The fame banditti attacked the houfe of one Mullins, in the county of Mcath, who alarmed his neighbours, and feized one of them.

They forcibly entered the houfe of Mr. Walsh near Swords, took his arms, and made him fwear the defenders cath.

The houses of fir Henry Wilkinson, of Corballis, near Swords, county of Dublin, and of alderman Lynam near Pickardstown, were forced in the night and plundered of

arms.

The latter end of December, a most horrid murder was committed near Trim, by a party of defenders, on James Hyland and his wife, merely because they fufpected that they had given information againft fome of their body. They hot the man through the forehead, and his wife through the back, as the endeavoured to make her escape.

Soon after notices were pofted on all the neighbouring chapels, announcing that all thofe who gave information against, or fearched for defenders, fhould be facrificed in the fame manner as Hyland and his wife.

The confeffion upon oath of Henry Ledwich who took refuge in the goal of Mullingar, before fome magistrates thirtieth January, 1796. He is a private in the 12th dragoons, and voluntarily made a very ufeful difcovery of a murder and robbery intended to be committed in the house of Lavallin Nugent, efquire, of Tulla, in the county of Weftmeath. Deponent was two years a defender, and to get rid of them, enlifted about two months ago in the faid regiment. The firft oath he took was to be true to the king, and to his brethren, when occafion required;—the fecond was to be true to his brethren, and to join the French when they would land, and to deftroy the members of every religion but their own. Deponent was fworn a defender in the county of Cavan, but never acted as fuch till about a month ago, and was out but three times with them, in Weftmeath, whither he came from the county of Cavan to avoid them. Deponent was fpoken to by one Clarke a publican, who was a committee man and treasurer to the defenders, and lives at Parfon's-town, and has feduced many perfons. Deponent's motive for giving information about the Nugent family was, that his family had ferved under them in the wars of Ireland. That Clarke has the country under contribution, and iffues his orders to país fuch perfons as pay their fubfcriptions. Deponent was at the robbery of

Mr.

Mr. John Dillon, tenant of count Dalton, and took from him two guns and a cafe of piftols; and at that of Mrs. Thompson at Parfon's-town, from whom they took one gun, three guineas, and fix fhillings; and at that of K. Kenny's, where they got fourteen guineas, two fhillings, and two guns, after firing many fhots through the doors; and also at that of Mr. Leftrange's: That about a dozen defenders went ufually on an expedition.

On the first rifing they were to feize on the caftle of Dublin, and to maffacre the proteftants every where.

No. XIII.

THE fubftance of an information fworn by a white fmith, in the city of Dublin, in the month of June, 1798, before John Claudius Beresford, efquire, who had him arrefted on a charge of being concerned with the United Irishmen. His name is concealed, left he fhould be affaffinated for being an informer.

That he was feduced and made an United Irishman the first day of May, 1797, and belonged to a fociety of twelve, of which Rowland Goodman, a flator, was fecre

tary.

That he hoped to rife to the rank of an officer in a fuperior committee, which regulated his, but which he had never seen, but he faw among their rules, fet out in a printed paper, that no blackmouth or blackbean, fhould ever rife; and he discovered afterwards that these appellations fignified a proteftant, and Goodman reported him to be fuch.

That one Hely, a chimney doctor, was fubftituted as fecretary in the place of Goodman; and carried to the fuperior committee a propofal and plan for burning the caftle of Dublin, which was approved of. Informant asked Hely how it was to be done? and when he was about to inform him of it, the rest of the committee prevented him, because, as informant believed, he was a proteftant.

Hely told informant, that Horish was a found good fellow, and much attached to the cause.

Rowland Goodman, and John Graham, afked informant to make pikes for the United Irifhmen; but, on his hefitating, fufpicions were entertained of his fincerity in the cause; VOL. II.

Y

and

A mafter sweep, deeply concerned in the confpiracy, who was faid to be engaged in a plan to burn the caftle and many other buildings and houses.

and Goodman went to his wife, and faid, he feared that. he was not to be depended on, and that he would hang thousands. One Masterson said, if he makes the pikes he will do; if not, Browne will out-him; which was a cantword for killing informers.

That a plan was formed in his committee, and carried up. to the superior one, to seize the foldiers who lined the streets, when the lord lieutenant was going to the house of lords; that three men armed with daggers were to attack each foldier, and difarm him, and, if he refifted, put him to death; that they were to enter the house of parliament to kill fuch members as were not their friends, and at the fame time to get poffeffion of the caftle. At laft, ftrong fufpicions being entertained of informant, the question for his expulfion was put, and every member of the committee, but one, voted for it.

That no perfon of his committee had any knowledge of, or connection with, the fuperior committee, but the fecretary.

