induced to wait on the general with an account of the intended maffacre of the Proteftants, which he detailed with the appearance of the utmoft alarm, and was patiently heard out by the general; who then addreffed him with this marked appellation and ftrong language :-" Mr. Majacre, if you do "not prove to me the circumftances you have related, I fhall get you punished "in the moft exemplary manner, for raifing falfe alarms, which have al"ready proved fo deftructive to this unfortunate country." The curate's alarm inftantly changed its direction and became perfonal; and on allowing that his fears had been excited by vague report to make this representation, his piteous fupplication, and apparent contrition, procured him forgiveness. The various outrages that were committed in the country, prevented numbers from coming into the quarters of the feveral commanding officers to obtain protections, as many of the yeomen and their fupplementaries continued the fyftem of conflagration and shooting fuch of the peafantry as they met; and this neceffarily deterred many from expofing themselves to their view, and prevented of courfe, the humane and benevolent intentions of the prefent government from having their due effect. The melancholy confequence of fuch a system of terror, perfecution, and alarm, had very nearly brought on the extermination of an extenfive and populous tract of the county of Wexford, called the Macomores; the horrid perpetration of the plan was providentially prevented by the timely and happy intervention of Brigade Major Fitzgerald, under the direction and orders of General Hunter. Inceffant applications and remonftrances had been made, by different magiftrates in Gorey and its vicinity, to government, complaining that this range of country was infefted with conftant meetings of rebels, who committed every fpecies of outrage, and these reports were confirmed by affidavits; they were credited by government, to whom they were handed in, under the fpecious, imposing, and folemn appearances of facts, by a magiftracy prefumed to be deliberate, grave, and refpectable; the viceroy was rendered juftly indignant at these reiterated complaints of the abufe of his clemency; and orders were fent to the different generals and other commanding officers, contiguous to the devoted tract, to form a line along its extent on the western border, and at both ends, north and fouth, on the land fide, fo as to leave no refource to the wretched inhabitants, who were to be flaughtered by the foldiery, or to be driven into the fea, as it is bounded by the Channel on the eastward. Even women and children were to be included in this horrid plan of terrific exVOL. II. ample. 5 G ample. The execution of this fevere and exemplary measure was entrusted to the difcretion of General Hunter, who, through the honeft exertions and bold fcrutiny of Major Fitzgerald, fortunately difcovered, in time, the inhuman tendency of the mifreprefentation, that had produced thofe terrific orders. The devoted victims found an opportunity to implore protection from the incurfions of the black mob (they thus denominated the fupplementaries to the different corps of yeomanry), who wreaked their vengeance even upon those who had received protection from General Needham at Gorey; as different parties of the foldiery and yeomanry waited their return in ambush, and flaughtered every one they could overtake. This prevented many from coming in for protections. Afterwards thefe fanguinary banditti made incurfions into the country, fired into the houses, thus killing and wounding many unoffending peafants. Several houses after being plundered, were burned, and the booty was brought into Gorey. By the frequency of these horrible exceffes and depredations, fuch houses as remained unburned were of course crowded with several families; and this multiplied the number of victims at each fucceeding incurfion. At last most of the inhabitants from neceffity took refuge on the hills, and armed themselves with every offenfive weapon they could procure. This harraffed peafantry received protection from the General against the military depredators and murderers, and no fubjects could be more loyal and fubordinate. The false alarmifts were not depreffed or intimidated at these discomfitures; for although General Hunter reported the country to be in a perfect state of tranquillity, they again returned to the charge and renewed their misreprefentations. Mr. Hawtrey White, captain of the Ballaghkeen cavalry, and a juftice of the peace for the county, fent feveral informations to government of the alarming state of the country; and the commanding officer at Gorey was far fo perfuaded of the intention of a general rifing, that he quitted the town and encamped on the hill above it. Thefe reprefentations, made under the femblance of loyalty, and by a perfon bearing the appearance and authority of a gentleman, had not, however, the wifhed-for weight with the government. General Hunter was ordered to enquire into the information of Mr. Hawtrey White, and Major Fitzgerald was again fent out, and the refult of his difcriminating enquiry was, that the information was unfounded. Upon this the General ordered Mr. Hawtrey White to be brought to Wexford, and he was accordingly conducted thither and put under arreft; and on his ftill perfifting perfifting in his falfe reprefentations, he was conducted to the ifland, where he afferted the rebels were encamped, and, lo! no island appeared above the water. Mr. Hawtrey White was conducted back to Wexford, and General Hunter determined to bring him to a court-martial. Many gentlemen and ladies, however, interfered in the moft earnest manner, to prevent this inveftigation, representing that Mr. White's great age might have fubjected him to the impofition of fabricated information; and the firmnefs of the general relaxed at the inftance of fo many refpectable perfons!! It is to be regretted that Ireland thould have fuffered fo much by the tales of adventurers in these infernal practices. A court-martial, of which Lord Ancram was prefident, was inflituted at Wexford for the trial of perfons accused of treafon; and, contrary to the expectation and withes of the committee for procuring evidence, many were acquitted. Lord Ancram, however foon left the town, to the regret of the people; but his lieutenant-colonel, Sir James Fowlis, fucceeded him as prefident of the court-martial, in which fituation he acquitted himself with honor and integrity, which inspired fo much confidence throughout the country, as to induce many who were confcious of their integrity, to fubmit to trial, which they would not otherwife have dared to do, from a well-founded opinion of the rancour of their accufers, who in too many inftances elsewhere prevailed by the groffeft perjuries againft truth and juftice. One notorious inftance, will, it is hoped, fuperfede the painful neceffity of fupporting the af fertion by a longer enumeration.