Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

both from London and from Dublin, papers on the fubject of his miffion, which had been previously communicated to other perfons in each kingdom.*

In April, 1794, he had many confidential converfations, at Dublin, on this fubject, with Hamilton Rowan, a leader of the United Irishmen, before-mentioned, who was then in prifon, and fince his efcape has been attainted for high treafon; with Wolfe Tone, alfo a leading member of the fame fociety, who was lately taken on board the French fhip, the Hoche, in the actual attempt to invade Ireland; and with Lewins, now the refident envoy from the United Irish at Paris.

Although the trials of Jackfon and Stone, and the arreft and flight of Hamilton Rowan and Tone, checked thefe projects for a time, the fociety of United Irishmen purfued their measures with unabating activity. The government of Ireland acquired information refpect ing the conduct of particular perfons, whom they had even at that time fufficient ground to confider as chiefly engaged in this treasonable confpiracy; particularly Lewins, above referred to; Henry and John Sheares, fince convicted of high treason, and executed; Oliver Bond, and Wolfe Tone, convicted of the fame crime, and both fince dead, the latter by his own hands, to elcape the punishment due to his crimes; lord Edward Fitzgerald, who died in prifon in confequence of the wounds he received in refift ing the officers of justice, and has been fince attainted of high treafon;

and Arthur O'Connor, McNevin, and Emmet, whofe individual guilt, as well as that of the whole confpiracy, is fufficiently proved by their own confeffions.

It is ftated, in the confeffions of the three perfons laft named, that the first communication, which came to their knowledge, between the Irish and the French directories, was an offer made by the latter, in the year 1796, to fend a French army to Ireland, to the affiftance of the republicans. But the committee of the house of lords, in Ireland, have ftated it as their opinion, that Le wins had been dispatched to France, in the fummer of 1795, to requeft this affiftance; and your committee are convinced, from fecret intellgence which has been laid before them, that this opinion was well founded.

The invafion of Ireland, which was attempted in December, 1796, was arranged at an interview, which took place on the frontier of France, between lord Edward Fitzgerald, Arthur O'Connor, and general Hoche, in the fummer of that year. After the failure of this attempt, the folicitations of the Irifh direc tory were renewed; a propofa!, which arrived from France early in 1797, was accepted, and an antwer tranfmitted, through England, by the means of Arthur O'Connor; Lewins was dispatched to Paris, in April, and McNevin in June. Both were employed in urging the inv fion of Ireland, and in countersßing the negociation for peace with the French republic, which his jefty's minifter was then carrying on at Lifle. A conference was held

* Vide Jackson and Stone's Trial, and Report of Commons in Ireland.

in the fame fummer, in London, between lord Edward Fitzgerald and a French agent, who came from Hamburgh, in which farther arrangements avere made for the intended invafion.

The arreft of feveral perfons in Ireland, and the flight of others; and the memorable defeat, by lord Duncan, of the fleet intended to protect the expedition fitted out from Holland, again difconcerted the projects of the confpirators. After this event the French government appears to have repeatedly urged the leaders of the Irish Union to immediate infurrection; but the more cautious among them were unwilling to act, until the French fhould actually have landed; and their opinion for a time prevailed, The correfpondence was in the mean time continued: the projects of rebellion and invafion were ripening; and at this period the hopes of the Irish confpirators derived fresh encouragement from reports of the progrefs of new focieties in Great Britain, formed on the fame plan with themselves. A regular communication was kept up between the Irish and English committees, through Arthur O'Connor, who had come from Ireland to England, early in January, 1798; and in the reports tranfmitted by the English focieties to Ireland, the force of the United Englishmen (a fociety which had been recently formed on the model of the United Irifh, and of which a more particular account will be given hereafter) was reprefented to be confiderable, though your committee have reafon to believe that there was much exaggeration in these reports. Ar

thur O'Connor,* in a letter to his brother, dated London, 13th February, 1798, and feized in lord Edward Fitzgerald's apartments, at Leinfter-house, states, "That Scotland is Irifh all over-that the peo. ple here give no opinion, though it is easy to learn they look for a change."

