heavy fall of rain which had continued throughout the night; but the sky cleared before noon. At breakfast our company was enlarged by the addition of two fugitive officers from Ballina, Messrs Truc and O'Keon. The English were come to Ballina. What man could do, the heroic Truc had atchieved. An English officer had summoned him to render himself prisoner, and advanced to lay hold of him; but he shook him off, and in the struggle pulled away the officer's epaulette,' which he produced in triumph, 'got on horseback, and with O'Keon, whom he overtook on the road, was come to fight it out to the last at Killalla." This vapouring tale was soon discovered to be a downright lie. Truc, in the confusion when Ballina was entered by the king's troops, had escaped on the first horse he could catch, bringing with him an old volunteer epaulette, the property of colonel King, and stolen by True out of the colonel's wardrobe. The appearance of this man corresponded with the character we had heard of him-a front of brass, an incessant fraudful smile, manners altogether vulgar, and in his dress and person a neglect of cleanliness, even beyond the affected negligence of republicans. Our poor commandant seemed to like him no better than we did ourselves, though he was forced to wel-come him at our breakfast with a kiss on each cheek, the modern fraternal embrace-a sight that would have provoked our smiles, had we been in a humour to be amused. But every thought was now absorbed by the expectation of the approaching scene: even the

sacred duties of the day were for the first time suspended.

"Before he took horse for the engagement, O'Donnel claimed the privilege of a 'messmate to ask counsel of Mr Fortescue and the bishop what he should do. 1 think I might expect pardon,' said he, from the share I have had in preserving the peace of this district. But the people would never forgive me if I did not stand by them now; and their revenge would follow me into Erris, should I attempt to retreat home. I am not afraid to die; but if I could save my life with honour, I would.' No counsel, it was evident, could be given him, but that he should fight till he saw the battle turn (which, his advisers told him, would not be a long time) and then endeavour to escape to his own country. The young man followed this advice, as får as he was able. Pushed into the town with the fugi tives, he galloped about the streets to bring up a reinforcement, when a spirited mare was shot under him. He then escaped on foot to the fields on the other sidefrom the scene of action, where incumbered as he was with boots and a long French surtout coat, he was soon overtaken, and pierced with a ball through the back. The Highlander that killed him reported his last words to be, I am Ferdy O'Donnel: go tell the bishop I am shot.' The bishop was sorry for his death. Harrassed as he had been by his forward and pert behaviour, during the long space of time O'Donnel had passed under his roof, an uninvited guest, he could not forget the services he had rendered to the town by

frequently hazarding his person to restrain plunderers. The body, which after being stript had been thrown into a potatoe ridge, was by the bishop's order removed three days after, and interred in the church-yard.

"The peaceful inhabitants of Killalla were now to be spectators of a scene they had never expected to behold---a battle! a sight which no person that has seen it once, and possesses the feelings of a human creature, would choose to witness a second time. A troop of fugitives from Ballina, women and children tumbling over one another to get into the castle, or into any house in the town where they might hope for a momentary shelter, continued for a painful length of time to give notice of the approach of an army.

"The rebels quitted their camp to occupy the rising ground close by the town, on the road to Ballina, posting themselves under the low stone walls on each side, in such a manner as enabled them with great advantage to take aim at the king's troops. They had a strong guard also on the other side of the town towards Foxford, having probably received intelligence, which was true, that general Trench had divided his forces at Crosmalina, and sent one part of them by a detour of three miles to intercept the fugitives that might take that course in their flight. This last detachment consisted chiefly of the Kerry militia, under the orders of lieutenant-colonel Crosbie and Maurice Fitzgerald, the knight of Kerry; their colonel, the earl of Glandore, attending the general. It is a cir

cumstance, which ought never to be forgotten by the loyalists of Killalla, that the Kerry militia were so wrought upon by the exhortations of those two spirited officers to lose no time in coming to the relief of their perishing friends, that they appeared on the south side of the town at the same instant with their fellows on the opposite side, though they had a league more of road to perform.

"The two divisions of the royal army were supposed to make up about twelve hundred men, and they had five pieces of cannon. The number of the rebels could not be ascertained. Many ran away before the engagement, while a very considerable number flocked into the town in the very heat of it, passing under the castle windows in view of the French officers on horseback, and running upon death, with as little appearance of reflection or concern, as if they were hastening to a show. About four hundred of these misguided men fell in the battle, and immediately after it. Whence it may be conjectured, that their entire number scarcely exceeded eight or nine hundred.

"The whole scene passed in sight of the castle, and so near it, that the family could distinctly hear the balls whistling by their ears. Mr Fortescue very humanely took upon him the direction of the women and children, whom he placed as far as he could from the windows, and made them remain prostrate on the carpets till the business was quite over. He himself could not refrain from taking his stand at a window of the

library looking seaward, which, with the other windows of that room, he had barricaded with beds, leaving room to peep over them. A malicious rascal in the sea-grove observed his position, and calling to a woman in the road to stand out of his way till he should do for that tall fellow,' he discharged the contents of a carabine full at the window, with such effect, that twelve slugs made as many holes in passing through the glass. The bed saved the lives of Mr Fortescue and Henry Stock, the bishop's son, who was standing behind; but two of the slugs were lodged in Mr Fortescue's forehead, providentially without penetrating the bone, or hurting bim materially, though one slug was not extracted till a considerable time afterward, when he reached Dublin.

"The bishop saw the action from behind the breast of a chimney, where he could only be reached by an oblique shot. Curiosity, and the interest we all felt in the event, prompted every man in the house to expose his person by creeping to the windows. Our French officers thought it their duty to lead the rebels, as many as they could bring forward to the onset, though they were sure it was in vain, and had avowed to us their determination to surrender to the very superior force that was coming against them.

"We kept our eyes on the rebels, who seemed to be posted with so much advantage behind the stone walls that lined the road. They levelled their pieces, fired very deliberately from each side on the advancing