IRELAND. 32? 



kingdom, evinced the most determined loyalty, and manifested the 

 greatest readiness to meet and resist the enemy, wherever they might 

 attempt a descent. 



The failure of the expedition under Hoche, did not, however, dis- 

 courage the members of the Irish Union ; they, on the contrary, en- 

 deavoured more firmly to cement their alliance with France, and 

 established a regular communication and correspondence with that 

 country. New arrangements were made for an invasion ; and Dr. 

 M'Nevin, about this time, transmitted to the French government a 

 memorial, in which he stated that 150,000 United Irishmen were en- 

 rolled and organized in the province of Ulster. During the summer 

 of 1797 great preparations were therefore made for a second attempt, 

 both at Brest and in the Texel ; it having been determined that the 

 Dutch should supply a fleet and land forces to co-operate in this de- 

 sign. But this plan was rendered abortive by the memorable victory 

 of lord Duncan over the Dutch fleet, on the 11th of October of that 

 year. 



In the beginning of the year 1798, Mr. O'Connor came to Eng- 

 land, with an intention, as it afterwards appeared, of going over to 

 France, in conjunction with John Binns, an active member of the 

 London Corresponding Society, James Coigley, an Irish priest, and a 

 person of the name of Allen. Being however suspected, they were 

 apprehended, and tried at Maidstone, where they were all acquitted, 

 except Coigley, on whom had been found a treasonable, though ex- 

 tremely absurd paper, purporting to be an address from the " Secret 

 Committee of England to the Executive Directory of France." He 

 wis therefore convicted, and executed. O'Connor, after his acquit- 

 tal, was detained, on another charge of treason preferred against him, 

 and sent back to Ireland. 



In the course of these different negociations with the enemy, the 

 violence of some of the disaffected party in Ireland, could scarcely 

 be restrained from breaking out into open insurrection, without wait- 

 ing for the promised assistance from the Gallic republic ; but they 

 were overruled by those who had more coolness and caution. The 

 government of Ireland, in the mean time, received only obscure and 

 perplexed intelligence of these proceedings, which appear to have 

 been conducted with so much art and secrecy as to prevent adminis- 

 tration from discovering, for a considerable time, the real views and 

 conduct of the society. But at length they received information that 

 a seditious meeting was to be held at the house of a person of the 

 'name of Alexander, at Belfast, on the 14th of April, 1797; and, in 

 consequence, colonel Barber, with a detachment of soldiers, proceed- 

 ed on that day to the place of meeting, where he found two societies 

 or committees actually sitting, and seized their papers and minutes s 

 among which were the printed declaration and constitution of the 

 United Irishmen, various reports from provincial and county com- 

 mittees, and several other important documents, which no longer left 

 a doubt respecting the extent and views of this formidable conspira- 

 cy. About the same time, likewise, the magistrates in other parts of 

 the kingdom discovered other papers that were circulated by the so- 

 ciety, and which served to confirm the discoveries already made, and 

 to throw additional light on the proceedings of the conspirators. 



The most active and vigorous measures were now adopted by 

 government. A very considerable addition was made to the military 

 force of the kingdom ; a bill was passed prohibiting seditious meet- 



