Alas! alas! 'Why, all the fouls that are were forfeit one, "And he, that might the advantage best have took "Found out the remedy. How would you be, "But judge you as you are? Oh! think on that; "And mercy then will breathe within your lips, "Like maa new made." Since the month of July, 1798, I have conversed with fome hundreds of rebels, and travelled much for the purpose of knowing their fentiments and designs; trufting for my fafety (under Providence) to the well-known circumstance of my having been entrusted to the guardianship and command of a regiment of perfons of their own garb; towards whom I acquitted myself with becoming humanity and attention. In my hopes I was far from finding any mistake, until my third circuit; when, coming amongst the banditti at Kil-Aughrim-wood, I was well nigh being murdered! I was forced to undergo many stages of horror, "to try my courage," as they afterwards expreffed them-" felves. But in all my converfations, even with those who feemed to regard me with famething like confidence, I do not remember to have heard a fingle man, except a prisoner, and even that rarely, exprefs the fmalleft degree of true penitential remorfe for their late villainies. Indeed fome of the better informed amongst them have spoken of the Scollabogue, Wexford-bridge, and Vinegar-hill maffacres, as "a very foolish piece of business;" and of the people who were engaged in it, as " as a pack of filly blockheads that ought "to have known better. And yet it was hard to know," continued they, "what to do with such a hell-fire set of "Orange-men, who, if we did let them loofe one minute, "would run and betray us the next." How naturally does vice beget vice! When once the spirit of Satan has found a degree of unrestrained influence in the heart of any man, there there is no knowing to what extravagant lengths it will lead him. Perhaps nothing but the death of the delinquent can ftop his career this fide of the infernal regions! If fo, the law, as well as the perfon by which that career is stopt, is not only merciful to civilized fociety, by ridding it of fuch a peft, but to the victim alfo, by preventing him from enhancing a stock of appropriate mifery for his wretched foul to grapple with through the countless ages of eternity! In Kil-Aughrim-wood I heard an obfervation made, by one of the rebels, which is exceedingly well worth recording, as it seems to be the prevailing fentiment amongst some of them to this day. Oh I may government ponder the words, though recorded by an obfcure individual, derive fome ufeful hints from the confideration, and deal wifely with the implacable enemies of its conftitution! "Bad luck to the "French!" faid one "I believe they wanted to make tools "of us, to work a way for themselves. When they went "about a revolution for themselves, it was not in time of "war, when there were foldiers in the land to put a stop. to them. No, no! but in time of peace with all the "world; when ten thousand pounds could not purchase a "drummer to beat up for a fingle recruit to oppose the friends to liberty and of the rights of man. But we will "have a bout for this when war is fast asleep : "But the Proteftant boys fhalliere the night." Thefe obfervations, I have been fince told, were then common amongst the rebels, and I believe are as fully expreffive of the true nature of their penitence as any that fhall come to our ears until the next defperate attempt; which GOD of his infinite mercy forefend !, I fhall endea your to illuftrate what I have now written, by a curious and amufing anecdote. * Rebel fong I am i I am aware that fome readers of this anecdote will be dif pofed to cenfure me for inferting it, however true. "It is a foul bird," they may obferve, "that defiles its own neft." True; but there is fome difference between the "foul bird that defiles its own neft," and the clean bird which screams out at any filth it finds there. I hope to leave no reader any room to fufpect me of partiality to any thing in this narrative but to loyalty, justice, mercy, and truth; nor do I think the poffeffion of any one of thofe virtues fufficient apology for the profeffed want of any one of the three reft. On the approach of the holiday called Holy Thursday, a gentleman, who was then erecting a quay, and large, convenient, and very extenfive concerns on the Rofbercon-ftrand, and being apprehensive left the works fhould be inundated by the overflowing of an extraordinary tide, hurried on the bufiness very rapidly to get out of its reach. On this occafion he requested the workmen to confider the critical fituation of the works, and not to defift from bufinefs on the approaching