dow, and told them quietly that they should have his arms. He came down stairs and opened the door, on which a ruffian of the name of Doorley approached him, using the most opprobrious language. Mr. Spencer asked him what he had ever done to offend him? when the other replied "You would not give me a protection against the soldiers." Mr. Spencer assured him that he would have done so had he applied to him; but, perceiving them growing turbulent, he retired into the house, and was pursued, murdered, and mangled in the most savage manner. After the perpetration of this diabolical act, they massacred George Moore, James his son, and John Heaslip, his son-in-law-the three Protestants that were in the house. The labourers joined the mob and were not injured. The first lieutenant of Mr. Spence's corps, a Mr. Moore, who had served in the King's service, had gathered about fifteen of the yeoman infantry, together with a few of the loyal inhabitants, and retreated into the house of Mr. Niell, a Quaker. The rebels attacked the house and asked him to surrender his arms, asserting that he should not be injured. For some time he refused compliance; but, owing to the entreaties of the females in the house, acceeded to the terms which had been delusively offered. But these amiable females found, alas! that they had been deceived, for the insurgents murdered every Protestant they could find on the premises, leading them into the street and butchering them with fiendish exultation. They led Mr. Moore about the streets, mocked and insulted him. His wife, who had been confined a few days previously, was removed to the house of Captain Grattan, and having conducted him opposite to it, the rebels determined to murder him there; but some of the savages, possessed of more feeling than the rest, objected, and led him to another part of the town, and shot him. On the whole, they murdered nineteen Protestants in this small village. The following expressions are related to have been used by them, by persons of undoubted veracity :- "We have got rid of our friends and have sent their souls jumping to hell we have at last got what we had a right to our own country to ourselves."* A detachment of the 7th

* Ireland for the Irish.-O'CONNELL.

Dragoon Guards, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Mahon, and some Yeoman Cavalry from Tullamore, marched to the relief of the town on Monday, the 28th of May. Having divided the squadron into two parts, intending to surround the rebels, one party passed through the town without molestation, and, having joined the other, were returning, when they received a tremendous fire of musketry from the windows, killing three and wounding eleven. The horse of Lieutenant Malone was shot under him in the street, upon which he became their prisoner. The remainder of the troops were obliged

to retreat towards Monastereven. On the afternoon of Monday, the City of Cork Militia under Colonel Longford, with a detachment of dragoons, and two field-pieces, approached Rathangan. The rebels showed the utmost consternation; some were for giving battle, others for vacating the town. Lieutenant-Colonel Longford received from the rebels, by express, a letter, stating that they would instantly put Mr. Malone to death, if the troops did not retire; but he, disregarding their menace, advanced precipitately after having fired some cannon shot at the town, dislodging the rebels, and putting them to flight. Such was their confusion, that Mr. Malone received no injury. About sixty of the rebels were shot on this day, by the army, in the town of Rathangan.

KILCULLEN.

In consequence of having surrendered pikes and muskets to the amount of twelve thousand, to General Dundas, and taking the oaths of allegiance, the rebels in this district were looked upon by the civil magistrates as having renounced rebellion.

At four o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, Mr. Robert Douglas came into Kilcullen, and informed the garrison that the rebels had assembled at Gilltown the preceding night, and that they intended to attack the town. Patroles were therefore sent to all the avenues leading to it. Two expresses were sent to Ballymore Eustace, to apprise the garrison there of the intended rising, but were met by five hundred pikemen, who knocked one off his horse; but the other returned to the

town without delivering his express, crying out—“ To

arms!"

