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He received domiciliary vifits, daily, from the favage pikemen, who frequently asked him, Whether he had the protection of a priest?

The 4th and 5th of June, he remained unmolested, as the rebels were making preparations on the firft, for the battle of Rofs; and the fecond, on which it was fought, all the popish farmers and peasants, for many miles round that town, were compelled by their refpective priests to attend the rebel army.

On the 10th of June, they carried his fon, a boy of fourteen years, to the camp at Carrickbyrne, on an accufation of having been heard to fing "Croppies, lie down!" previous to the eruption of the rebellion; but a rebel captain, more humane than the reft, promised that he should be restored next day; and he fulfilled his promife.

His fervants, both male and female, left him, because, as they faid, they would not be allowed to remain in a heretick house; and his daughters were obliged to collect fuel from the adjacent hedges, and to draw water on their heads, from a fpring, at a confiderable diftance. Some of his neighbours fupplied him with oatmeal and potatoes, and fometimes with a little butter. They were confined to that food only, and often were so scantily furnished with it, that they were reduced to one meal. Mr. Francis imputed the fafety of himself and his family to the following incident: He was often afked, Whether he had the protection of a priest? which they said was neceffary for his fafety. At last, one Bryan, a rebel captain, and a man of fome humanity, feeling pity for his fufferings, went to the rebel camp, and procured from general Roche, the priest, over whom he had great influence, a protection for him, which I give the reader.

A Protection for the reverend Mr. Francis.

IT is ordered, that no perfon or perfons fhall dare infult, abuse, injure, or hurt the reverend Mr. Francis, his family, domesticks, mansion-house, &c. All who difobey these orders, fhall be taken by a guard, brought into camp, to be tried by court-martial, and punished according to their fentence.

ROCHE,

Commander in chief of the united republican

army of the county of Wexford.

DOCTOR

545

DOCTOR CAULFIELD fays in page 7, "the allegation of unbounded influence is, I think, fairly done away; but as to the invariable effects of protections granted by the priests, I repeat and infift there were none, nor could any priest, except a blockhead, attempt to grant fuch."

This protection fecured him from any further infults.

This venerable gentleman, and his family, went to Dublin, in the winter of the year 1798, where I became acquainted with him, and obtained a copy of his journal during the rebellion, from which I have extracted these particulars.

He was in a rapid decline, from a spitting of blood, occafioned by rude and brutal treatment from the rebels; and he died in the beginning of the year 1799, leaving his family in the utmost diftrefs. This gentleman fhewed me his tythe-books; and it appeared from them, that, instead of the tenth, he did not receive the thirtieth part of his legal dues.

The reverend Mr. Gordon, his fucceffor, knowing the fet of favages he had to deal with, has, with more regard to policy than accuracy, written a hiftory of the rebellion, for the obvious purpose of conciliating the priests and the popish multitude, to fecure the punctual payment of his tythes; and for that purpose, he abuses the magiftrates, the military, and the yeomen; and he imputes many of the atrocities committed during the rebellion to local provocation, though, in other parts of his work, he admits that the rebellion arose from fanaticism, and that the popish multitude had no other idea of a revolution, than the exclufive eftablishment of their own religion. He imputes to me, among others, the following error: I call father Philip Roche, the commander in chief, an inhuman favage, because he not only inculcated the extirpation of hereticks, but was prefent, and prefided, at many malacres on Vinegar-hill; and yet Mr. Gordon becomes his panegyrift, and fays, "for a charge of cruelty against him, I can find no foundation. On the contrary, I have heard many inftances of his active humanity." Good God! that a protef tant clergyman should become the encomiaft of a monfter who was the inftrument of so much human misery, and who was hanged on the bridge of Wexford, for various crimes!*

See vol. i pages 451, 464—vol. ii. page 410.

I am

I am authorized to fay, that the bishop of Ferns very much cenfures Mr. Gordon's hiftory, and that the magiftrates and clergy of the county of Wexford, and many of the most refpectable officers, who campaigned there in the year 1798, unanimously declare, that it contains many grofs miftatements, and that its tendency in general is, to palliate the horrors of the late rebellion.

