who was ftationed there to guard it; and they would have affaffinated Mr. Blackwood, but that he happened to be from home.

Some of the priests in that county refused to exhort their congregations to loyalty and obedience to the laws; fome of them, when they, by defire of the magiftrates, preached from the altar, endeavoured rather to teach their flocks how to evade the vengeance of the law, than to remain peaceful and loyal. One of them recommended fobriety and early hours to his congregation; because, as he said, there were focieties of orangemen forming in the country, whose only object was their deftruction.

Doctor Moylan's paftoral inftructions, which they were all obliged to read from the altar, foon after the arreft of Arthur O'Connor, in Kent, produced a very good effect, in checking the fpirit of treafon and difaffection.

There were two committees of United Irishmen conftantly fitting at Bantry, who organized the whole of the South Weft of the county, and planned a general rifing in that part, in which the Westmeath regiment, at that time much infected, would have joined, but that the feasonable difcovery of their defigns, and the critical arrival of the Caithnefs Legion, defeated it. In that immenfe tract, the house of every proteftant was robbed of arms, but none belonging to Roman catholicks were molested.

This rifing was to have been begun at Clonakilty, where the Westmeath was quartered, and was to have extended over the whole of the South Weft. They were to have murdered all the proteftant inhabitants, and fuch of the foldiers as did not join them; but the arrival of the Caithnefs Legion prevented it.

I have been aflured, that the parish priests of Rofs and Clonakilty were loyal, and endeavoured to preferve their flocks from the contagion of treason.

There was no difference between the confpiracy in the counties of Cork and Waterford, except that in the former there were fome perfons of property concerned in it.

One O'Connor, a popish physician, who was independent in his circumstances, was one of the leaders at Bantry.

The county of Kerry was organized, and the Limerick rebels endeavoured to incite the inhabitants to rife; but the example which Mr. Mullins made of the defenders on the twenty-fourth of June, 1793, at Dingle, completely intimi dated them.

In the month of August, 1798, forty men rofe at Caftleland, murdered three yeomen, and carried off fome arms and ammunition which they guarded. They were incited. and fummoned to rife by a country schoolmaster, the fecretary of a committee; this was the only inftance of infurrection in the county of Kerry.

County of Cork.

WILLIAM HEGARTY, of Gurteen, S gentleman, fwore in his information before Redmond Barry, efquire, the twenty-fecond of March, 1798, that on the eleventh of March then last, informant was fworn by George Walfh, Willliam Fowlue, and William Joyce," to be true to the French, to kill, murder and destroy all kings and tyrants, lords and earls, ministers and proctors."

ROBERT BOYD, and James Boyle, privates in the Rofcommon militia, fwore in their information before Thomas Flyn, efquire, the eighth March, 1798, that on the feventh of March then laft, a man of the name of Michael Horrogan, and another man, whofe name they did not know, went with the informants into a publick house, in Mallow, to take a pot of beer; that faid Horrogan afked informants of what religion they were; that informants replied they were Romans; that faid Horrogan then faid, that if he could rely on their being true Romans, he would let them into a secret; informants affured him they were. Upon which faid Horrogan put his hand into his pocket, and pulled a book half out of it, with an intent, as he faid, to fwear informants, but was prevented by the other man who was in company; that informants told faid Horrogan that they had already taken the oath of allegiance, and would not take any other oaths when faid Horrogan faid, that informants might do their duty, and that he would do his; and alfo faid, that the magazine of Cork would be burned before five nights were over; that the United Irifhmen would rife, and burn all before them; and that they were all United Irishmen from Bandon to the North.

County of Cork. JOHN DALY, foldier in the LimeSrick light company, fwore in his information before general Coote, the twenty-eighth of June, 1797, against Michael Canty, for adminiftering to him the following oath: "That he, the faid John Daly, fhould dethrone

all

all kings, quell all nations, and plant true religion in the hearts of the juft; that he should be true to the Roman catholick defenders of Ireland, and to the French at the first attempt of a French invafion in this kingdom, and fooner if called on by the committee men; that he would never see a brother ftruck or abused by a proteftant on any account; that he, said Daly, would not fee a brother want when he had two pence, without fharing it with him; that he should never recommend a man of an unfair character to the fo ciety; and that he, faid Daly, fhould take the life of any man that would give information."

Confpiracy in the county of Tipperary.

