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his conversation, the bishop had conceived a good opinion of this man. His language breathed nothing but mildness and liberality; and indeed his behaviour was suitable, for he exerted himself on all occasions to protect the loyalists, and frequently with the greatest effect. At one time particularly, he is said to have prevailed on an armed mob at Ballina to drop their declared purpose of marching to Killalla to have all the protestants there imprisoned: it is even added, that he turned them back after they had actually advanced a part of the way. This conduct, whether he adopted it from principal or policy, contributed more, than his proving himself to be a naturalized Frenchman, to save his life afterwards on his court-martial at Castlebar. He escaped with some difficulty, with the help of an attestation in his behalf from the bishop among many others, and being forbid ever to return to the British territories, he expressed in Dublin, and afterwards by letter from Yarmouth, the highest sense of his obligations to the bishop. It is painful to add, that experience and further inquiry into the character of this quondam priest has convinced his benefactor, that the man was deficient both in morals and common honesty.

"Before Humbert had quitted Killalla, a person came to him from Ballina, of the name of Bellew. He was brother to Dr. Bellew, the titular bishop of the see, and by his own report was not long since come from abroad to recover a patrimony, from the possession of which he was unjustly detained by his brother. To the loyalists he protested, that the prospect of being enabled to take vengeance on this brother, was his chief inducement for joining the French: to general Humbert he urged the merit of his military knowledge, acquired by eighteen years service under the emperor. He was taken by the general at his word, and presently received from him a pompous commission to be generalissimo of all the allies of France, levied and to be levied within a district extending from Ballina to Westport. It appeared in the sequel, how little the French regarded their own commissions to Irishmen; for this man presently shewing by his behaviour that he was a beastly drunkard almost to lunacy, Charost turned him out of his

office with disgrace, in the face of the rebel army, without waiting for Humbert's orders, and gave the charge of the levies to O'Donnel. As long as he had any authority, M. le general Bellew was a sad nuisance to the people of Killalla, particularly. to the family of Mr. Owen Morrison, a worthy and very respectable protestant merchant, at whose house he chose to take up his quarters. He there lived as in a conquered country, extorting by threats from his hosts whatever he wanted, even to wearing apparel, getting drunk continually, lighting his pipe with paper torn from the walls of his apartment, and laying a heavy tax on the sight and smell of every body that approached him, being to the last degree filthy in his person, and eaten up with the itch. When he got any fresh clothing, his practice was to put it over the old habiliments; so that he wore two or three shirts, and a pair of satin small clothes, of Mr. Morrison's when he was hanged. For to this catastrophe the wretched creature deservedly came at last. He was taken at the battle of Killalla, tried by the court-martial, and executed two days after in the bishop's demesne.

"Bad as the situation of the owners of the castle during their captivity appeared to be, it must be confessed it was in many respects far better than that of the town's people. The castle, being head quarters, was regularly supplied with provisions, drawn from the plunder of the country; and the presence of the French officers, added to the large family always resident in it, left little room for intruders from the rebel army. In the town the case was different. There a scarcity next to famine soon appeared; rapine, the only source of subsistence, often failed of success; in consequence every petty fellow, who could by theft or violence provide himself with a sword and a case of pistols, immediately took the name and authority of an officer, and lived (especially in protestant houses, which were almost the only decent ones) at his discretion. Personal injuries, indeed, were rare, because the municipal power was always at hand to restrain or punish them; but insolence and avarice had their full swing. In popular commotions it has generally been observed, that natural talents go but a little way to procure influence; the leader of a mob is almost invariably

the man that outgoes all the rest in wickedness and audacity. An example, in proof of this observation, occurred on the morning of the sixth of September.

