tool under their direction." General Lake took the command from him on the 25th of April. Lord Camden's Government had it all their own way. The old system of free quarters was continued; Leinster was dragooned like Ulster; the houses of the peasantry were burning in all directions. In Carlow, in Kildare, in Wicklow, their owners were chased away, and shot down by the soldiers; and men were flogged and "picketed" at the whim of any magistrate or officer, in order to compel them to discover concealed arms. No man was safe; shopkeeper and artisan equally had their backs cut to the bone; farmer and labourer were equally tortured on the pointed stake. The United Irishmen were believed to have cut their hair short for distinction's sake; and when the soldiers found a "croppy," as they called him, they smeared his head. with pitch and crowned him with a cap of strong brown paper, which could not be removed without lacerating the scalp. To wear green, the national colour, even if the wearer was a lady, was a certain means of insuring insult and outrage. The soldiers acted upon bare suspicion, and the information of every idle tell-tale, often prompted by malice or private spite. The innocent were tortured with the guilty. most notable instances was that of an unfortunate gentleman named Bernard Wright, who received five hundred lashes at Clonmel, from Judkin Fitzgerald, the sheriff of Tipperary, for which he afterwards recovered £500 damages in an action of assault and battery. One of the nationalist newspapers published the following

One of the

"Receipt to make a rebel." "Take a loyal subject, uninfluenced by title, place, or pension; burn his house over his head; let the soldiery exercise every species of insult and barbarity towards his helpless family, and march away with the plunder of every part of his property they choose to save from the flames." It is only too certain that numbers of decent peasants and farmers, who had never troubled themselves with politics, were driven into the ranks of the United Irishmen by the ferocity of the authorities.

CHAPTER XIX.

THE ABORTIVE LOCAL RISINGS. A.D. 1798.

THE Government, well informed of every step taken by the conspirators, at length considered the time was come for exploding the plot. Arthur O'Connor, who had been released on bail, was re-arrested at Margate, on his way to Hamburg. Teeling, Tennant, Lowry, Lewines, and many others, had fled to Paris when the Leinster delegates hung back from insurrection in the autumn. Oliver Bond, Samuel Neilson, and Lord Edward Fitzgerald were now the chief of the executive committee. Twice disappointed in the hopes of foreign aid, even Lord Edward was persuaded by the more ardent spirits to resort to an independent rising. There was still a fair supply of arms and ammunition concealed about the country; and there were the Government stores at Athlone, which perhaps could be seized by a coup de main. The number of regular troops was not considerable. The militia, of which there was a strong force, was demoralized by being permitted to live at free quarters upon the country, and was the reverse of formidable. Besides many-some in almost every regiment, both men

and officers-were members of the society, and were ready to desert upon the first show of success.

Neilson was a man of enormous size and strength. He had his suspicions of Reynolds the Government spy. One day he met him in Dublin, and dragging him into a dark entry off Thomas Street, pinned him to the wall, and said, "Reynolds, what punishment do you think should be inflicted on a villain who would betray you?" Cool and unabashed, the traitor replied, "Bring me to the atrocious villain, and with this hand I will blow his brains out." Neilson let him go. Reynolds felt that the time was come to destroy his victims. On March 12th, a few days later, there was to be a meeting of the Leinster executive committee at Oliver Bond's house. Reynolds put the Government on the track, and told them the pass-word for the day. A magistrate and a party of men gave the word and entered the house. Bond and the thirteen delegates were arrested, and their papers seized. Shortly afterwards, Thomas Addis Emmett, Sampson a barrister, and Dr. McNevin were also apprehended. Fitzgerald, whose name was in the warrant, was on his way to Bond's house, but was warned in time and concealed himself in the city.

This blow to the executive greatly disconcerted the conspirators. The places of the arrested leaders, however, were at once filled up; and Neilson and two brothers of the name of Sheares, both members of the bar, became the leading spirits of the Directory. The desperate measure of an insurrection was now determined on, and Lord Edward lay concealed in Dublin

from March 12th to May 19th, concerting a scheme for a general rising. Delegates from the disaffected in almost every militia regiment met early in May to confer upon a plan of action. It was arranged that on May 23rd, all the outward mails from Dublin should be stopped. The rebel forces from Wicklow, Kildare, and Dublin, should surprise the camp at Loughlinstown, and the artillery at Chapelizod, and then march on Dublin, and seize the lordlieutenant and the members of the Privy Council. Captain Armstrong of the King's County militia, Government informer, laid full information of every detail before the Government. A reward of £1000 was offered for Lord Edward's apprehension, and every effort was made to effect his capture.

Four days before the preconcerted date of the rising, information was conveyed to the Government by one. Francis Higgins, the editor of the Freeman's Journal, that Fitzgerald was hiding at the house of a feathermerchant, named Murphy, in Thomas Street. Townmajors Swan and Sirr, with Captain Ryan and a guard of soldiers, surrounded and searched the house. Lord Edward, who was resting on his bed, sprung to his feet when his room was entered. He was armed with a long dagger, and fought like a wild cat. After a desperate struggle he was shot in the shoulder and overpowered, and quickly lodged in Newgate. His wound was then attended to, and he was going on well; but, learning that Ryan, whom he had stabbed in the belly, had subsequently died, he tore off his bandages and sunk into a state of despondency from which he