peared, positively denied that her brother wrote or published them, several years afterwards, in a conversation I had with her on the subject. A sermon was subsequently preached by the Rev. Dr. Crawley, on the death of a young woman, who had left a small legacy to the parish-priest. High-mass, which was also offered for the soul of the deceased, being seldom celebrated in that county, induced many persons, of different creeds, to be present at the solemnity. His animadversions on the Reformation were much censured by those of a different persuasion present; and the multiplied misrepresentations of it, caused the priest to print it. A reply then appeared, in the name of the parish clerk, containing the most provoking abuse of the catholic doctrine, discipline and worship. This, like that of Adam Oliver, circulated at a trifle. These were followed by a series of controversial squibs, penned not in the most polished or conciliating stile. As usual with ignorant disputants, they contained more abuse than argument; more falsification than illustration. These combustibles fell into the hands of the lower orders, and, in conjunction with captain whiskey, kindled abundance of fiery, unchristian zeal. When arguments failed, they set about to determine the controversy with fisty-cuffs and buille vatte. They did not long confine their impious zeal to sheebeen-houses; they fought for the love of God, and the preeminence of their respective creeds, at markets and fairs, and their warfare was, for some time, as nearly balanced as their folly. But the Peep

of-day-boys, availing themselves of the laws against papists having arms, paid early visits to their houses, seized whatever arms they found, and frequently ill treated the inmates. The first company of Armagh volunteers issued a manifesto against these practices, and declared their intention of protecting the catholics; yet the disturbances extended to different parts of the County: the fury of these fanatics seemed levelled against all catholics, and the defenders retaliated, sometimes on the innocent. Combinations were also formed for mutual injury; the defenders engaged not to purchase goods from a protestant, who should abet the peep-of-day-boys, and they determined not to traffic with a papist. In this state of irritation, on old May-day, 1788, a great number of the defenders, with many protestants, and the band of the 13th regiment at their head, walked in procession from Blackwatertown to the Moy. The garrison of Charlemont granted them leave to pass, and a mutual salute took place. This foolish parade excited great distrust of them; their numbers were magnified, and their intentions misrepresented. A party of volunteers, imagining the fort of Charlemont would be attacked, joined the garrison, and additional companies of volunteers were formed, for the preservation of public tranquillity. The raising of these companies was some check to the nocturnal depredations; yet, as catholics were not admitted, the defenders considered them an omen of their destruction. Occasional conflicts took place between them, the volunteers, and the peep

of-day-boys. The governor of the county, the earl of Charlemont, and the grand jury now published a manifesto, prohibiting all papists from assembling in arms; and also persons from disarming them without legal authority. The unhappy differences, however, still increased. The protestants of the county of Armagh were of opinion, that the destruction of the protestant religion was the object of the defenders; and the defenders complained, that all their efforts to procure legal redress were unavailing; that their oppressors were rather countenanced than checked by the civil power; and that they were thus compelled to associate, for the purpose of selfdefence. The grand jury and high-sheriff of the county of Armagh, in the spring assizes of 1791, resolved, that the system of illegal meetings among the Roman catholics was truly alarming, and offered five guineas reward for each of the first twenty persons convicted of illegally arming and assembling. The flame spread from Armagh to Louth, to Cavan and to Meath.

In proportion as this association extended itself into districts, where no protestants of inferior rank in life were to be found, and therefore no outrages like those of the peep-of-day-boys to be apprehended, it gradually lost its characteristic of being a religious feud, and became, in fact, an association for procuring a redress of the grievances of the very lowest orders. Even in the counties where it originated, it ceased to be actuated by religious animosity before the end of 1792, in consequence of the exertions of the

early United Irishmen, (whose chief endeavours were always directed to reconcile the protestants and catholics,) together with the influence of some liberal-minded men of both persuasions, and still more from the publications peculiarly adapted to that purpose, which were incessantly circulated through the medium of the Northern Star: for by these means the hatred of sects was lulled, until a subsequent period, when it will appear to have been aroused by fresh aggressions.

The defenders, after their association had changed its type, were bound together by oaths, obviously drawn up by illiterate men, different in various places, but all promising secrecy, and specifying whatever grievance was, in each place, most felt, and best understood. Tythes, therefore, were, in all of them, very prominent. The views of these men were far from being distinct; although they had a national notion, that "something ought to be done for Ireland," yet they were all agreed, that whatever was to be done should be accomplished by force of arms. They, therefore, formed themselves upon a military system; and, in order to procure arms, assembled by night, to take them from the houses of those who they conceived would be eventually their enemies.

These disturbances attracted the attention of the house of lords early in 1793, and a secret committee was appointed to inquire into their causes, to endeavour to discover their promoters, and to prevent their extension.

This committee, in the course of its proceedings, proposed questions, to which it required answers on oath, that might eventually have criminated the persons under examination. A knowledge of this fact had been obtained by the United Irishmen of Dublin, some of whom had been thus interrogated; they alleged, that the researches of the committee were not confined to the professed purpose of its institution, but directed principally to the discovery of evidence, in support of prosecutions, previously commenced, and utterly unconnected with the cause of the tumults it was appointed to investigate. They thereupon published a series of observations, calculated to show that the committee had no such right. They distinguished the legislative from the judicial capacity of the house of lords; denied its right to administer an oath in its legislative capacity; asserted, that, as a court, it was bound by those rules of justice which were obligatory on all other courts, both as to the limits of jurisdiction, and the mode of conducting inquiry; and further insisted, that these rules deprived it of all right to administer an oath, or exact an answer, in similar cases, or to delegate its judicial authority to a committee.

For this publication the chairman and secretary of the society, the Hon. Simon Butler and Mr. Oliver Bond, with whose names it was signed, were brought before the house on the 1st of March. They avowed the publication, and were, in consequence, sentenced by the lords to six months imprisonment, and a fine of 500