licy to refort to falfehood, in exaggerating the numbers of the rebels, in finking thofe of the loyalifts, in blackening the atrocities of the former, in foftening those of the latter; If however any state reafon could have been fupposed to exift by the moft alarmed, agitated and impaffioned loyalift, for thus reforting to fiction, falfity, or mifreprefentation, that time is gone by, and it is neceffary, that the light of truth, like the meridian fun, fhould thine equally upon Ireland, as upon the reft of the globe. It has been obferved, that whilft rebellion raged about the metropolis and to the Southward, the North, which had heretofore been confidered the hotbed of difaffection and treafon, was perfectly quiet: there both Diffenters and Catholics were prominent in conveying to government the strongest fentiments of loyalty and zeal for preferving the conftitution against external and internal foes. The ill fuccefs of the rebels in moft rencounters had partly opened the communication with the capital, which in the first days of the rebellion had been kept in a species of blockade. But infurrection burst out in a part † where it was leaft expected, and was growing into fo formidable a force, as to occafion the most ferious alarms for the safety of government. The County of Wexford had been but very recently and but partially organized, and many of it's Roman Catholic inhabitants had addreffed the lord lieutenant through the medium of the Earl of Mountnorris, protesting their loyalty, and pledging themselves to arm, if permitted, in defence of governRichard Musgrave, that the rebels fpared Catholics houses, property, and perfons, and confined their outrages to Proteftants. On the contrary they were furious against some Catholic clergymen, who ftrongly oppofed their principles and reprobated their conduct: they termed them Orange priefts. It is not true, as Sir R. Mufgrave states, (p. 315,) that all the Proteftant houses from "Baltinglafs to Hacketftown, Rathdrum and Bleflington were burned; but that the property of a "Roman Catholic did not receive the smallest injury in that extenfive tract." The property of Proteftants and Catholics was plundered indifcriminately by the rebels. They took away all the sheep of the Rev. Mr. Devoy, Popish priest of Ballymore Eustace, and bullocks and sheep to a large amount from the Rev. Richard Doyle of Welfield, which he claimed and received compenfation for from the commiffioners of fuffering loyalifts. The rebels burnt all Hacketstown (except that station defended by the military) and a great part of it was inhabited by the Catholics. Mr. Cullen, a refpectable old gentlemen of that town and a Roman Catholic, recovered compenfation for his houfe and property deftroyed on that occafion by the rebels. The rebels plundered and feized all property indiscriminately for fupport of their camp at Blackamore Hill. Many other Catholics in different parts of the kingdom fuffered, and received compenfation from the commiffioners. * Amongst many fuch addreffes a fample is given of both in the Appendix, No. CXI. ↑ Gordon, p. 86. ment, ment, whenever there should be occafion. Not above fix hundred men, at moft, of the regular army or militia were stationed in the county, the defence of which was almoft abandoned to the troops of yeomen and their fupplementaries, while the magiftrates in the feveral diftricts were employed in ordering the feizure, imprisonment, and whipping of numbers of fufpected perfons: thefe yeomen, being proteftants, and moftly Orangemen, acted with a spirit ill fitted to allay religious hatred, or to prevent a proneness to rebel. To excite fo violent an irritation by floggings, imprisonments, and a variety of insults, without fufficient means to enforce obedience, appears to have been an unfortunate mistake, as was alfo, that of the institution of yeomen cavalry instead of infantry. Whether any infurrection would in the then exifting state of the kingdom have taken place in the county of Wexford, or, in cafe of its eruption, how much lefs formidable and fanguinary it would have been, if no acts of feverity had been committed by the foldiery, the yeomen, or their fupplementary affociates, though without the direct authority of their superiors, or command of the magistrates, is a question which no man can pofitively answer. In the neighbourhood of Gorey,* the terror of the whippings was in particular fo great, * The reverend author here, with manly and honorable candor, gives an instance of the violent effect which this fyftem of terrorism produced under his own eye. The phyfical effects of extreme fear and horror are often different, always violent. (Gordon, p. 88.) "As an inftance of this "terror I fhall relate the following fact. On the morning of the 23d of May, a labouring man, "named Dennis M'Daniel, came to my houfe, with looks of the utmost confternation