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chiefs of the conspiracy for giving to their societies a military form; and that for arming their adherents, they had recourse partly to the fabrication of pikes, and partly to the plundering of the loyal inhabitants of their arms.

That from the vigorous and summary expedients resorted to by government, and the consequent exertions of the military, the leaders found themselves reduced to the alternative of immediate insurrection, or of being deprived of the means on which they relied for effecting their purpose; and that to this cause is exclusively to be attributed that premature and desperate effort, the rashness of which has so evidently facilitated its suppression.

That the vigilance of the executive government, in detecting and arresting many of the principal conspirators in the very act of concerting their plans of insurrection, the convictions which have ensued, and the still more complete developement of the treason by the confession of some of its most active and efficient conductors, have not only essentially contributed to the defeat of the rebellion, but, by enabling the committee to disclose the views and machinations of the conspirators, may suggest means for securing the future tranquillity of the country.

Your committee cannot conclude without observing, that on a review of the treason which has employed their attention, they trace a perfect coincidence, in its commencement and in its progress, its means and its objects, with that by which the government, the religion, and the happiness of France, have been destroyed; which has extended its desolating influence over some

of the most prosperous and flourishing countries in Europe, and has shaken to its foundation the fabric of regular society throughout the civilised world. That the leaders of the system, in order to adapt the minds of the multitude to the purposes of their treason, have, after the example of their jacobine allies of France, left no means unemployed which the most malignant subtilty could suggest, for eradicating from amongst the working classes every sentiment both of private and public dutyall quiet and peaceable habits, all social as well as moral obligations, it has been their object to destroy; and the more sacred the tie, the more industriously have they laboured to dissolve it: they have incited the soldier to betray his king, they have armed the tenant against the landlord, and they have taught the servant to conspire with the assassin of his master; blasting the repose and confidence of private life even in its sanctuary, and effacing every law of truth, of justice, of gratitude, and of religion, except where it has been possible to make even religion itself, the perverted instrument of their execrable views. Such have been the leading principles, and the long-laboured preparatives for that rebellion from which your committee trust this country has been happily rescued; and they indulge a sanguine hope, that their present statement, authenticated as it is by such mass of evidence, will contribute still farther to the complete reestablishment of tranquillity, by throwing the fullest light on the dangers to which the community has been exposed, and against which it is still necessary to guard.

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His Majesty's Speech in the House of
Lords, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 1798,
on opening the 3d Session of the 18th
Parliament of Great Britain.

My lords and gentlemen,
The events which have taken
place in the course of the present
year, and the signal success which,
by the blessing of Providence, has
attended my arms, have been pro-
ductive of the happiest conse-
quences, and have essentially pro-
moted the prosperity and glory of
our country.

The unexampled series of our naval triumphs has received fresh splendour from the memorable and decisive action in which a detach ment of my fleet, under the command of rear-admiral lord Nelson, attacked and almost totally destroyed a superior force of the enemy, strengthened by every advantage of situation, by this great and brilliant victory, an enterprize, of which the injustice, perfidy, and extravagance, had fixed the attention of the world, and which was peculiarly directed against some of the most valuable interests of the British empire, has, the first instance, been turned to the confusion of its authors; and the blow thus given to the power and influence of France, has afforded an opening which, if improved by suitable exertions on the part of other powers, may lead to the general deliverance of Europe.

The wisdom and magnanimity so eminently displayed at this conjuncture by the emperor of Russia, and the decision andvigour of theOttoman Porte, have shown that these powers are impressed with a just sense of the present crisis; and their example, joined to the disposi.. tion manifested almost universally in the different countries straggling under the yoke of France,

must be a powerful encouragement to other states to adopt that vigorous line of conduct which experience has proved to be alone consistent with security or honour.

The extent of our preparations at home, and the demonstrations of zeal and spirit among all ranks of my subjects, have deterred the enemy from attempting to execute their vain threat of invading the coasts of this kingdom.

