and moved with great celerity in the direction of Carnew. Upon their arrival at a place called Cranford, by others Ballygullen, they refolved to make refiftance and await the approach of the troops however numerous they might be, although their own force were then very confiderably reduced. They refolutely maintained the conteft for an hour and a half with the utmoft intrepidity; having repulfed the cavalry, and driven the artillery men three times from their cannon, all performed by the gunfmen; for the pikemen, as on former occafions, never came into action: but fresh reinforcements of the army pouring in on all fides, they were obliged to give way, quitting the field of battle with little lofs to themselves, and notwithstanding all their fatigue, retreating, with their ufual agility and fwiftnefs in different directions. They agreed among themfelves to affemble again at Carrigrew, where upon confidering the reduced state of their forces and the advantages gained by the army, they thought it advifeable to difperfe, and thus put an end to the warfare in the county of Wexford.

The ceffation of hoftilities unfortunately did not clofe the miferies of that devoted diftrict: a moft rancorous, bloody, and ferocious fpirit of revenge and hatred feized upon many of the gentlemen of that county, and was carried into effect with outrageous barbarity. Their former claims to refpectability in life for a length of time gave credit to their falfehood, procured countenance to their fanaticifm, and fecured them the means of executing injuftice. * General Lake, previous to his departure from Wexford, appointed a committee to fuperintend profecutions, and to grant paffes to leave the country, confifting of the principal gentlemen then refident there. The appropriate duty of this body was to enquire fpecially into the cafes of fuch prifoners as they should hand over to be tried by court-martial, to procure the evidence for profecution, and to commit different perfons to gaol. It was not, however, deemed neceffary to fend a committal to the gaoler, as the word of any of them was confidered fufficient for the detention of any of those given in cuftody; and they were alfo to act as a kind of council to General Hunter, whofe benevolent difpofition they thwarted on feveral occafions. This was in fact fo well known, that many, upon being put into confinement, were induced, by their apprehenfions, to petition for tranfportation, rather than abide a trial under their direction. The tyrannical, unjuft, and inhuman dif

Hay's Hiftory of the Infurrection of Wexford, p. 266.

pofition

pofition of this body is ftrongly exemplified in their unwarrantable treatment of many befides that gentleman, which he has detailed in his preliminary difcourfe.*

Different courts-martial were inftituted in Rofs, Enniscorthy, Gorey, and Newton-Barry; feveral perfons were condemned and executed, and others fentenced to tranfportation. Among thofe who were condemned to be executed was the Rev. John Redmond, a Catholic prieft, who, it feems, during the infurrection, had done all in his power to fave the houfe of Lord Mountnorris from being plundered, which he, in fome degree, effected, but not at all to the extent of his withes. Lord Mountnorris, whofe conduct towards the Catholics became from henceforth wholly altered (he had formerly favored them), sent for Mr. Redmond, upon finding that he was prefent at the plundering of his houfe, defiring that he would come to him directly. The reverend gentleman, confcious of his own integrity, and apprehenfive of no danger, being involved in no guilt, obeyed the fummons without hesitation ; but his inftantaneous hafty trial, condemnation, and execution, were the reward of his humane and generous exertions. His body, after death, underwent the moft indecent mutilations.† A party

*The quotation I have made from this author, as an eye-witnefs and a moft aggrieved sufferer under this perfecuting spirit of the Wexford Orangemen, feems to baffle all poflibility of refutation. The unparalleled and almoft incredible perfecutions, which Mr. Hay details of his own fufferings from this inquifitorial court in the introduction to his hiftory, freezes the blood of the reader: at the fame time it roufes that indignation against the fomenters and supporters of it, that it becomes more candid to name fuch as the author has given to the public, than to permit the foul imputation to light upon the gentry of the county at large: "(Introd. xxviii.) Six magiftrates of the county "afterwards formed themselves into an inquifitorial court, confifting of the Right Honorable George Ogle, James Boyd, Richard Newton King, Edward Percival, Ebenezer Jacob, M D. and "John Henry Lifter, Efquires. They affembled at the house of James Boyd, and fummoned hun"dreds before them, whom they fwore to give such information as they could concerning the re"bellion. About fifty perfons have informed me, that they were principally queftioned concerning me; fo that I have ftrong reafon to believe, that no means were left untried to criminate me. "My conduct has certainly undergone ftricter inveftigation than that of any other perfon in Ire"land, and fuch, as I believe, that of the moft unexceptionable of my perfecutors would not pafs through unblemished; while mine is irreproachable in the utmost degree, having paffed with "unimpeached honor the ordeal of the Wexford inquifition. We read of nothing that has gone "fuch lengths in foreign countries. Even the inquifitors are, by duty and oath, to seek out all "evidence as well for, as againft their prifoners!"

