66 of the two countries affords the ready and fure means: but the non-application of them may be irretrievably fatal to the British empire. On the very day, on which the unfortunate Efmond was difgracing the caufe of his king, country, and religion, the chief of the Catholics in and about Dublin,* were exerting their utmost endeavours to affert the unshaken loyalty of themselves and the refpectable part of their body, against the malevolent attempts of their enemies to affix the guilt of rebellion upon the whole Catholic body, and to render the present disastrous contest the more bloody and ferocious by throwing in the deadly venom of religious acri mony. In the raging violence of open hoftilitics between a powerful army and an incenfed, licentious, and vindictive populace, without difcipline or command, many of them unprovided with arms, and more unaccustomed to use them, it was to be expected, that every latent spark of diffidence, animofity, or hatred fhould be mutually blown into a flame, and rendered as malevolently active against the adverfe party as the vindictive ingenuity of depraved ferocity could devife. The original founders, the chief promoters and conductors of the rebellious union were all Proteftants (except Efinond, M'Nevin, and fome few others) but the great mafs of the unfortunate and wretched peasants, who had been feduced or goaded into infurgency, undoubtedly were moftly Roman Catholics. There were fome corps of Catholic yeomanry, as Lord Fingal's; there were feveral Catholics in fome of the Protef tant corps of yeomen; moft of the Irifh militia-men were Catholic, but the rest of the army were to a man Proteftant. Unfortunately the virulency of the conteft was sharpened by the infufion of all the embittered rancour and opprobrium refpectively attached to the terms Papift and Heretic. Thefe antiquated flambeaux of religious bigottry were lighted up anew by both * On the 24th of May the following notice was given in the Dublin Journal and other papers. "Roman Catholics. An addrefs to the lord lieutenant, intended to be immediately prefented, and containing a declaration of political principles applicable to the circumftances of the present mo"ment, lies, for fignature, at Fitzpatrick's, bookfeller, Ormond-quay; at the Earl of Fingal's, "Great George's-ftreet, Rutland's-fquare; Lord Viscount Kenmare's, Great George's-ftreet; Ma"lachy Donelan's, Efq. Mountjoy's-square; and Counsellor Bellew's, No. 6, Upper Gardiner's"ftreet, Mountjoy's-fquare. All fignatures must be given in on or before Saturday next." Two addreffes to the lord lieutenant from the Roman Catholics, are to be seen in Appendix, No. CX. parties, parties, and used by them mutually as the most destructive weapons of their keenly and resents more highly than the Irish the sufferings and oppreffions of their ancestors: none fo perfonally make a common cause with them; because none hold them in so much respect and veneration. Their own sufferings under the penal code for a length of time, and the recent provocations which they had received from the picketings, whippings, half hangings, burnings, ravishings, and free-quarters of the army, all operated to enflame the Irish against thofe, whom they in their native language called Safanagh, which meant indifferently English or Proteftants, and to which idea it was lamentably true, that recent circumftances prompted them to annex the most odious and fanguinary epithets. On the other hand every fiction, exaggeration, and obloquy of Popish fuperftition, Popish maffacre, and Popish cruelty, perfidy, and inhumanity were eagerly collected, improved upon, and circulated through the ranks to deaden humanity and irritate the ferocity of the troops. * The misfortune of civil war and rebellion is, that whilft the loyalifts command the fuperiority, they are too apt to follow up the rigor of the law, with more atrocity, than confideratenefs. It follows not, that because the law * The answer of Doctor M'Nevin to the Archbishop of Cafhel in the secret committee of the lords, elucidates and confirms this Statement. Mem. p. 71. Archbishop of Cafhel. Can you account for the maffacres committed upon the Protestants by "the Papifts in the county of Wexford ? "M'Nevin. My lord, I am far from being the apologift of maffacres, however provoked: but "if I am rightly informed as to the conduct of the magiftrates of that county, the maffacres you "allude to were acts of retaliation upon enemies, much more than fanaticism: moreover, my "lord, it has been the misfortune of this country, scarcely ever to have known the English na❝tives or fettlers, otherwife than enemies; and in his language the Irish peasant has but one name "for Proteftant and Englishman, and confounds them; he calls both by the name of Safanagh; "his converfation therefore is lefs against a religionift than against a foe, his prejudice is the ef"fect of the ignorance he is kept in, and the treatment he receives; how ean we be furprized at "it, when fo much pains are taken to brutalize him? "Lord Chancellor. I agree with Doctor M'Nevin; the Irish peasant confiders the two words "as fynonimous, he calls Proteftant and Englishman, indifferently, Safanagh." may may juftify the killing of a traitor with arms in his hands, that it is wife to carry on a war ad internecionem without quarter. Retaliation in fuch cafes muft be expected: and nothing fo effectually blunts the edge of cruelty as retaliation. It is a truth beyond queftion, that the military executions, which generally took place immediately after thefe engagements greatly irritated, and neceffarily therefore increafed the ferocity of the rebels. The bulletins, which daily announced the engagements with the rebels, feldom, if ever, reprefented the true numbers of the forces, or of the flain. Thefe mifreprefentations might have been well intended to infpire the loyalifts with confidence in themfelves and a contempt of the enemy. It is a ferious evil, when the people becomes convinced of the infincerity of government. On the 25th of May, a letter from General Dundas to Lord Caftlereagh was publifhed, in which it was afferted, that in an attack made upon a very large body of the rebels near Kilcullen Bridge, 130 of the rebels were flain, and not one of his majesty's troops was either killed or wounded. A like account was published from Hacketstown, received at the cafile from the Reverend James M'Ghee on the fame day. In confequence of an information, that a large body of rebels were marching to attack the town, Lieutenant Gardiner, with men under his