THE confpiracy in the county of Tipperary was exactly fimilar to that in the counties of Cork and Waterford; but it was infinitely more terrifick, becaufe fome Roman catholicks, poffeffed of property, were at the head of it, and all the popifh tide were engaged in it; and one of the chief agents of the directory in Dublin affured me, that the popish pricfts, who have at all times an unbounded influence over the common herd of papists, embraced the fyftem with eagernefs, and promoted it with zeal. The main defigns of the confpirators were, to join the French, murder all the proteftants, and to confifcate their property. It was very fortunate that Thomas Fitzgerald, efquire, of Lifheen, near Thurles, happened to be high fheriff of that county, in the year 1798; for, from the fingular boldness and hardihood of his character, he was peculiarly formed to ftem the rough torrent of the times; and it is generally allowed, that by his fpirited aud feafonable exertions, he prevented the maffacre of many thoufand fouls, and the deftruction of half a million of property in that opulent and populous county. A man of his fagacity and courage would have faved the county of Wexford from defolation and indelible difgrace. The first information which he received coft him much trouble and expence. Being thoroughly convinced of the alarming state of things, and that the barony of Ormond was the beft organized of any part of the county, he repaired to the town of Nenagh, affembled the people, told them that he was well acquainted with their fchemes and combinations, and feized fome of those of whofe guilt he had undoubted information; and he announced

*Thefe informations are in the Crown-office.

to

to them in the publick ftreets, that if the remainder, who were involved, did not acknowledge their errors, and who had led them aftray, their fecrets fhould be forced from them; at the fame time he told them, that he would give them twenty-four hours to confider and determine what part they would take. They all made the strongest affeverations of their innocence, though he had unquestionable proof that a general infurrection and maffacre was to take place in a few days. One man, deeply concerned, was taken up and whipped on the fixteenth of May; however, he called God to witness his innocence, and the barbarous treatment which he received; but after receiving thirty lafhes, and having been informed where he was concerned on a particular night, in the commiffion of a robbery and burglary, and on being affured that he fhould die under his punifi ment, unless he made a full confeflion, he infinuated to a magistrate, that he would make a full difcovery, if he was taken into a private room; which having been done, he gave fuch general and important information, that numbers of arrefts were immediately made, to the aftonishment of the gentlemen of the country, who were totally ignorant, until that moment, of the ftorm which was ready to burft over their heads, and overwhelm them. Confeilion followed confeffion, and a fcene of treafon, the malignity of which could be equalled by nothing but its extenfiven, is, was brought to light; and the loyal fubjects were surprised at difcovering that a committee of affaffination, at that time fitting in the town, was actually correfponding with the military committee in Dublin; that the mafs of the people were regularly regimented, under the command of a general of divifion, who was then in Dublin, receiving final orders preparative to the general infurrection and maflaere, which was to take place on the night of the twenty-third of May. Every other part of that county was regularly regimented in the fame manner, and commanded by generals of divifion.

Mr. Fitzgerald, therefore, proceeded with the utmost celerity, through the moft alarming parts of it; and by whipping fome of the moft notorious rebels, he developed all their dark and malignant defigns, took up fome leaders, and hunted others out of the country; by which he broke the links of the organization, and faved that great and opulent county from imminent deftruction.

He was fo fuccefsful in difcovering the moft latent views and fecrets of the confpirators, partly by threats and flagella,

tion, partly by pecuniary means, and by pardoning fome notorious delinquents, with whom he compromised, that the mafs of them really believed that he was endued with the power of divination; infomuch, that wherever he went, the multitude prevented his wifhes, and were emulous in making discoveries, in furrendering their arms, and in confeffing their errors, dreading left their filence, being confidered as contumacy, might provoke his vengeance. A gentleman who conftantly attended him in his perambulations, assured me, that fear had operated fo ftrongly on them, as to produce the following effect wherever he went : On approaching a popish chapel, round which a numerous congregation were affembled, he has ordered them to fall on their knees, and they instantly complied. He then ordered the ferjeants to rife and come forward, and they inftantly obeyed; then the captains, the majors, and the committee men fuccefsfively, and they yielded obedience. They furrendered their arms in every parish which he vifited, as foon as he issued his mandate for that purpose. The difaffected were very active and fuccefsful in fpreading reports, that the orange-. men formed plots for extirpating the Roman catholicks; in confequence of which, the latter in great numbers deferted their houfes in the night, and affembled in the fields, where they were fworn and organized; which, and to influence them against proteftants, were the fole object of fuch malignant fuggeftions; and yet no orangemen ever exifted in that country. In confequence of this, the inhabitants of Cafhel published the following advertisement :

WHEREAS we have heard with much furprise and concern, that several perfons in this neighbourhood have lately been induced to defert their habitations at night by false reports of being attacked by orangemen:

We, the inhabitants of the city of Cafhel, having met this day, for the purpose of enquiring into the origin of thefe reports, have, after the moft minute investigation, found that they are totally deftitute of foundation; and we do hereby offer a reward of one hundred guineas, to the perfon or perfons who fhall difcover and profecute to conviction, the author or authors of fuch fabrication, and do alfo promife every degree of protection, to people of all perfuafions without diftinction."

Cafhel, September 14th, 1798..

Signed at the requeft of the meeting, ALEXANDER DON, colonel, commanding in Cafbel. RICHARD PENNEFATHER, captain, Cafhel cavalry.

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