CONTENTS

selves — His advice to them — Eeceives reports of secret drilling from drunken soldier — Leaves him to be examined, and goes to study coast-line — Having visited possible landing-places and country near coast returns to hear the man's evidence, which proves incoherent, but Moore sends Skibbereen a cavalry detachment and keeps patrols going all night, reinforces guards, Moore personally visiting them at 3 A.M. — Moore makes a noteworthy speech to the troops — Deprecates religious animosity and especially Orange meetings — Moore shows confidence in loyalty of Militia generally

— Idle rumours a reason for circumspection, not for panic — The calm before the storm — St. Patrick's Day passes off exceptionally quietly — Moore endeavours to get a worthless officer dismissed — Drunkenness has been so habitually tolerated among the officers of electioneering interest that Moore faces odium by insisting on their being justly dealt with — Moore, though unable to get definite evidence, is convinced that Westmeath Militia is disaffected — It is chiefly the fault of the Colonel and officers — Moore having sent Skibbereen a cavalry detachment delights local gentry — They begin to act — Moore reports on defence against invasion — Sir Ralph issues order privately on scandalous neglect of their regiments by Colonels who are members of Parliament and men of rank — His order of 6th February 1798 : " The Army is in a state of licentiousness that must render them formidable to any one but the enemy " — The order further requires conformity to the law as to the troops only acting under the order of a Civil Magistrate — The private order is made public by influential people who had "been used to being complimented and could not bear the language of truth " — It raises a storm — Moore is delighted by Sir Kalph's mode of facing it, and wishes, if Sir Kalph has to go, to go too — He is dissuaded by Sir Ralph lest any semblance of party action should be imported into a simple question of justice and right — Moore receives the information of one brother, O'Connor, against another, and acts thereon in a way to make it as little annoying as possible

— Moore receives orders to disarm the baronies of Carbery — The Lord-Lieutenant proclaims the whole kingdom, and directs the Commander-in-chief to take the most effectual steps to quell it — Sir Kalph issues an order cancelling his previous instruction for the troops only to act on the order of the Civil Magistrate and simultaneously asks to be recalled — Sir Ealph confidentially explains to Moore the inner circumstances of the Government — Base action of the Lord Chancellor's clique, shirking responsibility but wishing for crime carried out by the Army — Weakness of Lord Camden, who knows what is right but fears to do it — Sir Ralph, though he has asked for recall, is required by Lord Camden to carry out in the south the measures he disapproves — Sir Ralph under protest com-plies, but insists that on his return to Dublin he may quit the country — The utter feebleness of the Lord- Lieutenant's orders for the defence of the country and the imbecile violence so disgusts Moore that he writes privately to England begging for his own