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pain of death, unless authorized to quit by written orders from the commander in chief for that purpose.

It is also ordered, that a guard shall be kept in rear of the different armies, with orders to shoot all perfons who fhall fly or defert from any engagement; and that these orders fhall be taken notice of by all officers commanding in fuch engagement.

All men refufing to obey their fuperior officers, to be tried by a court martial and punished according to their fentence.

It is ordered, that all men who fhall attempt to leave their refpective quarters, when they have been halted by the commander in chief, fhall fuffer death, unless they shall have leave from their officers for fo doing.

It is ordered by the commander in chief, that all perfons, who have stolen or taken away any horfe or horfes, fhall immediately bring in all fuch horfes to the camp, at head quarters, otherwife for any horse that shall be found in the poffeffion of any perfon to whom he does not belong, that perfon fhall on being convicted thereof, fuffer death.

And any goods that fhall have been plundered from any houfe, if not brought into head quarters, or returned immediately to the houfes or owners, that all perfons fo plundering as aforefaid, fhall, on being convicted thereof, fuffer death.

It is also refolved, that any perfon, who fhall take upon them to kill or murder any perfon or prifoner, burn any houfe, or commit any plunder, without special written orders from the commander in chief, fhall fuffer death. By Order of B. B. HARVEY, commander in Chief,

Head-Quarters, Carrick

Byrne Camp, June 6, 1798.

FRANCIS BREEN, Sec. and Adj.

A proclamation of fimilar tendency was iffued at Wexford on the 17th, addreffed to the infurgent armies by General Edward Roche, conceived in the following words:

To the People of Ireland.

COUNTRYMEN AND FELLOW SOLDIERS!

YOUR patriotic exertions in the caufe of your country have hitherto exceeded your most fanguine expectations, and in a fhort time muft ultimately be crowned with fuccefs. Liberty has raifed her drooping

head,

head, thoufands daily flock to her ftandard, the voice of her children every where prevails. Let us then in the moment of triumph, return thanks to the Almighty Ruler of the Universe, that a total stop has been put to those fanguinary measures, which of late were but too often reforted to by the creatures of government, to keep the people in flavery.

your

Nothing now my countrymen, appears neceffary to fecure the conquefts you have already won, but an implicit obedience to the commands of chiefs; for through a want of proper fubordination and discipline, all changed.

may be

At this eventful period, all Europe muft admire, and pofterity will read with aftonishment, the heroic acts achieved by people strangers to military tactics, and having few profeffional commanders; but what power can refift men fighting for liberty?

In the moment of triumph, my countrymen, let not your victories be tarnished with any wanton act of cruelty; many of those unfortunate men now in prison were not your enemies from principle; most of them, compelled by neceffity, were obliged to oppofe you; neither let a difference in religious fentiments cause a difference among the people. Recur to the debates in the Irish House of Lords on the 19th of February laft; you will there fee a patriotic and enlightened Proteftant bishop (Down, and many of the lay lords) with manly eloquence, pleading for Catholic emancipation and parliamentary reform, in oppofition to the haughty arguments of the lord chancellor, and the powerful oppofition of his fellow-courtiers.

To promote a union of brotherhood and affection among our countrymen of all religious perfuafions, has been our principal object: we have fworn in the moft folemn manner, have affociated for this laudable purpose, and no power on earth fhall shake our resolution.

To my Proteftant foldiers I feel much indebted for their gallant behaviour in the field, where they exhibited fignal proofs of bravery in the cause. Wexford, June 7, 1798.

EDWARD ROCHE.

No..

VOL. II.

78

No. CXV.

(Page 758.)

Refutation of the Charges against Dr. Caulfield and the Catholic Clergy of

Wexford.

SIR Richard Mufgrave, in a pamphlet entitled, Obfervations on the Reply of the Rev. Doctor Caulfield, and of the Roman Catholic Clergy of Wexford, has lately published a copy of an affidavit without any date, fuppofed to have been made by one Higginbottom, with a view to criminate the Catholic bishop of Ferns and his clergy, to the following effect, viz.

John Higginbottom fweareth on the Holy Evangelifts, that he was a prifoner with the rebels in Gorey, the day of the battle of Arklow; that he was bailed out by Furlong, D'Arcy, and Roffiter, of Gorey, and thereby permitted to be a prifoner at large; that he went with Roffiter into D'Arcy's, a public house, and into a room where they fat to drink, and shortly after, Kavanagh and Synnott, priefts, and two other rebels, came in to them; that, after fome time, Synnott faid, Murphy had but seven men when he began the business, and now you fee what it has come to; he then took out a letter and fhewed it to Redmond, faying, you may read that, and fee how long I have been concerned in this bufinefs; and though I ftood againft it as long as I could, you may fee, in that letter, how I was compelled by my bishop to it: fome time after, while the battle raged and could be heard, he faid, there are fome people now lathed round hell with an iron flail.

Sworn before me, PETER BROWNE.

JOHN HIGGINBOTTOM.

