66 
This flect fet fail from Breft on the 
14th of December, confifting of 18 fail of 
_ the line, 14 frigates, fixlarge tranfports, and 
fome {mall veffels ; the army on board con- 
fitted of 25,000 troops, with fix weeks’ 
provifions for them, and two months’ pro- 
vifions for the feamert. They failed out 
ef Breft harbour in two divifions, a gale 
of wind, however, coming on, the two 
divifions could not unite when they came 
tothe open ocean. The fleet made Ire- 
land inthrce days; but from the ftrong 
gales, were not able to enter Bantry Bay 
iil the. 24th, and then only part of it had 
anchoree. A council of war was held, 
and the troops, it 1s faid, were decidedly 
for landing; but none of the fleet Having 
feen the Fraternity frigate, on board of 
which were admiral De Galles, and gene- 
ral Hoche, fince leaving Brett, they re- 
folved to put to fea. Sixty more tran{- 
petts, with troops on board, were ready 
to follow the expedition, as {oon as a land~ 
ing fhould be made good. 
According to the information received 
by the Duke of Portland, from the Lord 
Lieutenant of Ireland, dated the roth of 
january, itappears, that during this alarm 
the moft loyal fpirit was manifefted by 
his Majefty’s regular and militia forces ; 
and that there was every reafon to be- 
lieve, that if a landing had taken place, 
they would have difplayed the utmofi fide- 
lity. 
At the time the army was on its 
march, the weather was extremely fe- 
Vere, He Lord Lieutenant, therefore, or- 
dered them a portion of fpirits upon 
their route, and direéted an allowance of 
4d. per day to their wives, until their 
return. During their march, the utmoft 
attention was paid to them by the inha- 
bitants of the towns and villages through 
which they paffled. The roads, which in 
fome places were rendered impaffable by 
the fnow, were cleared by the peafantry ; 
cand the poor people,” faid his Excel- 
lency, ‘* often fhared their potatoes with 
them.” 
From the armed yeomanry the govern- 
ment derived the moit honourable aifift- 
ance. Noblemen, and gentlemen or the 
firft property, vied in exerting themfeives 
at the heads of their corps. & 
In Cork, Limerick, and Galway, they 
undertook the duty Es the garrifon. Lord 
Shannon told the T.ord Lientenang, = a 
men of three and four thoufand founds 
year were employed in efcorting a 
and carrying expreffes.”’ 
Ip fhort, “his Excellency is of opinion, 
that nad the enemy landed, their hope of 
- Public Affairs.—Ireland .... France. 
‘annually, by ev 
{Jan. 
affiftance from the inhabitants would have 
been totally difappointed. 
By the moft recent accounts from 
France, it appears, that the whole fleet, 
except three fhips, had returned to the 
ports of Breft and Rochfort. 
FRANCES 23a 
The Council of Five Hundred, on the 
21ft of December, adopted. the plan of a 
committee for renewing one third of the 
legiflative body, agreeably to the conftitu- 
tion. ‘The plan was as follows : 
1. There fhail be eleéted for the prefent 
year only a third of deputies, by the de- 
partments of Belgium, of Montblanc, 
and the other united countries. 
2. The divifion of the ci-devant Bel- 
gium into nine departments fhall be pro- 
V140 ae maintained. 
. A new general lift fhall determine 
the number of the deputies to be eleéted 
ery department of the re- 
public, in proportion to its population. 
4. there fhall be fent to the new le- 
giflative body, after the firft of next Ger- 
minal, the application ef each deputy to 
his department. 
5. Lo draw them by ballot, not by de- 
putations, but upon the totality of the ex- 
members of the convention of one and the 
fame council. 
6. To obtain, asthe refult of the ballot, 
the effectual maintenance of 83 ex-mem- 
bers of the convention in aétivity in the 
Council of Elders, and of 167 members in 
aétivity in the Council of Five Hundred. 
pee Uo make fhare in this ballot all thofe 
.of the ptefent deputies of Corfica and the 
colonies who fhall not be replaced before 
the 15th Ventofe. 
8. To exempt from the ballot no other 
ex-members of the convention than thofe_ 
eleéted as members of the new third. 
g- To prevent, by proper regulations, 
the difficulties which may attend the ex- 
ecution of the drawing by ballot. - 
The council were then reminded by 
Poftoret, that the confiitution alfo requir- 
ed the renewal of one member of the 
Directory, and moved, that a committee” 
fhould devife the mode of putting it in 
execution. . 
Lehardy afked, whether the third going 
out, or the tmrd coming in, fhould name 
the new member of the Diregtory ? He 
objected to the nomination refting with 
the new members, whe, he faid, would © 
make 2 bad choice, becaule ftrangers to 
men and things.. This {peech produced 
2 mixture of murmurs and laughter; and 
was combated ey Thibaudeau, who fhow- 
ed, ehaty according to the conititution, the 
new 