I find in a letter from Dr. Caulfield to Dr. Troy, of the 19th of October, 1799, the following

A party of infurgents in the county of Kildare, under the command of Mr. William Aylmer, ftill held out in arms; and thither the remaining body

of

avowal about the Rev. John Redmond: "All I can fay of the Rev. John Redmond is, that when "Lord Mountnorris was preparing to prosecute him, his groom and another of his fervants (Pro"testants as I am informed) told his lordship, that Redmond's condu&t was innocent and praiseworthy, that he came unto the rebels, when they were plundering his lordship's house, and did "all in his power to restrain and prevent them. But now to look for any favorable teftimony "from that quarter would be vain, where no priest dares appear or Catholic raise his head or his "" voice."

But the Rev. Mr. Gordon puts the cafe of that unfortunate man in its true light : (Hiftory of "the Irish Rebellion, 2d edit. p. 225.) Of the rebellious conduct of Redmond, coadjutor of Father "Francis Kavenagh, in the parish of Clough, of which I was twenty-three years curate, I can find "no other proof than the sentence of the court-martial, which configned him to death. He was "accused by the Earl of Mountnorris, of having appeared as chief among a party of rebels, who "committed fome depredations at his lordship's houfe; while he alleged, that his object in appearing on the occafion, was to endeavour to prevent the plundering of the house, in which he "partly fucceeded. Coming into Gorey on a meffage from the earl, feemingly unapprehensive of danger, and unconscious of guilt, he was treated as if manifeftly guilty before trial, knocked "down in the street, and rudely dragged by fome yeomen. I mean not to arraign the juftice of "the noble lord, his profecutor, nor the members of the court-martial. The former, who had ren"dered himself in no fall degree refponfible for the loyalty of the Wexfordian Romanifts, had "doubtlefs good reafons for his conduct; and the latter could have no perfonal animofity against "the accused, nor other unfavorable bias than what naturally arofe from the turbid state of affairs, "when accufation, especially against a Romith priest, was confidered as a strong presumption of guilt. But his Protestant neighbours, who had not been able to escape from the rebels, affured "me, that while the latter were in poffeffion of the country, he was conftantly hiding in Proteftant "houses from the rebels, and that many Romanifts expreffed great refentment against him as a "traitor to their caufe. That he expected not the rebellion to be successful, appears from this, "that when the wife of Nathaniel Stedman (one of my Proteftant parishioners) applied to him to baptize her child, he told her, that he acceded to her request merely left the child fhould die un"baptized, in the neceffary abfence of her minister, on condition that the fhould promise to make "the proper apology for him to me on my return to the parish.

66

"As I understand that the noble earl has not confidered my relation of this affair as complete or fatisfactory, I here add a few more circumftances. Father Kavenagh, to whom Redmond was "coadjutor, had lived many years in habits of the greateft apparent intimacy with the earl, moftly "refiding at his lordfhip's houfe, and fometimes entertaining him and Lady Mountnorris and family "at his own. Redmond, being one of the company on thefe occafions, thought himself extremely honored, and in fome degree idolized the earl, who was regarded by the Catholics as their moft "zealous friend. Tranfported with zeal for his noble patron, when he heard that a mob had gone "to his lordship's houfe in queft of liquors, he ran to prevail on them to fpare all except the fmall "beer. Father Kavenagh told me, that on the fuppreflion of the rebels, the earl called at his VOL. II. house,

of the Wexford men, commanded by Mr. Fitzgerald, accompanied by Mr. Garret Byrne, and fome Wicklow men, directed their courfe to form a junction, which they accordingly effected, but were ftopped in their progrefs at Clonard by Lieutenant Tyrrel, a yeoman officer, who had occupied a fortified houfe in the town, until reinforcements from Kinnegad and Mullingar forced them to retreat.

After this repulfe the few remaining Wexford men feparated from their Wicklow affociates, whom they deemed lefs warlike than themselves, and made different incurfions into the counties of Kildare, Meath, Louth and Dublin, eluding, as well as they could, the pursuit of the army, with different parties of which they had several skirmishes. They were finally routed and intercepted by Captain Gordon of the Dumfries light dragoons, at the head of a strong party of horfe and foot, at Bally boghill, near Swords, and never more collected.

