard, let it be "at her own time, not at theirs."*

This and the other arrests, and other strong measures to which the government had hitherto Appendix to the Report, &c. No. 25.

had recourse, though very debilitating to the conspiracy, were far from sufficient to destroy its force, or prevent its final success. Partial pro

clamations, or the putting of districts under the severity of the new laws enacted to prevent insurrection, had only a partial effect; the audacity of the united in Leinster and Munster yielding so little on the whole amount, that many acts of hostility were committed against the peaceable inhabitants by men assembled in large numbers; an instance of which has been thought worthy of notice in the report of the secret committee of the commons house of parliament; that a body of men amounting to about eight hundred, mostly on horseback, had entered the town of Cahir, in the county of Tipperary, openly in the day, and held possession of it until they collected all the arms and ammunition. which they could find after a regular search through all the houses. At length recourse was had to a general proclamation and military execution. In the former, dated March the thirtieth, 1798, was a declaration, that a traitorous conspiracy, existing within the kingdom, for the destruction of the established government, had been considerably extended, and had manifested. itself in acts of open violence and rebellion ; and that in consequence thereof, the most direct and positive orders had been issued to the officers commanding his Majesty's forces to employ them.

with the utmost vigour and decision, for the im mediate suppression of this conspiracy, and for the disarming of the rebels and all disaffected persons, by the most summary and effectual mea

sures.

To Sir Ralph Abercrombie, then chief com mander of the forces, orders were issued from the lord lieutenant to proceed with his army into the disturbed counties, vested with full powers to act according to his discretion for the attainment of the proposed object. A manifesto, dated from his head quarters at Kildare, the third of April, was addressed to the inhabitants of the county by the general, requiring them to surrender their arms in the space of ten days from the date of the notice, threatening, in case of non-compliance, to distribute large bodies of troops among them to live at free quarter—promising rewards to such as would give information of concealed arms or ammunition-and denouncing his resolution of recurring to other severities if the county should still continue in a disturbed state. *

On the advance of the military into each county, the same notice was given to its inhabitants, and at the expiration of the term prescribed, the troops were quartered on the houses of the disaffected or suspected, in numbers proportioned to the supposed guilt and ability of the

Appendix to the report, &c. Nos. 36 and 37.