"bers of the executive, examined before your committee, to be "the better to reconcile reformers and republicans in a common exertion to overthrow the state."

Having failed in their attempt, and despairing of ever attaining Catholic emancipation under the then existing spirit of the government, the United Irishmen held out, that the only gleam of hope was to arise out of a reform of parliament; that had ever been their great rallying point; they now gave out, that they systemized their plan merely for the purpose of obtaining with quicker and surer effect, a radical reform in the representation of the people, founded on the principles of civil, political, and religious liberty. From reflection and experience, they were convinced, that no system but that of union could succeed; they therefore formed them selves into affiliated societies, and adopted the following solemn test: "In the awful presence of God, I, A. B. do voluntarily declare, "that I will persevere in endeavouring to form a brotherhood "of affection among Irishmen of every religious persuasion; and "that I will also persevere in my endeavours to obtain an equal, « full, and adequate representation of all the people in Ireland. "I do further declare, that neither hopes, fears, rewards, or "punishments, shall ever induce me, directly or indirectly, to "inform on, or give evidence against any member or members "of this or similar societies, for any act or expression of theirs ❝done or made, collectively or individually, in or out of this so"ciety, in pursuance of the spirit of this obligation."

So eagerly did persons of every denomination give into that plan, that in the course of the year societies were formed in most parts of the kingdom. The moment the people began to feel the powerful effects of union, the gentlemen in place became frightfully alarmed for their situations; active agents were sent down to Armagh, to turn the ferocity and fanaticism of the Peep of Day Boys into a religious contest with the Catholics, under the specious appearance of zeal for church and king. Personal animosity was artfully converted into religious rancour; and for the specious purpose of taking off the stigma of delinquency, the appellation of Peep of Day Boys was changed into that of Orange Men. At first no person of consequence appeared in it: the first lodge was formed on the 21st of September, 1795. Like the

out that the adversaries of reform were their adversaries; and that these two * objects could never be separated with any chance of success to either. They "used the recal of that nobleman, and the rejection of his measures, to cement " together in political union the Catholic and Presbyterian masses.

"The modern societies, for their protection against informers and prose"cution, had introduced into their test a clause of secrecy. They did more, "they changed the engagement of their predecessors into an oath; and mu. "tual confidence increased, when religion was called in aid of mutual secu "rity."

United Irishmen, they were soon affiliated, and their numbers increased. Their professions widely differed from their practices: they pretended to support only that constitution which had been given to the country by William the prince of Orange: but their conduct, as will be seen hereafter, was little guided by the liberal principles of the revolution. Their test is said to have been: "In the awful presence of Almighty God, I, A. B. do solemnly "swear, that I will, to the utmost of my power, support the king " and the present government; and I do further swear, that I will 66 use my utmost exertions to exterminate all the Catholics of the "kingdom of Ireland." But this oath, though secret, has latterly been denied by the Orangemen of respectability and consequence. It has been generally credited, that it was taken by all the original lodges, and continued afterwards to be taken by the lower classes at least, if not privately by all Orangemen. The exterminating spirit of the oath was too often acted upon, as will be seen hereafter. The great increase of the Orange institution did not take place, till the ensuing year.

The spirit and boldness of the Defenders, in the summer of 1795, assumed a most formidable appearance: but so far were they from being countenanced and supported by the body of Catholics, that their most open outrages were attempted against some Catholic magistrates in the county of Kildare; where they appearedt in bodies of several hundreds. In the course of this year lord Carhampton finding that certain districts under his command were overrun by these Defenders with impunity, took a summary mode of restoring tranquillity, by exerting a vigor beyond the law, which was as highly applauded by government, as it was severely reprobated by the opposition.

This form of test is what is generally believed to have been in use amongst the Orangemen: but the author has no authentic document for it. It is se stated in a pamphlet published in 1797, called, A View of the present State of Ireland, by an Observer, said to have been written by Mr. A. O'Connor. They were always said to have a secret test, which they called their purple oath. The secret committee of the Lords in 1798, asked Mr. A. O'Connor, if government had any thing to do with their oath of extermination?