At a provincial meeting in Treland, held on the 1st of February, 1798, it was ftated to the meeting, by a perfon juft arrived from Dublin, that "the French were going on with the expedition, and that it was in a greater ftate of forwardnefs than was expected; but what was more flattering, three delegates had been fent from the United Britons to the Irish national committee, and from that moment the Irish were to confider England, Scotland, and Ireland, all as one people, acting for one common caufe." An addrefs was at the fame time produced, which it was ftated the delegates of Britain had brought with them to the Irish national committee. It was alfo ftated, that the priest, O'Coigly, was one of the delegates mentioned to have been then lately returned from France; and it was added, that he, and another prieft, who had fled from Ireland, were the principal perfons who had opened the communications with the United Britons.

At another provincial meeting, held on the 27th of February, 1798, it appears to have been stated, "that a delegate had arrived from France; that the French were using every endeavour to have the expedition for Ireland completed; and that the Irish delegate came home to caufe the United Irish to put themselves into a state of organiza

[blocks in formation]

tion to join them, as the directory pofitively aflured the Irifh delegates, that the expedition would let out for Ireland the end of April, or the beginning of May." It was alfo ftated, that there had been a meeting of all the delegates in England and Scotland held in London; but that their refolutions could not be obtained till the next provincial meeting to be held on the 25th of March. The addrefs which the delegates of United Britons were fo ftated, at the provincial meeting of the lft of February, 1798, to have brought with them to the Irish national committee, your committee have inferted, in the Appendix, (No. 8). About the fame time a moft feditious paper, fent from the London Correfponding Society, to the fociety of United Irifhmen, figned J. T. Crosfield, prefident; Thomas Evans, fecretary; dated 30th of January, 1798, (ailo inferted in the Appendix, No. 9), was published, in Ireland, in a paper, called "The Prefs," and the original feized, in March, 1798, in confequence of the apprehenfion of Arthur O'Connor, in England.

The priest, O'Coigly, referred to in thefe tranfactions, and who has fince been convicted and executed at Maidfione, was a native of IreTand, and went from that country to Cuxhaven, in 1797, with another Irishman, who was obliged to fly from Ireland, and paffed into Holland, at the time when the Dutch fleet, under admiral de Winter, was about to fail, with a large body of troops, on an expedition defined againft Ireland. When that fleet had failed without the troops, O'Coigly, and his compa

nion, went to Paris, where, finding themfelves thwarted by the jealoufy of the refident envoy from the Irish Union, O'Coigly returned to England about the middle of December, 1797, and went to Ireland in January, 1798.

Whilft in Ireland, he appears to have had interviews and corref pondence with lord Edward Fitzgerald, and others of the Irifh confpirators; and he returned to England about the middle of February, 1798.

Intelligence was conveyed to government of this man's defigns, and particularly of his intention to pafs into France, for the purpofes which afterwards appeared to be the object of his million; he was therefore narrowly watched; and on the 28th of February, 1798, he was, together with Arthur O'Con nor, John Binns, Allen, and Leary, taken into cuftody at Margate, in the attempt to obtain a pailage to France. The particular circumftances attending thefe attempts are detailed in the evidence on his trial.* One of the papers feized by the officers, who apprehended him, was an addrefs from "the fecret committee of England, to the execu tive directory of France," fet forth in the Appendix, (No. 10); clearly demonftrating the traitorous views of thofe who formed the addrefs, and were inftrumental in the attempt to tranfinit it to France.

It appears alfo to your committee, both from previous and fubfequent information, that Arthur O'Connor, who had been, to the moment of leaving Ireland, one of the members of the Irish Diretory, was not only going to France in the confl

*For an account of his detention, trial, and execution, fec our last year's Chronicle.

dence

dence that, when there, he fhould be confidered and received as an accredited agent, but was confidentially employed by the remaining members of that directory, who were at that time diflatisfied with the conduct of Lewins.

§ 7. Farther Intercourse between the United Irifhmen, the French Government, and the British Societies: Formation of new Societies, and their Proceedings.

