to the prisoners who were confined there, and who were of the proteftant religion, "You are a parcel of hereticks; you have no more religion than pigs; you will be put to death with the greatest torture before ten o'clock to-morrow;" and that the faid prieft at the fame time ftruck a Mr. Robert Atkinson, of Ballybeg, as a heretick; and faid, at the fame time, that if he had Robert Atkinfon, of Eaky, he would skin him alive. WILLIAM STINSON. Sworn before me, this ad of June, 1799, County of Sligo, to wit. THE information of John Armstrong, of Ballymooney, and parifh of Eafky, in faid county. Deponent came before me this day, and made oath on the Holy Evangelifts, that he was taken prifoner on Thursday or Friday, the feventh or eighth of September last, near Eafky aforefaid, by a number of armed rebels who conveyed him to the house of the right honourable colonel King, at Ballina in faid county; that during his confinement, father Cowley, a popish priest, came into the room where this deponent was, with many other protestants who were confined there, about the hour of twelve o'clock at night; and that he asked if the parcel of orange hereticks were there, and faid, " Lie down, orange," and, "Rife up, croppy," orwords to that effect; and that the said priest, stamping on the ground in a violent angry manner, faid, "You parcel of hereticks, have no more religion than a parcel of pigs; I do not know whether you will be put to death before ten o'clock to-morrow, by being burned with barrels of tar, or by pikes, or by balls;" adding" that the latter would not get room on your bodies;" and that deponent faw the faid prieft ftrike Robert Atkinson of Ballybeg in faid parifh, as a heretick; and that the faid prieft faid, if he had Robert Atkinson of Eafky in his poffeffion, he would fkin him alive. JOHN ARMSTRONG, Sworn before me, this ift of June, 1799, ROBERT HILLAS. County to wit County of Sligo, ROBERT ATKINSON, of Ballybeg, in the parish of Eafky, in faid county, gentleman, came before me this day, and maketh oath on the Holy Evangelifts, That after his house was destroyed by the rebels, he lay in a neighbouring cabin, in order to bring off his family next day, but was taken prifoner about fun-rife on Saturday the eighth of September laft, as he beft recollects, by a body of armed rebels, to the number of ten or twelve, headed by two captains, namely, Thady Murray and Francis Finigan, who brought him directly to Ballina on foot, and would not let him take a horse, and confined him in the house of colonel King, in Ballina, where he remained that night; that priest Cowley came before fun-rife next morning into the room where he was confined; when he came into the room he called for the guard, the guard answered, and he defired the guard to take very good care of thefe prifoners; that Mr. Atkinfon, thinking he was a parifh pricft, and that he might have fome influence on him; but instead of fhaking hands with him, he ftruck him with a stick across the head, and defired them all to be prepared, and that he would have them all burned in four hours after. ROBERT ATKINSON. Sworn before me, this 3d of June, 1799, ROBERT HILLAS. 8. In the beginning of September, and foon after the French landed, the following denunciation was pofled up on the church of Killyfbee, in the county of Westmeath, by the rebels : TAKE Notice, heretick ufurpers, that the brave flaves of this ifland will no longer lie in bondage; the die is caft, our deliverers are come, and the royal brute who held the iron rod of defpotick tyranny is expiring; nor fhall ene govern. Our holy old religion fhall be re-established in this boufe, and the earth fhall no longer be burthened with bloody hereticks, who under the pretence of rebellion, (which they themselves have raised) mean to massacre us. The Fleur de lis and harp we will difplay, REVENGE! REVENGE! REVENGE! Extrac 19." Extract of a letter from a Romish prief, written to an eminent attorney in Dublin, who has the original. SIR, . YOU no doubt muft be furprised to find yourself addreffed by one who has not the honour of your acquaintance; however, if you will arm yourself with patience, to hear a long story, I will endeavour to introduce myself to you. Sir, I am a Romish prieft. Impofed upon by the example of my bishop, I said mass at the rebel camp; my behaviour during the time was fuch, that I am neither forry for, nor afhamed of it. I faved from twenty to thirty lives, who will make affidavit of it in any court; and this I look upon to be more meritorious, (at least in the fight of God,) than running away like many others, who now make fuch a boast of their loyalty. As a proof of the publick good will towards me, my chapel has never been infulted, though fituated in the most publick place in the county. On the return of the king's government, my first concern was to obtain' his majefty's pardon, for that-degree of rebellion of which I was guilty, which (long may he live!) I obtained without any difficulty; but guefs, fir, my aftonishment at receiving a letter from my bishop, filencing me from