92. In cafes of revolt in the

armed force, or of disturbances that threaten the fafety of the ftate, the law may fufpend, in fuch places and for fuch time as it may determine, the powers of the conftitution.

The fufpenfion may be provifionally declared in fimilar emergencies by an arrêté of government during an adjournment of the legiflative body, provided that this body be fummoned to meet at the fhorteft period, by an article of the faid arrêté.

93. The French nation declareth, that it will in no cafe whatever permit the return of the Frenchmen who have deferted their country fince the 14th of July, 1789, and are not comprehended in the exceptions that have been made to the laws enacted against the emigrants: it alfo forbids any new exception upon this point.

The property of the emigrants is irrevocably confifcated to the profit of the republic.

94. The French nation declareth, that after a legal fale hath been made of the national domains, from whatever fource they may come, the legal purchaser cannot be difpoffefled of them, except where a third party (if fuch cafe fhould occur) puts in a claim of indemnity from the public treafury.

95. The prefent conftitution fhall immediately be prefented for the acceptation of the French people.

Done at Paris, the 22d Frimaire

(December 13,) 8th year of
the French republic, one and
indivifible.

[Here follow the fignatures of

Report of the Committee of Secrecy of the British Houfe of Commons, printed the 15th of March 1799,

The committee of secrecy, to whom the feveral papers which were prefented (fealed up) to the houfe by Mr. fecretary Dundas, upon the 23d day of January, 1799, by his majefty's command, were referred, and who were directed to examine the matters thereof, and report the fame, as they fhall appear to them, to the houfe, have proceeded, in obedience to the orders of the houfe, to the confideration of the matters referred to them. They have been prevented from fooner laying before the house the refult of their examination, not only from the extent of the matters which came before them, but becaufe fome of the recent circumftances which they have to ftate, could not, with propriety, have been difclofed at an earlier period.

In the whole courfe of their inquiry, your committee have found the cleareft proofs of a fyftematic defign, long fince adopted and acted upon by France, in conjunétion with domeftic traitors, and purfued up to the prefent moment with unabated perfeverance, to overturn the laws, conftitution, and government, and every exifting eftablifhment, civil or ecclefiaftical, both in Great Britain and Ireland; as well as to diffolve the connection between the two kingdoms, fo neceffary to the fecurity and profperity of both.

The chief hope of accomplishing" this defign has refted on the propagation of thofe deftructive princi

ples

ex

ples which originally produced the French revolution, with all the miferies and calamities fince experienced in France, and now tended over a large part of Europe. The most effectual engine, employed for this purpose, has been the inftitution of political focieties, of a nature and defcription before unknown in any country, and inconfiftent with public tranquillity, and with the existence of regular government. The effects of this fatal caufe, operating in its fulleft extent, have been unhappily felt and exemplified in the diftractions and calamities of Ireland. The fame caufe is known to have prepared the way for all the different revolutions by which France has fucceeded in fubverting fo many of the governments of Europe, and reducing fo many independent ftates to vaffalage and fubjection. In this country fimilar measures have been attempted; and although they have been hitherto defeated, by the cautions of the legislature, by the vigilance of his majefty's government, and fill more by the general good fenfe and loyalty of the nation, the object is not abandoned.

pre

The

utmost diligence is ftill employed in endeavouring, not only to fuftain and revive thofe focieties, whofe feditious and treafonable purpofes long fince attracted the notice of parliament, but to extend their correfpondence to every part of this kingdom, to Ireland, to France, and to thofe places on the continent where French emiffaries are eftablifhed; and to inftitute new focietics, formed precifely on the fame plan, and directed by the fame object, as thofe whofe influence in Ireland has produced fuch pernicious and formidable effects; and of

which, the confequences might have. proved fatal to that kingdom, if they had not been averted, in a feafon of the greateft difficulty, by the wifdom, firmnefs, and exertion of his majefty's government, and the parliament of Ireland. The extent and uniformity of this fyftematic confpiracy are equally ftriking. The formation and ftructure of all these focieties, in this country, in Ireland, and on the continent, are fimilar; their views and principles are the fame, as well as the means which they employ to extend their influence. A continued intercourfe and concert has been maintained from their firft origin to the prefent mument; fometimes between the focieties themfelves, fometimes between their leading members; and a frequent communication has been kept up with the government of France; to which they appear to look as their protector and ally, and which has repeatedly furnished an afylum to thofe, who, on account of their principal fhare in thefe criminal tranfactions, have become fugitives. or outlaws from the British dominions.

