At the close of this year and beginning of 1798, the rebels began to exercise in fmall bodies; and fome of these poor harmless creatures began to travel towards this town, in large numbers, tied upon cars, and conducted most respectfully by a ftrong body of his Majefty's troops of cavalry. Once indeed, when the number of cars was very great, paffing by Pool-Mountey wood, between this and Greague, two of the united gentlemen having got permiffion to step afide, one of them walked into the wood and thus escaped from a guard of fifty dragoons, though much time was spent in fearching for him. At first the rebels thus taken were fent after an imprisonment of a night or two, to DUNCANNON FORT, for the purpose of ferving in the fleet or abroad as loyalists. But their numbers began to encrease to fuch a degree, that it was found neceffary to dispose of them otherwise than in the fleets. Car-loads of rebels, fometimes twelve or fifteen fuch loads together, often came into this town, and thence transmitted to a prison-fhip near the Fort, until about March or April, when their numbers hegan to be too formi. dable, and the perfons too wary to give much hope of carrying away fuch quantities of them with tolerable convenience.

On ST. PATRICK'S DAY the houses of most people, especially of the more fufpected, were fuddenly fearched for fire-arms and pikes; but with little fuccefs. The people all fhewed their houses with the utmoft civility and readiness. Scarcely a firelock and not a pike was to be found in the whole of this peaceable and loyally difpofed county. It was in this month the County of Kilkenny, which is feparated from this town only by the river Barrow, was proclaimed "to be in a ftate of rebellion, or likely to become fo." Towards the latter end of this month and beginning of April robberies of various kinds began to encrease in the vicinity of this town. Rebellious meetings began alfo to multiply, infomuch that on the eleventh of this month an advertisement was pofted up

1

in various parts of the town, offering liberal rewards to any perfon rubo would give even fecret information to any magiftrate of the counties of Wexford or Kilkenny, refiding in or near ROSS, where and when any meeting for the purpose of administering of unlawful oaths, or any other purpose whatsoever, was then to be held, provided fuch information fhould appear to be well founded. The magiftrates also pledged themselves to obferve the strictest secrecy as to the perfon giving fuch information; and that he should not be required to prove his allegations in a public manner. The conditions of this advertisement and a proclamation declaring this county also " in a state of disturbance, or likely fo to be," gave unbrage to fome-perhaps well-meaning people, who faw matters in a very imperfect and contracted point of view. Defperate remedies were abfolutely neceffary in fuck a defperate exigency. Mean time this town was (at least to all outward appearance) very peaceable, and very quiet, making fome allowance for the natural effects of juft and terrible apprehenfion, which foon nearly died away! Then a cloud of fullen tranquility feemed to brood over the whole face of the town, without any very observable interval of that hilarity which I think is very congenial to the inhabitants, and which one might fuppofe the uncommonly early gaiety and liveliness of the feafon might fometimes call forth. Towards the close of this month notices for delivering up all fire-drms and offenfive weapons, to which was added a folemn and very alarming denunciation; that in cafe of refufal within a certain limited time, the boufes of all perfons on whom any fuch weapons fhould be found, or in whose possession or cuftody they appeared in any wife to be, as also the houses of all perfons either accused or fufpected of rebellion, fhould be burned to afbes; and that at all For any other houses the military fhould be placed at free quarters till,these injunctions and others mentioned, of the like tendency, Should be complied with. I fhould have mentioned long before this, that during the first state of alarm I was requeft

ed

ed by Captain Tottenham of the Rofs yeomenry, to join his corps, either of cavalry or infantry. He urged my having

been in the army and navy last war and feen much fevere fervice; adding what a difgraceful circumftance it would be, for fuch a character to withhold his affiftance on fuch an emergency. I declined his propofal from the confideration, that my clofe attendance was now more particulary neceffary at the ROSS ACADEMY, where I was then upper affiftant and which at that time flourished exceedingly. He remarked, that the education of children, was but a fecondary confideration; the defence of property a primary one. I replied, that my fole property arofe from the education of children; fo there were the two confiderations of which he fo allowed the importance. "And, Sir," faid I," who ever charged even an Irishman with a greater blunder than giving up, or more properly throwing away his property in order to defend it? Where is the magnanimous loyalift who will thew me the example? *"

The rebels continuing refractory, the foregoing denunciations were put into execution in a very ample and serious manner; and the rebels often followed the fiery example. Many were the rebel houfes fet on fire in and about GREAGUE, OLD ROSS, , SUTTON'S PARISH, and on towards BALLYHACK, near WATERFORD. An immenfity of pikes were found, and many rebels taken. In this bufinefs STANDISH LOWCAY, Efq. now of Ross, and magiftrate for the county of WEXFORD, was very active. Some of the greatest rebels in this quarter were taken by his exertions.

