I have been informed, that a young man from Rofs, who acted with the rebels, but who had more humanity than most of them, went to doctor Caulfield, informed him of the maffacres which were going forward, and befought him to prevent them; but he refufed to interfere himself, but faid he would fend father Roche, his chaplain, who was prefènt, for that purpofe; but he never was known to exert himself. The perfon who gave this notice to doctor Caulfield, with whom father Corrin had dined, related it to many perfons who affured me of it.

Mr. George Taylor, a man of great veracity, wrote a hiftory of the rebellion in the county of Wexford, of which he is a native; and he tells us, "That while this work was going on, a rebel captain, being fhocked at the cries of the victims, ran to the popifh bifhop, who was then drinking wine with the utmoft compofure after dinner; and knowing that he could ftop the maffacre fooner than any other perfon, entreated him, for the mercy of God, to come and fave the prifoners. He in a very unconcerned manner replied, "It was no affair of his ;" and requested the captain would fit down and take a glass of wine with him: adding, "That the people muft be gratified." The captain refused the bifhop's invitation; and, filled with abhorrence and diftrefs of mind, walked filently away.

Mrs. O'Neil went to the doctor to complain of the murder of her nephew, Mr. Turner, on the bridge He was one of the first perfons taken out of the prifon-fhip; yet doctor Caulfield did not interfere, nor did Mr. Corrin, though he was prefent, till Mr. Kellett fent a meffenger for him; and there were many perfons mailacred in the interval between Mrs. O'Neil's complaint and the deliverance of Mr. Kellett.

While they were difpatching Mr. Hore, of Harper's-town, Mr. Kellett, who was the next intended victim, fent a perfon in the crowd, who had formerly lived with him as fervant, for Mr. Corrin,

who

who dined at doctor Caulfield's, the popifh bishop, to let him know his perilous fituation; and he inftantly repaired to the bridge, threw himfelf between Mr. Kellett and the pikemen, faying, that they fhould not kill him, without firft butchering him. Having thus refcued him, he first led him to his own house, and afterwards to Clenard, about two miles off, the feat of Mr. Kellett, who kept Mr. Corrin at his houfe till next day, to protect him; dreading that the rebels might have retaken and reconveyed him to prifon. It was univerfally believed, that father Corrin's interference did not proceed from pure motives of humanity, but from a preconcerted agreement with Mrs. Kellett, for the following reafons: "He did not approach the bridge, or ufe any exertion till he received Mr. Kellett's meflage at the bishop's; and when he led him away under his protection, he left the other prifoners on their knees in the hands of the ruthlefs pikemen, without offering to interfere for their prefervation.

4

The following circumftance tends ftrongly to con firm this opinion: A gentleman of very great refpec tability, who was on board the prifon-fhip, affured me, that on the morning of the maffacre, a fervant of Mr. Crump went on board, and from the general tenor of his converfation, they could infer, that meffieurs Crump, Kellett and Bland would be faved at all events; which we may fuppofe was in confequence of the promise made to their wives by Mr. Corrin the evening before,

Charles Jackfon, an Englishman, who had practifed the trade of a carver and gilder at Wexford, was among the laft party of prifoners fuppofed to have been faved by Mr. Corrin, He publifhed a narrative of his fufferings, and of the events which occurred at Wexford during the rebellion. The popish clergy of that town have relied much on his veracity; and it is most certain that his relation of the events of which he was an eye-witness is ftrictly

A popish priest of Wexford wrote a pamphlet under the fignature of Veritas, with the affiftance, and under the direction of doctor Caulfield, merely for the purpose of vindicating the conduct of the Romish clergy; in which he often quoted Jackson's narative, which gives a faithful reprefentation of the events which occurred, except while he was in prifon; and his account of them during that period was erro, neous, for the following very obvious reafon : They were communicated to him by his wife, who, being a rigid papift, was completely under the influence of the priests,

He gives the following account of the escape of himself and his fellow prifoners on the bridge:

"General Roche rode up in great hafte, and bid them beat to arms; faying, " that Vinegar-hill camp was befet, and that reinforcements were wanting ;" that this operated like lightning on the rebels, who inftantly quitted the bridge, and left Jackfon and the other victims on their knees, That the mob, (con fifting of more women than men,) who had been fpectators, alfo inftantly difperfed in every direction, fuppofing the king's troops were at hand That the prifoners, ftupified with horror, remained fome time on their knees, without making any effort to escape: That the rebel guard foon returned, took them back to gaol, telling them, that they should not escape any longer than the next day, when neither man, woman or child of the proteftants fhould be left alive."

