The French certainly had heen disappointed in not re ceiving assistance from the Irish ; but it is probable that, on the intelligence of their landing, and especially of their success at Castlebar, insurrections would have taken place in many of the adjoining counties, had not the march of Lord Cornwallis intimidated those who might be so dis posed. Even as it was, there was an insurrection near Granard, the object of which seems to have been to take possession of Cavan, where there were large stores of arms and ammunition. Previous to this enterprize, how ever, it was necessary for them to take Granard ; and in this they were disappointed by the arrival of some yeo manry from Cavan, by whom they were defeated. They afterwards sustained another defeat, which put an end to the insurrection. The Catholic peasantry of the county of Mayo, who had first risen to assist the French, still con tinued in arms, notwithstanding the surrender of Hum bert. They even attacked Castlebar, but were repulsed. They were afterwards obliged to take refuge in Killala, front which, being stormed by the royal forces, they were driven with great slaughter.
The French government at last seemed as if they meant to send assistance to Humbert ; and, as a prelude to this assistance, a brig arrived near the north-west'coast of Do negal, where it landed its new supplies. Among these was Napper Nandy, who had been constituted general of brigade in the French service. As soon, however, as he learned the fate of the army of Humbert, he reimbarked. He was afterwards arrested at Haniburgh by the British government, tried in Ireland, pleaded guilty, but was par doned. Another attempt of the French to revive a cause now desperate was equally unsuccessful. A squadron, consisting of one ship of the line, and eight frigates, with troops and ammunition on board, destined for Ireland, was fallen in with off the western coast of that island by the squadron of Sir John Borlase Warren, on the 12th of Oc tober, who captured the ship of the line and three frigates. Afterwards the rest, except two frigates. were taken. Another squadron of three frigates, with 2000 troops on hoard, anchored in the bay of Killala on the 27th of the same month ; but, on the appearance of some British ships, they set snit and escaped.
The plan of a union between Great Britain and Ireland appears to have been first proposed by the Irish peers. in their address to Queen Anne in the years 1703 and 1707, but at this time the British cabinet was averse to it. Af terwards, when the Irish volunteers forced the British government to render the Irish parliament independent of that of Britain, an union was sought for by the British, but it leas no longer an object of desire among any classes of the Irish. The almost uninterrupted insurrections by which Ireland was disturbed after the commencement of the French revolution, seem to have suggested to the British cabinet the idea of seriously bringing about a union. As it was well known that such a measure, if it came unex pectedly upon the Irish unprepared for it, and strongly prejudiced against it, would not be carried without creat ing serious discontent, it was resolved to bring the question before the public in pamphlets, before it was agitated in parliament. Accordingly Mr. Cooke, the under secretary
for the civil department, in 1798, published ilrguments for and against a Union between Great Britain and Ireland con sidered. The country was immediately must feelingly alive to the discussion of this most important question, and became divided into two parties, Unionists and Anti-union ists. On each side were found those who, on all other previous questions, had ranged themselves on opposite sides ; but the majority of the people were certainly against a union. On the 22d of January 1799, the measure was recommended by the viceroy to parliament. In the House of Lords a favourable address was voted by a large ma jority. In the Commons, after a debate which lasted 22 hours, there was a majority of only one in favour of the measure. When it was again brought forward the next day, those who opposed the union had a majority of five. Before the conclusion of the session, however, those who were favourable to it had attained a majority ; but the de tail of the measure was postponed till the next year. In the British parliament the question had also been intrrc duced during the session of 1799, and, after considerable discussion, but with less opposition than in the Irish par liament, a series of resolutions recommending a union had been voted.
When the Irish parliament assembled again on the 15th of January, 1800, a motion was made, hostile to the mea sure, which, after a long and animated debate, was nega tived by a majority of 42. On the 5th of February, Lord Castlereagh communicated a message from the Lord Lieu tenant, in favour of a union, and developed the plan on which it was to be effected. On a division of the House for taking this message into consideration, there appeared 158 in favour of it, and 115 against it. The House of Peers were more decidedly in favour of a union. In it the lord chancellor Fitzgibbon, now Earl of Clare, was one of its most strenuous supporters, while the speaker of the House of Commons as strenuously opposed it. It was also op posed by Sir Lawrence Parsons, the Duke of Leinster, Lords Charlemont and Moira, and Mr. Grattan. In order to counteract the effects of such a formidable opposition, government had recourse to those means, which the dis tribution of places of honour or emolument must always put in their power, and which too frequently have over come the consciences of those who have been the most loud in their professions of purity, independence, and pa trtotism. By the active and judicious employment of these means, the majority in the House of Commons had been greatly reduced, and the prospect of curling the measure was rendered every day more favourable. Be sides, many of those, both in and out of parliament, who, doting the first impulse of their feelings, had reprobated the union, without considering the arguments that might be urged in favour of it, having become cool, and divested themselves of prejudice, resolved to support it. The ar guments for and against this measure are thus summed up by Mr.Gordon, in his History of Ireland.