The town, however, remained quiet till seven o'clock on the following morning, when forty of the cavalry, and the Romneys, and twenty-two of the Suffolk Fencibles received orders to proceed to Old Kilcullen, where the rebels were assembled. Three hundred of their number were entrenched in the vicinity of the churchyard, being well secured against an attack. The cavalry were immediately ordered to charge; but, owing to the advantageous ground of the enemy, were repulsed three times with loss. With the utmost difficulty Captains Cook and Erskine prevailed upon the troops to charge the enemy again, in which engagement the former officer advanced some yards before them; but, his horse being shot, fell upon his knees, and, while in this situation, that brave officer became the victim of the merciless pikemen. Erskine also, and twenty-two privates, met a like fate. In the space of ten minutes, a well-directed volley from the Suffolk Fencibles, commanded by Captain Beale, dispersed the rebels. The troops under General Dundas, having been defeated at Old Kilcullen, made good their retreat to Kilcullen Bridge, which movement prevented the rebels from attacking that place; but they continued their march, and halted between Kilcullen and Naas, intending to cut off General Dundas and his forces from further retreat; but the general, not being deterred, placed himself at the head of thirty Suffolk Fencibles and ten cavalry, and, after firing a few rounds, and charging the enemy, took possession of their posts. There were three hundred rebels slain in this engagement. The following day the General abandoned Kilcullen, determining to concentrate his forces as near the metropolis as possible, believing that the enemy had laid their plans to attack it. After which event the most shocking barbarities were practised. There were six rebel encampments in the county Kildare -one at Knockallin, one at Barnhill, one at Hodgestown, one at Hortland, one at Redgap, and one at Timahoethe whole of which, it is said, contained sixteen thousand rebels. A deputation from Knockallin and Barnhill was dispatched to General Dundas, stating that they would

surrender their arms, and return to their homes, provided his prisoners were liberated, with which terms he refused to comply. They then offered to surrender unconditionally, but the General still refused to grant them protection without the sanction of Government. After this, numbers of them repaired to the county Wexford, in order to join their fellow traitors. The insurrection

having put on a more determined aspect, General Duff left the city of Limerick at the head of three hundred men, consisting of fifty of Lord Roden's Fencibles, two hundred of the city of Dublin Militia, and two small guns. Having reached Kildare in forty-eight hours, they found the rebels posted in a fort; and, placing his army in battle array, Sir James Duff sent a sergeant to the rebel camp to desire that they would surrender their arms; but they wantonly fired on his troops, killing one and wounding three. This caused the military to return the fire and charge the rebels, of whom in a short time four hundred lay either dead or dying. There existed great disaffection in the various corps of yeomen in this county. The Castledermot Corps had but five men who were not implicated in the rebellion. The Slievmarigue also were disaffected, but modestly gave up their arms. corps of Captain Gerard Fitzgerald acquitted themselves nobly during the insurrection in this part of the country. Another corps in this district, commanded by Captain Thomas Fitzgerald, of Geraldine, near Athy, were publicly disarmed in the Market Square, and their commander committed to the Castle of Dublin, a prisoner, for some time. The whole of the Rathangan Corps joined the rebels, and the North Naas Corps could muster but sixteen upon whom they could depend. The Clane Corps also presented a sad spectacle of disaffection, being able to muster but twenty-four on the 24th of May.*

CARLOW.

The

As in other places, the stopping of the mail coaches upon the line from Dublin to Carlow was made the signal for the rising of the rebels in this town; and, consequently

Be it remembered that these corps were composed of Roman Catholics.

on the morning of the 25th of May, the insurgents entered the town to the number of five thousand. They marched in from Hacketston, Grange, Rathvilly, Tullow, Borris, and Leighlin, headed by James Roche, a farmer, and were joined by most of the Popish inhabitants and other persons who arrived in the town secretly the preceding day and night. They advanced in a body through Tullow Street, till they reached the Potatoe Market, where they were repulsed by the sentinels who were stationed in that locality, and some loyal Protestants who had joined them; they, by a well directed fire, defeated them, and drove them towards the gaol. Here they met with the same spirit in the other sentinels, who bravely stopped them in their progress, and drove them towards the Court-house, where they received some shots from the houses of the loyal Protestants. Thinking themselves surrounded by the soldiers, they threw down their arms, and, in the greatest consternation, attempted to make their escape by the road through which they had entered; but, fearing to meet the military, multitudes of them took refuge in the houses of their associates, which were set fire to by the soldiers, in order to force the miscreants from their retreats. Some rushed through the flames and were shot; others remained until they were consumed; and such as got off through the streets, were pursued and killed by the soldiers and yeomen. It is generally believed that seven hundred of the unfortunate wretches perished on this day, and were buried in a gravel pit at Graigue, known by the name of Croppy Hole.

It is a remarkable feature in the history of the insurrection at Carlow, that not one of the loyalists perished, owing to the order that prevailed. There were about two hundred troops in the town, who were posted in the following order-twelve men at Graigue Bridge, twelve on the Dublin road, and the remainder at the various entrances to the town. The parties thus stationed had received strict orders to allow the rebels to enter unmolested, which they did, with the exception of the sentinel at the Collector's house, who, when he saw the insurgents marching up Tullow Street, and shouting, "the town is

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