tion might, or would have been prevented, if the Irish administration had not been shackled or influenced by British interference.* I also think his assertion well founded, that the rebellion was suppressed by the sole strength of the Irish government without being under any obligation for assistance in troops or money from Britain; but I deny that the whole Romanists of the counties of Carlow, Kildare, and Wicklow, were united in host with the Wexfordian rebels. † In the countyof Carlow the inhabitants arewell known to have remained quiet except in one extremely ill concerted and unsuccessful attack, that of the chief town. The insurgents of Kildare acted altogether separately from those of Wexford, with whom they had no communication, except an intercourse of messages. The same was the case with those of Wicklow, except that a great body of them joined in the attack of Arklow, and that afterwards, in the decline of the rebellion, a number of them retired by Tinnehely and Kilcavan to Vinegar-hill. So that whatever was performed by rebels within the bounds of the county of Wexford, previously to their dislodgment from Vinegar-hill, was performed by Wexfordians alone, as the taking of Enniscorthy and Wexford, the attack of Newtownbarry, the *See Dr. Duigenan's pamphlet, p. 80, Dublin edition. defeat of Walpole, and the formidable assault of Ross. If, however, these Wexfordians had improved without delay the advantages for which they were in a considerably degree indebted, at first to the smallness and mismanagement, and afterwards to the mismanagement alone, of the troops or force opposed to them, they would doubtless have been joined by most at least of the Romanists of the neighbouring counties, and the consequences.would, in all probability have been calamitous in the extreme to the south of Ireland at least. Of this we might be able to form some conception from the miseries occasioned by the short-lived rebellion, of which I have been treating, in the territories immediately affected by it. Of these miseries I have already treated so far as my plan allowed, and have observed that those, which loyalists underwent, arose not always from rebels alone. I shall only add at present, that the system of espionage, or the encouragement and reception of private information, with the utter concealment of the names of the informers, from the persons accused, which system had from a most lamentable necessity, been adopted by government before the rebellion, was, without any necessity that I can perceive, continued by some after its suppression. How far the supposition or imputation of disloyalty against persons possessed of any valuable effects, might have been profitable to needy or greedy dependants of any general officer, I mean not at present to examine. The disclosure of certain facts I defer to another opportunity. I shall here give only one instance of the consequences of this late espionage-an instance which could, I believe, have had no connexion with profit to the receivers of information, but which may serve to shew that even active loyalty could not secure a man against private malice, in the district of Gorey for a certain time:-Captain Atkins, of Emma-vale, near Arklow, who, at no small trouble and expence, had embodied and disciplined a troop of yeoman cavalry, and had exerted himself greatly in support of government, was, without any known cause, most disgracefully deprived of his command by a general officer, and dismissed from the service of his king and and country! This worthy gentleman strained every nerve to procure a court-martial to examine his conduct; and, after a length of time, succeeded, by the powerful interest of a nobleman, in spite of the most artful evasions. On his trial, captain Atkins (to whom, for the killing of the ravager Hacket, the public is more indebted than to some general officers) was most honourably acquitted, as no charge could be produced against him. CHAP. VI. French Invasion-Killala-Ballina-Castlebar-Battle -Cornwallis-March of the French Battle of Battle of Coloony Of Ballinamuck-Of Granard-Of Wilson's Hospital -Attack of Castlebar Killala-Narrative of transactions there-Character of the Invaders-Of their officers—Imaginary bank— Temporary police-Embassy-Conduct of the Connaught rebels-Military disorder - Treatment of French officers-Trials - Tone - Tandy Naval Victory-Second fleet at Killala-Death of ToneReflexions-Priests-Effects of rebellions-Union Conclusion. SUCH usage might seem calculated to convert Irish loyalists into rebels; but not even the extremity of maltreatment could produce this effect on protestants, who were convinced that their existence must terminate with that of the government, and who might rather choose, if dire necessity should so require, to die by the hands of the royal soldiery, which was the case with too many, than by those of their unfortunately bigotted countrymen. This attachment of the Irish protestants to the British government was little known, in France, where the directory, and the nation in general, had been persuaded, by the commissioners of the united conspiracy, into a belief of so universal a disaffection in Ireland, that, on the appearance of a powerful armament from France on its coasts, the whole country would rise in arms to aid its efforts for the subversion of the British government in this island. The neglect of attempting, in this prepossession of mind, to send succours to the Irish insurgents, while the Wexfordian rebels were in force, is a proof that (most fortunately for the British empire) the government of France was then very feebly administered. If, according to the advice of. lord Edward Fitzgerald, the French directory had sent a number of swift vessels to different parts of the coast, with officers, troops, arms, and ammunition, some of them very probably might have eluded the vigilance of the British cruisers, and landed the succours; which must, by inspiriting the rebels, have greatly augmented their force, independently of the actual accession of strength by the council of accomplished leaders, and the prowess of trained soldiers. What effects might thus have been produced, we may in some degree conjecture from the impres sion made on the kingdom by a contemptibly small body of French troops, landed after the complete suppression of the rebels, in a part of the island quite remote from the scene of rebel |