In Ireland, the rebellion which they had instigated, has been curbed and repressed; the troops which they had landed for its support have been compelled to surrender; and the armaments since destined for the same purpose have, by the vigilance and activity of my squadrons, been captured or dispersed. The views and principles of those who, in concert with our inveterate enemy, have long planned the subversion of our constitution, have been fully detected and exposed, and their treasons made manifest to the world. Those whom they had misled or seduced must now be awakened to their duty; and a just sense of the miseries and horrors which these traitorous designs have produced, must impress on the minds of all my faithful subjects the necessity of continuing to repel with firmness every attack on the laws and established government of their country.

Gentlemen of the house of

commons,

Under the unavoidable pressure of protracted war, it is a great satisfaction to me to observe, that the produce of the public revenue has proved fully adequate to the increase of our permanent expenditure; that the national credit has been maintained and improved; and that the commerce and industry of my subjects have continued to flourish in a degree hitherto unknown.

The situation in which we are placed unhappily renders the continuance of heavy expences indispensable for the public safety. But the state of our resources, and the good sense and public spirit which prevail through every part of my kingdom, will, I trust, enable you to provide the necessary supplies without essential inconvenience to my people, and with as little addition as possible to the permanent burdens of the state. The progress made towards such a system by the measures adopted in the last session, and the aid given to public credit by the plan for the redemption of the land-tax, have been attended with the most beneficial effect, which you will, I am persuaded, omit no opportunity to confirm and improve.

My lords and gentlemen, I rely with confidence on the continuance of your exertions, to enable me ultimately to conduct the great contest in which we are engaged to a safe and honourable conclusion.

We have surmounted many and great difficulties. Our perseverance in a just cause has been rewarded with distinguished success; and our present situation, compared with that of other countries, sufficiently proves how much, in a period of general danger and calamity, the security and happiness of the British nation have depended (under the blessing of Providence) on its own constancy, its energy, and its virtue.

The following Circular Letter has been addressed to the Lord Lieutenants of all the Maritime Counties of the Kingdom.

Parliament-Street, 1798.

MY LORD, In conformity to the dispositions of the act just passed, intituled,

"An Act to enable his Majesty more effectually to provide for the Defence and Security of the Realm; and for indemnifying Persons who may suffer in their Property by such Measures as may be necessary for that Purpose;" I feel myself called upon, in obedience to his majesty's commands, to address your lordship upon several points connected with the defence of the country; and to which, from a conviction of their importance, I most anxiously request your lordship's particular attention.

Having lately had frequent occasion to require your lordship's assistance in the execution of plans and arrangements adopted and acted upon by his majesty's government, as conducive to the same object, it would have been a satisfaction to me if I could have avoided giving you further trouble for the present; but further exertions being deemed necessary, I am convinced I should not do justice to your lordship's sentiments, and to the zeal of every description of persons acting under you, if I hesitated a moment to explain the full extent of those exertions, and the suggestions which have occurred for carrying them into effect.

Whatever confidence I place in the actual security of these kingdoms, in consequence of the decided superiority of our navy, and of the amount of the land forces already embodied, or now collecting, for the protection of the country against the menaced invasion of the enemy, I should not feel that I discharged my duty, if our system of defence did not embrace such further means of security as appear to be evidently within our reach.

In the practical application of this principle, I am convinced that your lordship, and generally every person, must concur in opinion (04)

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with me, that it is of much importance, to extend as widely as possible, that feeling of confidence which will naturally result from men of every description being placed in a situation to take, in their respective stations, an active part in the defence of their country, especially if this can be accomplished without any material interruption to the various habitual occupations in which they are severally engaged.

In many great and populous towns of the kingdom this principle has already been acted upon, in so far as a variety of volunteer corps and armed associations have been formed, generally for the purpose of local defence and security.-I shall, therefore, confine myself to suggest the propriety of encouraging the formation of any further corps, on similar principles, within any such towns, in the county of

the great inconvenience and loss to which such persons (engaged as they are in extensive concerns of business) might be exposed, if they were liable to be called away from the necessary superintendance of their respective avocations, his majesty has been pleased to authorize me to inform your lordship, that any armed association either of cavalry or infantry, formed of the description of persons above mentioned, and within such towns as I now advert to, will, if recommended by your lordship, be accepted by his majesty, although the offer of their services should be limited respectively to the town in which they are to be raised, and within a few miles thereof; that the officers of the said corps will receive commissions from the king, upon your lordship's recommendation, and if required, arms will be supplied by government; but every other expence of armed associations of this description must be defrayed by themselves.