"The castle family were assembled at tea, and Mrs. Stock and the commandant amusing themselves (as well as they could with two separate languages) at a party of picquet, when word was brought that a Mr. Goodwin, a protestant of the town, had just been sent to prison by major Flanagan, without a shadow of reason, and that he must remain in custody till the morning, unless the commandant would come to his aid. This pretended major was a drunken daring wretch, who had kept an ale-house at Killalla, and was but lately returned from the gaol of Castlebar, where he had been confined on a charge of treason, and narrowly escaped transportation. The company rose, and the gentleman accompanied the commandant to the scene of disturbance, Mr. Morrison's house, the bishop himself thinking the occasion of that nature as to demand some risk of his own person. At the door, where a great crowd had assembled, they found Flanagan on horseback, drunk and very noisy. The commandant, by his interpreter the bishop, asked the man his authority for committing people to prison, commanded him to go and discharge his prisoner, and was answered saucily, that he would not let Goodwin stir from the prevot that night, let who would order it. It was a very serious crisis. There was just light enough to discern in the faces of surrounding multitude a doubt, a wavering between the two contending parties, which would probably be decided in favour of that which stood firmest to its point. Bellew, the mock general, took the part of his fellow-drunkard, entreating him in a wheedling tone to give a promise that he would set the pri soner at liberty in the morning.

"Most of the spectators were armed. Had a spirit of mischief prompted any one of them to raise his weapon against the commandant and his company, a general massacre and anarchy would most probably have followed. Charost was sensible that all depended on steadiness. With a strong and firm tone he commanded Flanagan to quit his horse. The culprit, looking round for help, and seeing none, obeyed. He was then de

liberately stript by the commandant himself of his pistols and sword, and put under arrest for disobeying the orders of his superior officer, when he was first spoken to. The place of his confinement, it was supposed, would, for that night at least, be the house near which they were standing, and already Flanagan's comrades, under a shew of respect for the arrest, were leading him into Mr. Morrison's, when the bishop hastily interposing cried out to the commandant not to let him go. The hint was taken, for the fellow would surely have been liberated as soon as we had turned our backs. Charost took his arm, the tall Norman marched before him, Ponson strutted behind, supported by the castle gentry, and the procession arrived without let or molestation at the guard-room by the castle gate, where the mutineer was ordered to take up his quarters for the night. The crowd then dispersed; Goodwin was set at liberty; and after a two hours' confinement Mr. Toby Flanagan was allowed to go about his business, divested of his borrowed authority, together with the ensigns of it, his sword and pistols, which the commandant would never afterwards suffer him to resume. The bishop met him at times in the street, and was certain from his scowling visage that he meditated revenge. Indeed he had at all times an uncommon wickedness in his eyes, which, though dark and piercing, he was unable to fix steadily upon an honest man. His death therefore, on the day of Killalla, was the only one at the news of which the whole town seemed to concur in rejoicing; nor was the manner of it dissimilar from his life. He fled from the battle into a house in the town, where he knew he had no chance of being long hid from his pursuers. So he joined a party of the victors as they were in full chase after the rebels, crying out that he would 'be their guide to the wicked croppies,' till coming to a place where two passages met, he pointed out one of them to the soldiers, and threw himself headlong into the other. • That's a croppie himself,' exclaimed with an oath a Frazer fencible, who had kept his eyes upon him; and on the instant he sent a ball after the wily fugitive, which terminated all his pranks at

once."

CHAPTER XVL

IMMEDIATELY on intelligence of the invasion, lord Cornwallis determined to march in person against the enemy, and accordingly arrived at Phillipstown on the 26th of August; having made a progress of forty-four Irish miles in two days. He arrived at Kilbeggan very early in the morning of the 28th, when he was informed of the defeat at Castlebar; he then advanced to Athlone, where he was positively informed by many who had fled through Tuam, particularly an officer of the carabineers, that the French had pursued general Lake's army to Tuam, driven it from that post, and taken possession of the town; but the French army was too much fatigued with their march through the mountains, to pursue the royal troops further than Castlebar. When general Lake arrived at Tuam, he judged that post unsafe, particularly as he had lost all his artillery and ammunition, and some of the troops being disorderly he judged it expedient to retreat nearer to Athlone. Even in this town an attack was expected, though it is sixty-three miles from Castlebar.

Lord Cornwallis saw that the utmost caution was necessary, as well as vigour in the movements of his forces. The motions of the main army, immediately under his own command, were calculated to cover the country, to intimidate the abettors of rebellion, and to afford an opportunity of rallying to any smaller body of troops which might be defeated; while those troops were ordered to harass the enemy as much as was