I certify, that the above affidavit was made before me, and that I know Higginbottom well, and believe him to be well worthy of credit. PETER BROWNE, Dean of Ferns.

Too many perfons are attempted to be traduced and criminated by the publication of the above affidavit, not to fet the public right upon the fact. The prurient luft for falfehood in fome authors is as unbounded as it is incomprehenfible. The following declaration of Mr. Synnott is fubmitted to the reader, with fome affidavits of refpectable perfons in refutation of that of Higginbottom.

I, John Synnott, parish prieft of Gorey, mentioned, or fuppofed to be mentioned, in a form of affidavit, faid to have been made by John Higginbottom, and publifhed in a pamphlet entitled, Obfervations on the Reply of the Right

Rev.

Rev. Doctor Caulfield, &c. Dublin, printed by Marchbank, 1802, and fuppofed to be written by Sir Richard Mulgrave, Bart, feeling myfelf criminally and falfely charged therein, deem it a duty to the public and myself to do away, fo far as in my lies, the unfavorable impreffion which the misstatements of the publisher are calculated to make to the prejudice of my bishop and of the Roman Catholic miniftry in general, do make the following folemn decla

ration:

In the awful prefence of Almighty God, the fovereign judge of the living and the dead, I do folemnly declare, that I was not in Gorey during the battle of Arklow; that I was not in D'Arcy's houfe on that day; and that I did not fee the deponent, John Higginbottom, during the battle of Arklow, or on that whole day; that I did not any where take out or fhew Redmond the letter referred to in the faid affidavit, fetting forth how long I was concerned in the business (rebellion), and that though I stood against it as long as I could, I was compelled by the bishop to it; that I never expreffed or ufed fuch words, or others of fimilar tendency attributed to me; nor thefe-there are fome people now lashed round hell with an iron flail, words which I never heard of until I read them in the alleged affidavit of Higginbottom. I also declare in fame manner, that I could not fhew any letter of the import alluded to above, because I never received from my bishop, Right Rev. Doctor Caulfield, any letter, tending to fedition, turbulence, or rebellion; on the contrary, I received feveral letters from him, in the courfe of the year, before the rebellion, and in the beginning of that very year until he was called to Dublin, directing and ordering me and the other clergy of the diftrict, to use our utmost endeavours to imprefs on our flocks respectively the finfulnets of unlawful oaths, of all combinations or confpiracies, and unlawful meetings, tending to fedition, turbulence, or disturbance of the public peace and tranquillity, and that fuch had been the Doctor's conftant theme whenever he perfonally met his clergy, uniformly on fuch occafions, and by circular letters, declaring, that any Roman Catholic, who did not conduct himself conformably to these instructions, was abfolutely difqualified, and could not be admitted to facraments: that loyalty to our king, and fubmiffion to his government, were indifpenfable Chriftian duties, and that no one can be a good Chriftian, who is not a good subject.

How or why that supposed affidavit without date, has not made its appearance in public till this late period, is not cafily accounted for, or how it could have

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have fo long eluded the diligence of the compiler of the memoirs: but let the candid public compare it with what I have now truly fet forth, (which I am ready to declare on oath in any court) and with the following affidavits made by the very men ftated to have been prefent, when the fubject matter of Higginbottom's affidavit occurred, and let them or any man of common fenfe judge of its authenticity, and how far it tends to criminate the conduct of Dr. Caulfield, and reverend Father Kavanagh, fo often mentioned in those memoirs, published by Sir Richard Musgrave.

Gorey, 4th Nov. 1802.

JOHN SYNNOTT, P. P.

I. Matthew D'Arcey, late of Gorey, fweareth on the holy Evangelifts, that he lived in Gorey the day of the battle of Arklow; that he remembers John Higginbottom to have been in his houfe that day in company with John Roffiter, of Gorey, has no recollection of Rev. John Synnott, or Rev. Francis Kavanagh, to have been in his house, or in Higginbottom's company on that day; and positively denies to have not seen or heard any thing of the letter spoken of in Higginbottom's affidavit; and further faith, that his affidavit is made at the request of the Rev. John Synnott, of the county Wexford.

HUGH TREVOR.

Dublin, June 15th, 1802.

MATTHEW D'ARCEY.

II. John Redmond, late of Kilkavin, in the county of Wexford, maketh oath on the Holy Evangelifts, that the Rev. John Synnott never shewed him any fuch letter from his bishop, nor ever used any fuch expreffions in his hearing, as stated in John Higginbottom's affidavit, and that he, John Redmond, was as far diftant from Gorey as Kilkhavin, which is three miles, from the commencement of the battle of Arklow until the day following; and further faith, that this affidavit is made at the request of the Rev. John Synnott, of the county Wexford. Sworn before me this 15th day of June, 1802. JOHN REDMOND. HUGH TREVOR.

III. County of Wexford to Wit.-The Rev. Patrick Stafford, of Clonfilla, in faid county, priest, came before me one of the juftices of the peace for faid county, and made his voluntary oath on the Holy Evangelifts, that on

the