IRELAND. 
354 
each of the cities of Dublin and Cork, one for the uni- 
verfity, and one for each of the thirty-one principal 
towns. As a compenfation to the owners of disfranchised 
boroughs, the fum of 15,000!. was allotted to each, form¬ 
ing an aggregate of 1,260,000!. The number decreed to 
reprefent the Irifh peers was twenty-eight lords temporal" 
elected for life, and four biShops, taking their places in 
rotation, for the clergy. By one claufe of the aft of 
union it is declared, that fuch peers of Ireland as are not 
elefted into the houle of lords are competent to fit in 
the houfe of commons as representatives of Britifh towns 
and counties, on condition that they give up all the pri¬ 
vileges of the peerage during their continuance in the 
lower houfe. 
Among the regulations for promoting the national pros¬ 
perity cxpeded from the imperial parliament, was the abo¬ 
lition of all political disabilities in catholics. This ap¬ 
pears to have been an objeft with the ministers by whofe 
exertions the union was accomplished ; but, finding in¬ 
surmountable obstacles to its attainment, they refigned 
their places. Among tbefe was the marquis Cornwallis, 
who in May 1801 was Succeeded in the Irifh viceroyaltv 
by the earl of Hardwicke. The early part of this noble¬ 
man’s adminiltratiori palled in tolerable tranquillity; but, 
in 1803, a more defperate and ill-judged attempt than 
ever was made for the avowed purpofe of overthrowing 
the eftabliShecI form of. government. 
Early in that year judges were Sent to try by commif- 
fion certain diflurbers of the public peace in the counties 
of Tipperary, Limeric, and Waterford, in the two former 
of which commotions had been very general. In the pro- 
grefs of thefe trials, nothing of a treafonable nature was 
discoverable in their unfortunate objefts, wdio had not 
been impelled to aft By any political Stimulus. The arti¬ 
fice employed to fet them in motion was more familiar to 
their bufinefs and bofoms, and better adapted to their 
powers of comprehension. They were invited to fix 
a rate upon potatoes, the almoft univerfal food of the 
lower clafies in thofe parts, and to join in a fyftem of op¬ 
position to Jirangers, by whom were meant perfons from any 
other than their immediate vicinity, as tenants of farms, in 
order to compel the land-proprietors to treat exclufively 
with the former occupants—pretexts for public clamour of 
long Standing in Ireland. It alfo appeared that the lead in 
thefe matters was taken by men who had belonged to the 
disbanded regiments of militia, who during the calamitous 
period of the troubles in their country had been allowed to 
imdulgein fuch exceifive licentioufnefs, that, on their return 
to their refpeftive counties, they were utterly unfitted for 
the habits of fober life. The facrifices made to public 
justice on this occafion, restored, however, the appearance 
of public tranquillity. The magistrates of Tipperary and 
Limeric earneitly petitioned to be indulged with the 
power of inflifting discretionary punishment and tranf- 
portation, under the infurreftion-aft, paSTed by the Irish 
parliament in the laft year of its existence ; but his ma¬ 
jesty’s government refilled its compliance, and chofe tlSe 
milder and more constitutional mode of regular legal pro¬ 
ceedings. ‘This courfe was attended with complete fuc- 
cefs; and tranquillity was restored. 
Some time before his SnajeSty’s meflage to parliament 
had announced the probability of a rupture with France, 
it was obvious to the attentive obferver, that a considera¬ 
ble degree of feverish agitation existed among thoSe who 
had favoured the late rebellion, and an alarming refort to 
Ireland of perfons notoriously in the intereftof the French 
government. The majority of the people who had been 
led away by the intrigues of. designing men, efpecially 
thofe who had any property to lofe, had indeed been con¬ 
vinced and heartily repented of their delufion ; but ftill 
there were to be found Some pardoned delinquents whofe 
efcape from punishment had not taught them prudence. 
