was the place General Lake's van-guard skirmished with their rear-guard, and from thence to Ballinamuck, four miles from Ballinalee and four miles from Cloon, When the King's army crossed the Shannon, the towns were illuminated for them, and torches held in the streets to give them light. The French being so closely pursued prepared for an unavoidable battle; they formed on a hill to very great advan tage, having a bog on their left, and a bog and lake on. their right.

FIVE flank companies, viz. the Dublin, Armagh, Monaghan, Tipperary, and Kerry, requested General Lake to let them mount behind the Hessians, Carabineers, and Roxburgh, &c. so ardent were they to overtake the enemy. This request was granted, and they soon came up with the foe! The above was our whole force in the action, and no men surely could behave more bravely. Seeing the enemy so advantageously posted, wisdom was needful on the part of our General; a column of our troops faced to the left, and marched behind an eminence, to flank their right wing. Perceiving this, the French retreated to another eminence; to this our artillery marched in front. The enemy had their cannon covered with pike-men, who were about to take our cannon under cover of their own smoke. General Lake aware of their design, ordered the artillery to retreat to another hill, and finding his men so brave, he ordered them to charge the French through the smoke. This they did; and with a terrible war-shout so overwhelmed the French, that they threw up their arms with caps on them, yielding themselves prisoners. Here I should observe that the whole of the French army was not at this time engaged; four hundred and more re→ mained concealed behind the intrenchments, and re solved by treachery to surprise our men, when attack ing the rebels: the point was to get them from this hold-a volley or two being fired, our men feigned to retreat. The end was answered; the French rushed out, and our soldiers as suddenly met them ;-here

the contest was desperate! In a little time the French fell down, offering up their arms, and as our men advanced to receive them, they treacherously arose and fired on our generous unguarded men, and then fell again on their knees: the enraged troops rushed on, and killed numbers of them before they could be prevented. Thus they overpowered, disarmed, and made prisoners, all the French, before the grand army arrived. The rebels expecting no quarters did all possible harm-fired many cannon-shot, but to no effect; they fled into a bog, the whole of which was soon surrounded by horse and foot, who never ceased while a rebel was alive; after which the Marquis marched off with his prisoners.

THERE lay dead about five hundred; I went next day with many others to see them; how awful! to see that healthy mountain covered with dead bodies, resembling at a distance flocks of sheep-for numbers were naked and swelled with the weather. We found fifteen of the Longford militia among the slain. Our loss was twelve-two of which were Hessians, whom the yeomen took for French and fired on.

THE sudden progress of such a handful of men into the very centre of our island, was, I think, a clear comcht on the words of Solomon, that "the race is not the swift, nor the battle to the strong."

THUS, what six thousand could not do at Castlebar, five flank companies and a few cavalry effected at Ballinamuck! Livy says, in all human affairs, especially war, fortune hath a mighty sway; and no where is the event less answerable to the expectation than in war. Plutarch observes, there was no temple in Rome dedicated to wisdom or valour, but a most magnificent one to fortune; signifying that they ascribed their success to Providence, not to their courage or conduct. May the loyalists never lose sight

of this lesson..

Copy of a letter from Lieut. General Lake to Capt. Taylor, private Secretary to his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, dated Camp, near Ballinamuck,

I HAVE the honour to acquaint you, for the information of his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, that finding upon my arrival at Ballaghy that the French army had passed that place from Castlebar, I immediately followed them to watch their motions. Lieut. Col. Crawford, who commanded my advanced corps, composed of detachments of Hompesch's and the first. fencible cavalry, by great vigilance and activity, hung so close upon their rear, that they could not escape from me, although they drove the country and carried with them all the horses.

