ther you nor the Chancellor could withhold your affent. In answer to my demand of amnefly, you affured me that Government would not fhed any more blood, for any act hitherto done in the Union, except for murder, which you did not suppose I would wish to have excepted; but that though you would affure me that no more blood fhould be fhed, you would not confent that we should have any part of the credit. Convinced from every information we had obtained, that the murders which had been committed upon the people were beyond all comparison more numerous, than those which had been committed by them and being equally abhorrent of murder be the perpetrators of what fide they may, we affured you that we were defirous that murderers of no fide fhould receive any quarter; and as to the credit of putting a stop to the farther effufion of the blood of my countrymen, I did not contend for what you called the credit, I contended only for that performance for which we were to give the equivalent. You then asked if it was to be understood that the information we might give, in confequence of the agree ment into which we were going to enter, was to be given as ours, or whether we would infift on its being given generally, without fpecifying by whom it was given; to this we answered that we infifted on the right of publishing the whole of whatever information we might give, whether verbal or written (a right I had fet out with fecuring) fpecifying particu larly that if any calumnies or misreprefentations fhould be published against us, we should be free to refute them.

Having done all in my power to procure a trial, and to avoid entering into any conditions with the Government, having put it beyond all doubt that what they called their mercy, was to be purchased at my expence, I defired to fee Lord Cornwallis, on whose character as a man of strict honor we relied for the religious fulfilment of the conditions. This you evaded, affuring me that it was of no confe quence how loofely the agreement was worded; that Lord Cornwallis's honor was pledged to us for the religious performance; and Lord Clare made ufe of thefe remarkable expreffions, "It comes to this, either you must trust the Government or it must trust you-a Government which could violate engagements thus folemnly made, neither could ftand nor deferved to stand"; whilft you followed up his declaration with the strongest affurances, that the whole of what had been agreed to, fhould be observed on the part of the Government, with the greatest liberality and good faith. Thinking it was impoffible that fuch folemn affurances could be made, to be fo foon and fo grossly violated, and feeing how difficult it would be, to reduce the whole of the conditions to writing, fo as to exprefs all our ftipulations, without making it appear what title you had to the credit you claimed, for stopping the efusion of blood, which was the great object for which I had devoted myself; leaving the ftipulations to the religious obfervance, liberal construction and good faith to which you had fo folemnly pledged Lord Cornwallis's honor, the following was drawn up.

"That the undersigned ftate prifoners, in the "three prifons of Newgate, Kilmainham, and "Bridewell,

B

"Bridewell, engage to give every information in "their power, of the whole of the internal tranf" actions of the United Irifhmen, and that each of << the prisoners fhall give detailed information of "every transaction, that has paffed between the « United Irishmen and foreign ftates; but that the prisoners are not, by naming or describing, to implicate any perfon whatever, and that they are "ready to emigrate to fuch country as fhall be " agreed on between them and government, and "give fecurity not to return to this country without "the permiffion of government, and not to pas "into an enemy's country, if on their fo doing they "are to be freed from profecution, and alfo Mr. "Oliver Bond be permitted to take the benefit of "this propofal. The ftate prifoners also hope that

the benefit of this propofal may be extended to "fuch persons in cuftody, or not in custody, as may " choose to benefit by it."

29th July, 1798.

Signed by 73 perfons. The last fentence was added, to mark that more was conditioned for than could be expreffed. Purfuant to this agreement, at the inftance of government, EMMET, McNEVIN and I drew up a memoir containing thirty-fix pages, giving an account of the origin, principles, conduct, and views of the Union, which we figned and delivered to you on the 4th of laft August. On the 6th Mr. Cooke came to our prifon, and after acknowledging that the memoir was a perfect performance of our agreement, he told us that Lord Cornwallis had read it, but, as it was a vindication of the Union, and a condemnation of the minifters, the government, and legislature of

Ireland,

Ireland, he could not receive it, and therefore he wifhed we would alter it; we declared we would not change one letter, it was all true, and it was the truth we ftood pledged to deliver. He then asked us if government should publish fuch parts only as might fuit them, whether we would refrain from publishing the memoir entire; we answered, that having ftipulated for the liberty of publication, we would use that right when, and as we fhould feel ourselves called on; to which he added, that if we published, he would have to hire persons to answer us, that then he fuppofed we would reply, by which a paper war would be carried on without end between us and the government. Finding that we would not fuffer the memoir to be garbled, and that the literary contest between us and these hirelings was not likely to turn out to your credit, it was determined to examine us before the fecret committees, whereby a more complete felection might be made out of the memoir, and all the objectionable truths, with which it was obferved it abounded, might be fuppreffed. For the prefent I fhall only remark that of one hundred pages, to which the whole of the information I gave to the government and to the fecret committees amounts, only one page bas been published.

After the reports were nearly finished, M'NEVIN asked you on the 11th of Auguft, if you were convinced that we had fulfilled our part of the conditions, you acknowledged that we had most fully, he then requested that you would perform your part; you replied that no time fhould be loft, and that you would be glad to have a converfation with us B2

tq

to adjust the manner in which it fhould be carried into effect, but having neglected to call M NEVIN wrote you the following letter:

"MY LORD,

« However anxious my fellow-prisoners and myself are to be relieved from our present disagreeable fituation, we have forborne to trouble government with it, until the committees fhould have re-. ported or we have been examined; but as the feafon is advancing, and that we fhall want fome time to fettle our affairs, I am defired by my companions, and encouraged by your Lordship's obliging offer on Saturday, of a converfation on the fubject, to requeft you would do us the honor of naming for that purpose, the earliest time that may be convenient to you.

I have the honour to be, &c. &c. &c. 17th Auguft, 1798. Wм. J. M.NEVIN. The day following Mr. Secretary Cooke came to our prifon, and told us he came on the part of government to fulfil their agreement, with the good faith and liberal conftruction they were pledged to, that we were at liberty to go where we pleased, provided we left the British dominions-that whatever parts of the conditions concerned us after our having paffed into exile, would be secured by act of parliament-that therefore, the only part which remained to be fettled, was the nature of the accommodation we should require to enable us to difpofe of our property prior to our departure. Here was a full and unequivocal declaration of the conditions, for the performance of which you had pledged Lord Cornwallis's honor, delivered to us by Mr. Secretary Cooke in his official capacity,

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