their fentiments, by a refolution of the 20th of December 1793; in which, after noticing what they called "the oppreffive attempt in Edinburgh to stifle the voice of the people through the British Convention, and the truly patriotic refiftance to that attempt." They refolved, "That all or any of the members of the British Convention, and the patriotic focieties which delegated members to that Convention, fhould be received as brothers and members of their Society."

SECT. IV. Attempts to affemble a Convention of the People in England. The leading English focieties which have been already stated to have fent delegates to the Scotch Convention had, during its fittings and for a confiderable time previous thereto, been actively employed in measures directed to fimilar objects. For the purpofe of promoting their feditious projects they had carried on a conftant correfpondence with all the numerous country focieties, which had been formed in many populous towns in different parts of the kingdom. They had, as early as in May 1792, pre-. fented an addrefs, fufficiently expreffive of their principles, to those whom they ftiled "the Friends of the Conftitution at Paris, known by the name of Jacobins." In the end of the fame year, after receiving a letter of approbation from perfons calling themselves "Friends of Liberty and Equality in France," they inftituted a regular committee of foreign correfpondence; and they had even proceeded to present addreffes to the National Convention in France, which had then affumed the whole legislative and executive power, and was affembled for the purpose of framing a new conftitution, and proceeding to the trial of the King. In one of these addreffes, (particularly noticed in the Report of 1794, but which your Committee think it material again to advert to) they ftiled the Convention "Servants of a fovereign People, and Benefactors of mankind." They rejoice that the revolution had arrived at that point of perfection which enabled them to addrefs them by fuch a title. They extol the proceedings of the 10th of Auguft as a glorious victory, and add, "The benefits will in part be ours, but the glory will be all your own; and it is the reward of your perfeverance, the prize of virtue. In January following, at the eve of the murder of the French King, and of the commencement of hoftilities against this country, Barrere, Roland, and St. André, active members of the French Convention, had een elected honorary members of the Constitutional Soci

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ety; and two fpeeches, made by Barrere and St. André, delivered for the exprefs purpose of accelerating the condemnation and execution of the King, afferting the doctrines of the fovereignty of the people, and deducing, as its confequence, the unlimited rights of a National Convention, and the perfonal refponfibility of the monarch, were entered on the books of the Conftitutional Society; and the refolution for this purpose was published in the newspapers.Actuated by these principles, the English focieties perfevered in their defign; and notwithstanding the difperfion of the meeting at Edinburgh, which had affumed the appellation of the British Convention," proceeded on a plan which they had long had in contemplation, for affembling in England a fimilar but more extenfive meeting, under the appellation of "a Convention of the People."

At a general meeting of the Correfponding Society, held at the Globe Tavern on the 20th of January 1794, á refolution and addrefs to the people of England were agreed to, and ordered to be published, exprefsly directed to the object of affembling a general convention of the people.

At another general meeting of the fame Society, held at Chalk Farm on the 14th of April 1794, among a variety of inflammatory refolutions, they declared, that the whole proceedings of the late British Convention at Edinburgh, claimed their approbation and applaufe. They at the fame time returned thanks to Archibald Hamilton Rowan, prifoner in Newgate, in the city of Dublin (who had in March 1794, been chofen an honorary member of the Conftitutional Society), as well as to the Society of United Irishmen in Dublin, whom they exorted to perfevere in their exertions, to obtain juftice for the people of Ireland. The language held on different occafions evidently fhowed their intention of endeavouring to eftablifh, by force, the authority of fuch a Convention. They exhorted each other "to prepare courageoufly for the struggle which they meditated;" and openly avowed that they meant to obtain the redress, which they profeffed to feek, "not from Parliament, not from the executive Government, but from themfelves, and from their own ftrength and valour; from their own laws, and not from the laws of thofe whom they termed "plunderers, enemies, and oppreffors." For the purpose of affembling fuch a Convention, and of preparing the people at large to look to its proceedings with refpect, and to adopt and countenance the doctrine and practices which it might recommend, itinerant members of the focieties above men

tioned difperfed themfelves throughout different parts of the country, proceeding from town to town, and from village to village, endeavouring to inculcate into the minds of thofe with whom they converfed the neceffity of such a measure as that which they had in contemplation for the reform of the abuses of the Government, and the redress of the grievances of the people; and defcribing, in language varied according to the paffions or prejudices of different claffes whom they addreffed, the nature and extent of the different political purposes which might be effected by a convention once affembled. The difperfion of Paine's works, and other works of a fimilar tendency, was at the fame time continued with increased induftry; and the focieties flattered themselves that they had, by thefe means, really made a progress towards preparing a large portion of the nation to favour their project.

