licitations to the catholic clergy for the boon of conditional baptism became considerably more frequent, the applicants quoting this recent precedent, and adducing the hearsay evidence, and far fetched recolection of grand-mothers, grand-aunts, and othergrave and venerated relatives, with a long train of minute circumstances, to prove a similarity of cases, and claiming on this account an equal consideration. The epithets of craw-thumpers, opprobriously applied to catholics for contritely striking their breasts at their devotions, was never more strongly exemplified than by these converts. Catholics strike their breasts gently on certain occasions, and with the right hand alone, but protestants who attended at mass in these times generally continued to strike themselves vehemently with both hands almost during the whole service. I had the good fortune to prevent all such as consulted me on the occasion as to the expedience of conforming, by persuading them to avoid the disgrace of such a mockery; and I had the satisfaction afterwards to hear those applauded who did not appear to change their religion, while those who turned with the times were reprobated, some as hypocrites and others as cowards. And in good truth, what favourable opinion could be entertained of such as did not continue faithful even to their God according to the dictates of their conscience.

THE military stationed at Gorey made constant sallies, in the course of which through the country they plundered and burned many houses, and shot several stragglers, who happened to fall in their way. This provoked the insurgents to vie with their opponents in this mode of warfare, and retaliation has on this, as well as on every other occasion, produced many woeful scenes. Enormities in fact were committed on both sides, which, among their many lamentable consequences, tended to exasperate the party-animosities already too powerfully destructive of the peace and happiness of the country. At this time reinforcements were every day crowding into

Gorey. On the 3d of June, general Loftus 'arrived there with fifteen hundred men under his command, as did also colonel Walpole from Carnew, whence he had several times gone out to reconnoitre the camp at Carrigrew. A determination was formed to attack this on the 4th, with the force then in Gorey, "with" which the troops from Carnew and Newtown-barry were to co-operate, so as to engage the insurgents on all sides, and from these arrangements, and considering the force that was to act against them, little doubt was entertained of their total and speedy defeat. The army from Gorey marched out at the appointed time, and formed into two divisions. The one under general Loftus, took route towards Ballycanew, while the other, commanded by colonel Walpole, proceeded by the Camolin road directly to commence the concerted attack on Carrigrew. The insurgents had, however, quitted this post, and were in full march towards Gorey, when they suddenly and unawares fell in with this military body under Colonel Walpole, at a place called Tubberneering. meeting was equally unexpected on both sides, and this circumstance, no less true than extraordinary, neither party having any scouts, produced an instantaneous and confused action, in which colonel Walpole was killed in a few minutes after its commencement, and his troops immediately gave way and fled in the utmost precipitation and disorder, leaving the victors in possession of three pieces of cannon, two six-pounders, and another of inferior size. The fate of this action was so quickly decided, as to allow general Loftus not the smallest opportunity of affording the troops under colonel Walpole any assistance. The loss of the military in killed was, taken altogether, considerable, besides capt. M'Manus, lieutenant Hogg, and ensign Barry, of the Antrim militia, with many privates taken prisoners. The rest in the greatest possible haste being pursued by the insurgents, reached Gorey, which they as quickly passed through; but would, in revenge, have put the prison

The

ers in the town to death had they not feared that the delay it would occasion might cost them too dearly. This account I have from a capt. of yeomanry, who opposed with all his might the perpetration of such a cruel and barbarous deed, and who, to his honour was incapable of countenancing such an atrocity under any circumstances. The retreat was thence very precipitate to Arklow, where a council of war was hastily held, at which it was as hastily determined to abandon that town, and this was accordingly put into immediate execution. Some were so panicstruck that they did not stop till they reached Dublin, but others stopped at different distances when their horses or themselves were not able to proceed farther. Gen. Loftus, on hearing the report of the cannon and other fire-arms in the engagement, not being able to go across the country, he proceeded round by the road to the scene of action, where he found the bodies of many slain, and did not learn the fate of colonel Walpole till he saw him stretched on the field of battle. He then moved toward Gorey, but thought it most prudent to alter his line of direction upon being saluted by the insurgents with the cannon they had just taken, and which they had drawn up to the summit of the hill of Gorey, which is immediately over the town, commanding it in every quarter. The general then marched to Carnew and from that to Tullow. The troops that had proceeded from Carnew in the morning, to co-operate in the intended general attack on the insurgents at Carrigrew, did not return thither upon hearing of the defeat, but made Newtown-barry with those who had come out from thence on the same expedition.

