TTNITED IRISH LEAGUE OF AMERICA. 64;! UNITED PROVINCES OF AGRA. 31 nionibers at large. The National Convention is held biennially or oftcner at the discretion of the national coniniittec. UNITED IRISHMEN, Society of. An Irish revolutionary society founded in 1791. It was an outgrowth of the sentiments inspired in Ireland by the French Revolution, which found earliest acceptance among the Presbyterians of Ulster, especially Belfast. Its ol>ject was to obtain com- plete political emancipation of both Catholics and Dissenters, and to reform the Irish Parlia- ment. It soon- spread among the Catholics of the south, and even members of the Established Church joined the movement. The Government in 1783 i)asscd the Relief Act in the Irish Parlia- ment. This gave the suffrage to Catholics, but did not qualify them for office. An attempted measure of Parliamentary reform was, however, rejected in 1704, and the recall of Lord Fitz- william removed the hopes of the society for re- form through Parliamentary means. The society then became more revolutionary, collected arms and became to all intents and purposes a mili- tary organization. It promised the confiscation of the land of hostile landlords to the peasants and sent emissaries to France for aid. Its nu- merical strength was greatly increased in the south by the action of the Orangemen of Ulster (Peep o' Day Boys) in expelling the Catholic inhabitants, who were forced to find refuge in the south. In 179G Wolf Tone, the chief agent in the organization of the society, was sent to France to procure military aid, and an expedi- tion of 15.000 troops under the command of Hoche (q.v. ) was fitted out. A violent tempest, however, prevented the French from landing and the expedition accomplished nothing. The so- ciety, nevertheless, remained ready for an in- vasion. Two directories were established, one in Belfast, and the other in Dublin. They were reputed to have 200,000 recruits, but the num- ber was certainly an exaggeration. Meanwhile the Government resolved to repress the move- ment before an invasion by France could be attempted, and under the pretext of repressing disorder the leaders of the movement in Ulster were arrested, and the Protestant militia and yeomanry let loose on the population of the south. This irregular force committed the great- est brutalities, it being evidently the intention of the Government to incite the peasantry to open rebellion before the preparations for a revolu- tion could be completed. The rebellion broke out on May 3, 1798. and was confined to parts of Leinster. As it necessarily assumed the aspect of a religious war, the Presbyterians of Ulster took no part in it. The rebellion was suppressed before the arrival of the French, and shortly afterwards Wolfe Tone himself was cap- tured. The Constitution and Oath of the Society are printed in Plowden, Bistort/ of Ireland, vol. iii. (Philadelphia, 1806). Consult also The Proceedings of the Dublin Society (Philadelphia, 1795). The most complete work on the subject is Madden. The United Irishmen (Dublin, 1858). For a brief account consult Hassencamp, History of Ireland (London, 1888). UNITED METHODIST FREE CHURCHES. See Methodism. UNITED PRESBYTERIANS. See Pres- BYTEKI.^NISil. UNITED PROVINCES. See Xeiiieklands. UNITED PROVINCES OF AGRA AND OUDH, formerly Xortiiwe.stkbn Phovinces . d OiDii. A province of Uritish India, occupying the Upper Ganges Valley. It is bounded by Tibet, Nepal, Bengal, the native States of Centr.al India, Kajputana, and the Punjab (Map: India, 3). Total area, 112,243 square miles, of which 83,- 198 belong to the Territory of Agra, 23.90G to Oudh, and .'5079 to the native States of Garhwal and Rampur. Except the extreme northern part, which is a wild and elevated mountain re- gion of the Himalayas, the province is a low alluvial plain watered by the Ganges and its numerous large i)aralh'l tributaries, chief of which is the .Jumna. The climate is hot and un- healthful, especially in the large, marshy jungle region along the base of the mountains. "The soil is fertile, but the western and southern parts of the province have a very uncertain rainfall, and are subject to severe droughts, so that these regions would be practically a desert were it not for their numerous large streams. Extensive irrigation works have been con- structed. The area irrigated in 1900 was esti- mated at 8,234,000 acres, or about one-third of the total cropped area. About two-thirds of this area was irrigated from wells and the re- mainder principally from reservoirs (tanks) and Government canals. The different crops produced are of more nearly equal importance than in any other province. The region ranks next to the Punjab as a wheat producer, and though rice is of nuich less relative importance than it is in Ben- gal and some of the other provinces, it covers almost as great an extent as does wheat, or about 4,500,000 acres. There are large acreages of millet, pulse, and other food grains. More sugar-cane is grown (1,000,000 acres) than in any other governmental district, and opium, cotton-oil seeds, and indigo receive considerable attention. The people eat little animal food, and stock-raising is of subsidiary importance. Cattle and buffaloes take the place of horses. Jlodern methods of manufacturing have been little adopted. There are six cotton mills, em- ploying about 7500 hands. Four of these mills are located at Cawnpore. The Ganges affords a means of water transportation. The province is better supplied with railroads than any other in India. It exports large quantities of oil seeds, wheat, raw cotton, hides, sugar, in- digo, and opium, and imports cotton goods, metals, railroad materials, coal, and salt. A frontier trade is carried on with Tibet and Nepal. The LTnited Provinces are under the adminis- trative control of a Lieutenant-Governor ap- pointed bv the Governor-General of India. There is a legislative council of 15 members, of whom 7 may be officials. There are 104 mu- nicipalities, in 98 of which the taxpaj-ers elect a majority of the members of the municipal boards. There are also 44 district boards, over four- fifths of the aggregate number of board members being elected. There was a police force, in 1898, aggregating 24.888 officers and men. For the year ending March 31, 1901, the revenue collected amounted to .$42,325,300, and the expenditure was $20,437,430. Allahabad is the capital. In 1901 the population of the United Provinces without Oudh (q.v.) numbered 34.812,000. or 417 to the square mile. The eastern part is the
