Adopt Of Republican Principles
Still, even then, had the English Government regained public confidence by promoting Parliamentary Reform and Catholic Emancipation, it is probable that very large numbers of the members who were hesitating would have decided in favour of law and order, and so would either have restored to the association its earlier character, or would have so reduced its strength by their defection as to make a rebellion evidently impracticable. This, as we have seen, was not done. After the recall of Fitzwilliam in 1795, and the rejection of Ponsonby’s Reform Bill in 1797, thousands of Catholics were enrolled and branch societies were founded all over the country.
On paper, at least, the organisation was very perfect. There was a Central Executive of five members, and under this gradations of committees for the counties and districts. In 1796 negotiations with the French Government regularly began. That year Tone was in Paris, and saw some of the leading men in authority, with the object of obtaining military aid for the intended insurrection.
Two other prominent members of the United Irishmen’s Society, Lord Edward Fitzgerald, a brother of the Duke of Leinster, and an ardent adherent to the new democratic principles, and Arthur O’Connor, were also, in frequent interviews, urging on the French authorities the expediency of an immediate invasion of Ireland. The Ministers of the Republican Government finally concluded to attempt a landing in Munster.
On December 15th, 1796, seventeen large warships and thirteen frigates, having on board about 15,000 men, sailed out of the harbour of Brest on their way to Ireland. The military commander was Lazare Hoche, one of the most able generals calm weather one of the large ships ran on rock and sank with over 500 men. Four others collided with each h r and were badly damaged. Several, including that on which Hoche himself and De Galles, the Admiral, had embarked, went astray. Whether this series of misfortunes was due to accident or treachery has never been discovered. Finally less than half the vessels reached the Irish coast and anchored in Bantry Bay. A furious tempest now arose, and blew for days without intermission. Landing would have been extremely difficult; scarcely seven thousand troops now remained; all the money and most of the artillery intended for the expedition were in the ships which had missed their way, and whose arrival, considering the weather conditions, could not be counted on, at least for some time, if at all. Under these circumstances, Bouvet, the Vice-Admiral, decided, in spite of the remonstrances of General Grouchy, Hoche’s second in command, to return to France. Hoche and the Admiral never even approached the Irish coast. After undergoing many perils, their ship reached LaRochelle (January 12th). There is little doubt that, if the originally intended force of 15,000 men had succeeded in landing, the available English troops could not have offered any effectual resistance.
