tricts, were not easily excited to commit those acts of outrage which took place in other quarters; but they were at length terribly alarmed and roused to resistance by the cruel and merciless conduct of the military in their flight from Wexford; but even then their determination of vengeance appeared solely directed against the body whose unprovoked fury had affected them with injury. These people, on their march to Wexford, halted near Johnstown, the seat of Cornelius Grogan, Esq., for whom a party was dispatched to bring him out and oblige him to join them; and thus this aged gentleman was constrained to accommodate himself to the crazy temper of the times; and being placed on horseback, then ill of the gout, he was conducted along by the multitude, consisting of several thousands on foot, and many hundreds of horsemen. On their entrance into the town, and defiling through the streets, not many pikes could be seen, but vast numbers were equipped with spits, pitchforks, and such-like offensive weapons, with which they endeavored, as much as in their power, to imitate and assume the appearance of pikemen; and after having shouted and paraded for some time through the streets, they retired peaceably to their homes without committing further outrage. All the forges both in town and country were instantly employed in the fabrication of pike-blades, and timber of every description fit for handles was procured for that purpose wherever to be found; so that in a very short time, no person could be seen (so general was the principle or affectation of arming) without a warlike weapon of some kind, a green cockade, a hatband, sash, or other ornament of that color. Four oyster-boats were fitted out in the harbor, and manned with five-and-twenty men each, to cruise outside the bay; and these from time to time brought in several

vessels, mostly bound for Dublin, laden with oats, potatoes, and different other kinds of provisions; which became very seasonable supplies for the town, that must otherwise have suffered great distress, as the markets were deserted by the country people. Three old pieces of cannon were brought down and mounted on the fort of Roslare, situate at the entrance of the harbor, to prevent any sloops of war from passing, such armed vessels only being capable of entering the harbor of Wexford; and four old sloops were ready to be scuttled and sunk in the channel to prevent any such armed vessel, in the event of her passing the fort, from approaching the town.

Money seemed to have vanished during the insurrection, as no person was willing to admit being possessed of any currency exclusive of bank-notes, which were held in such little estimation, that great quantities of them were inconsiderately destroyedsome in lighting tobacco-pipes, and others used as waddings for firelocks; but whatever little provisions appeared at market, sold very cheaply for ready money; for instance, butter sold by the pound for two pence, and butcher's meat, of any kind, for one penny. As to bank-notes, any one might starve who had no other means of procuring the prime necessaries, for which, when offered for sale, nothing but specie would be accepted as payment. Every endeavor was made to have the markets well supplied and attended; but even at the cheap rate just stated, there were scarcely any purchasers; so unwilling did every one appear to acknowledge the possession of money; but it must be mentioned, that indeed the necessity of purchasing at market was in a great measure superseded, for among the various duties of the committee one was that of supplying every person in town with provisions. On

application to them, every house was furnished with a ticket specifying the number of inhabitants, and all persons, even the wives and families of those considered the greatest enemies of the people, were indiscriminately included; and every person sent with a ticket to the public stores appointed for that purpose, received a proportionate quantity of meat, potatoes, and other necessaries, free of any expense. The bread in general was bad, as no good flour could be obtained.

In the country, the people formed themselves generally into parish divisions, and each division elected its own officers. All persons capable of carrying arms were to attend the camps, on being furnished with pikes or guns, as either could be best procured; some on foot and others on horseback, as they could best accommodate themselves. Most persons were desirous to wear ornaments of some kind or other, and accordingly decorated themselves in the most fantastical manner, with feathers, tippets, handkerchiefs, and all the showy parts of ladies' apparel: green was the most favorite and predominant color, but on failure of this, decorations of almost any other color were substituted; and as to their flags or ensigns, they were also generally green, or of a greenish hue; but on account of a deficiency in this respect, they displayed banners of all colors except orange, to which the people showed the most unalterable dislike, aversion, and antipathy,—even blue, black, red, and yellow, were remarked among their banners. Many damsels made an offering of their colored petticoats for the public service; and to make these gifts the more acceptable, they usually decorated them according to their different fancies, and from the variety thus exhibited, there appeared not two similar

banners in the whole. Several loyal ladies, too, both in town and country, displayed their taste in richly and fancifully ornamenting ensigns, to ingratiate themselves with the people; but many of them, not having time to perfect their chef-d'œuvres before the insurrection was suppressed, have since thought it prudent, I suppose, to destroy these and the like specimens of elegant accomplishment, at which I had opportunities of observing them earnestly employed, during the short-lived period of popular triumph. But now we must return to events which occurred in other parts of the country.

After the battle of Oulart, which was fought on the 27th of May, as already detailed, the yeomanry distinguished themselves, in the northern part of the county, by falling on the defenceless and unoffending populace, of whom they slew some hundreds. It being Whitsunday, the people were as usual go ing to their chapels to attend divine service, when many of them were led by curiosity, which is generally excited by the report of fire-arms, to ascend different eminences, from which the dreadful and horrid scenes of devastation by fire and sword, prevailing through the country round, as far as the eye could reach, was presented to their astonished and affrighted view; and as the different groups thus collected were perceived by the yeomanry, these pursued and cut them down. The most inoffensive were most likely to suffer by this mode of quieting disturbances, because, conscious of their innocence, they made no effort to avoid the sudden fate which they had no reason to apprehend. Even many who remained within their houses did not fare better than their more curious or less fearful neighbors, as numbers of them were called out and shot at their own doors; nay, some infirm and decrepit

old men were plunged into eternity by these valorous guardians and preservers of the public.peace! On every occasion, however, they were not inexorable to the piteous petitions for life, as a sum of money properly offered and timely presented saved some, who, after the insurrection was quelled, came forward with their complaints; and among others who were obliged to disgorge these bloody ransoms, Mr. Hunter Gowan, a magistrate and captain of a yeomanry corps, on a complaint made to Mr. Beauman, sen., of Hyde Park, (from whom I had this account,) was obliged to refund the money. These people, on surrendering their pikes and other offensive weapons and arms, fondly imagined that they had secured themselves protection, and were therefore not at all apprehensive of attack, but they soon found themselves miserably mistaken. Had their intentions been for violence, they would naturally have assembled in a large body, on some command ing hill, as the other insurgents did, where they would have appeared formidable; so that their having collected into numberless small groups is certainly to be deemed rather the effect of curiosity, than the effort of insurrection.

Great numbers of people, taking their families and such of their effects as they could conveniently transport thither along with them, fled for refuge into Gorey, where a general panic, however, prevailed, although, besides the yeomanry of the town, a party of the North Cork militia, under the command of Lieutenant Swayne, together with the Ballaghkeen, Coolgreny, Arklow, Northshire, and Coolatin corps of yeomen cavalry-the Tinnahely and Wingfield corps of yeomen infantry-and a company of the Antrim militia, commanded by Lieutenant Elliot, were stationed there; but, notwith