with that view endeavoured to encourage all Diffenters to enter into a general confederacy for the purpose, and proceeding in the execution of that scheme, by selecting fuch parts of England as abounded moft with them, and numbering the inhabitants, with the different modes of their religious worship, to fhow that the number of inhabitants of the eftablifhed Religion was not equal to that of Diffenters of all denominations. for this purpofe he put forward what is called Statifical Inquiries in particular places, fuch as Bermingham, &c.; and to give an importance to his feditious operations, and to difguife them as the mere fpeculative purfuits of a philofopher, he coined the quaint term Statistical; a Statifical Inquiry, in the vulgar tongue, fignifying nothing more than an Inquiry into the State. This mode of inquiry has been taken up fince in England by a refpe&table baronet, I belive for laudable purposes. The Romanifts and Jacobins in the Royal Irifh Academy procured a Committee of Statistical Inquiry to be appointed by the Society (the Members probably of their own nomination), for the enumeration of the inhabitants of Ireland, distinguifhing rhe religious perfuafion of each perfon. A Form was printed by this Committee, in columns, directing the mode in which the returns of the number, religion, and occupations of the inhabitants of each parifh, barony, county, and diocefe, in the kingdom, was to be made; and by the printed Form it appears, that the whole was to have been executed by the Romish Parith Priefts throughout the kingdom: When the Romifh Priest of each parifn had fabicated his ftatistical account of the numbers, religion, and occupation of the inhabitants of his parish, he was to fhew it (if he thought fit) to the Proteftant or Diffenting Minifter of

the

1

the parifh, and requeft his fignature. This Committee well knew, that not one Proteftant Minifter in one hundred would fign fuch an account, made up by the Romish Prieft. The printed Form alfo contained a Refolution of this Committee, to apply to the Romish titular Bifhops, requesting their affiftance in making this ftatistical inquiry, and the Copy of a Letter to be written by them refpectively to each of their fubordinate Priefts. The Committee managed the whole bufinefs in the Society.

This was a scheme equally fradulent and dangerous calculated by the original projector or projectors for the mere purpose of fapping the Proteftant intereft in Ireland. The Committee for Statistical Inquiries paffed over the Proteftant Minifters, and felected the Romish Priests throughout the kingdom, to make this inquiry, well knowing that they would make returns in the fame fpirit with Huffey, titular Bifhop of Waterford, who stated, in a feditious pamphlet published by him, that Irish Romanifts exceeded Irish Proteftants in the kingdom at large, in the proportion of ten to one; and in that of one hundred to one in the diocese of Waterford: A moft impudent falfehood! The Proteftants, as appears by the printed Form, were to be fubdivided by the Romifh Priefts into different fects, fuch as Proteftants, Prefbyterians, Quakers, Methodists, &e. fo as to make the numbers of each fect, when compared with the Romanifts, appear in a diminished ratio; and to withdraw the attention of thofe, into whofe hands the publicationof the refult of the ftatistical inquiry fhould come, from the fum total of the Proteftants, and to fix it on the aggregate exaggerated number of Romanists; though, as Romanifts confider all who are not of their communion

to

to be Heretics, and are equal enemies to them all, in comparing the relative numbers of Irish Proteftants and Romanists, all perfons who are not Romanists, are justly to be accounted on the Proteftant fide; it being equally the intereft of them all to oppofe the perfecuting fpirit of Popery, the common enemy. The time of inftituting this inquiry is worthy of remark. The Refolution of the Committee to employ the Romith Priests in the bufinefs, in the printed Form in my poffeffion, bears date June 20th, 1795, the very time when the Romanifts throughout the kingdom were bufily employed in preparing for a general Infurrection, and, as they ftyled it, organizing their army; and the refult of fuch an inquiry made by the Romih Priefts throughout the nation, but published under the fanction and authority of so respectable a body as the Royal Irish Academy, as a mere philofophical transaction, detached from all fufpicion of party intrigue, the projectors knew would give mighty encouragement to the Infurrection, by the falfe and inflated account of the numbers and ftength of Irish Romanifts, when compared with the dwarfish representation of their opponents, which they knew would be contained in it. This would add to the confidence of the Rebels, and deprefs the fpirits of the loyal inhabitants. The projectors alfo knew, that fuch a fra lulent inquiry would have a ftrong effect in Great Britain in their favour, in the event either of the fuccefs or fuppreffion of the Rebellion.

It is not generally known how far this inquiry has been proceeded on ; but this is certain, that, antecedent to the Rebellion, feveral perfons who joined in it, and fome of whom were flain in the progrefs of it, others

hanged

hanged on its fuppreffion, and fome who have been ac quitted on trials for treafon by the provifions of the Amnefty Bill, were very active in making the inquiry, and proceeded on it under the form prefcribed by the Committee for Statistical Inquiry. Perhaps the refpectable Members of the Society have been awakened from their flumbers by the dangerous and fraudulent tendency of the measure, and have defeated the project,

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No. 2

Extract from the Irish Act of the 33d of His prefent Majefty (1793), entitled, An Act for the Relief of His Majefty's Popish or Roman Catholic Subjects of Ireland.'

SECT. IX.

PROVIDED always, and be it enacted, That nothing herein contained fhall extend, or be conftrued to extend, . to enable any perfon to fit or vote in either House of Parliament, or to hold, exercise, or enjoy the office of Lord Lieutenant, Lord Deputy, or other chief Governor or Governors of this kingdom; Lord High Chancellor, or Keeper, or Commiffioner of the Great Seal of this Kingdom; Lord High Treasurer, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Chief Juftice of the Court of King's Bench or Common Pleas, Lord Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer, Juftice of the Court of King's Bench or Common Pleas, or Baron of the Court of Exchequer, Judge of the High Court of Admiralty, Master or Keeper of the Rolls, Secretary of State, Keeper

of

of the Privy Seal, Vice-treafurer, Teller or Cashier of the Exchequer, or Auditor General, Lieutenant or Governor, or Cuftos Rotulorum of Counties, Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant, Lord Deputy, or other chief Governor, or Governors of this Kingdom, Member of His Majefty's most honourable Privy Council, Prime Serjeant, Attorney General, Soliciter General, Second and Third Serjeants at Law, or King's Counfel, Masters in Chancery, Provoft or Fellow of the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, Postmaster-general, Master and Lieutenant-general of His Majefty's Ordnance, Commander in Chief of His Majefty's Forces, Generals on the Staff, and Sheriffs and Sub-fheriffs of any County in this Kingdom, or any office contrary to the rules, orders, and directions made and established by the Lord Lieutenant and Council, in pursuance of the Act paffed in the 17th and 18th years of the reign of King Charles the Second, entitled, An Act for explaining fome Doubts arifing upon an Act, entitled, An Act for the better Execution of His Majefty's gracious • Declaration for the Settlement of his Kingdom of Ireland, and Satisfaction of the feveral Interests of Adventurers, Soldiers. and other his Subjects there;' and for making Jome Alterations of, and Additions unto, the said Act, for the more fpeedy aad effectual Settlement of this Kingdom; unless he fhall have taken, made, and fubfcribed the oaths and declarations, and performed the feveral requifites, which by any law heretofore made, and now of force, are required, to enable any person to fit or vote, or to hold, exercife, and enjoy the faid offices respectively.

No.