holiday, justly alledging, that it would be a much greater fin to fuffer fuch expenfive labours to be fo damaged, than to work on fuch a day. His very moderate request and felf-evident argument were of no avail. They would keep holiday. The clargy, my dear, would not fuffer us to break Holy Thursday." They kept to their pious refolution, and (as Providence would have it) the works received no damage. On the approach of the fifth of June (the Rofs holiday, or anniverfary of the battle) this gentleman obferved to his workmen, many of whom had been rebels, "I fuppofe, my lads, that on the approach of our great holiday, you will not work." "Mufhin faith we will, fur, as hard as on any other day; and why not? we would not difoblige your honour for the matter of that; we will work like"-" No, you croppy rafcals! you fhall not work for me on that day you would not labour for me on Holy Thursday, Thursday, to carry on the works out of danger; and you shall not labour here on the fifth of June, now that they are fo. If there is any fanctity in idleness, let us have it on that day by all means." "Oh! in troth, fur, it would be a thousand murders to neglect the work on the fifth of June.” "It was more than ten thousand murders for you to neglect your honeft callings on that day twelvemonth; aye, more than two thousand in the streets of Rofs, to fay nothing of Scollabogue, and I do not find that it affects your pious confciences !" "The clargy, my dear, would not suffer us!" "Don't tell me of your clargy." Our holiday being come, it was kept with proper festivity. In the morning, however, an awful facrifice was made!— Thomas Power, aged 50, for the wilful and deliberate murder of an old Proteftant, was hanged and beheaded at Rofbercon, and his head exposed on the battlements of the Court-house. Never did I behold any execution conducted and performed with greater decorum and propriety. A folemn and very becoming seriousness fat on every countenance, and that uniformly to the end. The culprit made no confeffion of his accomplices. It is amazing how uniformly perfevering the rebels are in this particular! Neither threats nor promises can extort from one of them a discovery of their partners in iniquity. This poor wretch, after having repeated his devotions after the priest very diftinctly, was Jaunched into eternity. This day the loyalifts had an elegant fubscription-feast. Many loyal fongs were fung, and toafts and fentiments drank, in which our hero of the day was often mentioned. The day was concluded with bon-fires, illuminations, and fireworks. Every loyalift wore a ribbon, on which was printed with gold leaf an equestrian figure of our gallant General, and a motto expreffive of their gratitude and loyalty. Just Juft before the dinner was laid on the table, I publicly called on the loyal and zealous magistrate, who had, on the third of June, 1798, through mistake, challenged me as a rebel before the Antrim militia. "Mr. L." faid I, as diftinctly as I could speak, " as far as may be confiftent with "the honour of a gentleman, who confiders himself the "first offended, and without making any apology for the "fmalleft circumftance of my paft conduct towards you, I defire to be reconciled to you." He immediately rofe from his feat, and, in the most respectful and gentleman-like manner, faid, he was proud to accept of terms of reconciliation with one whom he fo much efteemed! He then filled a glafs of wine, and very politely drank my health. I returned the compliment; we fhook hands, and thus all our animofity ended. I have a debt of honour to pay this gentleman, in an acknowledgment which I fhall now make. I have been told, on refpectable authority, that he repeatedly faid, in several companies where our fracas was mentioned, "I respect Alex" ander very highly: I am forry we have fallen out; and I "fhall never reft until we are friends." He alfo, without any folicitation on my part, interested himself in my behalf in an affair which he thought would be to me of great service. By such persevering, gentleman-like, and Chriftian conduct, has this gentleman fhamed me out of my animofity towards him. Having acknowledged thus much, I believe I may mention the gentleman's name-STANDISH LOWCAY, Efq. The readers of this letter, who may be apt to find fault with its dwindling into a string of anecdotes, ought to forgive me, when they reflect that by every anecdote I only exceed my engagement. I gave a circumftantial detail of the most important particulars of the rebellion, and that in exact order ; and, I have given fuch an exact description of the battle, that it is impoffible any other man could give one more fo, who |