and difmay, and confeffed to me that he had taken the United Irishmen's oath, and had paid "for a pike with which he had not yet been furnished, nineteen-pence halfpenny, to one "Kilty, a fmith, who had administered the oath to him and many others. While I fent my eldest "fon, who was a lieutenant of yeomanry, to arreft Kilty, I exhorted M'Daniel to surrender himself "to a magiftrate, and make his confeflion, but this he pofitively refused, faying, that he should in "that cafe be lashed to make him produce a pike which he had not, and to confess what he knew I then advised him, as the only alternative, to remain quietly at home, promifing, that, if "he thould be arrested on the information of others, I would reprefent his cafe to the magiftrates. "He took my advice, but the fear of arreft and lashing had fo taken poffeffion of his thoughts, that " he could neither eat nor fleep, and on the morning of the 25th he fell on his face and expired in little grove near my houfe." The fame author (2d edition, p. 105) adds in a note, "That "fome magiftrates of the county of Wexford, affirm, that not more than one man was flogged "in all the county before the infurrection. I with these gentlemen would publish their affirmation a not. or negation in print. They must admit that several were flogged in the town of Gorey alone. Of σε thefe great, that the people would have been extremely glad to renounce for ever all notions of oppofition to government, if they could have been affured of permiffion to remain in a ftate of quietness. The infurrection in the counties of Wicklow and Wexford affumed an appearance unusually ferocious. In the county of Wexford there had long fubfifted a rivalry bordering on rancour, between the Protestants and Catholics. The public peace in that country had notwithstanding often been interrupted by those mobbish risings which will fometimes take place even where the conduct of their fuperiors is perfectly free from harfhnefs. The county of Wicklow was one of the moft thriving diftricts in the kingdom. There were perfons of the different religions, in all the middle and inferior ranks, and they lived together in habits of great cordiality and good neighbourhood. The landed intereft of the county of Wexford had always been prominent in their antipathy to the Catholics, and their reprefentatives in parliament had uniformly oppofed every mitigation of the popery laws. In thefe circumstances may be traced fomething of a predifpofing caufe to the infurrection of the county of Wexford; but there exifted no fuch circumftance with refpect to the county of Wicklow. Other fpecial circumstances affected the county of Wexford, which tended to bring forward the infurgency in that county. * After the proclamation of the 30th of March, the Orange system made no public appearance in the county of Wexford, until the beginning of April, on the arrival there of the North Cork militia, commanded by Lord Kingsborough. In this regiment, there were a great number of Orangemen, who were zealous in making profelytes, and difplaying their devices; having medals and orange ribbons triumphantly pendant from their bofoms. It is believed, that previous to this period, there were but few actual Orangemen in the county; but foon after, thofe whofe principles inclined that way, finding themselves fupported by the military, joined the affociation, and publicly avowed themselves, by affuming the devices of the fraternity. 46 "these I knew three: Anthony Bolger, Michael Davies, and one Howlet; and they must admit, "that at least one flagellation, if not more, was exacted in the town of Little Limerick, near Gorey. I have not at prefent fufficient ground to fufpect that any of these were flogged without proper caufe; but half hangings enough were committed by others without any consultation of magiftrates. The floggings, however, in the county of Wexford, were almost nothing comparatively with other counties; and the terror of people of this county arose chiefly from floggings "inflicted elsewhere; and the incipiency of floggings among themselves, houfe burnings, &c." *Hay's Hiftory of the Infurrection of the County of Wexford, p. 57. " *It is faid, that the North Cork regiment were alfo the inventors-but they certainly were the introducers of the pitch-cap torture into the county of Wexford. Any perfon having their hair cut fhort, (and therefore called a croppy, by which appellation the foldiery defignated an United Irishman, on being pointed out by fome loyal neighbour, was immediately feized and brought into a guard-houfe, were caps either of coarfe linen or ftrong brown paper, befmeared infide with pitch, were always kept ready for fervice. The unfortunate victim had one of thefe well heated, compreffed on his head, and when judged of a proper degree of coolnefs, fo that it could not be eafily pulled off, the fufferer