probable caufe of the fudden alteration in the political conduct of Mr. Burke, I fhall readily relinquish my hypothefis. This gentleman, very unfortunately for the repofe of Ireland, and confequently of Great Britain, has influenced fome men of great rank and power in England to concur with him in the project of communicating with the Irish Romanists the fupreme power of the State, by admitting them into Parliament; and has had the addrefs, at the fame time, to perfuade them, by grols miftatement, that the Romanifts are powerful enough in Ireland to compel an acquiefcence in fuch their ambitious views, and that it is therefore good policy to give that which cannot be withheld. He has alfo, by the fame means, perfuaded them, in defiance of truth that the Irish Romanists are grievously oppreffed by their Proteítant fellow. fubje&s; that they are Monarchifts; the Irish Proteftants, Republicans. He has worked on their generofity, by preaching up the doctrines of Liberality, Conciliation, Emancipation, and Reform; concealing under fuch fpecious names and titles, Romifh Perfecution, Rancour, Subverfion and Profcription of the Proteftant Religion, Democracy, and Separation, the certain confequence of the fuccefs of his projects.

Evident marks of the progrefs of Mr. Burke's doctrines in favour of the Irish Romanifts may be difcovered in most of the Speeches of great and powerful Noblemen and Commoners in England on the fubje& of Union, copies of which have been published, and will be hereafter noticed. This fect of British Politicians may be diftinguished by the name of Burkifts; and from the power and influence of this fect, fatally mifinformed and mifled with refpect to the affairs and ftate of Ireland,

the

the procrastination and delay of vigorous measures for prevention of the Rebellion are generally attributed; and to the fame source may be traced many of the measures lately pursued, and, I am forry to fay, still pursuing, in Ireland, which give the highest difguft to the whole body of Irish Proteftants, and which, instead of pro moting an Incorporating Union of Great Britain and Ireland, are in fact throwing obftacles in the way of it; all which, however, I have the ftrongest hopes that the good fenfe of the nation will furmount.

I have stated that the late Irish Rebellion was fupr preffed by the Proteftants of Ireland. To prove that fact, it is only neceffary to recur to dates. The Rebellion broke out on the 23d of May 1798. The whole Regular Army, the Militia, and the Yeomanry, then in the kingdom, were the proper forces of Ireland, and paid by Ireland. Moft of the regular troops had, at different periods before, been fent out of the kingdom on foreign fervice, and their places fupplied by Fencible Regiments, many of them Scotch; but as thefe troops were paid by the Irish Treafury, and were fent in lieu of the Irish trained troops employed on foreign expe ditions, I do not account them British troops fent to our affiftance in preventing or fuppreffing the Rebellion. On the 23d of May 1798, the day the Rebellion broke out, the towns of Naas, Carlow, Baltinglafs, Monaf tereven, and Clane, were attacked, and the Rebels beaten at them all, principally by the Irish Militia and Yeomen. On the 29th of the fame month, General Sir James Duff defeated a large body of Rebels at Kildare, and opened the paffage from Dublin to Munster, which had been obftructed by them. On the fame day

the

the town of Enniscorthy, in the county of Wexford, was attacked by a great body of Rebels, commanded by one Murphy, the Romish Priest of a neighbouring parifh. It was defended by the Proteftant Yeomanry alone. It was an open place, without fortification, and the Yeomen fought with them at the outskirts of the town. The contest was long and bloody. The Yeomanry amounted to about three hundred only; the Rebels to more than twice as many thoufands. Fortyfeven of the Yeomanry were killed, and above five hundred of the Rebels. When the Romish inhabitants of the town found their rebel friends recoiling, they set fire to the houses, moftly thatched, in the rear of the Yeomanry, and obliged them, from fmoke and heat, to file off from the town, which the Rebels then entered; and this gallant body of men retreated unmolefted to Wexford, about eleven miles. The Rebels had, on the preceding day, defeated a party of about one hundred of the North Cork Regiment of Militia, put them every man to death, except three who efcaped, and got poffeffion of their muskets and ammunition, with which they greatly galled the Enniscorthy Yeomanry. On this fuccess, the Peasantry of the country, being for the most part Romanists, joined the Rebels, and they marched on to Wexford, being a fea-port, and the county town. There were but few troops in the place. Some Gentlemen in the neighbourhood raised Yeomanry Corps; but having imprudently enrolled Romanists among them, they to a man deferted to the Rebels, with their arms and ammunition; and there were multitudes of Romifh inhabitants in the town, who showed evident figns of difaffection. These circumftances induced the Commander of the troops to take the resolution of abandon

ing

ing it, and marching to Duncannon Fort, a strong place about thirty miles diftant, whither he immediately marched, with all the Proteftant Yeomanry of both the towns of Wexford and Enniscorthy; and the Rebels took poffeffion of this fea-port town on the 30th of May, € 798.

On this fuccefs of the Rebels, the whole Romanifts of the counties of Wexford, Wicklow, Kildare, and Carlow, joined them. They defeated a detachment of the army, which had, marched from Dublin to the relief of the Wexford Proteftants, under Colonel Walpole, a brave man, but an unfkilful commander, who fuffered himself to be surprised by this banditti. He paid the forfeit of his life to his rafhnefs: his party retired into the county of Wicklow, and took poft at Arklow. The Rebels, elated with this fuccefs, mustered their forces, and marched to attack the town of Rofs, which, with Duncannon Fort and the town of Newtown-Barry, were the only places in the county of Wexford occupied by the Loyalifts. The Regiment of Militia of the county of Dublin, commanded by Lord Mountjoy, with fome other troops and Yeomanry Corps, had taken poft in Rofs, all under the command of Generals Johnson and Euftace, both Irish officers. Their whole force amounted to about fifteen hundred. The town is not fortified: there are fome remains of an old wall, which formerly furrounded it, but it is now in ruins. The Rebels commenced the affault with a body of twenty-five thousand men. The troops received them outfide the town. The Rebels, to diforder the troops, drove before them, with their pikes, a vast number of horses and oxen. They had fome field-pieces and howitzers, which they had taken

at the rout of a fmall detachment of the garrison of Duncannon Fort, fent out against them very imprudently by the Governor and alfo when they defeated the troops under Colonel Walpole: their leaders had also distributed among them a confiderable quantity of whiskey, to rent der them the more defperate by intoxication. They attacked the troops with great fury; and Lord Mountjoy was killed, gallantly fighting at the head of his regiment. This Nobleman was the first person who introduced. bill into the Irish Parliament for the repeal of a part of the Popery Code, and unfortunately felt the bitter effects and inefficiency of his own fyftem of conciliation. The weight of the Rebel column, after a furious contest, forced the troops into the town, and the battle was continued fiercely in the streets; till at length the courage and difcipline of the Loyalists prevailed, and the Rebels. were compelled, after a dreadful carnage, to retreat. Their flain in the streets of the town and fuburbs amounted to two thousand two hundred, exclufive of numbers who crawled away from the battle, and died afterwards of their wounds. The Military were fo fatigued, that they were not able to purfue them. The battle, from the commencement of the affault to the final retreat of the Rebels, lafted eight hours. This was the first great and decifive advantage gained over the Rebels. The battle was fought on the 5th of June, 1798, and was gained principally by the undaunted bravery of the Irish Militia and Yeomanry, conducted by two Irish officers.

The Rebel Army not being dispersed at Ross, their leaders determined to try their fortune again; and in a few days after their unfuccessful attack on Rofs, they

marched