In ftating the grounds of this opinion, although your committee will have much and important new matter to lay before the houfe; yet they will alfo be obliged to recall to the recollection of the houfe, many particulars which have already been brought under the confideration of parliament, but on which new lights have been thrown by the events which have fince occurred, and by the fubfequent intelligence which has been received. The information which has been produced to your committee, on the whole of this fubject, has been most ample and extenfive. The indif L4 penfable

penfable neceffity of fecrecy, with refpect to the fources of many parts of that intelligence, muft be felt by the house, as refulting from confiderations of good faith as well as public fafety. They are convinced, that the early and uniform defeat of all attempts to disturb the public tranquillity of this kingdom, is, in a very great degree, to be afcribed to the meritorious and laudable diligence of the perfons filling thofe departments of his majefty's government to which this duty has peculiarly be longed. They appear, during a long period of time, to have obtained early and accurate information of the chief defigns and meafures of the confpirators; and the ftriking manner in which the most important particulars of the fecret intelligence thus procured, have, in a great variety of inftances, been compietely confirmed, by events now notorious to the world, and by the confeffion of parties concerned, entitles, in the opinion of your committee, the whole of the information derived from the fame fources, to the fulleft credit.

§1. View of the Nature and Syftem of the Society of United Irishmen, as fully established in Ireland.

Your committee are induced, in the first inftance, to ftate the nature, extent, and influence, of the fociety of United Irifhmen; becaufe this fociety has proved the moft powerful engine, in the hands of the confpirators, against the government of their country, which has ever yet been deviled; and becaufe its proceedings place in the cleareft view, the real object of all fucieties of this defcription, either in Ireland or Great Britain; the peculiar means

by which they act; and the extreme danger which fuch focieties muft produce, whenever they are fully established. It is this which has given exertion, confiftency, folidity, and force to the Irish rebellion; which has enabled the confpirators to form themselves, under the eye and in defiance of government, into one body, compacted by one bond of union, under an cath of fidelity and fecrecy; engaging themfelves, in the firft inftance, to mifprifion of treason, and, fucceffively, to the perpetration of the moft atrocious crimes. This fociety, thus united and combined, extended itfelf, by its fubdivifions, through every part of the kingdom; and was enabled to involve in one generat confederacy, a very numerous defcription of individuals of almost every clafs, connected with each other by a pledge of fecrecy, by confcioufnefs of guilt, and by the fenfe of perfonal danger, either from the violated laws of their country, or from the refentment and power of their affociates. Thefe bonds of union were ftrengthened by the ufe of fecret figns, frequently changed and applied to different ranks in the confpiracy, for the purpose of preventing difcovery.

The fyftem thus cftablished, gradually acquired the means of difturbing the tranquillity of the country in all its parts; of impeding the execution of juftice, by forcible refiftance to the authority of the laws; by the protection of acculed perfons; by the refcue of prifoners, the feizure of arms, and, at length, by the aflaffination of informers, of witneffes, of magiftrates, and of jurymen; till, by the general terror which was diffufed, the loyal inhabitants in different counties were

fucceffively

which they represented; who were delegated to a provincial committee, which held the immediate direction and fuperintendance of the feveral county and diftrict committees in each of the four provinces; and a "General Executive Directory," composed of five perfons, was elected by the provincial directories; but the election of this directory was fo managed, that none but the fecretaries of the provincial directories knew on whom the election fell. It was made by ballot, but not reported to the electors; the appointment was notified only to thofe on whom the election devolved; and the executive directory, thus compofed, affumed and exercised the fupreme and uncontrolled command of the whole body of the union, which, by thefe fecret modes of election, was kept utterly ignorant who were the perfons to whom this implicit obedience was paid.

§ 2. Inflitution of United Irishmen in 1791; and Rife of different Societies in Great Britain.

For the purpose of obtaining a comprehenfive view of the attempts which have been repeatedly made, in the course of the laft eight years, for establishing a fimilar fyftem in this country, and of the means by which they have been hitherto defeated, as well as in order to enable the houfe to judge fully of the perfeverance with which the fyftem is purfued, and of the nature and tendency of the measures which are carrying on at the prefent moment, your committee deem it neceffary, before they advert to more recent tranfactions, to go back to that period, when focieties of this tendency first appeared in both kingdoms,

and to trace, as fhortly as they can, their progrefs and intercourse to the prefent time.

The fociety of United Irishmen was established in the year 1791; and other focieties in Great Britain, particularly the conftitutional fociety (which had long existed, but about this time assumed a new character,) the correfponding fociety (which was inftituted in the fpring of 1792,) and the focieties of perfons in Scotland terming themfelves "The Friends of the People" (which originated at nearly the fame period,) appear to have adopted, in their fulleft extent, all the extravagant and violent principles of the French revolution. The events which followed, in the course of that year and the year 1792, encouraged among the leading members of thefe focieties, and other perfons of fimilar principles, a fanguine hope of introducing into both countries, under pretence of the reform of abuses, what they termed a new order of things, founded on the principles of that revolution. The degree of bigotry and enthufiasm with which they attached themselves to thefe principles, was manifefted, as well by the fpeeches and writings of the members of the focieties, as by the zeal with which they laboured to propagate among the lower claffes of the community, a fpirit of hatred and contempt for the exifting laws and government of the country.

It can hardly be neceflary to recall to the recollection of the house, the induftry with which they endeavoured to diffeminate thele fentiments, by the circulation of their own proceedings and refolutions; uniformly directed to vilify the forms and principles of the British conftitution;