A letter, now in my poffeffion, from major-general Needham, dated March 1st, 1802, states, " that he had never read Gordon's book till I fent it to him a day or two before;" and he authorizes me to contradict his statement of the battle of Arklow, by afferting, "That no propofal to retreat was made by him, during that battle, to colonel Skerrett, or any other officer whatever under his command," as is falfely infinuated by Mr. Gordon in his hiftory, page 131; which can be testified by all the staff-officers, and officers commanding corps who have teftified it.

The reafon that lieutenant-general Lake ordered general Needham to repair to Solfborough, from Oulart, contrary to the general orders given to the different columns destined to attack Vinegar-hill, was this: General Lake was very near that mountain, on which there was an immenfe body of rebels; and apprehending an attack, in which the rebels by the great fuperiority of their numbers, aided by the darkness of the night, in a very inclofed country, might have baffled difcipline, he, defirous of strengthening his main body, suddenly changed his orders to major-general Needham, which made it impoffible for the latter to be at his poft of attack in due time. This contradicts the miftatement of Mr. Gordon in page 193. I give this from the very first authority on that command.

The relation which I have given of the affair at Whiteheaps, in page 56 of this volume, was obtained from the staff officers of the king's troops, and fome refpectable officers of the militia and yeomen, and is therefore to be relied on. It differs materially from that of Mr. Gordon, who has mifreprefented it, seemingly for the purpose of reflecting on the conduct of the general officers concerned in it.

His statement could not have been obtained from any perfon engaged in it.

Five officers of the Cavan regiment have declared, and are ready to do fo upon cath, that they faw the body of father Michael Murphy thrown into a house in flames, where

it

it was confumed; and yet Mr. Gordon tells us, that the Ancient Britons extracted the greafe from it, to grease their boots-They also declare, that no officer or foldier of the Ancient Britons was within a mile of the spot, when the body was committed to the flames.

Copy of a letter from major Williams, to major-general Needham.

"SIR,

1

Naas, March the 1ft, 1802.

"WE, the underfigned officers of the Durham Regiment who were present at the battle of Arklow, feel it a juftice due to you, under whom we ferved, to declare, that Mr. Gordon was not authorized by any of us to make use of those infinuations which appear in his hiftory, tending to reflect on your conduct on that day; and we are convinced, no proposal to retreat was made by you to colonel Skerrett, or any other officer.

"We lament colonel Skerrett being at Newfoundland, who could have given the best testimony. We have the honour to be,

SIR,

Your moft obedient

humble fervants,

G. HANBURY WILLIAMS, Major,
Commanding the Loyal Durham Fencibles.

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Copy of a letter from lieutenant-colonel Bainbridge, (who is now dead) to fir Richard Mufgrave.

"SIR,

Naas, April 29th, 1801.

"IN answer to yours of the 25th inft. respecting the action of the Whiteheaps:-I was in general Needham's brigade that day, and your account of it is perfectly correct, excepting the number killed. I paffed over the ground in the purfuit, and I am convinced there were not above thirty rebels killed. The 9th dragoons, the 89th, and Leitrim Militia loft fome men. What I have read of your history of the county of Wexford, where our regiment was engaged, is extremely correct; and if there are any particulars you would wish to be furnished with, I fhall be happy to inform you of them, as far as my obfervation went. I am,

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Refolutions of the Governors of the Female Charity School at Wexford.

AT a general quarterly meeting of the Governors of the Wexford Female School of Industry, held on the first day of February, 1802, it was unanimously resolved,

"That the conduct of the Romish clergy of this town, in compelling the parents of fuch children of their religion, as were pupils at faid school, to withdraw their children under pain of excommunication, excites our furprise.

"That the reafon affigned by the reverend John Corrin, parish priest of Wexford, for their being fo withdrawn, viz. that attempts had been made to feduce them from their religion,' appears to us to have no other foundation than a too eafy belief of the mifreprefentation of prejudice, and the fictions of calumny; and we call on Mr. Corrin to fubftantiate the charge, by naming the perfons who attempted fuch feduction, and producing the children on whom it was practifed.

"That

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