prieft to banish him; but he faid that he could not venture to do fo, though he highly difapproved of fuch perfons, for his fubfiftence depended on the will of the people; and as they had a strong predilection for fuch holy men, he fhould incur their difpleasure by denouncing him; but he faid he would be glad that he was removed.

The confpiracy in the county of Waterford in 1797 and 1798. A fight fetch of the fate of the confpiracy in the counties of Waterford, Cork, and Tipperary, will answer to fhew the leading principles of the rebels in the province of Munster, and the defigns by which they were actuated.-The informations are in the Crown-office.

IN the county of Waterford, the inhabitants of large diftricts were fworn, and the proteftants in them were difarmed, in the course of a few nights. The main object of the rebels, who were exclufively papifts, was to join the French on their landing, to extirpate proteftants, and even fuch perfons of their own order as fhould oppofe them, to plunder perfons of wealth, and confifcate landed property; but it could not be difcovered, that they were headed by any perfons of education and fortune. The Roman catholick gentlemen, much to their honour, remained oyal; but from the paucity of their numbers, they must have yielded to the wishes of the multitude to preferve their lives and fortunes, if the conftitution had been fubverted. It is most certain that a general infurrection would have taken place in the county of Waterford, in the winter of 1797, but that a large body of troops was introduced into it, and divided into cantonments; and that many diftricts were proclaimed on the fourth of December, 1797. However, fuch was the infatuation of the people, that they would have rifen before thefe events took place, but for the following difficulty which occurred: The farmers were the leaders, and the peafants, who were to be the immediate and efficient intruments in the bufinefs, objected at first to co-operate with them, because they had no profpect of being rewarded for the imminent danger which they fhould incur; while the others were to enjoy in fee fimpe the farms which they rented. However, it is believed, that thefe difficulties were overcome; for plans were formed for murdering most of the gentlemen refident in the country, and for destroying their houses; and even nights were fixed on for that purpofe. A numerous banditti affembled near Affane, the feat of Pierce Power, efquire, in December, to destroy

it,

it, and murder him and his family; but the night was fo rainy and tempestuous, that they difperfed. It was remarkable that the confpirators held the yeomanry in the greatest deteftation The following anecdote will prove that, and the very depraved ftate of the popish multitude :

Thomas Scammodin, a yeeman in the Cappoquin corps, juft of age, was going on Sunday the twelfth of November, 1797, from that town to Clafhmore, about ten miles off; and as he paffed through the village of Aglifs, when the popish congregation were leaving the chapel, his red uniform attracted their notice, and marked him for an object of their vengeance. Some of them invited him to drink in an alehouse, to which all the traitors of the adjacent country had reforted after mass, in order to form their plots. They amused themselves with his finging, (for he was a famous fongster) till it was dark; and then offered to adminifter to him the United Irishman's oath; but he refufed it, having faid, that he had taken an oath of allegiance a few days before. Finding that his loyalty was unfhaken, a party of them retired to another room, as a committee, and condemned him to die; and in obedience to the fentence, two of his pot companions waylaid him, about half a mile out of the village, and murdered him, having perforated his body in eighteen different places with his own bayonet.

In the village of Aglifs, a noted rendezvous of the rebels, and where they formed their plans of organization, the rabble had often fierce difputes about the divifion and the appropriation of the neighbouring gentlemen's eftates; and two rufhans had a violent conflict about Dromana, the feat of the earl of Grandifon.

In the parish of Modeligo, a committee of affaffination, confifting of twelve farmers in very good circumstances, deliberately condemned one Thomas Curreen to die in the month of October, 1797, for no other reafon, than that they fufpected he would not keep their fecrets, for he was one of the united brotherhood. They then proceeded in the dead hour of the night, with a number of their affociates, and fhot him; after which every one prefent was obliged to inflict a wound on the body. This atrocity was afterwards proved by the information of one of the party. When they called Curreen out of his houfe, and informed him that he must die for the good of the caufe, he asked permiflion to have the affiftance of a pricft before he was put to death; but they faid, that they fhould not have time for that purpose, and that they would fay a prayer for his foul. They therefore kneeled

prieft to banish him; but he faid that he could not venture to do fo, though he highly difapproved of fuch perfons, for his fubfiftence depended on the will of the people; and as they had a strong predilection for fuch holy men, he fhould incur their difpleafure by denouncing him; but he said he would be glad that he was removed.

The confpiracy in the county of Waterford in the years 1797 and 1798.

A flight fketch of the fate of the confpiracy in the counties of Waterford, Cork, and Tipperary, will answer to fhew the leading principles of the rebels in the province of Munfter, and the defigns by which they were actuated.