was turned out amidst the horrid acclamations of the merciless torturers: and to the view of vaft numbers of people, who generally crowded about the guard-house door, attracted by the afflicted cries of the tormented. Many of those perfecuted in this manner, experienced additional anguish from the melted pitch trickling into their eyes. This afforded a rare addition of enjoyment to these keen sportsmen, who reiterated their horrid yells of exultation, on the repetition of the feveral accidents to which their game was liable upon being turned out; for in the confufion and hurry of efcaping from the ferocious hands of these more than favage tormentors, the blinded victims frequently fell or inadvertently dashed their heads against the walls in their way. The pain of difengaging the pitched cap from the head must have been next to intolerable. The hair was often torn out by the roots, and not unfrequently parts of the fkin were fo fcalded or bliftered as to adhere and come off along with it. The terror and difmay that thefe outrages occafioned are inconceivable. A ferjeant of the North Cork, nicknamed Tom the Devil, was most ingenious in devifing new modes of torture. Moiftened gunpowder was frequently rubbed into the hair cut clofe and then fet on fire; fome, while fhearing for this purpose, had the tips of their ears fnipt off; fometimes an entire ear, and often both ears were completely cut off; and many loft part of their nofes during the like preparation. But, ftrange to tell, these atrocities were publicly practifed without the leaft referve in open day, and no magiftrate or officer ever interfered, but fhamefully connived at this extraordinary mode of quieting the people! Some of the miferable fufferers on thefe fhocking occafions, or fome of their relations or friends actuated by a principle of retaliation, if not of revenge, cut fhort the hair of feveral perfons whom they either confidered as enemies or fufpected of having pointed them *Hay, (p. 57,) who was on the spot and vouches for the truth of this narration. VOL. II. 4 X out out as objects for fuch defperate treatment. This was done with a view, that thofe active citizens fhould fall in for a little experience of the like difcipline, or to make the fashion of short hair fo general that it might no longer be a mark of party diftinction. Females were alfo expofed to the groffeft infults from thefe military ruffians. Many women had their petticoats, handkerchiefs, caps, ribbons, and all parts of their drefs that exhibited a fhade of green (confidered the national colour of Ireland) torn off, and their ears affailed by the most vile and indecent ribaldry. This was a circumstance so unforeseen, and of courfe fo little provided againft, that many women of enthufiaftic loyalty fuffered outrage in this manner. Some of thefe ladies would not on any account have worn any thing, which they could even imagine partook in any degree of croppyifm. They were, however, unwarily involved until undeceived by the gentle hints from these kind guardians of allegiance. Great as the apprehenfions from Orangemen had been before among the people, they were now multiplied ten-fold, and aggravated terror led them in numbers to be fworn United Irishmen, in order to counteract the fuppofed plan of their rumoured exterminators. The fears of the people became fo great at length, that they forfook their houses in the night and flept, (if under fuch circumftances they could fleep) in the ditches. Thefe facts were notorious at the time, and had the magiftrates, and gentlemen of the country been actuated by the feelings that humanity naturally excites on fuch occafions, they might, with very little trouble have convinced the deluded populace of the fallacy of fuch reports, and they fhould have promised them public protection. In general, however, the fact was otherwife. The melancholy fituation of the people was regarded with the utmoft indifference; few individuals felt any concern or gave themfelves any trouble about what they thought: and no efforts whatever were made to allay their apprehenfions, or at all to undeceive them. Their minds were left to the operations of their fears, to diffipate which if any pains had been taken, it is certain that thefe horrid conceptions entertained of Orangemen could never have taken fuch strong hold of their fcared imaginations, and that violence would have been repreffed in its origin. The following circumstance occafioned the infurgency in the county of Wicklow, to become fo very much an affair of religion. Some perfons in Dublin, who had been very active in promoting the repeal of the popery laws, afterwards unfortunately entered into the projects of the revolution; thefe men made use of the influence they had thus acquired upon many of their brethren to prevent the Catholics from going into the yeomanry, they circulated among |