taking upon itfelf the government of them, and levying taxes or fubfcriptions to be applied at the difcretion of fuch reprefentative body, or of perfons deputed by them, is alfo incompatible with the public fafety and tranquility.”

AT A MEETING OF THE

DISSENTING MINISTERS OF BELFAST,

HELD ON THE 11TH DAY OF MARCH, 1793: IT was agreed, that the following declaration be published, and a copy of it tranfmitted to the Lord Chancellor.

HAVING feen in the report of the Lords' Committees, dated 7th March, 1793, the following words, viz. " Prayers have been offered up at Bel

faft, from the pulpit, for the fuccefs of their "arms," meaning the arms of the French, “in the prefence of military affociations which have been newly levied and arrayed in that town,"

WE, whofe names are hereunto annexed, stated minifters of diftin&t Proteftant Diffenting Congregations in the town of Belfast, do hereby folemnly declare, each of us for himself, that the information given to their Lordships of the committees, upon this fubject is, as far as concerns us, totally groundlefs.

JAMES BRYSON,
P. VANCE,

WILL. BRUCE, D. D.

Principal of the Belfast Academy.

SINCE the French declaration of war against Great-Britain and Ireland was known here, I did not pray for the "Succefs of their Arms ;" I do not recollect that I ever ufed the words; I am certain that I never prayed for fuccefs to the French arms before any military affociation.

T

SINCLARE KELBURN.

CERTAIN circumftances having prevented me from attending the meeting of the Diffenting Minifters of Belfast, on the 11th inftant; at which they agreed to exculpate themfelves from certain charges contained in the report of the Lords' Committees, relative to them, by a folemn declaration, that the information given to their Lordships, on which the faid charges are founded, is totally groundless :—In this declaration, as fubfcribed by the Revd. Meffrs. Bryfon, Vance, and Bruce, I for myself, fully and perfectly concur.

Belfast, March 12th, 1793.

WM. CARMICHAEL.

Extract of a public Letter, dated 11th March, from the Right Hon. Secretary Robert Hobart, to the Sovereign of Belfast.

"YOU will be pleafed to apprize the leading perfons concerned in the armed affociations of Belfaft, that it is deemed to be the indifpenfible duty of government to forbid all unlawful meetings, under whatever pretence they may affemble, which 1preads terror among his Majefty's liege fübjectsand it will be right to acquaint them, that if after the warning held out to them by the proclamation, they fhall perfift in their illegal affemblies, the Magiftrates will think themselves bound to difperfe the fame, and bring the perfons concerned therein to the juft punishment of the law.

"It is hoped that the proclamation will of itself have full effect, and that no perfon whatever, will attempt to violate the law in that behalf, efpecially as ignorance thereof can, after fuch warning, be no longer pleaded. If, however, any body of men fhall, in defiance of faid proclamation, appear in arms, it will then be the duty of the Magifirates to direct them to difperfe; and if they fhall fail to dif

perfe upon the order of the Magiftrate, fuch Magiftrate will arret the leaders of the faid body, and if he fhall be refifted in the execution of his duty, he is to apply to General Whyte, who will afford him fuch afiftance as fhall be neceffary to enable him to carry the laws into execution. And, if any body fhall again affemble in arms in Belfast, and the neighbourhood, the Magiftrate will exert himfelf to prevent the fame, for which purpose, General Whyte has directions to give every affiftance in his power."

BY THE LORD LIEUTENANT AND COUNCIL OF IRELAND,

A PROCLAMATION.

WESTMORLAND.

WHEREAS it appears by the report from the Lords Committees, appointed to enquired into the caufes of the diforders and difturbances which prevail in feveral parts of this kingdom, that certain feditious and ill affected perfons in feveral parts of the north of this kingdom, particularly in the town of Belfast, have endeavoured to foment and encourage discontent, and by feditious publications circulated amongst the people, and calculated to defame the Govern ment and the Parliament, have endeavoured to render people diffatisfied with their condition, and with the laws.

AND whereas it appears to us, by the faid report, that feveral bodies of men have been collected into armed affociations, and have been levied and arrayed in the faid town of Belfast, and that arms and gun-powder, to a very large amount, have been fent thither; that bodies of men in arms are drilled and exercifed by day and by night, and that the declared object of the faid armed bodies is redrefs of alleged grievances, but that the obvious intention of molt of them appears to be to overawe the Parliament and the government, and to dictate to both,

AND whereas thefe dangerous and feditious proceedings tend to the disturbance of the public peace, the obstruction of good order and government, to the great injury of public credit, and the fubverfion of the conftitution, and have raised great alarms in the minds of his Majefty's loyal fubjects.

Now we the Lord Lieutenant and Council, being determined to maintain the public peace against all attempts to disturb the fame, and being defirous to forewarn all fuch perfons as might unadvifedly incur the penalties of the law in this behalf, by concurring in practices of a tendency fo dangerous and alarming, do hereby ftrictly charge all perfons whomfoever, on their allegiance to his Majefty, to abftain from committing fuch offences refpectively.

AND we do charge and command the Magiftrates, Sheriffs, Bailiffs, and other Peace Officers, having jurifdiction within the faid town of Belfast, and the feveral diftris adjacent thereto, to be careful in preferving the peace within the fame, and to dif perfe all feditious and unlawful affemblies; and if they fhall be reiiited, to apprehend the offenders, that they may be dealt with according to law.

GIVEN at the Council-Chamber in Dublin, the 11th day of March, 1793.

Fitz Gibbon, C. R. Dublin, Charles Cafhel, Waterford, Westmeath, Shannon, Bellamont, Chas. Fitz-Gerald, Glandore, Dillon, Valentia, Pery, Gosford, Clonmell, Loftus, Mufkerry, Mountjoy, Carleton, J. Beresford, J. H. Hutchinfon, Lucius O'Brien, J. Biaquiere, H. Langrithe, T. Conolly, Theo. Jones, Henry King, H. T. Clements, R. Cunninghame, James Cuff, R. Hobart, D. Latouche, J. Monk Mafon, James Fitzgerald, R. Longfield, Wm. Forward.

GOD SAVE THE KING.

IN compliance with the proclamation, the Volun teers ceafed to parade, or any longer to appear in military array.

STRICTURES ON THE TEST,

TAKEN BY CERTAIN OF

THE SOCIETIES OF UNITED IRISHMEN;

WITH ANSWERS TO THE SAME:

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE BELFAST NEWS-LETTER.

STRICTURE.
NO. I.

I, A. B. in the prefence of God do pledge myself to

my country, that I will ufe all my abilities and infiu

ence in the attainment of an impartial and adequate reprefentation of the Irish nation in Parliament; and as a means of abfolute and immediate neceflity, in "the establishment of this chief good of Ireland, I will "endeavour, as much as lies in my ability, to forward a "brotherhood of affection, an identity of intereft, a "communion of rights and an union of power among Irishmen of all religious perfuafions, without which every "reform of Parliament muft be partial, not national, inadequate to the wants, delufive to the wiflies, and "infufficient for the freedom and happiness of this "country."

THIS Test, originally taken by the Societies of United Irishmen in Dublin, has fince been adopted by a refpectable community of the fame denomination in Belfast--affociated no doubt with the best views and for the nobleft purposes, but actuated by a zeal more ardent in the pursuit of their object than difcreet in the means of obtaining it. It has lately been rejected by other focieties and individuals en