The zeal indeed of many of the country focieties appears to have outrun the instructions of the agents, and to have carried them into difcuffions beyond thofe limits which the perfons who planned and inftigated the meafure thought it prudent in the first inftance to prefcribe. The agents were inftructed to confine the views of the feveral focieties to whom they were deputed, and to point the wishes of individuals purely to the attainment of univerfal fuffrage, from which, once established, it was reprefented that all the reforms which could be defired would naturally flow; and it appears to have been the defign of those who directed the bufinefs to prevent the premature difcuffion of any of those points, which they reprefented as fubordinate, until after the Convention fhould have been affembled, and this primary object of univerfal fuffrage obtained. No caution or prohibition, however, could prevent many of the country focieties from fhowing how confidently they anticipated, as the refult to which the deliberations of that Convention muft neceffarily lead, the abolition of monarchy, of aristocracy, and of other establishments, which they deemed equally oppreffive; and the fubftitution of a reprefentative government, founded on the new doctrine of the rights of man; and uniting, in one body, all the legislative and executive powers of the state.

This intended Convention was prevented from affembling by the arrest of the fecretaries, and of feveral members of the two focieties, called "the London Correfponding Society," and "the Conftitutional Society." The fecretaries and leading members of the focieties at Sheffield and Nor

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wich (which, together with feveral other fubordinate focieties in different parts of the kingdom, were in constant correspondence with them) were also taken into cuftody.The attention of Parliament was at this period directed to thefe proceedings; and in confequence of the evidence then laid before a Secret Committee of this House, the power of detaining fufpected perfons was entrusted to his Majefty.

The fubfequent proceedings are fufficiently known.Some of the perfons fo arrefted were profecuted for high treafon. A grand jury for the county of Middlefex found a bill against Thomas Hardy, the fecretary of the London Correfponding Society, and eleven others. Three of the perfons fo indicted, viz. Thomas Hardy, John Horne Tooke, and John Thelwall, were tried, and on their trials were acquitted of the charge in the indictment. But the evidence given on those trials established, in the clearest manner, the grounds on which the Committees of the two Houfes of Parliament had formed their Reports in 1794; and fhowed, beyond a poffibility of doubt, that the views of thefe perfons and their confederates were in their nature completely hoftile to the exifting government and conftitution of this kingdom, and went directly to the fubverfion of every established and legitimate authority.

After thefe acquittals, Henry Redhead, alias Yorke, who had been committed at the fame time on a charge of high treason, was brought to trial at York in July 1795, upon an indictment for a feditious confpiracy; in which Jofeph Gale, the printer of a newspaper at Sheffield, and Richard Davifon of Sheffield, both of whom had fled from justice, were included. Upon the trial of Yorke on this indictment, he was found guilty, and fentenced to two years imprisonment.

SECT. V. Further Proceedings fubfequent to the Arrefts in 1794-The difclofures made upon thefe trials; the detentions already mentioned; and the powers vested in Government by the "Act to empower his Majefty to secure and detain fuch persons as his Majefty fhall fufpect are confpiring against his perfon and Government," which received the royal affent on the 23d of May 1794; broke for a time all the measures which had been concerted by the difaffected, and obliged them to proceed with more caution and reserve. But they never appear for a moment to have relinquished their original defign; and the nature and conftitution of the Correfponding Society (which till fubfifted) peculiarly qua

lified it fecretly to continue its machinations, and to extend and diffuse its pernicious principles among the lower orders of the people. The plan of this conftitution, as originally propofed, not having been stated in the reports before referred to, is inferted in the Appendix. It is evident that the overthrow of every part of the government and conftitution of this kingdom was in the immediate contemplation of those by whom this plan was formed; and that it was contrived with the view of being applied to the most extenfive purpofes, if they had fucceeded in that object, and of enabling the confpirators, after the overthrow of the exifting government, to ufurp and exercise an uncontrolled authority over the whole kingdom. It does not appear that this plan was ever formally adopted; but fo much of it as led to the establishment of a fecret fyllem of direction, resembling that of the United Irishmen, was agreed to, and reduced to prac tice.

Not contented with employing thefe means gradually to extend their influence through different parts of the kingdom, the leading members of thefe focieties, fhortly before the opening of the feffion of Parliament in October 1795, called together an unlawful meeting in a field near the metropolis, evidently with a view of trying the temper of the populace. Under the pretence of debates,' language of the most feditious and inflammatory nature was held to a large multitude, whom curiofity, or other motives, had af fembled there, and the moft daring libels were uttered against every part of the conftitution of thefe realms.

The public tranquillity appears to your Committee to have been greatly endangered by this ftep; fo exactly refembling that which fifteen years before had nearly led to the deftruction of the metropolis: and your Committee are decidedly of opinion, that the fhameful and highly criminal outrages which foon after took place on the first day of the feflion, are, in a great degree, to be afcribed to the influence of thefe inflammatory proceedings, and of this public and open violation of the laws. It is not without regret that your Committee feel themselves obliged to recall to the recollection of the House, the horrid and facrilegious attempt against his Majefty's perfon, with which those outrages were accompanied.

This alarming proof the dreadful and defperate confe quences which meetings and proceedings of fuch a defcrip tion naturally tend to produce, made a deep impreffion ca the minds of the public, and neceffarily engaged the atten