Tired with an unavailing contest against the minister's uniform majorities, the chief speakers ol the opposition absented themselves from most of the debates in the ses sion of 1797–S. Mr Fox, however, took his place on some occasions of peculiar importance,—he strongly combated the minister's plan of finance for 1798, which included the imposition of the triple assessed taxes, and he gave his support to the yet unsuccessful efforts of Mr Wilberforce for the abolition of the African slave trade. In resisting the unpopular assessed taxes, the minister was assailed by so many objections, that he was forced to modify them by numerous alleviations, adapted to parti cular cases. The consequence was, that they fell three millions short ef their expected produce ; and Mr Pitt, in his second budget for the year, was obliged to supply the deficiency by fresh burthens on the exports and im ports of the country. To these, and other resources, was added a scheme of voluntary contributions, of the eventual product was a million and a half. As the country was now confidently menaced by the French with invasion, the army and navy were powerfully re cruited, while volunteer associations, which had already been formed throughout the country, became more nu merous and as5iduous in their application to duty. These threats of invasion, as far as it related to Britain itself. were rather calculated to rouse the spirit than the fears of a free and armed people ; but the state of Ireland ma terially aggravated our danger. Since the refuel of Roman Catholic emancipation, and the meal of Earl Fitzwilliam from the viceroyalty, the great mass of the society denominated the United Irishmen, had been ini tiated in a secret conspiracy against the government, which before had been lar from general, but confined to the views and designs of a few of its individuals. By the system of severity which was pursued in aitempt• ing to discover the machinations of this society—by the use of torture to elicit confessions of those implicated in it, and by the distinguishing persecution set on foot by the Orange faction, the Catholics were at once driven by their enemies, and deluded by factious demagogues, into rebellion. In 1797, the United Irishmen projected a general rising, which would have taken place if the assistance promised by France through their agent Dr Mac Niven, had arrived. An armament for their sup port was fitted out in France during the same year, and another in the ports of Holland, but the latter was the only one that ever put to sea; it was to be covered by the fleet of the Texel, which Duncan defeated.
In 1793, when a general rising had been concerted, their intentions were fortunately betrayed to govern ment; fourteen ol their delegates, and three members of the Irish Directory, were arrested. A fourth, Lord Edward Fitzgerald, died of the wounds which he receiv ed in resisting the officers who seized him. Such dis coveries, without preventing the rebellion, made it par tial and ineffective. Instead of a general rising, which had been intended, the rebellion broke out by an abor tive attempt on the town of Naas (on the 24th of Alay), where the insurgents were instantly dispersed. At KA callen and Rathfarman, the rebels were equally unsuc cessful. On the 26th of May, a large division ol their force was defeated at Tallaghhill, and they were re pulsed in two attacks upon the towns of Curlow and Kil dare. In the county of Wexford, they were more suc
cessful ; they carried the town of Inniscorthy, sword in hand, and in the town of Wexford exercised some bar barous retaliations on their antagonists the Orangemen. Here they released from confinement Bagnal Harvey, who was appointed commander in chief of their disor derly army. Flushed by their successes, they advanced upon the town of Ross, and by their resolution and weight of column, cleared the bridge and entered the streets of the town; but numbers having entered the houses and got intoxicated, they were repulsed with immense loss. General Lake was, by that time, advancing with large reinforcements of the regular army, and attacked their main body, consisting of nearly 20,000 men, within a mile of Inniscorthy, upon an eminence called Vinegar-hill. After a severe engagement, the rebels fled with preci tation, sustaining an immense loss, while that of the king's troops was comparatively trilling. Rebellion was thus quelled in the south. In the north, it was subdued with less difficulty, although it was very general through out the counties of Down and Antrim. The insurgents, tinder a leader of the name of ,Munroe, to the number of 7000, were defeated at Ballynahinch, and tranquillity was completely restored.
Attempts, however, were made by the French to re animate the expiring flame of rebellion. About 900 men, under the command of General Humbert, landed at Killala on the 22d of August. Proceeding rapidly to Castlebar, they were joined in their march by numbers of the peasantry, and repulsed a force more than thrice their number, under General Lake, whom they forced to retreat with the loss of six pieces of cannon, and conti nued advancing towards Tuam. This small band of Frenchmen, who in the course of 17 days had penetrat ed a considerable way into the kingdom, held for some time the undisputed possession of Connaught ; but at last, a column of our troops under Colonel Crawfurd form ing the advanced guard of Marquis Cornwallis's army, came up with them as they were retreating to Ilallina much, and after a short, but sharp contest, forced them to surrender as prisoners. A French squadron of one ship of the line and eight frigates, with troops and am munition on board, destined for Ireland, was on the Ilth of October taken or dispersed by the squadron of Sir John Borlase Warren. Among the prisoners taken on board one of the captured vessels, was Theobald Wolfe Tonic, one of the earliest founders of the society of Unit ed Irishmen, who being tried and condemned, avoided the ignominy of public execution by a voluntary death.
While troops were assembling on the northern shores of France, which assumed the ridiculous appellation of the army of England, a more serious and secret expedi tion was litted out for Egypt, which sailed from Toulon under the command of Bonaparte, on the 30th of May. The army, composing nearly 300 sail, having on board 40,000 of the chosen troops of France, arrived on the 9th of June oft' Malta ; the knights of this far-famed spot, which had once been the bulwark of Christendom, ca pitulated after a spiritless show of defence, and the French obtained an immense military spoil, with more than a thousand pieces of cannon.