At the meetings of the London Correfponding Society, for above two years before this time, it had been avowed, that the object of the fociety was to form a republic, by the affittance of France. Reform in parliament, or even annual elections, or univerfal fuffrage, were therefore no longer mentioned. Your committee have abundant reafon to believe, from the information laid before them, that a perfon of the name of Aftley, (one of the perfons arrefted in 1794), and who had, for a long time, been fecretary to this fociety, was now acting as their agent at Paris, and had recently given them hopes of the fuccour of a French army. Meetings were held, to contrive the means of procuring arms, to enable them to co-operate with a French force, in cafe of an invafion. The leading members of the difaffected focieties were alfo in the habit of frequenting an occafional meeting, which was held at a cellar in Furnival's Inn, and was firit formed for the purpose of reading the libellous and treafonable publication, called "The Prefs." This place gradually became the refort of all thofe who were engaged the moft deeply in the confpiracy. It was particu

larly attended by Arthur O'Connor and O'Coigly, previous to their attempt to go over to France; and by the perfons chiefly inftrumental in carrying on correfpondence with the Irish confpirators; and fecret confultations were repeatedly held there, with a view to projects, which were thought too dangerous and defperate to be brought forward in any of the larger focieties. Among thefe plans, was that of effecting a general infurrection, at the fame moment, in the metropolis, and throughout the country, and of directing it to the object of feizing or affaffinating the king, the royal family, and many of the members of both houfes of parliament. An officer, of fome experience in his majefty's fervice, was felected as their military leader; and fanguine hopes were entertained, that they could command a fufficient force to effect their defperate purpofe, in the firft inftance, by furprife. But, although the apprehenfion, that they could not as yet collect fufficient numbers to maintein and fecure their advantage, appears, for the time, to have deterred them from the attempt; yet the general language, held among thefe perfons, at this period, proved, that they had brought themfelves to the opinion that matters were nearly ripe for measures of open violence.

Attempts were, at the fame time, made to form, in London, upon the plan of the United Irithmen, the Society of United Englimmen, or United Britons, before referred to: and O'Coigly and John Binns appear to have been leading perfons. in that defign. It was propofed to divide this lociety into four diftricts, including a large part of the coafts

of

of this kingdom the most exposed to invafion and it was alfo in contemplation to combine the operations of this fociety with thofe of the fociety of United Irishmen; of which your committee will find it necessary feparately to take notice.

Moft of the focieties through England, which had used to correfpond with the London Correfponding Society, had alfo about this time adopted the fame plan of forming focieties of United Englishmen; and finding their communications by writing to be hazardous, they avoided, as far as poffible, the keeping any papers; ufed ciphers or myfterious words, in the few writings that paffed between them, and principally carried on their intercourse by agents, who went from place to place, and were recognized by figns, which were frequently changed. Many ignorant or inconfiderate perfons, throughout the country, were gradually involved in thefe criminal tranfactions; and the influence of the deructive principles from which they proceeded, was ftill farther extended by the establishment of clubs, among the lowest claffes of the community, which were open to all perfons paying one penny, and in which fongs were fung, toafts given, and language held, of the moft feditious

nature.

Information having been received of a meeting of United Englishmen, to be held at a house in Clerkenwell, warrants of arreft were issued, and perfons were apprehended on the 18th of April, 1798. There was found upon the fecretary of the London Correfponding Society (who appears to have officiated as prefident at that meeting) the oath propofed for the United Englishmen, fet forth in the Appendix (No. 11); another

oath, of the fame nature, was found under the table; and alfo a printed conftitution of the fociety of United Englishmen, fet forth in the Appendix (Nos. 12, and 13).

Information having also been received of an extraordinary meeting of the delegates and fecretary of the London Correfponding Society, intended to be aflembled at a large room in Wych-street, on the 19th of April, 1798, the perfons there affembled were likewife arrested; and from the discoveries made in confequence of these arrefts, the connection between the London Correfponding Society and the London Society of United Englishmen was clearly established.

It appeared, that about forty divifions of United Englishmen had been formed in London; about twenty of which had their regular places and days of meeting; and that many fimilar focieties were forming in dif ferent parts of the country. With refpect to thefe latter, it was intended that the different counties in Great Britain fhould refpectively be divided into diftricts; in each of which a central fociety was to be established in the principal town, and was to carry on a conftant correfpondence, both with the smaller focieties in that diftrict, and with the general fociety in London. And this fyftem was fo conftructed, as to admit of still farther fubdivifion, if the increase of numbers had been fuch as the leaders hoped.

It appears to your committee, that the chief progrefs made in the formation of focieties of United Englifhmen, was in London and the parts adjacent; and in Lancashire, and fome parts of the weft of England and of Wales, more immediately communicating with Ireland, and

« ZurückWeiter »