The candid reader who in the perufal of this very haftily written narrative, seeks for any amusement abftractedly from determined criticism, will readily excufe, nay more than excufe, my fometimes making mention of myself, and exprefling my fentiments in relating things of which I was mostly an eye-witnefs; especially when evident juftice requires it, as in the prefent inftance.

I now heard of very many punishments of fufpected perfons both by flogging and ftrangulation, being put in execution in the barrack-yard, to extort confeffions of guilt.

There were two of thofe victims brought from the barrack to the court-house to undergo a repetition of former punishments. One of them of the name of DRISCOL, was found in Camlin wood, near ROSS, where he said he generally wandered as a hermit. Upon him was found two Roman Catholick prayer-books, with which it was fuppofed he adminif tered oaths of difloyalty. He had been strangled three times and flogged four times daring confinement, but to no purpofe! His fellow-fufferer was one FITZPATRICK, of Dungan's-town, near Sutton's parish. This man had been a Newfoundland failor, but long utterly difqualified to follow that occupation, by reafon of an inveterate fcurvy in his legs. He therefore commenced Abecedarian near Sutton's parish. It happened that a magiftrate who was a yeoman, and others of his corps, paffed by his noify manfion, which was no other than a little thatched ftable, that like a bee-hive proclaimed the industry of its inhabitants. lowed by the other yeomen. magiftrate, speaking of the master, as I fhall call him, though his authority was now for fome months to have an end; and a fevere vacation it was! "Here is a man, who I prefume can have no objection to taking the oath of allegiance."What do you fay? Mr, Teacher !"-" Oo! Dharra le ours fe" i. e. By the book, " I will take it, fir; and thank you for bringing it to me." So faying, he took the book, which the magistrate held forth, and not only took the oath with a moft cordial emphafis, but added another, expreffive of his loyalty at all times. Upon this the magistrate regarded his companions with a look of dry humour, and obferved, that this muft be a very loyal man indeed. "Well then, my loyal friend! I fuppofe you will readily fwear to all the pikes and to the

The magiftrate entered, fol"Here is a man" fays the

owners

have any

owners and poffeffors of them of whom you knowledge?" The man fwore that he had no certain knowledge of the kind; and, that he never faw a rebel's pike in his life, or a pike of any kind fince the rebellion. "Then" fays the magistrate holding forth the book again " you fhall fwear that you will, "to the utmost of your future knowledge or information this way, give or communicate in the best manner you can, all "fuch information to fome lawful magiftrate or other officer in his Majefty's fervice." "No, fir," anfwered Fitzpatrick, "I will not fwear that: I will bring no man's "blood on my head, and if I do inform, who will support

and protect me when I have loft all my scholars and my "neighbours turn upon me." On this he was immediately apprehended and escorted to Rofs. He was not ftrangled however; but flogged with great feverity. And it was not with dry eyes, I faw the punishment inflicted on this humble pioneer of literature! About a month after the battle both these men were tried before General CowLEY, and matters appearing no farther against them than I have stated, they were liberated from a clofe and filthy confinement. The General prefented both with a fmall fum of money, expreffing a good natured concern that he could not then give them any greater pecuniary affiftance. He also gave them written protections expreffive of his opinion of their having been peaceably difpofed. I saw them.

I never once heard an authentic account of any immediate good effect produced by those punishments: However it is moft certain that the feverities in general ferved to accelerate the rebellion and thereby very confiderably to weaken its progrefs.

In the month of May fome alarming expreffes came to this town, giving accounts of, large bodies of armed insurgents appearing in various parts of the adjacent country; and these reports encreased daily, and (what is very unusual

in