Different perfons at that time in Wexford, and fome who lived near the bridge, have unanimoufly concurred with Jackfon's relation of it.

A perfon of the utmost veracity, who was led out to execution, and narrowly efcaped, has pofitively afferted, that he believes father Corrin would not have interfered at all, but that he imagined there was a complete reverfe of fortune, in confequence of the alarm occafioned by the arrival of the meffenger

from

from Vinegar-hill; but this perfon was ignorant of the fecret compact which he had made with Mrs. Kellett.

As ftrong fufpicions were entertained, and infinuations were thrown out, foon after the maffacre at the bridge, that the popish priests in Wexford had more influence than any other perfons there, and that they could have protected thofe whom they chofe, father Corrin went to Mr. George Taylor, one of the prifoners who efcaped, when Mr. Kellett was refcued, and asked him to fign a paper, containing a contradiction of it, and a general approbation of the conduct of the priesthood in Wexford during the rebellion. He refused to do fo, but at his instance gave him the following certificate:

"I do hereby certify, that the reverend John Corrin, by his humane exertion, has been the initrument in the hands of God in faving my life, and eleven others of my fellow-prifoners, the twentieth of June, being the day of the general maffacre on the bridge of Wexford.

Ballywalter, Auguft 28th, 1798.

GEORGE TAYLOR."

Mr. Taylor, on giving Mr. Corrin this certificate, afked him, "What ufe he meant to make of it?" He answered," To employ it in my defence." The reader will draw but one inference from this anticipated defence against an accufation which was not at that time even thought of. As meffieurs Taylor and Jackson, who efcaped from the maflacre on the bridge, differed from each other in the relation of this dreadful event, I fhall endeavour to account for their apparent contradiction.

Taylor imputes their prefervation folely to the interference of Mr. Corrin: Jackfon, to the alarm and confufion occafioned by the arrival of the express, in which every one concurs with him, except George Taylor. The former fays, they were led away from the bridge by Mr. Corrin; the latter, that

they

they were left in the hands of the pikemen. I fhould give greater credit to the relation of Jackson, than that of Taylor, for the following reafons: Mr. Kellett perfonally affured me, that Mr. Corrin led him away from the bridge; and it is moft certain, that the remainder of the prifoners were led back to the gao! by the pikemen, where they remained until the king's troops entered the town. If Mr. Corrin had influence enough over the mob to check the maffacre, and to rescue Mr. Kellett, why did he leave the remainder of the prifoners in the hands of the ferocious rebels, who might have butchered them after his departure? In the state of ftupefaction to which the prisoners were reduced by terror, as Jackfon obferves, it is very poffible that Taylor might have mistaken the real caufe of their prefervation. They were furrounded by an immenfe mob, befides the pikemen ; and as many fpectators in the houfe of Mr. Hatchel, near the bridge, have unanimoufly agreed, that the alarm and difperfion of the rebels took place rather before the arrival of Mr. Corrin, it is poffible that Mr. Taylor might have mistaken the real cause of it, particularly as he could not have feen Mr. Corrin until the multitude difperfed; befides, he is uncom monly near-fighted. I fhall not pretend to difpute his veracity, as I know him to be a perfon of ftri& religious and moral principle, but I really believe he was mistaken.

The following occurrence muft diminish our belief of father Corrin's having acted from pure motives of humanity: Mrs. Margaret Lett, the wife of a brewer of Ennifcorthy, having been examined as a witnefs on the trial of Thomas Clooney, on the fifth of July, 1799, at Wexford, depofed, That fhe had the protection of father Corrin; that her hufband was a prifoner in the gaol of Wexford; that Clooney wrote on the back of the protection, that he would go bail for Mr. Lett's good behaviour, and that he would not leave Wexford, if Mr. Corrin would

allow