IRELAND (HISTORY.) 



117 



lie emancipation. The mode in which they mighi 

 hope to attain these objects seemed pointed out to 

 them by the volunteers, by union and association 

 they had prevailed, and thus also they might be 

 equally successful. Accordingly, in June 1791, there 

 appeared at Belfast the plan of an association, undei 

 the name of United Irishmen; and in November this 

 association was actually instituted at Dublin: their 

 declared object was, " the forwarding a brotherhooc 

 of aflection, a communion of rights, and a union ol 

 power, among Irishmen of every religious persuasion, 

 and thereby obtaining a complete reform in the legis- 

 lature, founded on the principles of civil, political, and 

 religious liberty." Such were their avowed objects; 

 but there is reason to believe, that, even at the first for- 

 mation of this association, the leading members looked 

 further ; or, at least, that they had determined, if il 

 shoul i be necessary, to obtain their professed objects 

 by means inconsistent with public tranquillity, anc 

 with their duty as subjects. That they had such a 

 necessity in contemplation, is evident from the for- 

 mation in Dublin of national guards, distinguished 

 by a green uniform, and by buttons with a harp 

 under a cap of liberty instead of a crown. The 9th 

 of December 1792 was appointed for the general 

 muster of these guards, and all the volunteer com- 

 panies were invited to attend; but the muster never 

 took place, in consequence of the strong measures of 

 precaution adopted by government. Thus prevented 

 from assembling, the leading men among the United 

 Irishmen put forth a paper, signed by Archibald 

 Hamilton Rowan as their secretary, in which they 

 expressed their expectation that the volunteers would 

 resume their arms for the maintenance of tranquillity 

 against foreign and domestic enemies, and the Pro- 

 testants generally to choose deputies to a national 

 convention, with which, when formed, the Catholics 

 might act. The Catholics, as might be supposed, 

 were not indisposed to take advantage of this state 

 of the country. Besides the grievances which were 

 common to them and the Protestants, they had 

 various grievances of their own, arising from their 

 religion; and from the declaration of the United 

 Irishmen, they were led to hope that the Protestants, 

 so far from opposing their claims, would now co- 

 operate with them in their endeavours to obtain them. 

 Accordingly they also had their convention, which 

 assembled on the 3d of December, 1792, in Dublin. 

 After voting a petition to the king, and appointing a 

 permanent committee for the management of Catho- 

 lic affairs during the recess, they adjourned. That 

 the real nature of the claims which they put forth 

 might be understood, and the objections generally 

 urged against their claims being complied with might 

 be removed, they abjured the dangerous tenets which 

 they were commonly supposed to entertain that ex- 

 communicated princes might be murdered or deposed 

 by their subjects; that the murder of heretics is law- 

 ful; that no faith is to be kept with them; that they 

 could be absolved from their oaths of allegiance; that 

 the pope had any jurisdiction within the realm; or 

 that any human power could forgive sins, without 

 sincere repentance. They also renounced all claims 

 to the estates of their ancestors, which had been for- 

 feited; and disavowed all designs of subverting the 

 religious establishment of Ireland. 



The government seemed to think, that the safest 

 conduct for them to pursue was to avoid both ex- 

 tremes; they were not disposed to grant all the 

 Catholics wished, nor to withhold every thing. In 

 conformity with this determination, in 1793, the 

 legislature admitted the Catholics to the practice of 

 the law to intermarry with Protestants and to an 

 unrestrained education. The legislature, during this 

 session of parliament, also passed a law to prevent 



the election, or other appointment, of conventions, or 

 other unlawful assemblies, under pretence of prepar- 

 ing or presenting public petitions, or other addresses, 

 to his majesty or parliament. This act was directly 

 aimed at a proposed meeting of a national convention 

 of the United Irish at Athlone, which was prevented. 

 A report of a secret committee of the house of lords 

 threw much light on the views and proceedings of 

 the United Irishmen, as well as on those of a descrip- 

 tion of insurgents called Defenders. The latter were 

 Catholics in Armagh, Louth, Meath, and the adja- 

 cent counties, who, having first associated to defend 

 themselves against the ill treatment inflicted on them 

 by gangs of Presbyterians, called Peep-of-day Boys, 

 became afterwards the assailants. 



We have mentioned that Archibald Hamilton 

 Rowan was secretary to the United Irishmen at the 

 time their manifesto was published; he was on tliat 

 account arrested, and in 1794 brought to trial. It 

 was suspected at the time of his trial, that the views 

 of the United Irishmen went farther than they avow- 

 ed, and that the utter subversion of the constitution, 

 and the separation of Ireland from England, was in 

 their contemplation, and the object of their meetings 

 and schemes. This was afterwards proved on the 

 trial of an English clergyman of the name of Jack- 

 son, for a treasonable correspondence with the agents 

 of the French government; for Rowan, who had been 

 condemned to a fine, and imprisonment for two years, 

 contrived to escape out of prison, and fled out of the 

 country, conscious that, on the trial of Jackson, 

 evidence of his real designs would be brought to 

 light. Jackson was condemned, but he took poison, 

 and expired before he was removed from court. 

 Two others, who were leading men among the vio- 

 lent democratic party, Napper Tandy and Theobald 

 Wolfe Tone, the principal framer of the United 

 Irishmen, also fled from their country. Indeed, 

 there was now too much reason to believe, that the 

 United Irishmen not only aimed at a separation from 

 Britain, but aimed at this object by means of the 

 co-operation of France, a method at once most dan- 

 gerous to that liberty which they professed themselves 

 so anxious to secure, and utterly at variance with 

 real patriotism or enlightened views. 



It was not to be supposed that the French govern- 

 ment was ignorant of the state of Ireland, or indis- 

 posed to take advantage of it in their war with Great 

 Britain. Indeed it was matter of surprise that they 

 had not attempted to land troops in a country so dis- 

 turbed, and in which there was avowedly so numer- 

 ous and active a part of the inhabitants desirous to 

 throw off the British yoke, and for that purpose, to 

 accept any foreign assistance that might present itself. 

 An agreement was in fact made between the leading 

 men in the Irish Union, and the French directory, 

 for the landing of a French force in Ireland, on con- 

 dition that the invading army should act as auxiliaries, 

 receiving their pay and instruction from the Union. 

 As soon as this arrangement was settled, preparations 

 for the invasion of Ireland were made at Brest. The 

 Irish Union, in order to be ready to second the efforts 

 of their new allies, were uncommonly active and 

 ealous in their preparations and plans ; but, in the 

 midst of these, they were thrown into a state of un- 

 certainty, and induced to suspend their operations, in 

 consequence of receiving, first, the intelligence that 

 ,he invasion would take place immediately, that is, 

 n the beginning of the winter of 1796; and almost 

 mmediately afterwards, a letter, which they had no 

 reason not to regard as authentic, that the invasion 

 would be deferred till the spring of 1797. The invad- 

 ng fleet, however, anchored in Bantry Bay, on the 

 <!Jtli of December, 1796; but as the general, and a 

 great part of his troops were on board ships that liad 



