IRELAND. 



257 



iinunif- 

 W Kt- 

 A D. 1TH. 



ed it also nece*ry to pass laws of great rigour and se- 

 verity, the execution of which must be left, in many 

 cases, entirely to the local magistrates, or to the com- 

 manders of the troops stationed where the disturbances 

 took place. These magistrates and commanders, thus 

 vetted, too often even by the authority of govern- 

 ment with a discretionary or arbitrary power, were 

 apt, even where they were men who were conscienti- 

 ously desirous to act right, and only to exercise severi- 

 ty where it was absolutely necessary for the preserva- 

 tion of the public peace, to pus beyond the limits of 

 their power. This was too frequently the case. Men 

 guilty, or suspected of being dapgatous to the pub- 

 lic peace, were seized by the magistrates, and sent to 

 serve in the nary. In order to protect the magis- 

 trates from the consequences of this stretch of power, 

 a bill of indemnity was passed ; and likewise what 

 was called the insurrection act. by which the chief 

 governor in council was authorized to proclaim, on 

 the requisition of seven of its magistrate* assembled 

 at the sesion of the peace, any county or district there- 

 of in a state of disturbance, and thereby to invest the 

 magistrates with a power, under the authority of the 

 law, to tend suspected persons into the navy. They 

 were also authorised to search houses for arms, and', 

 after previous notice, to treat as culprits all as should 

 be absent from their home*, without satisfactory excuse, 

 after certain hours in the evening. In October 1 

 the Habeas Corpus act was again suspended. 



In order still further to protect the country from the 

 designs of the disaffected, and against a French inva- 

 sion with which it wan threatened, the government en- 

 1 the formation of an armed yeomanry. In 



many reapacta, thi* species of force 



to the troop* of the line, on which hitherto the 



ami defence of Ireland had mainly depended ; for thane 



troop*, principally from Britain, had certainly served to 



irritate and Mane the Irish by their disorderly con- 



. * . l^*aMa?ljt_ ftlM fftMMtitm C& VMHUtttW Watt itlciftMOUC 



and beneficial, a* it might have a tendency to break 

 down the association* of Orangemen in the north of 

 Ireland, who, under pretence of defending themselves 

 from the Catholic., ware guilty of the mo* dreadful 

 outrage* and violation* of the law*. 



It wa* not to be (unnoted that the French govern- 

 ment wa* ignorant of the state of Ireland, or indisposed 

 to take advantage of it in their war with (treat Britain. 

 Indeed it was matter of surprise that they had not at- 

 tempted to land troop* in 



a part of the inhabitant* iltaii'uut to threw off the Bri- 

 tita yoke, and for that ptjipuat, to accept any foreign 

 asaiftance that might present iuelf. An agreement 

 wa* in bet made between the leading men in thr 

 Union, and the French Directory, for the landing of a 

 French force in Ireland, on condition that the inva- 

 ding army should act a* aioriliarie*, receiving their pay 

 tion from the Union. A* toon a* thi* ar- 

 was settled, preparations for the invasion of 

 Brest. The ! 



1796; and almost immediately afterwards, a letter, History, 

 which they had no reason not to regard as authentic, N "^V 1 ^ 

 that the invasion would be deferred till the spring of 

 1797. 



The invading fleet, however, anchored in Bantry Bay, French flett 

 on the 24th of December 1796 ; but as the general, and in """try 

 a great part of his troops were on board ships that '* 

 had not arrived, the admiral, after waiting for him a 

 few days, returned to Brest, having previously ascertain- 

 ed, however, that the country was well defended, and 

 that even the peasantry, towards whom the French had 

 been taught to look for immediate and hearty co-opera - 

 don, were apparently adverse to them. 



A proclamation was issued on the 1 7th of May, 1 797, 

 declaring the civil power inadequate to quell the insur- 

 rection ; and this proclamation was followed by orders 

 for the military officers to act without waiting for any au- 

 thority from the civil power. The military, who had" pre- 

 viously been highly irritated by the resistance of the in- 

 surgents, and who, it is too probable, had entered Ire- 

 land, with the belief that it might be treated in nil re- 

 spects as a conquered country, now gave away, in too 

 many instances, to the most oppressive outrages. Un- 

 der the pretence that arms were concealed, houses 

 were sometimes burnt or plundered ; and the milita- 

 ry torture of .the picket was employed to force a dis- 

 covery. But it is painful to dwell on such outrages ; 

 suffice it to say, that they were such as mi.'.ht be ex- 

 pected from soldiers acting not only without the con- 

 trol of the civil power, but. :i they believed, it) fur- 

 therance of the views of government, against a people 

 whom they regarded as proper objects of their tyranny 

 and CTiu-lty. I'hr I 'niti-d In-li. | tluit their 



med yeomanry. In ami cruelty. 1 he United Inui, (-.m-.u that their 

 wa* much preferable only chance of fucce** was by assuming tin appearance 



of being reduced to obedience, and conducting titeir 

 operations in a more secret ninniif 

 meetings; ami the otate of the country gencrnlly un- 

 proved so much, that in August 1 7' '7, the admini- 

 stration of justice wa* again committed to the civil 

 power. 



But the United Irish were only laying their schemes j r j,h Um 0m 

 deeper, and were inactive and tranquil only, that they rc-orgaoi- 

 Durst out with more violence and effect. Hither 



to they had been chiefly confined to the northern pro- "'' 

 vtnces ; but now the association* began to extend to ' 

 the western and southern parts of Ireland, and the 

 whole organization to assume a military form. Ac- 

 cording to their new plan, the lowest societies consisted 

 of IS persons, who lived near one another, and among 

 whom there wa* frequent and confidential intercourse. 

 Five of these societies elected each a secretary, and these 

 d a baronial committee, which had the 



Ireland were made at Butt. The Irish Union, in or- 

 der to be ready to MCand the efbrt* of their new allies, 



! plan* ; but, in the midst of the**, they were 

 i into a state of uncertainty, and induced to sus- 

 pend their operations, in consequence of receiving, first, 

 the intelligence that the invasion would take place im- 

 ely, that tr m the beginning of the winter of 

 in rat i. 



of the first society. Ten of these lower 

 baronial committees elected, each a delegate, and the ten 

 delegate* composed an upper baronial committee, which 

 directed the businett of the ten lower committees. In 

 like manner was the organization of county, district, 

 and provincial committees effected. The supreme com- 

 mand wa* lodged in an executive directory, which was 

 composed of five persons, unknown to all except the 

 secretaries.of the four provincial committees. From this 

 directory the orders were conveyed in the most secret 

 hut efficient and prompt manner ; and they were in- 

 stantly and fully obeyed. Such was the civil organiza- 

 tion of the Irish Union. The military resembled it, 

 and, in fact, waa grafted noon it. The secretary of each 

 of the lowest societies was its non-commissioned officer; 

 f 