Thefe reitlefsfpirits hailed the opportunity of recommencing 
their machinations; and, while Some fpread themfelves over 
the country in every direction, others fixed their residence 
in the metropolis. An aftive correfpondence with France 
was fet on foot, and the organization of a new conspiracy 
was profecuted with indefatigable activity. The French 
government was not inattentive to this opportunity of 
annoying the inveterate enemy who was again in arms to 
oppofe its ufurpations. The chiefs of the late Irifh re¬ 
bellion were fummoned to Paris from the infignificance 
and contempt in which they had lived, fince the peace of 
Amiens, in different Slates of the continent; conciliations 
were held with them; their hopes, and paSfions were Sti¬ 
mulated" by promifes and flattery; and they were directed 
to communicate Similar impulfes to their agents and ad¬ 
herents in their native country. 
The perfon who undertook the office of direftorof this 
new plot againft the British dominion in Ireland, poSTefTed 
a Sanguine disposition and Specious talents. He was the 
younger brother of Emmett, who, previously to the re¬ 
bellion of 3798, had relinquished a reS’peftable Situation 
at the Irifli bar, in order to alfift in the profecution of the 
wild Schemes of that day. This young man, now only 
twenty-four years of age, had imbibed his brother’s Sen¬ 
timents; and his conduft, during the former disturbances, 
had been fo unguarded as to render him an objeCt ot the 
vigilance of government; inconsequence of which he had 
continued to reside abroad as long as the liabeas-corpus 
aft was Sufpended. His mind was ardent, his imagination 
brilliant, and he poSTeSfed a flow of eloquence, often rif- 
ing to the fire, always confiftent with the correftnefs, of 
legitimate oratory ; but of judgment he appears to have 
been utterly deficient. The death of his father had placed 
the fum of 2000I. in ready money at his difpofal ; and 
with this fund lie propofed to himfelf the lubverfion of. 
the established government! It is not however improba¬ 
ble that this Sum, insignificant as it was when compared 
with his projefts, might have tempted the cupidity of a 
few needy parafites, who flattered his hopes and encou¬ 
raged his defigns, while they revelled in the wafte of his 
little patrimony, until they had involved him in irretriev¬ 
able ruin. This conjecture is countenanced by the cha¬ 
racters of thole with whom, as it afterwards appeared, he 
was in habits of the raoft confidential intercourse. Thefe 
were Dowdall, who had formerly held an inferior office 
under the Irilh houfe of commons ; Redmond, a man of 
narrow means, who affefted to be engaged in fome low 
fpeciesof commerce; and Allen, a broken woollen-manu- 
fafturer. A confpirator of a different Stamp, and higher 
abilities than thefe la!f, was Quigley, a mechanic, who, hav¬ 
ing been outlawed in 1798, at the time his brother was 
hanged, had fince that period refided in France, and, 
on the renewal of holt.ilities, had returned to Ireland un¬ 
der circumstances which clearly indicated his agency to 
the enemy. He perambulated Kildare, his native coun¬ 
ty, with unceafing activity, tampering with the people of- 
the lower dalles, representing in Strong colours every 
caufe of dilfatisfaftion, and exhorting them to throw off 
the fyftem of flavery impoled by the government. By the 
frequent and free distribution of ftrong liquors, and oc¬ 
casionally of money, he feduced great numbers to hold 
themfelves in readinefs for the execution of a plan destitute 
of the Slightest probability of fuccefs. Another enthufiafl 
was meanwhile buiy in another part of the country, in 
the perfon of a Mr. RuSfel, the fon of an officer of repu¬ 
tation in his majesty’s fervice, in which he had himfelf 
alto held a commifiion. Retiring on half-pay, he had Set¬ 
tled in a town in the north of Ireland, and addifted him¬ 
felf to the cultivation of literature. With a mind at 
once gloomy and fanguine, he had ardently embraced the 
doftrines of the French revolution ; but it is acknow¬ 
ledged that he poSTefTed more of the feeling and Sentiment 
of a gentlemen than is ufually found in, the connrmed 
democrat. 
Such were the characters of the principal leaders of this 
confpiracy, the only merit of which feems to have been 
the impenetrable Secrecy with which it was conducted. 
To forward its objefts, Emmett and Dowdall were Ita- 
1 tioned 