Some Wexford infurgents, however, remained with Mr. Fitzgerald, along with Mr. Aylmer, who, as outstanding chiefs, negociated with General Dundas, to whom they furrendered on the 12th of July, on condition, that all the other leaders, who had adventured with them, fhould be at liberty to retire whither they pleafed out of the British dominions. The fame terms were afterwards fecured by General Moore to Mr. Garret Byrne, who was fent into confinement in the caftle of Dublin, together with Meffrs. Fitzgerald and Aylmer, by which they fared much better than thofe, who laid down their arms in Wexford depending on the faithful fulfilment of the terms entered into with Lord Kingborough.

The plan of propofing terms for faving the lives of Mr. Oliver Bond and Mr. Byrne was propofed through Mr. Dobbs, a member of parliament. That gentleman with the fheriff went to the prison, in which Mr. A. O'Connor

"house, in a friendly manner, requesting that Redmond should go to him to Gorey for a protection, What protection he received has been already related. No act could be more popular "among Proteftants, at that time, than the hanging of a prieft; yet many Proteftants would have come to bear witness in his favor, if they had been allowed time, and an affurance of perfonal fafety. The popularity, however, of his lordship with the common people of the Catholics is fo indelibly impreffed, that they cannot believe to this day, that he had any concern in this bufinefs; but endeavoured with all his power to fave the priest. I knew Redmond many years, and always thought him a remarkably timid and innnocent man.”

was

was confined, on the 24th of July with a paper,* figned by feventy ftate prifoners, purpofing to give fuch information as was in their power, of arms, ammunition, their fchemes of warfare, their internal regulations and foreign negociations of the United Irifhmen, provided the lives of Meffis. Bond and Byrne fhould be fpared. In confequence of this agreement, fome of the rebel chiefs, who were ftill in arms, among whom was Mr. Aylmer of Kildare, furrendered themfelves. Several principals of the Union, particularly Arthur

* The following was the agreement figned by feventy-three on the 29th of July, 1798. "That "the undersigned ftate prifoners, in the three prifons of Newgate, Kilmainham, and Bridewell, "engage to give every information in their power, of the whole of the internal tranfactions of the "United Irishmen, and that each of the prifoners shall give detailed information of every tranfac«tion, that has paffed between the United Irishmen and foreign states; but that the prisoners are "not, by naming or defcribing, to implicate any perfon whatever, and that they are ready to emigrate to fuch country as fhall be agreed on between them and government, and give fecu"rity not to return to this country without the permillion of government, and not to pass into an enemy's country, if on their fo doing they are to be freed from prosecution, and also Mr. "Oliver Bond be permitted to take the benefit of this propofal. The state prisoners alfo hope, that "the benefit of this propofal may be extended to fuch perfons in cuftody, or not in custody, as may choose to benefit by it." Signed by feventy-three perfons. 29th of July, 1798.

In a pamphlet, fstyled A Letter from Arthur O'Connor to Lord Caftlereagh, dated from prifon, January the 4th, 1799, that minifter is directly charged with a violation of the contract, and a mifreprefentation to parliament of the tranfactions between him and the prifoners of state. Other charges are made, one of which is, that the information given by these prifoners to government, was garbled to serve the purposes of the miniftry, and particularly, that of a hundred pages, delivered by O'Connor himself, only one had been published in the reports of the fecret committees. Since to this pamphlet, in which his lordship is peremptorily challenged to difprove any of the charges therein made, no reply has appeared, we have only the honor and integrity of his lordship and others for a difproof of these accusations, which may be a vindication to perfons acquainted with his lordship's character. The pamphlet was faid to have been fuppreffed by government, at least was not otherwife than clandeftinely fold and circulated. The author expressly clears the lord lieutenant of all blame in these transactions. The honor of the Marquis Cornwallis remains unimpeached even by the boldeft of all the chiefs of the confpiracy.

Whether the negociation between government and the principal confpirators had any connexion with, or influence on the bill of amnesty, ministers alone can anfwer, and the fecrets of adminiftration are not lightly to be divulged. The affirmative feems to be infinuated in the above mentioned pamphlet, and an opinion of that nature to have been, at the time of the bargain, propagated among people connected with the infurgents, who spoke of fome agreement as of a treaty of peace. This letter of Mr. O'Connor's is very strong and it is to be hoped, that the real reasons