DEATH OF HOCHE. 157 Brief, brave, and glorious was his young career." The republic could only testify its grief and its admiration by the pomp of funeral rites. A magnificent pageant was decreed him in the Champ de Mars. An immense concourse of people gazed in mournful silence at the lofty car hung in black. The army of Paris, sad and slow, followed the bier. As it swept through the streets, all eyes were turned to the head of the column, where the aged father of Hoche attended as chief mourner. The body of the youthful hero was appropriately left to sleep on the banks of the Rhine, on the field of his fame. He was buried in the same grave with General Marceau. The reader will recall the lines in Childe Harold— "By Coblentz, on a rise of gentle ground, With his dying breath Hoche urged upon the Directory another expedition for the invasion of Ireland. Had Carnot remained in the Directory, his wish might have been accomplished. But the organizer of victory had been driven from power by the jealousy of his colleagues, and France missed the powerful hand that had guided her armies. At first was held out the prospect of a more extended invasion of the British Islands. Scarcely had the expedi tion of the Texel been abandoned, when it was announced that a peace with Austria was definitely concluded. The firing of cannon, and illuminated cities, proclaimed the joy ful tidings. Not an enemy on the Continent was in arms against France. England alone remained. Immediately followed the announcement that a grand army of England was to be formed under the command of Bonaparte, who had just returned to Paris, fresh from the glory of his Italian campaigns. In this army Tone received the appointment of adjutant-general. He had several interviews with Napoleon on the subject of Ireland. Buonaparte had asked General Clarke in whom he had most confidence as to Irish affairs. Clarke answered, "In Tone, by all means." But Bonaparte had little knowledge of Ireland, and no idea of the importance of thus dismembering the English empire. He is even reported to have said to the Directory, "What more do you desire from the Irish? You see that their movements already operate a powerful diversion." His thoughts were on another quarter of the world, and ere many months had elapsed, the troops destined to invade Ireland, were on their way to Egypt. Napoleon alluded to this at St. Helena, apparently with the feeling that he had made a great mistake: "If instead of the expedition to Egypt, I had undertaken that against Ireland, what could England have done now? On such chances depend the destinies of empires !** * Memoirs of Las Casas. CHAPTER XII. THE UNITED IRISHMEN ORGANIZED INTO A GOVERNMENT AND AN ARMY.--ExTENT OF THE SOCIETY.-SECRECY.-THEIR OATHS.-ATTEMPT TO SUPPRESS THEM BY FORCE. THE TRIUMVIRATE, CASTLEREAGH, CLARE AND CARHAMPTON.-REIGN OF TERROR IN IRELAND.--THE STATE TRIALS.-THE STRUGGLE APPROACHING.-MILITARY PREPARATIONS. WHILE "the indefatigable Tone," as Moore calls him, was at work in France, moving heaven and earth to effect the invasion of Ireland, his confederates at home were not idle. Great events had transpired since he sailed for America. The United Irish Society, which had then just been established on a new basis, as a secret society, having for its object no longer reform, but revolution, had extended into all parts of Ireland. Nothing could be more perfect than its organization. Every thing depended on maintaining perfect secrecy, and this was difficult in a body so widely extended. But here the admirable contrivance of their organization became apparent. The greatest dan ger to be apprehended, was from strangers insinuating themselves into the society in order to betray it. To avoid the mixture of persons unknown to each other, it was fixed that no society should consist of more than twelve persons, and those as nearly as possible from the same street or neighborhood. By each of these societies of twelve a sec retary was chosen, and the secretaries of five such societies formed a committee. "Having provided by these successive layers, as it were, of delegated authority, each exercising a superintendence over that immediately below it, for the organization of the several counties and populous towns, they next superadded, in each of the four provinces, a provincial committee, composed of two or sometimes three members elected from each of the county committees; and lastly, came the Executive, the apex of the system, which consisted of five persons, chosen in such a manner from the provincial committees as to leave the members of the latter in entire ignorance as to the individuals selected. Over the whole body thus organized, the Executive possessed full command, and could transmit its orders through the whole range of the Union-one member of the Executive communicating them to one member of the provincial committee, and he again to the secretary of the county committee, who, in like manner, passed them down through the secretaries of the baronials, and these on to the secretaries of the subordinate societies."* In counsel, and in transmitting intelligence, no one saw any but the individual with whom he transacted business. Thus this admirable organization extended like a chain of wires all over Ireland, but the hands that worked them moved in the dark. To these numerous precautions was added an o¿h of inviolable secrecy, which was taken by every one who joined the society. Whoever is acquainted with the [rish * Moore's Life of Lord Edward Fitzgerald, vol. i. p. 196. NEW ORGANIZATION-SECRECY. 161 character, is aware that they attach a peculiar sacredness to an obligation taken with the solemnities of religion. And never was more signal proof of their fidelity given than in this conspiracy. "Whoever reflects on this constitution," says Thomas Addis Emmet, "will see that it was prepared with most important views. It formed a gradually extending representative system, founded on universal suffrage, and frequent elections. It was fitted to a barony, county, or province, while the organization was confined within these limits. But if the whole nation adopted the system, it furnished a national government." In these societies, the people received the political training which was necessary to prepare them to become a nation of freemen. "The Irish people to the amount of half a million or more, were constantly brought together in small bodies to discuss, to vote and to deliberate. The whole presented one grand system of order and subordination." How complete was the discipline maintained, is evident from a single fact. The poorer Irish were much addicted to intemperance. But at a signal from the Execu tive, intimating that while under the influence of spirits they might disclose something affecting the safety of their comrades, the ale-houses were generally abandoned, so as to produce a very serious falling off in the revenue derived from the tax on spirits. This rigid discipline was all-important on another account. The leaders wished to effect a change of govern. ment, but at the same time to maintain order. They would secure the independence of Ireland, but they would |