fequences 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 confpitacy, are equally striking. The formation and ftructure of all thefe 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 first origin to the prefent moment; fometimes between the societies themselves, 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 tó thofe, who, on account of their principal fhare in these 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 House, many particulars which have already been brought under the confidera tion 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 extensive. The indifpenfable neceffity of fecrecy, with respect to the fources of many parts of that intelligence, must be felt by the Houfe, 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 difturb the public tranquillity of this kingdom, is, in a very great degree, to be aferibed to the meritorious and laudable diligence of the perfons filling thofe departments of his Majefty's government to which this duty has peculiarly belonged. They appear, during a long period of time, to have obtained early and accurate information of the chief defigns and measures of the confpirators; and the striking manner in which the most important particulars of the fecret intelligence thus procured, have, in a great variety of inftances, been completely 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 fullest credit." P. 5.

The Report then proceeds to take up the hiftory of the United Irishmen, who began their combination in 1791, and fet the first example of thofe fecret confederacies, which have fince been published, for fubverting the whole of our establishment, whether of religion, law, or government. Many of the circumftanes, in the movements made by this, and the other feditious Societies, towards effecting their defigns, are well known, and lefs therefore of novelty is to be expected to refult from the memorial now made. We fhall therefore forbear to bring again into notice the acts of atrocity and impofture,

which are to be found too numerous in the courfe of this Re port. One only appears to us fit to be fingled out from the reft, as of a deeper dye, and, we believe, lefs known. It now appears, that the mutiny on board the fleet owes its origin to the Society of United Irishmen, and that part of their plan was to take the fhips into fome French port, to be employed afterwards against the King's forces in Ireland. All the Irith, to the number of 112, concerned in the mutiny on board the Glory, prefented an addrefs to Captain Brine, in which they called God to witnefs, "whofe awful name we would not take in vain," that they knew of no confpiracy, or mutinous affembly, on board that thip, and expreiling the fincereft loyalty to the King, and attachment to their officers. It appears that this molt folemn declaration was yet drawn up, purposely and merely as a cloke to their proceedings, and to throw the officers off their guard: an inftance of hypocrify and prophanation hardly to be equalled. See the Appendix, pp. 91, 92. Falfe pretence and imposture have, all along, been the cover under which these focieties have acted. Parliamentary Reform, Univerfal Suffrage, and Annual Parliaments, have been the cry in this kingdom; Catholic Emancipation, and Parliamentary Reform, have been the mafk in Ireland; and the main defign has been urged on by falfehood and imposition, in various fhapes, and of different complexions; but this piece of prevarication with the Almighty seems to exceed all that went before it.

The Conclufion of the Report contains fome Reflections upon the nature, extent, and confequences of these feditious focieties, and upon the probable modes of counteracting their dangerous attempts. Among thefe, we are happy to fee an intimation, that fome legislative regulations may be devised for fuppreffing altogether fuch fecret meetings as can be held for no purpose but that of mischief.

..Upon a review of all the circumftances which have come under the confideration of your Committee, they are deeply impreffed with the conviction,-That the fafety and tranquillity of these kingdoms have, at different periods, from the year 1791 to the prefent time, been brought into imminent hazard, by the traitorous plans and prac tices of focieties, acting upon the principles, and devoted to the views, of our inveterate foreign enemy:

"That, although the fociety of United Irifhmen in Ireland, has alone been enabled to attain its full ftrength and maturity; yet the focieties inftituted on fimilar principles in this country, had all an un doubted tendency to produce fimilar effects, if they had not been checked by the general demonftrations of the zeal and fpirit of his Majefty's faithful fubjects, and by the timely and judicious ufe of chofe

BRIT. CRIT, VOL. XIII, MARCH, 1799.

extraordinary powers, which Parliament has, in its wifdom, from time to time confided to his Majefty's government:

"That, either directly or indirectly, a continual intercourfe and connection has been maintained between all these focieties in Great Britain and Ireland, and that the real objects of the inftigators of these proceedings, in both kingdoms, were no other than the entire overthrow of the British conftitution, the general confiscation of property, and the erection of a democratic republic, founded on the ruins of all religion, and of all political and civil fociety, and framed after the model of France.

"The vigorous refiftance oppofed to the rebellion in Ireland, the fuccefs of the meafures which have been employed for detecting and defeating the defigns of the confpirators here, and the general and ardent fpirit of loyalty and attachinent to the laws and conftitution, have hitherto counteracted the progrefs of the mifchief, and averted im. pending danger; but even thefe circumftances by no means appear to your Committee to justify the hope that the mifchief is eradicated, or the danger paffed.

"The principles and views of the confpirators remain unchanged. Their reliance on the affittance and co-operation of France, by which they expect ultimately to effect their purposes, continues undiminished. And the fyftem of thofe fecret focieties, which are at once the inftruments of feditious confpiracy at home, and the channel of treasonable correfpondence with France, though in many parts broken and interrupted, is by no means deftroyed.

"Your Committee have already referred to the pofitive information laid before them, ftating that hoftile preparations are now making, with extraordinary vigour and exertion, in fome of the ports of France, for the invafion of this country, or of Ireland. The activity of feditious and treasonable focieties, in their correfpondence with France, and in. their endeavours to gain profelytes here, keeps pace with the prepara tions of the enemy; and the principle of fecrecy, generally enforced by unlawful oaths, which is the great characteristic of thefe focieties, peculiarly fits them for the most dangerous enterprizes, and by holding out a profpect of fecurity, increases the means of feduction. It has, at the fame time an obvious tendency to elude detection in the firft inftance, and to defeat legal enquiry in the next. To this principle therefore, in the opinion of your Committee, fuch further measures as Parliament in its wifdom may think fit to adopt for the public safety, fhould be more immediately and decifively pointed.