་ It must, however, be considered as an essential condition in the establishment of any further corps of this description, that they should. It is, however, no less essential consist of none but known and respectable householders, or persons who can bring at least two such householders to answer for their good behaviour. Corps of this description, if formed in sea-ports, would, in case of any hostile attempt being made, be necessary to strengthen the garrisons of such places, and in all populous towns engaged in pursuits of manufacture or trade, whether situated on the coast or inland, their presence with in such towns, in case of emergency, when the regular forces might be wanted elsewhere, might be very useful to relieve them in the preservation of internal tranquillity, and the maintenance of a proper police. With a wish to give every possible encouragement to persons willing to come forward for these essential objects, and from a consideration of

to the general security of the kingdom, to interest and engage in its defence the husbandmen and labourers, inhabitants of the country, who being more dispersed, and, from their condition in life, less able to associate together upon the plans pursued in the towns, appear to require that the exertions they are certainly willing to make should be duly directed, by the interposition of your lordship's advice and authority, in concert with the gentlemen of property and influence in the country, and aided by the respectable farmers with whom they are immediately connected. If the very valuable classes of men to which I now refer are not apprised of the duties for which they would be wanted, and if some previous arrangements are not made, and regulations established, with respect

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to the distribution, application, and discharge of those duties, in case of actual invasion, the approach of an enemy would necessarily produce among them a general confusion and alarm, highly prejudicial to their own interests, and to the general safety of the country; whereas, if the modes in which their assistance may be made useful, can be explained to them at present, so that each man may be instructed, and, if necessary, trained before-hand in the exercise of the particular service to be assigned to him in case of emergency, the result will be confidence and union among themselves, and that government will not only acquire a great accession of strength, but, what is perhaps more important, the means of appropriating with regularity, and directing with vigour, that strength against an invading enemy.

The measures which I have reason to believe have already been taken in the county of for ascertaining, to a certain extent, the number of persons between the ages of fifteen and sixty, not engaged in any military capacity, will, I believe, afford some facility in carrying so far into execution the provisions of the act now transmitted, which, it is his majesty's express command, should be punctually attended to (as far as they are applicable) in the county of

I am aware of the difficulties which may occur in procuring these necessary details, but I am confident they may be overcome by your lordship's zeal and perseverance, aided (as I trust you will be) by the cordial co-operation of every welldisposed person, who, in his public capacity, or by his private influence, can afford you any assistance in this respect.

I enclose herewith a form of schedule, No. I. in conformity to which this return should be taken in each parish and division of the county, and agreeably to which a general return of the totals for the whole county is to be transmitted to me for his majesty's information.

No. II. is another schedule*, requiring information on other heads referred to in the act above mentioned, and which is to be procured and transmitted in the same manner. One point, which it would be very material not to neglect, is to ascertain the number of boats, barges, and small craft on the canals and rivers of the country.The use to be derived, in certain cases, from this species of assistance to the movements of our own forces, and the advantages it might afford to the enemy, if suffered to fall into their hands, are so obvious that I need not press further the importance of obtaining respecting it every information in your power. I have, however, abstained from including it in the schedule, as it appears to me impossible, in most cases, to consider this description. of property as exclusively confined to any particular county; but, at the same time, I have so far thought it right to call your lordship's attention to the subject, in order that, as far as possible, it may be brought under the general arrangements of precautions necessary at the present moment.

The schedule No. III. is prepared with a view to ascertain the various points under the respective heads therein stated, and to which it is of the utmost importance that returns should be made with all possible expedition, and the totals transmitted to government in the same manner.

+ These schedules were not published.

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