1827.] 



Domestic and Foreign, 



191 



fall into his hands. A brief was forthwith 

 given him ; but month after month elaps- 

 ing 1 without farther communication, he 

 grew weary of waiting ; and besides, hia 

 mind was more and more illuminating on 

 the subject of politics ; he began to look 

 upon the Whig-club with contempt ped- 

 dling, as they were, about petty grievances, 

 instead of going to the root of the evil. 

 An opportunity soon occurred of venting 

 these illuminations of his. A war with 

 Spain seemed probable, and a pamphlet 

 was quickly produced, to prove that Ire- 

 land was not bound by a declaration of 

 war, but might and ought, as an indepen- 

 dent nation, to stipulate for neutrality. 

 The publisher was alarmed at his own 

 temerity, and hastened to suppress the 

 book, for which, says Tone, declaratively 

 or optatively, his own gods damn him. 



But before the commotion excited by 

 the Nootka Sound business subsided, Tone 

 recollected his old scheme for a military 

 colony in the South Seas ; and now for- 

 warded it to the Duke of Richmond, who, 

 in a matter which did not concern his 

 own department, could only undertake to 

 deliver and recommend it to Lord Gren- 

 ville, from whom was received a very 

 civil letter commending the plan, but de- 

 clining the execution of it, as circum- 

 stances had rendered it unnecessary. 

 Again he vows, as in the case of Mr. Pitt, 

 Lord Grenville should repent of it, * : and 

 perhaps," as before he adds, " the minister 

 may one day wish he had sent me to the 

 South Seas." 



Now came burning on the French Revo- 

 lution, and the minds of Irishmen were 

 heated red hot by it. The nation was di- 

 vided into Aristocrats and Democrats. 

 Tone was of course a democrat, and with 

 such sentiments openly avowed, all hopes 

 of business in the courts were renounced. 

 Politics occupied him solely. At this pe- 

 riod also the Catholic Question began to 

 attract public notice. The Belfast Volun- 

 teers wished, on some occasion or other, 

 to come forward with a declaration rela- 

 tive to the Catholics, and Tone was re- 

 quested to write one. This declaration it 

 was that fixed his attention more parti- 

 cularly on the condition of his country, 

 and on the practicability of amending it. 

 His principle was soon decided on. To 

 break the connection with England be- 

 came the ultimate object ; and to unite 

 the people, and to substitute the common 

 name of Irishman for protestant, catholic, 

 and dissenter, the immediate means. These 

 views were brought forward in a pamphlet 

 entitled an "Argument in Behalf of the 

 Catholics of Ireland," in which he laboured 

 to shew that catholics and dissenters had 

 a common interest, and a common enemy. 

 The members of the establishment were 

 of course impenetrable. The performance 



was warmly applauded ; the Belfast Vo- 

 lunteers elected him an honorary member 

 of their corps; andhewas invited to Belfast 

 to assist in framing the first club of United 

 Irishmen. On his return, in conjunction 

 with his friend Russel, and Napper Tandy, 

 a club of the same kind was instituted at 

 Dublin. The Dublin club rose rapidly 

 into importance, and Tone was soon ousted 

 of his pretensions to influence by more 

 significant and stirring persons. They 

 quickly drew the attention of the govern- 

 ment, and Tandy, the secretary, was or- 

 dered into custody. The club was in a 

 critical position. Tone bestirred himself; 

 persuaded Hamilton Rowan to take the 

 chair, and offered himself to act as pro* 

 secretary. The members rallied, and 

 ground was gained rather than lost by 

 the check. 



The Catholic Committee also were now 

 recovering from the shock they had sus- 

 tained by the desertion of the aristocracy 

 the secession of the sixty-eight. A 

 general representation of the Catholics 

 was organized, consisting of two members 

 from every county and considerable town, 

 who assembled at Dublin ; and by this 

 assembly was Tone chosen to fill the place 

 left vacant by Burke's son. As agent and 

 assistant secretary, with a salary ef 200 

 a year, Tone gave himself up soul and 

 body to the duties of his new office, and 

 was undoubtedly mainly instrumental in 

 getting the Relief-bill of 1793 carried 

 that bill, which, but for the Whigs, might 

 have been complete, securing not only to 

 the poor the right of electing members, 

 but to the rich the right of being elected. 

 The disappointed Catholics were enraged 

 at the treachery of their friends and the 

 trickery of their enemies. The United 

 Irishmen whose object was separation, 

 from England availed themselves of this 

 feeling; all but actual violence in the 

 field quickly followed ; and Rowan, Butler, 

 and Bond were tried and imprisoned. 



Soon after these events (1794) one Jack- 

 son was arrested for high treason. This 

 fellow was commissioned by the French 

 government to sound the people of Ire- 

 land ; the popular leaders hesitated to 

 commit themselves with a stranger by 

 replying directly to his overtures; but 

 Tone, with his usual ardour, volunteered 

 to risk the peril of conveying their wishes 

 to the French government. He did not 

 however go. Jackson, whose purposes 

 had been known to the government at 

 home even before he landed, and who had 

 been suffered to go on, making rebels 

 rather than detecting: them, was arrested. 

 He had confided to Tone the objects of his 

 mission, and Tone was known to have had 

 intercourse with him. He was accord- 

 ingly called upon to give evidence; he 

 refused ; and to save his own neck com- 