While he was in the fociety, a plan was formed, and fent up to the fuperior committee, "That each committee should fupply two men, who were not afraid of lofing their lives, and that they were to form afsaffination committees of five, to kill the leading men of the kingdom."

That they endeavoured to keep the object a fecret from him; but fome of the members informed him, that it was to do-out the leading men of the kingdom.

He understood that every Roman catholick in the kingdom was in the united caufe; that the militia and yeomen of that perfuafion were attached to it; and that they were to kill all thofe of a different religion in action.

He was informed that all the popifh fervants in Dublin were United Irifhmen; and he faw many of them at their different meetings.

They made it a religious caufe, and often faid, that a Roman catholick would certainly go to heaven, if he killed three proteftants.

They refolved never to lay out fixpence with any pro

testant.

Such fanatical converfation was very common in their clubs.

The castle was to have been attacked in front, and in rear, from Ship-street.

* Do-but. was a cant-word for affaffinating.

The

The leading men in government, particularly the Beresford family, were to be done-out. There was to be a general rifing; a fky-rocket was to be the fignal for it, and inform, ant was to get twenty-four hours notice of it.

The following regiments of militia were confidered as moft attached and steady to the united caufe: The Kildare, Weftmeath, Longford, Kilkenny, and King's county.

The following paper, found by alderman Alexander in a box, in the poffeffion of Mr. Sheares, was read on his trial:

Note. The words in italicks were interlined: those between crotchets were ftruck across with a pen.

« Irifomen,

["Your country is free; all those monsters who ufurped its government to oppress its people are in our hands, except fuch as have"]

"Your country is free, and you are about to be avenged, [already] that vile government which has fo long and fo cruelly oppreffed you, is no more; fome of its moft atrocious monsters have already paid the forfeit of their lives, and the rest are in our hands [waiting their fate.] The national flag, the facred green, is at this moment flying over the ruins of defpotifm, and that capital, which a few hours paft [was the scene] witneffed the debauchery, [the machinations] plots and crimes of your tyrants, is now the citadel of triumphant patriotism and virtue. Arife then, united fons of Ireland arife like a great and powerful people, determined to [live] be free or die; arm yourselves by every means in your power, and rush like lions on your foes; confider that [in difarming your enemy] for every enemy you difarm, you arm a friend, and thus become doubly powerful. In the cause of liberty inaction is cowardice, and the coward fhall forfeit the property he has not the courage to protect. Let his arms be feized, and transferred to thofe gallant [patriots] fpirits who want, and will use them: Yes, Irishmen, we fwear by that eternal justice, in whose cause you fight, that the brave patriot, who furvives the prefent glorious ftruggle, and the family of him who has fallen, or fhall fall hereafter in it, fhall receive from the hands of a grateful nation, an ample recompence out of [thofe funds] that property which the crimes of our enemics [fhall] have forfeited into its hands, and his name [too]

fhall be inscribed on the national record of Irish revolution, as a glorious example to all pofterity; but we likewise swear to punifh robbery with death and infamy."

"We alfo fwear, that we will never fheath the sword until every [perfon] being in the country is reftored to those equal rights, which the God of Nature has given to all men,-until an order of things fhall be established, in which no fuperiority fhall be acknowledged among the citizens of Erin, but that [which] of virtue and talent [fhalk intitle to."]

"As for those degenerate wretches who turn their fwords against their native country, the national vengeance awaits them: Let them find no quarter unless they fhall prove their repentance by speedily deferting, exchanging the ftandard of flavery for that of freedom, under which their former errors may be buried, and they may fhare the glory and advantages that are due to the patriot bands of Ireland.

"Many of the military feel the love of liberty glow within their breafts, and have [already to] joined the national standard; receive [thofe] with open arms, fuch as fhall follow. fo glorious an example; they can render signal fervice to the cause of freedom, and fhall be rewarded according to their deferts: But for the wretch who turns his fword against his native country, let the national vengeance be vifited on him, let him find no quarter. Two other

crimes demand

"Rouse all the energies of your fouls; call forth all the merit and abilities which a vicious government configned to obfcurity, and under the conduct of your chofen leaders, march with a steady step to victory; heed not the glare of a [mercenary] hired foldiery, or ariftocratick yeomanry, they cannot stand the vigorous fhock of freedom, [clofe with them Man to Man, and let them fee what vigour the cause of freedom can.] Their trappings and their arms will foon be yours, and the detefted government of England, to which we vow eternal hatred, fhall learn, that the treasures, [fhe, it] they exhaust on [their mercenary] its accoutred flaves, for the purpose of butchering Irishmen, fhall but further enable us to turn their fwords on its devoted head."

"Attack them in every direction by day and by night; avail yourselves of the natural advantages of your country, which are innumerable, and with which you are better ac

quainted