AFTER four days and nights most severe marching, my column, consisting of the carabineers, detachments of the 23d light dragoons, the first fencible light dragoons, and the Roxburgh fencible dragoons, under the command of Col. Sir Thomas Chapman, Lieut. Col. Maxwell, Earl of Roden, and Captain Kerr, the 3d battalion of light infantry, the Armagh and part of the Kerry militia, the Reay, Northampton, and Prince of Wales's fencible regiments of infantry, under the command of Lieut. Col. Innes, of the 64th regiment, Lord Viscount Gosford, Earl of Glandore,, Major Ross, Lieut. Col. Bulkeley, and Lieut. Col. Macartney, arrived at Cloon about seven this morning, where having received directions to follow the enemy on the same line, whilst his Excellency moved by the lower road to intercept them, I advanced having previously detached the Monaghan light company, mounted behind dragoons to harrass their rear.

LIEUT. COL. CRAWFORD on coming up with the French rear-guard, summoned them to surrender; but as they did not attend to his summons he attack. ed them, upon which upwards of 200 French infan

try threw down their arms: under the idea that the rest of the corps would do the same thing-Captain Packenham, Lieut. General of ordnance, and Major General Cradock rode up to them.-The enemy, however, instantly commenced a fire of cannon and musquetry which wounded General Cradock upon which I ordered up the third battalion of light infantry, under the command of Lieut. Col. Innes, and commenced the attack upon the enemy's position. The action lasted upwards of half an hour, when the remainder of the column making its appearance, the French surrendered at discretion. The rebels who fled in all directions, suffered severely.

THE Conduct of the cavalry was highly conspicuous. The third light battalion, and part of the Ar magh militia (the only infantry that were engaged) behaved most gallantly, and deserve my warmest praise. Lieut. Col. Innes's spirit and judgment contributed much to our success.

To Brigadier Gen. Taylor I have to return my most sincere thanks for his great exertions and assist ance, particularly on this day-also to Lord Roden, Sir Thomas Chapman, Major Kerr, and Capt. Ferguson, whose example contributed much to animate the troops. I ought not to omit mentioning Lieut. Col. Maxwell, Major Packenham, and Capt. Kerr, whose conduct was equally meritorious-and I feel infinitely thankful to all the commanding officers of corps, who, during so fatiguing a march, encouraged their men to bear it with unremitting perseverance. To Captain Packenham, Lieut. Col. Clinton (who came to me with orders from Lord Cornwallis) and Major General Cradock, (who joined me in the morning) I am highly indebted for their spirited support; the latter, though early wounded, would not retire from the field during the action.

I ACKNOWLEDGE with gratitude the zeal and activity displayed on all occasions by Lieut. Col. Meade, Major Hardy, assistant Quarter-Master-General, Captains Taylor and Eustace of the engineers, Capt. Nicholson and my other Aid-de-camp.

I CANNOT conclude my letter without expressing how much our success is to be attributed to the spi rit and activity of Lieut. Col. Crawford. I beg leave to recommend him as a most deserving officer.

I have the honour to be, &c.

G. LAKE.

Return of the killed, wounded, and missing, of the King's forces, at the battle of Ballinamuck, September 8, 1798.

LIEUT. STEPHENS, of the Carabineers, wounded⚫ Three privates killed, twelve wounded, and three missing. Eleven horses killed, one wounded, and eight missing.

Three

ORDNANCE, arms, and ammunition taken. light French four-pounders-five ditto, ammunitionwaggons, nearly full of made-up ammunition-one ditto, tumbril.-Seven hundred stand of arms, with -belts and pouches. With a great number of pikes.

Return of the French Army taken prisoners at the battle of Ballinamuck, Sept. 8, 1798.

GENERAL and other officers, 96. Non-commissioned officers and soldiers, 748. Horses, about 100. NINETY-SIX rebels taken-three of them called general officers, by the names of Roach, Blake, and Teeling.*

THE enemy, in their retreat before the troops under my command, were compelled to abandon nine pieces of cannon, which they had taken in the former actions with his Majesty's forces.

G. LAKE, Lieut. General.

*The two latter since hanged.