liberty. And the Irish may, in their turn, be led over to England to repay the benefits they have received.

Whilst in Carlisle, I obtained leave from the magistrates and gaoler, to write to the duke of Portland, then secretary of state, requesting earnestly to be sent to trial, if any one had been impudent enough to charge me with any crime. Or, if that justice was not granted, that I might rather remain where I was, than to be again forced amidst the horrors which raged in my own country. But neither the one nor the other of these requests were listened to, and I was sent back again to Dublin, with my servant, where we landed on the 5th of May.

It is scarcely worth while to mention the vexations I experienced in Carlisle, they are so eclipsed by the horrors which were to follow. The gaoler, Mr. Wilson, was by profession a butcher. The moment I saw his face, I recollected having been present in the court of king's bench, during my attendance as a student, when he was sentenced to two years imprisonment for having kidnapped an old man, and married him by force to a woman, his accomplice. This sentence he had strictly undergone, and so far that fault was expiated; and he was now for his services at elections for members of parliament, under the special protection of lord Lonsdale, named gaolor of the county prison. Such was the man who celebrated his clemency in accepting of payment for not putting me in irons; and who, when I was with difficulty allowed a bed to repose myself upon, insisted upon sharing it with me. One messenger came from London, another from Dublin; and, so averse was the spirit of the people of that country to-such proceedings, that the messenger's quarters were surrounded by guards: patroles went round the city, and I could scarcely prevent my

rescue. Such was the beginning of that persecution you have desired me to relate so circumstantially.

I was, upon landing in Dublin, taken to the apartments of Mr. Coke, as it was told me, to be examined. I was locked up some hours, but this gentleman did not think proper to examine me; and he judged well: perhaps, upon examining himself, he thought it best not to examine me.

From hence I was sent under a guard to the Castle tavern, where night and day two centinels were placed in my room. From these centinels I learned to what atrocious length the brutal licentiousness of the military had been encouraged. A young man of the North Cork militia, whom I had, by civilities, drawn into conversation, frankly regretted the free quarters in Kildare, where he said, that amongst other advantages, they had their will of the men's wives and daughters. I asked him, if his officers permitted that? and he answered, by a story of one who had ordered a farmer, during the time of the free quarters, to bring him his daughter in four and twenty hours, under pain of having his house burned. The young girl had been removed to a neighbouring parish. The father would not be the instru ment of his daughter's pollution. And this young soldier assured me, he had been one, who, by his officer's command, had burned the house of the father. And this was called loyalty to the king and British constitution; and now this crime, with a million of others, is indemnified by law, Whilst I, who would rather die than countenance such atrocity, am, without enquiry, dungeoned, proclaimed, pursued, and exiled. And still, great as my wrongs are, they are but as shadows of those of thousands of my countrymen, On the 7th of May, I was taken with a long procession of prisoners, all strangers to me, to bridewell, where I was

doomed to suffer, what honest men must ever expect, when in the power of those whose crimes they have opposed. In bridewell I was locked up in dismal solitude for many months.

I cannot help mentioning, before I go further, the extraordinary appearance of Mr.Cooke's office in the Castle. It was full of those arms which had been at different times and in various parts of the country, wrested from the hands of the unfortunate peasants. They were chiefly pikes of a most rude workmanship, and forms the most grotesque: green crooked sticks cut out of the hedges with long spikes, nails, knives, or scythe blades fastened on the end of them, very emblematical of the poverty and desperation of these unhappy warriors; and shewing, in a strong light, the wonderful effects of despair, and the courage it inspires. Never did human eyes behold so curious an armory as this secretary's office.

LETTER II.

M'Dougall-Trevor-Torture-Notice of Trial.

THE first occurrence in bridewell which gave me pleasure, was a notice of trial, served upon me in due form. I thought my enemies now committed past retreat, and I vainly anticipated the triumph I should have in their confrontation and confusion. I feared neither corrupt judges, packed juries, hired witnesses, treacherous advocates, nor terror-struck friends. I was all-sufficient for myself against such hosts. I had no need of defence, but had much of accusation to bring forth. I had committed no murders nor

treasons. I had burned no houses, nor tortured no free men. I asked no absolution in acts of parliament, passed in one sesion, to indemnify the crimes of the preceding one. I had legally and loyally defended the acknowledged rights of my countrymen. I had opposed myself with honest firmness to the crimes of arson, treason, murder, and torture; and rather than my countrywomen should be deflowered, I was ready, as it was my duty, to defend them with my life. I had done more; for when the boiling indignation of the people pointed to self-preservation, through individual retaliation, I had spent sleepless nights to save the lives of those who, after so many years of vengeance, seem still to hunt for mine. But think not, my friend, that I should ever condescend to make a merit of this to those despicable men. The principal of my actions was too pure to be in any way connected with their degraded persons.

During the time that I was locked up in secret, my servant had found protection in the house and service of Mr. and Mrs. Leeson, with the friendly condition of restoring him to me as soon as I should be set free. He was allowed to come at times for my linen, and other necessary commissions, under the bars of my window; but only got leave to speak to me in the presence of the keeper, or the sergeant of the guard. Upon receiving the notice of trial, I sent him with the good news to Mr. Vincent, an attorney connected by marriage with my family, to request this gentleman to come and consult with me upon the necessary steps towards justifying myself, and confounding my accusers, if any should dare to appear against me. But unhappily there was no thought of trying me, as you will see by the atro cious result of this insolent mockery of justice. Mr. Vincent, pursuant to my request, wrote in the ordinary course,

D

to the secretary, Mr. Cooke, who seemed now to have usurped all civil jurisdiction in such cases, for leave to come to me, and received for answer, a refusal. That I might be apprised of this, for he dared not now come himself, even in sight of my prison, he copied Mr. Cooke's note, and sent it open, by my servant John, who delivered it to be read by the gaoler; and afterwards it was handed up through the iron bars of my window, upon the point of the sergeant's halberd. Such was the crime for which this unfortunate young man was pursued, dragged forcibly from the house of Mr. Leeson to the barracks of the Cavan militia, where he was put to the cruelist torture. One executioner was brought to relieve another: his back and shoulders were first mangled, and then the rest of his body bared, and wantonly lacerated. This done, he was thrown raw and smarting upon the boards of the guardroom, with a threat of a similar execution on the following day, which he certainly must have undergone, had not Mr. Leeson made interest to save him, a favor which he with difficulty obtained. Though the bringing of the letter touching the subject of my trial, was the pretext for this infamous deed; yet the farther object appeared during the execution: for, as often as the torture was suspended, the young man was exhorted to save himself by some denunciation of his master. Such was the end of that famous notice of trial, of which, from that day forward, I could never hear a word.

From this faithful servant himself, I never should have heard of this transaction, so generously anxious was he to spare me such vexation in the then dangerous state of my health. But I had a doctor who was not so tender, and who seemed to take pleasure in announcing it to me. As