IN the county of Waterford, the inhabitants of large diftricts were fworn, and the proteftants in them were difarmed, in the course of a few nights. The main object of the rebels, who were exclufively papifts, was to join the French on their landing, to extirpate proteftants, and even fuch perfons of their own order as fhould oppofe them, to plunder wealth, and confifcate landed property; but it could not be difcovered, that they were headed by any perfons of education and fortune. The Roman catholick gentlemen, much to their honour, remained loyal; but from the paucity of their numbers, they muft have yielded to the wishes of the multitude to preferve their lives and fortunes, if the conftitution had been fubverted. It is moft certain that a general infurrection would have taken place in the county of Waterford, in the winter of 1797, but that a large body of troops was introduced into it, and divided into cantonments; and that many diftricts were proclaimed on the fourth of December, 1797. However, fuch was the infatuation of the people, that they would have rifen before thefe events took place, but for the following difficulty which occurred: The farmers were the leaders, and the peasants, who were to be the immediate and efficient inftruments in the bufinefs, objected at firft to co-operate with them, because they had no prospect of being rewarded for the imminent danger which they fhould incur; while the others were to enjoy in fee fimple the farms which they rented. However, it is believed, that thefe difficulties were overcome; for plans were formed for murdering

murdering moft of the gentlemen refident in the country, and for deftroying their houfes; and even nights were fixed on for that purpose. It was remarkable that the confpirators held the yeomanry in the greatest deteftation: The following anecdote will prove that, and the very depraved itate of the popish multitude :

Thomas Scammadon, a yeoman in the Cappoquin corps, juft of age, was going on Sunday the twelfth of November, 1797, from that town to Clafhmore, about ten miles off; and as he paffed through the village of Aglifs, when the popish congregation were leaving the chapel, his red uniform attracted their notice, and marked him for an object of their vengeance. Some of them invited him to drink in an alehouse, to which all the traitors of the adjacent country had resorted after mafs, in order to form their plots. They amufed themselves with his finging, (for he was a famous fongfter) till it was dark; and then offered to administer to him the United Irishman's oath; but he refufed it, having faid, that he had taken an oath of allegiance a few days before. Finding that his loyalty was unfhaken, a party of them retired to another room, as a committee, and condemned him to die; and in obedience to the fentence, two of his pot companions waylaid him, about half a mile out of the village, and murdered him, having perforated his body in eighteen different places with his own bayonet.

In the parish of Modeligo, a committee of affaffination, `confifting of twelve farmers, in very good circumstances, deliberately condemned one Thomas Curreen to die in the month of October, 1797, for no other reafon, than that they fufpected he would not keep their fecrets, for he was one of the brotherhood. They then proceeded in the dead hour of the night, with a number of their affociates, and fhot him, after which every one prefent was obliged to inflict a wound on the body; this atrocity was afterwards proved by the information of one of the party. When they called Curreen out of his houfe, and informed him that he muft die for the good of the caufe, he asked permillion to have the affiftance of a priest before he was put to death; but they faid, that they fhould not have time for that purpose, and that they would fay a prayer for his foul. They therefore kneeled down, croffed themfelves, and implored the divine favour for the foul of the victim whom they were going to immolate,

On

kneeled down, croffed themselves, and implored the divine favour for the foul of the victim whom they were going to immolate. It has fince been difcovered, that at leaft fix hundred perfons were prefent at this murder, and that some opulent and well-educated farmers were the leaders in it, and fired the first fhots.

On the twenty-ninth of January, 1798, the priest of that parish and seven hundred and eighty of his parishioners affembled at their chapel, published a declaration of their loyalty, and of their abhorrence of the principles and practices of the United Irishmen, which they published in the Dublin Journal, though it was well known, that they were as generally and deeply infected with them, as thofe of any other parish in the county.

By informations fworn before Henry St. George Cole, efquire, by Michael Hiffernan, turnpike-keeper of Red Cliffe in the county of Waterford, 27th of January, 1798,

IT appears, that fome time in the month of November, 1797, one Thomas,Chriftopher of Abbey-fide, in faid county, affembled with feven or eight hundred United Irishmen in a field near Cufhcam, with a treasonable defign of taking fome cannon out of the Vulture privateer, then lying at Dungarvan, in order to level a number of gentlemen's houfes, particularly that of the marquis of Waterford at Curraghmore, and murdering a number of gentlemen, particularly colonel Uniacke, and captain Cole; and that faid Thomas Chriftopher went to informant three different days, and required him to give his confent to put this defign into execution.

The fame informant fwore before the faid magiftrate, the twenty-fourth of March, 1798, that the United Irithmen in and about Dungarvan, affembled at different times in great numbers, in the autumn of 1797, and took arms from different people, and committed various outrages; and swore numbers of people to be true to their caufe.

That on the feventh of October, they cut off one of the ears of Patrick Sheehan of Glynbeg; that they pulled and proftrated a quantity of corn in ftack belonging to colonel Uniacke; that on the eighteenth of November, 1797, they refolved to take five pieces of cannon out of the Vulture privateer, in order to level the house of Curraghmore, and/ to take away the lives of colonel Uniacke, Henry St. George Cole, efquire, Richard Power of Clafhmore, efquire, John Mufgrave of Ballyin, efquire, Richard Barrett of SnugboVOL. II. U

rough,