†The resolutions of the county of Kildare, which shews the conduct of the Defenders and the spirit of the county in resisting them, are to be seen in the Appendix, No. XCVIII.

What the real consequence of this strong measure of lord Carhampton was, remains still doubtful to many. It is thus represented by sir Richard Musgrave, p. 145. "Lord Carhampton finding that the laws were silent and "inoperative in the counties which he visited, and that they did not afford pro"tection to the loyal and peaceable subjects, who in most places were obliged to fly from their habitations, resolved to restore them to their usual energy, "by the following salutary system of severity:

"In each county he assembled the most respectable gentlemen and land"holders in it, and having, in concert with them, examined the charges against "the leaders of this banditti, who were in prison, but defied justice, he, with "the concurrence of these gentlemen, sent the most nefarious of them on board "a tender, stationed at Sligo, to serve in his majesty's navy.

In this alarming state of the country a very laudable example was set to the nation at large by the marquis of Waterford, by heading a subscription of some hundred respectable persons, who took that opportunity of shewing their loyalty and attachment to our gracious sovereign by publicly concurring in opinion, that a Waterford regiment ought to be raised, in which there should be no distinction of religion, but that Protestants and Catholics should be indiscriminately united. This example was not followed up. So rapidly and widely did defenderism this year spread its baneful effects, that the respectable inhabitants of most counties

"By this bold measure, founded in obvious principles of political necessity, "he completely restored peace in the disturbed counties.

"The loyal inhabitants, and the grand juries in them, thanked lord Car"hampton for his wise and salutary exertions; but the disaffected in every "part of the kingdom, exasperated that he had checked the progress of their "revolutionary schemes, raised a great clamour in consequence of it; and as "they meditated many prosecutions and civil actions againt him, a law was "passed in the month of February, 1796, to indemnify such persons as had "exceeded the limits of the law in restoring peace and good order; which, as "a matter of course, was violently opposed by the minority in the House of "Commons."

On the other hand it is represented from the pen of Mr. Grattan in the petition from the Whig club in the following light, p. 6. "In order to punish "additional discontents, the effect of lord Fitzwilliam's removal, and the pub"lic disappointment that followed; in order to support the Irish ministry that "succeeded, and returned with their old maxims of government, they thought "proper to proceed against the people without any form or process whatso"ever; and laying aside the incumbrance of statute, and the delay of law, they "suffered their general and other magistrates to form themselves into a species

of revolutionary tribunal, where these men sat without law, tried withou "law, sentenced without law, and punished without law; not a few individuals, "but hordes, tribes, and generations of country people, sent on board a tender "often on this principle, that if tried before a court of law, they would proba"bly be acquitted. His majesty has heard the effect of this policy, in the "mutiny of his fleet. It has been said, that the law was open; we submit to "his majesty, that it was far otherwise: for a bill of indemnity was passed, "nearly in the style and manner of acclamation, without inquiry, the proposal "of which was rejected with an outcry; which bill of indemnity went to secure "the offending magistrates against the consequences of their outrages and illegalities; that is to say, in our humble conception, the poor were stricken "out of the protection of the law, and the rich out of its penalties; and then "another bill was passed to give such lawless proceedings against his majes"ty's subjects continuation; namely, a bill to enable the magistrates to per "petrate by law, those offences which they had before committed against it; "a bill to legalize outrage, to barbarize law, and to give the law itself the cast " and colour of outrage. By such a bill, the magistrates were enabled, with"out legal process, to send on board a tender his majesty's subjects, and the "country was divided into two classes, or formed into two distinct nations, "living under the same king, and inhabiting the same island; one consisting "of the king's magistrates, and the other of the king's subjects; the former "without restraint, and the latter without privilege.

