of Paul Jones, the American naval
hero, upon Belfast and other points on the coast. The citizens of
Belfast enrolled themselves for their own defence. Other towns
followed, and the contagion spread with such rapidity that in a short
time there was in existence a volunteer force of 60,000 men.

Dismayed at the swiftness of the movement, England hesitated; but how
could she {235} deny her colony the right of self-defence? They were
given the arms which had been intended for the Protestant militia. And
so, when the House of Commons marched in a body to the Lord Lieutenant,
and presented their address to the Crown, it had 60,000 armed men
behind it!

The Viceroy wrote to England that unless the trade restrictions were
removed, he would not answer for the consequences. Lord North had
enough to do with one rebellion on his hands; and, besides, George III.
might have need of some of those 60,000 soldiers before he got through
with America. So the Prime Minister yielded. The first victory was
gained, and the other quickly followed. American independence was
acknowledged; England was in no mood to defy another colony with
rebellion in its heart. The Poynings Act once more, and now for all
time, was repealed, and the Irish Parliament was a free and independent
body. Grateful for this partial emancipation, it voted L100,000 to
Grattan.

But this legislative triumph did not feed the people. It was only the
seed out of which future prosperity was to grow. A vague expectation
of instant relief was {236} bitterly disappointed when it was found
instead that they were sinking deeper every day in the hopeless abyss
of poverty and degradation. There had come into existence an
organization called the "White Boys," with no political or religious
purpose, simply a fraternity of wretchedness; beings made desperate by
want, standing ready to commit any violence which offered relief. At
the same time an irritation born of misery brought the Protestants and
Catholics in the North into fierce collision; and the germ of the
future Orange societies appeared.

These small storm-centres were all soon to be drawn into a larger one.
In 1791 the "Society of United Irishmen" was formed at Belfast. It was
merely a patriotic attempt to sink minor differences in an organization
in which all could join. With the rising of the general tide of misery
it changed in character, and fell into the control of a band of
restless spirits led by W