"In my opinion, the forces sent, ill-commanded, and with some exceptions, ill-officered, promoted the previous irritation and subsequent timidity."

"A man named McQuillan, (a supposed emissary of the United Irish confederacy,) was detected in April, 1798, spreading a report that the French had landed at Bantry--that the regular military force and yeo. manry were to march against them, but that before they did so, there was to be a universal massacre of the Catholics-so that the people generally fled from their houses, and passed their nights under any screen that gave them shelter."

"Reports of a like nature prevailed with the Protestants. It was confidently believed by them that the Catholics were to rise in a body, on the 29th of April, and slay all differing with them in creed."

"Some commanders of the yeomanry were ferocious and cruel, and some were not; those who were humane concealed their kind acts from the public eye, lest they should by implication be accused of complicity with traitors."

"Previous to the breaking out of the insurrection, the North Cork regiment of militia burned houses in every direction, and shot and flogged, and otherwise tortured any one they pleased. The wanton exercise of power to which men are prone, the gratification of antipathy, and the demonstration, by overt acts, of fidelity to the state, were sufficient motives for this line of conduct."

"Orange principles were not known in the County Wexford until introduced by the North Cork Militia, in April, 1798. This regiment introduced, at the same time, the torture of the pitch cap and half hanging."

"It was generally believed by the Protestants, previous to the insurrection, that a brief oath had been sworn by the Catholics, in these words, Every loyal Protestant I shall murder, and this I swear." "

From the initials of this oath it was believed that a pass-word had been formed, thus,

"Elpismatis."

"The 24th of May, 1798, (three days previous to the Wexford outbreak,) twenty-eight prisoners were shot in the Ball-alley of Carnew. Some of these had been arrested on suspicion, and some were under sentence of transportation."

"The 23rd of May, thirty-four prisoners were, without any trial, shot in Dunlavin- the informer at whose instance they had been arrested shared the same fate as his victims."

The late organization of the County of Wexford. "The 12th of March, 1798, there was a meeting of delegates from all

the United Irish societies of Ireland, held in Bridge-street, Dublin. There was no representative at this meeting from the County of Wexford, nor any return showing its organization.'

"It was not until the 20th of April, 1798, that the County of Wexford was declared to be under martial law, by a meeting of the county magistrates, held at Gorey."

"When the insurrection broke out there, there were not quartered in the whole County of Wexford, more than six hundred of militia and other troops-to these were to be added the yeomanry and "the black mob," the latter without uniform, but provided by the government with armis and ammunition."

The aspect of the Country after the Outbreak.

"The morning of Whit-Sunday, the 27th of May, two large bodies of insurgents had assembled on Oulard-hill, and another on Kilthomas-hill, that at Oulard, where the number was less than at Kilthomas, was a confused multitude of both sexes, and of all ages."

"The country exhibited one scene of distress and consternation, houses in flames everywhere, and families flying on all sides for asylum; the loyalists to the towns, the others to the hills."

"The first contest between the insurgents and the military was on Oulard-hill. Here the militia was defeated-three of the detachment only escaped with life."

"The rebels on Kilthomas-hill were defeated, and one hundred houses were burned by the victors, in a distance of seven miles."

"Houses on every side were burned by the rebels-the country was one scene of conflagration—the military and yeomanry burning the houses of disaffected persons-thei nsurgents burning the houses of all supposed to be their enemies, and committing slaughter without mercy. When once insurrection took place, that it was attended with devastation and massacre, was naturally to be expected, from the previous exasperation of men's minds, and the deep sense of severities inflicted on some by authority, and in such case often justly, but on many others, by individuals invested with no other authority than what the affectation of violent zeal confers on the most worthless in such cases."

"The greatest cruelties and excesses perpetrated by the rebels, were committed by the cowards who never joined in any action-who went about under the pretext of levying necessaries for the camps, and who stopped at no excess of murder or spoliation."

"No religious murders were perpetrated at the Three Rocks, Carrick, Byrne, or Slieve Kilter, or Lacken, all places of large encampment, where men of consideration or education held command."

"In popular commotions, it has been generally observed that virtue or talent goes but a little way to procure influence; the leader of a mob is almost invariably he who outdoes all the rest in audacity."

"Amid all their other atrocities, the chastity of the fair sex was respected. I have not been able to ascertain one instance to the contrary, in the County of Wexford, although many beautiful young women were in their (the rebels') power. The reverse was the conduct of the soldiery, and friend or foe made no difference."

I have made those few extracts from as great a bulk of notes as would form a volume, for the purpose of showing that the judgment I formed of the period, and the representations of the Tale in connexion with the Wexford insurrection, have been painstaking, and are truthful.

THE END.

MICHAEL BANIM.