* Mr. Hay's Hift. 281.-In quoting the authority of Mr. Hay, it has been to me, as I prefume it has been to others, a great fatisfaction to read the following teftimony of his History from Major Fitzgerald, who had fuch ample means of knowing the truth, and exerted them with fo much honor and credit to himself, to his employers, and to his country: "SIR, Dublin, 14 December, 1802. "I RETURN, with my thanks for your polite attention, the manufcripts you "were fo kind as to leave for my perufal. Am exceedingly glad to find, through the whole of your compilation, so strict an observance of facts, which chiefly came under my cognizance as brigade-major. It is with pleasure I obferve also, your adherence to truth and impartiality, free "from the rancorous spirit of party-fabrication, which is the true criterion that exalts the hiftorian "above the clafs of party fcribblers, who diffipate as rapidly as unerring truth unveils itself, ftrongly exemplified in the past and prefent times. I give you much credit in not retorting as "you might for your unremitted fufferings, by expofing the crimes of fome refpe&table perfons; Mr. Walter Devereux, having obtained protections from several officers, had gone to Cork to embark for Portugal: he was there taken up, tried, condemned and executed. Mr. Gibfon, a yeoman and wealthy Protestant shopkeeper, and Mr. William Kearney, an extenfive brewer, were fummoned and attended at his trial, and proved that he was in Wexford, and even in gaol, at the very time fome foldiers of the Wexford militia were fhot thirty miles from that town; and the principal charge against him was, that he gave orders and was prefent at their execution, which fome men of that regiment were hardened enough to fwear!!! Mr. Hay the hiftorian faw him in Wexford on the alleged day. He was alfo accufed of aiding and abetting the abomination at Scullabogue, and this charge was fimilarly fupported by the testimony of fome foldiers wives! and yet it is a notable fact, that he was all that day engaged at the battle of Rofs, where he difplayed the most heroical bravery and courage, qualities inconfiftent with the odious crime it was falfely fworn he had perpetrated!!! But what puts the falfehood of the facts alleged against him beyond all question is, that after his execution another Mr. Devereux was taken up on the difcriminating fagacity of the fame witnesses, who profecuted the former to death; but who now (as they faid) had discovered the right Devereux. The trial of the latter has been published, and is recommended to the perufal of fuch as wish for further proof of the miserable and lamentable condition of exifting in the county of Wexford during that unfortunate infurrection. It was happy for Great Britain and Ireland at this alarming crifis, that the French government was in the hands of feeble politicians, who, though well acquainted with the state of Ireland, had unaccountably neglected to embrace the opportunity, and purfue the plan which had been laid out for them by Lord Edward Fitzgerald, and others of the malecontents in Ireland; this was, to risk fome frigates and light veffels with a proper fupply of officers, arms and ammunition, with fome few troops to keep the infurgents in fpirits ; Ireland might then have been loft for ever, and ultimately Great Britain itself, "for, indeed, if they are not very forgetful and very infenfible, the compunctions of their con"sciences must be fufficiently tormenting. There is little doubt of your labours meeting their due "reward from an unprejudiced public, which is the with of "To Edward Hay, Efq. "Your obedient humble fervant, "B. E. FITZGERALD." fince, in the prefent state of Europe, both islands muft ftand or fall together. They are naturally united, and the interefts of neither will bear a feparation. And hence the expediency or rather neceffity of an incorporate union. With that lazy afterthought that marks the folly of a bad statesman, the French in the latter end of Auguft, detached a fmall force to the North of Ireland, under the command of General Humbert who on the 22d of Auguft landed at Killala. * The French entered the bay under English colours, and the feint fucceeded fo well that two fons of the Bishop of Killala, threw themselves into a fishing boat, with the port furveyor, Mr. James Rutledge, and were prefently furprized to find themselves prifoners. Some alarm had been given in the morning of the 22d to the people of Killala by the unusual appearance of ships of that fize in their bay; in fo much, that the only magiftrate of the town, Mr. Kirkwood, who commanded the yeomanry, had kept his corps under arms the whole day at the fea house, called the castle, as did alfo Lieutenant Sells of the Prince of Wales's fencibles, with twenty militia men. Yeomen and fen cibles together formed a corps of fifty men all Protestants. The indentings of the bay of Killala, and the chain of hills between that town and the spot where the enemy landed, will in part account for the secrecy with which the debarkation was conducted. It is not without reafon, however, fufpected, that the peafantry had no intention to prevent the surprise that took place. Even among the bishop's fervants, for fome days before this event, a whisper had gone about, that the French were coming to Killala, and that fomething very terrible would fhortly happen: a protestant servant maid, lately married to a Catholic inhabitant of the place, had circulated the report in the caftle. Between feven and eight on that evening a terrified meffenger fuddenly announced to the bishop, that the French were landed, and that near three hundred of them were within a mile of the town. The cavalry officers rode off directly, in full speed, with the intelligence to Ballina. The yeomanry and fencibles drew up before the Castle gate and refolutely advanced into the main street to meet the French advance guard. Borne down by numbers and feeing two of their corps fall they were feized with a panic, and fled. Kirkwood and nineteen yeomen were taken and ordered into close cuftody at the caftle. All oppofition being now at an end, the * See the Bishop of Killala's interefting and authentic narrative of this tranfaction throughout. French |