command, and a party of yeomanry commanded by Captain Hardy, went out to meet them. Having reconnoitred their force, which amounted to between three and four hundred, they took poft on the hill under the church, and when the rebels came tolerably near, the officers and men made a feint, and retreated into the barracks. The rebels feeing this, came on with a great fhout, imagining the day to be their own. few minutes Captain Hume came up with about thirty of his troop, and instantly charged them, on which the rebels retreated. A general pursuit took place, and fo complete was the rout, that above three hundred of the mifcreants then lay dead on the field of battle. And not a man (Mr. Gardiner excepted, and one foldier who received a contufion in his arm) was in the leaft injured. In Wherever any rebels appeared in arms, an immediate attack and general pursuit usually enfued: in which none was fpared. The armed rebels generally escaped, and the flaughter fell on the difarmed multitude, who fled from fear and confternation. On the 26th of May, fome blood was really fpilled in the field of battle. A body of about 4000 rebels which had taken poft on the hill of Tarah in the county of Meath, was attacked by about 400 loyalifts loyalifts and completely routed, with the slaughter of three hundred and fifty of their men,* who according to the government account were found dead on the field of battle, together with their leader, in his uniform; but only with the lofs of nine killed and fixteen wounded of the victorious party, which was compofed of three companies of the regiment of Reay fencibles; Lord Fingal's troop of yeoman cavalry; thofe of Captain Preston and Lower Kells; and Captain Molloy's company of yeoman infantry. The army is alfo reported to have taken 300 horfes, and all the ammunition, arms, provifions, and baggage of the rebels, together with eight of the Reay fencibles whom they had taken prifoners. This defeat of the rebels at Tarah difconcerted their defign of falling upon Trim and Naas, and laying open the communication of the metropolis with the northern parts of the kingdom, as other fuccefsful movements produced the like effect in the weft. On the 26th of the month, in order to prevent a rifing within the city, the lord mayor of Dublin published in the newspapers and hand bills the following notice. "A CAUTION Left the innocent fhould fuffer for the guilty. "The lord mayor requests his fellow citizens to keep within their houfes as "much as poffible they can, fuitable to their convenience, after fun-fet, in this time of peril, as the ftreets fhould be kept as clear as poffible, fhould any tumult or rifing to fupport rebellion be attempted, in order that the troops and artillery may act with full effect in cafe of any difturbance." And the lord lieutenant in an official letter to the Duke of Portland on the fame day, affured his grace, that the city of Dublin had been perfectly tran *Mufg. p. 297. This author alfo reports, that the king's troops would have remained on the field all night, "but that they had not a fingle cartridge left either for the gun or the small arms.” The inference is then a most incredible panic in the rebels to flee from fuch inferiority of numbers, being ten to one, when the fire upon them had wholly ceased: to abandon their arms which could not have much encumbered a flight, made without purfuit, and to leave behind them their horses, which must have aided their escape, as it was frequent for two or three rebels to mount one horse for the fake of celerity. The fame author informs us also, that the rebels "made three defperate "onfets, and in the laft laid hold of the cannon." Thefe accounts will be marvellous to pofterity, when ocular evidence will exift no more. Either the rebels had no ammunition, or the king's troops were not, according to this author, prevented from the want of it from keeping the field. quil, quil, owing to the precautions which had been taken. It was impoffible to defcribe, in terms fufficiently ftrong, the indefatigable zeal, patience, and fpirit, of the yeomanry corps. Too much praife could not be given to his majesty's regular and militia forces; and the latter had had opportunities of evincing their fteadiness, difcipline, and bravery, which muft give the highest fatisfaction to his majesty, and infpire the beft grounded confidence in their exertion, should they have a more formidable enemy to contend with. The fame letter also stated, that a party of the rebels, to the amount of feveral hundreds, were attacked by a detachment of the Antrim militia, a small party of cavalry, and Captain Stratford's yeomanry; and that being driven into the town of Baltinglas, they loft about 150 men. And that on the fame morning an account had been received from Major Hardy, that the day before a body of three or four thousand had collected near Dunlavin, where they were entirely defeated, with the lofs of 500 men, by Lieutenant Gardner, at the head of a detachment of the Antrim militia, and Captain Hardy's and Captain Hume's yeomanry. That Lieutenant General Craig had left Dublin, in the hopes of meeting the body of rebels which had collected near Dunboyne, and parties were fent in different directions to furround them. They, however, fled in the night, on hearing the approach of the troops. That the general came up, with a party confifting of about 500, fome of whom were put to the fword. And that by accounts from the north, it appeared that the province of Ulfter was quiet. So befet were all the roads and communications to and with the metropolis by the rebels, that it had the appearance of a befieged city. The mail coaches had ceafed to run, and nothing could move with fafety on the road without a strong military efcort.* It would be painful to the reader to wade through the particular inftances of outrage and barbarity committed during this rebellion, both by the foldiery and the infurgents, in burning, plundering, maiming, torturing, ravishing, and murdering. Thefe barbarities were practifed reciprocally: and it is allowed by the beft informed and moft impartial perfons, that infinitely more cold blood was fhed, more property destroyed, * The author of the Memoirs (Mufg. 288) gives us here also some more incredible instances of the extreme ftupidity and cowardice of the infurgents: who having been informed of the intention of fending four waggons of ammunition to Naas, which were escorted by 24 men of the merchants corps, permitted them to proceed, although there were 1400 rebels in the woods ready to cut them off. more |