by the purest sentiments of philanthropy; as what other possible motive could induce any one of them to place himself in such a perilous situation, at a time that it was well known to every man of rational observation, that the efforts of the insurgents would not be attended with final success? They had indeed undertaken a most difficult task, although they have not escaped the censure of partisans of all sides, who, while they venture to express prejudiced opinions, have no conception of the then existing general state of the county of Wexford. In short, the council were placed in as embarrassing a predicament as can well be imagined, seemingly at the head of a refractory outrageous populace, whom they anxiously sought to rescue from destruction, while these mostly counteracted their best and most benevolent intentions. However, when called on, at this dangerous juncture, as considered capable of applying a remedy to the enormous evil, all petty considerations vanished, and they undertook to meet the difficulty with firmness and resolution; and when such urgent necessity existed, any man should be deemed an enemy to the human race, who would refuse to contribute all his might towards the salvation of his countrymen. According to the nature of the existing evil, so should be that of the counteracting measures. From this consideration the council did not think it right, for the preservation of the people, to declare, or even in the smallest degree to allow their defenceless state. On the contrary, it was considered necessary, along with the endeavor to encourage general union and harmony, to appear to be, as much as possible, able and determined to adopt the most firm and decisive measures, with the view of obtaining the more favorable conditions for the people.

The critical situation of the council, as far as it

regarded the management of the people themselves, may be well exemplified by the following occurrence. The town of Wexford being in a state of the utmost tranquillity, was all at once thrown into the most violent confusion and alarm by a great cavalcade coming into it over the bridge, preceded by Captain Dixon and his wife, who rode through the streets, while he with gesture and expression the most outrageous exhibited a fire-screen, ornamented with various emblematical figures representing some heathen gods, and with orange bordering, fringe, and tassels, which he represented as the insignia of an orange lodge, and the figures he tremendously announced as the representations of the tortures which the Catholics were to suffer from Orangemen; calling on the people to take signal vengeance, as he produced to them, he said, the discovery of the whole plot, found at Attramont, the seat of Colonel Lehunte. It is impossible to describe the fury of the people on this occasion, roused to the most violent pitch in an instant, and only to be accounted for on the principle of their supposition or rather persuasion of their intended extermination, which the sight of any thing orange awakened in the most sensitive manner, similarly to what has been before related concerning the orange warrant or commission and pitched cap discovered in the barracks of Wexford. When Captain Dixon had, by this infernal and tumultuous conduct, assembled almost all the inhabitants of the town, (whose phrensy, on seeing the orange ornaments, and hearing his assertions most desperately vociferated, it is impossible to describe,) he proceeded directly to the house wherein Colonel Lehunte lodged, dragged him out, and marched him down to the jail, amidst a furious and enraged mob, by whom it is wonderful that his life was spared at the instant.

The principal inhabitants immediately assembled, and very narrowly escaped being all put to death; for as they met in the committee house, opposite which the mob had collected, a common ruffian had the audacity to come in and fire a shot amidst them all, and actually arrested one of the council, which so provoked a gentleman present, who happened to have his pistols about him, that he cocked one of them and was ready to shoot the fellow, but was fortunately prevented; for I verily believe, had the ruffian been shot, the destruction of every one in the house would have been the inevitable consequence. The populace at length permitted some gentlemen to address them from the windows, and it was a considerable time before they were able to persuade them that all their fury and madness had proceeded from the exhibition of a fire-screen, on which were represented some heathen gods, and which formed part of the ornaments of a room furnished three years before with orange borderings and trimmings, then considered the most fashionable color.

On the 16th, the insurgents set out from their encampment at Limerick Hill to Carnew, where meeting with no force to interrupt their career, they proceeded as far as Tinehaly; here they had smart skirmishing with the army, from whom they took a great number of cattle, which they drove on before them, and encamped that night at Mountpleasant. On their quitting Limerick Hill in the morning, the prisoners who were confined in Gorey were thence brought to Vinegar Hill, from which they were conveyed under a strong escort, and lodged in the jail of Wexford. The disposition of the inhabitants of this town, in not permitting any of the prisoners there confined to be brought out of the jail, where they were considered in perfect safety, was well known,

as many refusals had been made to demands of this kind from the country, when it was apprehended the intention was not to set them at liberty, but to put them to death; in the present instance, therefore, the strong escort, which consisted of Enniscorthy men, gave no intimation of any design until they got possession of the jail, while delivering the prisoners they had brought with them; but then overpowering the guards, they forced away with them four men, who had been very obnoxious to the people, and with them quitted the town immediately, in order to afford no time to rescue the unfortunate victims from them. The four devoted men were taken to the camp on Vinegar Hill, where they were next morning put to death, the Wexford gunsmen having returned home on the evening before, for during their stay in the camp only one man suffered, soon after their arrival, and they would by no means allow the repetition of such another deed, as has been before observed.

On the 16th, several people from the neighborhood of Gorey formed a small encampment on Ask Hill, between Gorey and Arklow, from which last-mentioned town, since the battle fought there, the troops issued with peculiar caution. On this day, however, a troop of yeomen cavalry had the fortitude to advance towards the little camp of the insurgents. This was, at the time, very inconsiderable as to numbers, having no more than about one hundred men equipped or fit for action, the rest having either dispersed or proceeded to Vinegar Hill; and even half the remaining number precipitately fled at the approach of the cavalry; while the other half, arned with pikes only, stripped to their shirts, to be unincumbered in exertion, and ran in full speed to meet the yeomen; but these avoided the encounter and expeditiously retreated to Arklow. The insur

gents then retired from Ask Hill, and moved into the country between Oulart and Wexford, and were distributed through the different houses in that neighborhood.

On Sunday, the 17th of June, a detachment of four hundred men sent out from the camp on Vinegar Hill, halted in Ferns until break of day, when, thus early on Monday, the 18th, they marched forward with the intention of storming Newtownbarry; but meeting at Camolin the insurgents who had now quitted their station at Mountpleasant, they altered their route and returned to Vinegar Hill, while the main body of the others proceeded to Carrigrew, whence they also moved on the next day to Vinegar Hill.

Early on the 19th, the encampment on Lacken Hill was surprised by a military force that came out from Ross; and the insurgents, provided with little or no ammunition, and not apprehending an attack, were nearly surrounded before they were aware of their situation. They were also but few in number, for although vast multitudes appeared in their encampments in the day-time, yet they were almost deserted during the night, as all persons took the liberty of going and coming as they pleased. But notwithstanding this and the sudden emergency, they effected a good retreat to the Three-rocks, without the loss of a man. This was contrived in a masterly manner by the address of their commander, the Rev. Philip Roche, who, being roused from his bed by the general alarm, ordered the foot directly to retreat, and having collected immediately round him the few horsemen that could be got together, caused them to seize on several banners, and keep them waving at different distances, as it were in defiance, so as to intimidate the troops from making a sudden onset,