"Your Committee have feen, with fatisfaction, the powers which in conformity to the ancient practice and true principles of the conftitu tion, have from time to time, as the urgency required, been confided to his Majesty's Government; and they feel it their duty particularly to remark, that the power of arrefting and detaining fufpected perfons (a remedy fo conftantly reforted to by our ancestors in all cafes of temporary and extraordinary danger) has, under the prefent new and unprecedented circumftances, been found particularly efficient. It has greatly interrupted and impeded the correfpondence with the enemy, and has checked, from time to time, the progrefs and communication of fedition and treafon at home. But from particular circumstances which

have come under the obfervation of your Committee in the courfe of their enquiry, they feel it their duty to remark, that the good effects of this measure would be rendered more compleat, and the public tranquillity better fecured, if the leading perions who have been, or may be, hereafter detained on fufpicion of treasonable practices, shall hereafter be kept in cuftody in places fufliciently diftant from the metropo lis.

The whole of the fecret information which has been laid before your Committee, has ftrongly confirmed them in their opinion of the Deceffity of confiding thefe extraordinary powers to his Majesty's government; and the very circumftances which created this neceffity, and which continue at this time to operate more powerfully than ever, have rendered it their peculiar duty to abftain from difclofing, in its full extent, the particular information, of which they have ftated to the House the general refult, and on which their judgment is founded; but they truff that they have laid before the Houfe fufficient grounds to justify their perfuation, that the multiplied and various attempts, by which the enemies to their country carry on their dangerous confpiracies, can only be defeated by a correfponding vigilance on the part of government, and by the exercife of fuch additional powers, as may from time to time be entrusted to it by Parliament, and may be best adapted to the peculiar exigency of the moment. And although your Committee do not think it any part of their province to fuggeft particular measures, the confideration of which must be left to the wisdom of Parliament; they cannot forbear particularly and earneffly preffing their unanimous opinion, that the lytter of fecret facieties, the efta blifhment of which has, in other countries, uniformly preceded the aggreffion of France, and, by facilitating the progrefs of her principles, has prepared the way for her arms, cannot be fuffered to exift in these kingdoms, compatibly with the fatery of their government and conttiturion, and with their fecurity againtt foreign force and domeftic treason.

"Your Committee have great fatisfaction in adding, that if this growing and formidable evil can be effectually, repreffed, and if the fame fytem of vigilance and precaution which has been fuccefsfully adopted for fome years palt, is adhered to, there is every reason to look forward with confidence to the ultimate disappointment and defeat of the projects which have been fo long purfued by our foreign and domettic enemies. Impreffed with a juft fenfe of the bleflings enjoyed under our happy conftitution, which diftinguish this country from every nation in Europe, all ranks and conditions of fociety have fhewn their determination to preferve thofe hl. flings entire, and have food forward with a becoming ardour and alacrity in their defence. While this laudable fpirit continues to pervade every part of the kingdom, and while the wifdom of the legislature encourages and directs its exertions for the public fafety, your Committee entertain a full conviction that the religion, the laws, and the conftitution of Great Britain, and with them the interefts and happiness of all claffes of his Majefty's fubjects, will, in the midft of furrounding danger and calamity, and in fpite of every machination at home or abroad, reft under the protection of

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Divine

Divine Providence, on the fureft bafis, fecured by the energy and firm nefs of the government, and by the courage, the patriotism, and the virtue, of the nation." P. 36.

Having laid thefe important outlines of the Report before our readers, we conclude, by recommending the whole to their attention, as a state-document of the highest moment.

BRITISH CATALOGUE.

POETRY.

ART. 17. Sidney, a Monody, occafioned by the Lofs of the Viceroy Packet, in her Paffage from Liverpool to Dublin, in the Month of December, 1797. 4to. 2s. 6d. Rickman. 1798.

This is a fpirited apoftrophe to the memory of two youths, who loft their lives in the above-mentioned shipwreck; as the reader will perceive from the following fpecimen.

Ye groves, to Cambridge and to fcience dear,
Where revolving fyftems deep,

Newton was wont his hallow'd watch to keep :
Where Milton, with a flight fublime,
'Soar'd beyond the bounds of time;

Heard ye the whisper in the paffing gale?
Or did fome fpirit breathe the mournful tale?
That all your branches figh'd o'er Sydney's bier!
Stript of your foliage by the chilling blaft,
In tints of more than an autumnal brown,
Ye mourn thofe golden days are paft,

When ye could call the favor'd youths your own,
But though within your confecrated shade,
Whilft Fancy's beams around them play,
No more there fons of Genius devious stray
In brighter beams array'd,

By Newton, Truth, and Wifdom, led
They drink of Science at the fountain head
In happier climes; nor other forrow know

Than foft regret for those who wail their lofs below.

ART. 18. Phthifiologia, a Poem, miscellaneously defcriptive, and dida&ir cal. In Four Parts. To which are prefixed, certain preliminary and phyfico-medical Obfervations and Admonitions. 8vo. 190 pp. 35. 6d Boofey. 1798.

This author has given a pretty long differtation on the nature, cause, and cure of phthifis pulmonalis, principally extracted, as he acknow ledges,

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