my clerical function in this diocefe, when his own conduct was what chiefly led me aftray, (if I except the degree of terror the rebels put me into after the government was upfet all round me,) for during the ferment, which preceded the explosion, he never inftructed me how to act. Instead of excommunicating them for their horrid rebellion, he gave them his benediction in the chapel-yard, the day they took. two days before they called on me to follow them. Instead of excommunicating the barbarous murderers at he gave all his priests power to give abfolution for murder; a power which he ever till then referved to himfelf. Even the laft battle in this county was fought by his direction, and the priest who ferved as his aid-de-camp on the occafion, he kept in his houfe till laft fpring, when he was obliged to fmuggle him out of the county, otherwife he would have fallen a victim to outraged juftice; and indeed, it is of but little avail to me, that the king fhould grant me both both my life and liberty, if he fuffers this gentleman to ftarve me. I have been at great expence to qualify myself to live by the gospel, and am now too old to embark in any other line, to procure myself bread. Hence I conceive, (and am advised thereto,) that the laws of my country will procure me redrefs; nor do I think it a weak argument in proof of my loyalty, that I am the first priest who has appealed to the laws of my own country, in preference to a foreign jurifdiction. My loffes on his account, to the prefent day, I ftate at one hundred and fix guineas. I therefore, fir, befeech you, to take my cafe iu hands, and if you find me law, I will find you money. August 30th, 1799. SIR, Your very humble and obedient servant. THE CATECHISM OF THE UNITED IRISHMEN, Published and circulated fince the rebellion was put down, för the purpose of keeping the flame of it alive. I BELIEVE in the IRISH UNION, in the fupreme majefty of the people, in the equality of man, in the lawfulnefs of infurrection, and of refiftance to oppreffion. I believe in a revolution founded on the rights of man, in the natural and imprefcriptable right of all the Irish citizens to all the land. I believe the foil, or any part of it, cannot be transferred without the confent of the people, or their reprefentatives, convened and authorifed, by the votes of every man having arrived at the age of twenty-one years. I believe the land, or any of it, cannot become the property of any man, but by purchafe, or as rewards for forwarding and preferving the publick liberty. I believe our prefent connexion with England must be fpeedily diffolved. I believe that old age, pregnant women, and labour fhould be honoured. I believe that TREASON is the crime of betraying the people. I believe religious diftinctions are only protected by tyrants, I believe applying the lands of the church to relieve old age, to give education and protection to infancy, will be more acceptable to an united people, than maintaining lazy hy pocrites and ravenous tythe-gatherers. In this faith I mean to live, or bravely die. 2. What 2. What are you? A. An Irishman. 2. As an Irishman, what do you hope for? 2 A. The emancipation of my country, and equality of rights, a fair divifion of the land, an abolition of religious eltablishments, and a representative government. 2. What benefit do you propofe to your country, by what you call emancipation? A. Deliverance from the odious influence of England, and that domeftick tyranny it generated, which is calculated to corrupt our morals, impoverish our people, and retard our industry. 2. How do you conceive this? A. By the innumerable injuries we experience from England-fhe shuts us out from any mercantile connexion with the world, while fhe tells us we are an independent people; the fofters establishments in our ifland, contriving to make her agents in the land her friends and our oppreffors. 2. How are Irish morals injured by England? A. By monopolizing the trade of the world, and confining us to deal only with her. 2. Does that affect your morals? A. Yes, her contrivance leaves us at her mercy: fhe fells to us at her own prices, fhe deprives us of the choice of other markets, either to buy or fell; by fuch means fhe has the command of all our produce; we buy dear and seil cheap; confequently we are poor, and poverty begets crimes, as Job fays, "Lord, make me not poor, left I fhould fteal." 2. What other reafons have you against English connections, and what other proofs have you of its influence on your morals ? A. England has organized a kind of legiflators here, devoted to her interefts, and holding their power and influence at her will. 2. Explain yourself. A. Thofe law-makers are land-holders, all of one trade, which in itself is criminal; as men making laws, being of one profeffion, will always be unanimous in promoting the welfare of a particular object. A legislative affembly of tanners would make leather dear; of weavers, would encreafe the price of cloth; of fchool-mafters, would monopolize instruction. Our law-makers contrive to make Spirituous |