engagements to which you had pledged him; after nearly a month had elapfed, on the 21st of October, I received a letter from Mr. Cooke, informing me that we should emigrate to America, and that we fhould be obliged to give fecurity not to return to Europe. This was the third interpretation of the agreement, a direct violation of the written compact, and totally different from those terms, of which Mr. Cooke had been the bearer; yet, the very next day, Mr. Marsden came to our prifon, to tell us that the whole purport of the letter, we received the day before, all was revoked, and that in a few days a fifth interpretation would be notified to us by government. After fix weeks had elapfed, we received the fifth interpretation of the agreement, in a scrole of your writing, brought here by Mr. Marsden, of which the following is a literal copy: Arthur O'Connor, Miles Duigenan, "Samuel Neilfon, Henry Jackfon, John Cormick, "The above perfons cannot be liberated at pre"fent, the other ftate prifoners named in the banish"ment bill, will be permitted to retire to any neu"tral country on the continent, giving fecurity not "to pass into an enemy's country. A pardon con"formable to the banishment bill, will be paffed pre"vious to their departure. The Lord Lieutenant will be glad to extend this indulgence to the pri"foners now excepted, as foon as he can do it confiftent with the attention, which he owes to the public fafety, and laments that a change of cir"cumstances has rendered the present precaution "neceffary." "neceffary."-Here all refpect for all former conditions is laid by, and a state neceffity is made the pretext, which, if admitted as a juftifiable plea for breach of engagement, at once destroys every principle of good faith, honor, or justice. - Now that I have recited the principal facts I fhall proceed to a recapitulation.-Having stated that I forced you to an acknowledgment, that you had no evidence against me, that I demanded a trial upon whatever fhadow of evidence you could find, and that you would not grant one,-Having stated that, placed in the execrutiating alternative of fubjecting myself to be calumniated as one, who had betrayed my countrymen with a view to fave my own life, when I was really facrificing myfelf to fave theirs, or should I decline this, to be calumniated as one who would not consent to devote himself to fave his country's blood-driven to this cruel fituation by you, and which the critical state of my country obliged me to decide on; in the face of God and of the world I ask you, with what truth, with what justice, with what honor, have you dared to reprefent me to the world, as a man "who had confeffed himself conscious of flagrant and enormous guilt, as one who had expressed contrition, and humbly implored his Majesty's mercy?" Gracious God! Would it not be fupposed that a minifter, who delivered fuch facts to a Parliament, and to the world, had fome one document, upon which he could found fuch affertions, which went directly to blaft the honor and character of fo many men. Nay, will it be believed, that every one of thofe daring affertions has been made, in direct oppofition to every word that was uttered, C 2 and and every line that was written by these men, who are thus vilely calumniated. I challenge you to produce a fyllable that has come from me, verbal or written, which can be tortured into a confeffion of a consciousness of guilt, an expreffion of contrition, or. any imploring of mercy. Read the memoir I figned and delivered to you, is there a word that can warrant it? So directly is the contrary the truth, that it is exprefsly fet forth in the memoir, that we would never abandon the principles upon which we had acted. When you made these false and daring affertions of guilt, contrition, and mercy, had you fo foon forgotten, that you had fent us the memoir to alter, because it contained a vindication of the United Irish, and a condemnation of the minifters, the government and the legislature? Or had you forgotten, that we had refused, in the most pofitive terms, ever to alter a letter? Was it because I requested not to be forced to fign any compact with government, and that I demanded a trial, and that you would not grant it, that you have represented me as one who had moft humbly implored his Majesty's mercy ? With what truth have you talked of extending mercy, to me, or of the gratitude I owe for the mercy I have experienced, when it is a fact you cannot deny, that you forced me to devote myself to procure conditions for others? Afk Mr. Cooke of the diabolical means he has used to procure evidence against me by abufing the name and influence of a relative, to a purpose at which the most unnatural relative would fhudder. Afk thofe underlings, of the enormous, fums that have been offered, to fupply the place of that evidence you could never obtain. Commence Commence an enquiry into the orders, by which those fhots were fired, when I was confined in the Castle; and examine the wife of the gaoler-fhe will tell you of a third attempt being made, of which her being in child-birth prevented her giving evidence at Maidstone; fhe will tell you of the money The faw paid, by one of the King's meffengers to the affaffin. Are these acts of mercy, for which I am fo deeply indebted? When you have considered these facts, read the agreement, and say in what instance does it imply a consciousness of guilt, an expreffion of contrition, or moft humbly imploring mercy. But these are not the only inftances, in which you stand detected of having dared to advance the most palpable falfhoods. The words in that part of the agreement, which has been committed to writing, are, " and that they are ready to emigrate to fuch country as fhall be agreed on between them and government," with what truth, then, have you informed the Parliament," that we had humbly implored his Majesty's pardon, on condition of being transported, banished, or exiled to fuch foreign country, as to his Majesty fball feem meet.' When the written compact could fo eafily be produced to the world, (nay, when it had been published by General Nugent) in which it is exprefsly conditioned, that the country to which we were to emigrate, fhould be one mutually agreed on between us and government, is it not aftonishing, that any minifter could be hardy enough to inform the Parliament, that we had conditioned to be tranfported, banished, or exiled to fuch country as the King fball think meet. Having faftened thofe unparalleled falfhoods on their author, I dare you to make make your defence. Tell the world how demanding a trial, and a refusal on the part of the Government in a country, faid to be free, can be conftrued into humbly imploring mercy. Tell the world how the moft pofitive affertion of the firmeft adherence to the principles upon which I had acted, and the moft direct refusal to retract a particle of the affertion can by any force of language be converted into a confeffion of conscious guilt, or an avowal of contrition. A convict of these unblushing breaches of truth, can it be a matter of wonder that you fhould fhudder at publication? Can it be a matter of wonder that advanced too far to retreat, and impelled to violate truth in every other particular, you should feel yourself forced to violate the right of publication, for which I fo expressly conditi oned? Or that irretrievably criminal, and tremblingly alive to detection, you should fend Mr. Cooke in Lord Cornwallis's name, with that murderous menace, that if any of the prisoners « should, from a feeling for the honor of their fellow-prifoners, their friends, or themselves," attempt to contradict these falfehoods and calumnies, which you had dared to advance, executions should go on as formerly. Can the most REGULAR Government that has ever appeared upon earth, exhibit fuch another inftance of diftributive injustice? Is this a part of that clemency, which you say I have experienced? Is this a fpecimen of that mercy, for which you have afferted I am fo much indebted ? Deeply as these glaring infractions of every thing that should be dear to a man, who values his honor, interested you in refifting publication, there were other ter 16 give Deve calun and i dence Anti-1 mous and to Be it. to be the moft infar whole Opp |