THE insurgents were now in possession of the whole of the county of Wexford, except the fort of Duncan-, non, the towns of Ross, and Newtown-barry; and were at perfect liberty if they pursued their advantages to seize upon Carnew, and also to enter Arklow, situated in the county of Wicklow, and what consequences might have ensued are now incalcu lable.

On the evening of the 4th of June, the insurgents stationed on the hill of Carrick-byrne, whither the Taghmon encampment, as has been observed, was transferred on the 1st, now proceeded to Corbet-hill within a mile of the town of Ross, the garrison of which had lately received great reinforcements, by the arrival there of the Donegal, Clare and Meath regiments of militia, a detachment of English and Irish artillery, the 5th dragoons, the Mid-Lothian fencibles, and on this very evening the county of Dublin regiment of militia considerably added to its force, which upon the whole amounted to twelve hundred men, exclusive of the yeomen, all under the command of major-general Johnson, who expected an attack during the night, and consequently the troops remained under arms without being allowed to take any repose. The insurgents, led by their commander in chief, Mr. Beauchamp Bagnal Harvey, a little after their arrival on Corbet-hill, were saluted with a few cannon-shot and bomb-shells from the town, without producing any other, effect than that of encreasing their vigilance. Mr. Harvey and his principal officers took up their quarters in the house of Corbethill, where, being regaled with an excellent supper and exquisite wines, they were so well pleased with their cheer, and so far forgot their prudence as commanders, that they had scarcely time to fall asleep since the moment of their retirement, until they were roused, by the orders they had given in their sober moments, to commence the attack at the break of day. Mr. Furlong was immediately dispatched with a flag of truce, and the following summons to the commanding officer in Ross:

"SIR,

"As a friend to humanity, I request you will sur"render the town of Ross to the Wexford forces now "assembled against that town. Your resistance will "but provoke rapine and plunder to the ruin of the "most innocent. Flushed with victory, the Wexford

❝ forces now innumerable, and irresistible, will not ❝ be controuled if they meet with any resistance: to " prevent therefore the total ruin of all property "in the town, I urge you to a speedy surrender, "which you will be forced to do in a few hours, with

loss and bloodshed, as you are surrounded on all "sides. Your answer is required in four hours. Mr. "Furlong carries this letter and will bring the an

❝swer.

"Camp at Corbet-hill,

"half past three o'clock morning, 66 June 5th, 1798.”

"I am, sir, &c. &c.
“ B. B. HARVEY.

Mr. Furlong was shot the moment he approached the out-posts, which so exasperated the people, that they could not be restrained from instantly rushing on to attack the Three-bullet-gate, being the part of the town next to them; and this it was that principally prevented the concerted plan of assault from being carried into execution; as three divisions of their forces were to have begun their operations against different parts of the town at the same time. This particular division therefore not waiting till the other two should have reached their several stations of action, the latter not only did not proceed, but were seized with such a panic that they dispersed all over the country, flying in all directions to their several homes, and bearing as they went along the tidings of a total defeat; and this derout was in a great degree occasioned by the example of one of the divisional commanders, who without the least effort, to answer the intent of his appointment, turned away from the action, and rode hastily homeward. Even in the town of Wexford, nineteen miles distant from Ross, the news of a defeat was announced, at an early hour in the day, by many fugitives who had taken that direction, relating various and strange adventures to account for their own precipitate flight. One fourth of the numbers that encamped on Corbet-hill