"The supporters of his majesty's ministers have boasted of the effects of "their bills, in establishing security; we lament that we cannot believe them; "and we know very well how sanguine they have been on similar subjects, and "how miserably they have deluded government and themselves."

throughout the kingdom found it necessary to enter into associations and subscriptions in self-defence. In the summer assizes of this year several Defenders were tried and found guilty of high treason; and in the month of September, the animosities of the Defenders and Peep of Day Boys were renewed in the county of Armagh to such a degree, that the Defenders remained for several days openly under arms. On the 21st of September, the battle of the Diamond, so called from the village of that name, was fought, in which the Defenders, though greatly superior in number, were worsted with considerable slaughter. From this defeat of the Defenders is to be traced the increased rancour and ferocity of their opponents, who, as before observed, henceforward had formed themselves into clubs of Orangemen, and thereby having increased their strength, proceeded, as will afterwards appear, to exterminate the whole race of Catholics out of the county of Armagh, and that neighbourhood.

When the parliament met on the 21st of January, 1796, the lord lieutenant in his speech from the throne congratulated with them on the improvement of the general situation of affairs on the continent. The continued and brilliant successes of the Austrian armies upon the Rhine, the important captures of the Cape of Good Hope and Trincomale by his majesty's forces, and the decided and confirmed superiority of his fleets, were circumstances of the utmost importance to the common cause; and their effect was strengthened by the internal distresses, the ruined commerce, and financial embarrassments of the enemy. The crisis lately depending in France had led to an order of things in that country, such as would induce his majesty to meet any disposition to negociation on the part of the enemy, with an earnest desire to give it the fullest and speediest effect, and to conclude a treaty of general peace, when it might be effected on just and suitable terms for himself and his allies. The treaty of commerce between his majesty and the United States of America having been mutually ratified, he had ordered copies of it by his majesty's command to be laid before them.

The event of her royal highness the princess of Wales having been happily delivered of a princess was also announced.

His excellency congratulated the commons, that notwithstanding the continued pressure of the war, the commerce and revenues of the kingdom had not in any degree fallen from that flourishing state of advancement, which in the last session of parliament was a subject of such just congratulation. That circumstance afforded a decisive proof that their prosperity was founded on a solid basis, and led to indulge the flattering hope, that whatever addi

16 Par. Deb. p. 2. '

tional burdens might be necessary to impose would not be materially felt by the people.

He then generally adverted to those secret and treasonable associations, the dangerous extent and malignity of which had in some degree been disclosed on several trials, and to the disturbances which had taken place in some parts of the kingdom. It had at the same time been a source of great satisfaction to him to observe the successful and meritorious exertions of the magistrates in several parts of the kingdom, and the alacrity which his majesty's regular and militia forces had universally manifested in aid of the civil power, whenever they had been called upon for the preservation of the peace and support of the laws. It remained for their prudence and wisdom to devise such measures as, together with a continuance of those exertions, and the additional powers, which, by the advice of the privy council, he had thought it necessary to establish in different counties, would prevent the return of similar excesses, and restore proper reverence for the

law of the country.

Lord Tyrone moved an address to his majesty, and was seconded by col. Foster.

Mr. Grattan said, that the address, as far as expressing our abhorrence at the daring outrage committed on the person of our sovereign, and as far as expressing our congratulations on the increase of his domestic happiness, and as far as it went to compliment lord Camden, met with his approbation; but that part of the address which expressed a confidence in the present administration, met with his decided disapprobation. He said, that Ireland had not been treated with respect. The people of Ireland were loyal to their sovereign, and how had they been treated? The system of the British minister had been to treat them uniformly with insolence and contumely; and the system of the administration for these several years past had been profligate and corrupt. He took a retrospect of the administration of the marquis of Buckingham, who was sent over to promise that which he did not perform. He adverted to the sale of peerages, for the purpose of obtaining a corrupt and undue influence in the House of Commons, which had been part of the system of the Buckingham administration; he next adverted to the dispensing power of the earl of Westmoreland to take away the army from that kingdom, contrary to law, which should always consist of an effective force of 12,000 men for the home defence, and which in the months of June, July, August, September, October, and November, were considerably under that number. In the American war, they had been left naked; and in the French war they had been left naked. These were two impeachable crimes under the British administration.