8] 
tinguished itself, by the resolute 
speeches of its principal members, 
at the several meetings that took 
place in the course of the year. That 
which was held. near Copenhagen- 
house, in the neighbourhood of 
Islington, was the most remarkable. 
The numbers that attended, either 
through zeal in the cause, or through 
curiosity, were computed at about 
fifty thousand. Some very daring 
addresses were made to the multi- 
tude: the conduct of ministers was 
arraigned in the most unqualified 
language, and a remonstrance to the 
king, on the necessity of peace, and 
ofa reform in parliament, was uni- 
versally agreed on. ; 
The proceedings, in these assem- 
blies, were highly offensive to mi- 
nistry. As they consisted of indivi- 
duals void of all hopes of rising by 
jnterest or favour; and who, toa 
many were inimical to the measures 
of government, they condemned 
them witha freedom of speech that 
knew no bounds. Often times too, 
those meetings were attended by 
persons of parts, who seized those 
Opportunities of venting their dis- 
content at the system of the times, 
and of representing administration 
in the foulest colours, and imputing 
to them the most flagitious designs. 
Nor were there wanting, among the 
members of those societies, though 
almost entirely composed of the com- 
monest classes, individuals who, 
though deficient in education, had 
received talents from nature, which 
frequently shone through coarse and 
vulgar language. The avowed aim 
of the divers institutions of this na- 
ture was to oppose government, and 
to bring about the two great ob- 
jects, at this time, in general con- 
templation; a peace with France, 
and areform in parliament. These 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1796. 
two objects being incompatible with 
the views of ministry, the point at 
issue between these, and the various 
associations that were increasing in 
every part of the kingdom,was clear- 
ly this, that either the latter would 
overturn administration, or that ad- 
ministration would overturn them. 
Prompted by this consideration. 
the principal heads of government © 
had, it was rumoured, come to a 
determination, to take the first plau~ 
sible opportunity of putting an end 
to the meetings of these societies, 
which they represented as wholly 
made up of the lowest populace, 
ready to imbibe every notion of 
fered to them by evil-designing men, 
and to break out into the most dan- 
gerous excesses of seditfon. Under 
the pretext of instructing them in 
their rights, the disaffected availed 
themselves of their ignorance, to 
misrepresent the conduct of govern- 
ment, and to excite them to hold it 
in hatred and contempt; but a cir- 
cumstance, still more alarming, was, 
that among those who took such 
pains to’ inflame the passions of the 
multitude, there wereemissariesfrom 
France, who, though natives of Great 
Britain, or Ireland, had thrown off 
all attachment to their country, and 
were become its most violent and 
rancorousenemies, The danger ac- 
ci uing from such characters was ob-- 
vious ; the difficulty of detecting in- 
dividuals connected with our foes, 
enabled them to assume the appear- 
ance of patriotism, and to delude, 
with facility, the majority of their 
hearers, into a persuasion that they 
spoke and acted from principle, and 
had no other intention thanto ex- 
pose abuses, and to induce the peos 
ple, at large, to assert their rights. 
Such was the description, given 
by the adherents to government, of 
the 
