Armagh, which was within a stone's throw of his residence, and in the heart of a district of abuse

have reached your ears. Be that, however, as it may, I shall endeavour so far to interest you, (by way of advertisement for a more lengthened and distinct detail, which I intend to publish, as soon as the unhappy situation I am placed in, will permit me to commit it to the press) by observing, that the district, in which I reside is now become literally a scene of blood and devastation ! That the most barbarous and unprovoked murders ("unpro voked," except by the victims being Roman Catholics) are perpetrated, without distinction of sex, or consideration for youth, beauty, or innocence! That so far from Oraugeism declining amongst us, it is, if we may judge by its fruits, hourly gaining strength in cruelty and audacity; insomuch as nearly to bring a blush upon the cheeks of some of its less bigotted supporters! With regard to myself, life excepted, it has left me nothing! and that has hitherto been prevented, only through a generally re ceived opinion, that I will sell it dearly! I have been thrice at tempted to be assassinated within these last eighteen months; once, indeed, nearly murdered; for which two of the assassins were punished by an imprisonment of three months; for which punishment I am to acknowledge myself indebted to the interfe rence of Lord Northland, and his agent, Mr. Armstrong; as, from former experience, I have good reason to believe, that the delinquents would not have even been put in the way of trial! They are now, however, again let loose upon me, and since their li beration, are continually, one way or the other, persecuting and plundering me! Public subscriptions were opened by the Benburb Orangemen, for the purpose of defeating my claim to a small compensation, which the Grand Jury voted me, “on account of the burning to the ground a range of ninety feet of fine offices, (the lofts filled with hay) in the course of the summer of 1809." In justice to six or seven of these men, (who, I understand, are not Orangemen) I must observe, that they refused to give the sanction of their names, saying, that “ they would rather subscribe to obtain me a compensation, than to deprive me of one, knowing, as they did, how basely I had been used and

and outrage, speaks no very ardent desire in Mr. Ponsonby to revise the magistracy, or correct their

plundered." Not wishing to make an ungrateful, omission, I forbear mentioning the names of such of these men as I just now recollect; but when I learn the whole, I will take care, that the public shall be acquainted with them. In the name of one of the greatest of villains, a traverse was brought forward and supported by three others of the gang; (one of whom generally believed to be the incendiary) but though the jury was perfectly well disposed in their favour, yet such was the inerrability of the evidence, it was obliged to give a verdict in my favour, but only for a fourth part of what the Grand Jury had previously allotted me, and not sufficient to pay the expences of the presentment; and not two hundredth part of my actual losses since I resided in Owna Lodge! The opinion of the justly eminent person, who presided as Judge, was pretty clearly seen, not only with regard to the verdict, but also, with respect to the conduct of a certain officer, in the business of the traverse. All this, at the proper moment, I will lay before the public; but for reasons of prudence and delicacy, I must just now decline farther allusion to that officer, as I mean, as soon as I am enabled, to produce him before a legal tribunal, for other acts of atrocity towards me. Within these two years, three of my best farm-houses have been burned to the ground, and two more racked to pieces, with the farms laid waste. My own house has been repeatedly attacked, and is, at this moment, nearly in a state of ruin; several acres of plantations have been thrice destroyed, and, of course, as often renewed; all the timber upon my little estate, cut down and carried off; a fine' young orchard also, cut down; my gates and fences stolen or broken down; my demesne made a common of by the set of villains, who surround me; my servants beaten and insulted, whenever they venture abroad upon my business; people, who were to work for, or otherwise serve me, threatened if they would enter into my employment; I myself repeatedly dragged to goal, not for debts of my own, but, once for another' man's, and twice by people who, so far from owing them any thing, were considerably indebted to me! a conspiracy of some

1806.

- 1806.

Consequences of

abuses: however strongly this had been promised by the new ministers, and was sanguinely expected at their hands by the sufferers under magistratical oppression.

For the better developing the system of governthat refu ing Ireland, it has been necessary to retail the conduct of those men towards Mr. Wilson, who were possessed of the means (had the will accompanied

sal.

of my own tenants, stimulated by two villains of attorneys. As to the truth of almost the whole of these calamities, I can produce the evidence of the two highest personages in the kingdom; and also, for my unwillingness to bring my case before the public. Their reasons for obliging me to do so, they may pos sibly, one time or other, be called upon to explain.

"I have already obtruded too much upon your paper, and therefore will hasten to a conclusion; but I must first desire leave to ask, if there can now be any reason to doubt of the motives for removing me from the magistracy? Were they not founded upon my administering justice with impartiality, rigour, and incorruptibility, with regard to the Orangemen, and for endeavouring to protect the wretched and oppressed Roman Cathohics from their barbarities? Let my ******* answer this, if he can, and account, satisfactorily, for refusing my repeated entreaties “for a knowledge of the ground of my removal.” And here, Sir, I would suggest a question for the discussion and deliberation of his Majesty's Council and Parliament, (it must not be presumed to be agitated elsewhere)" When the people find their appeals to justice disregarded by their rulers, is there not more than a probability,that they will appeal to each other, and may not this dernier one, be attended with consequences rather hazardous ?"

for

"As one of the people, I take leave to express my gratitude your exertions in behalf of oppressed Ireland.

"R. WILSON."

Owna Lodge.

them) of purging the subordinate magistracy of the practical intolerance, bigotry, and corruption, which necessarily set the harassed and aggrieved peasantry against the law and the government of their country. Whatever time a general revision of the magistracy, and a reform of its abuses may have required, had government sincerely taken the Herculean task in hand, could not justify the inversion of every principle of revision and reform in the particular instance of the Tyrone magistrate. The broad historical fact is, that for many months after the accession of the new administration, the magistracy remained in the same state, in which it had existed during the several preceding administrations. It was impossible therefore, that the oppressed and afflicted peasant should expect mercy and justice from the hand of his oppressor and torturer and such had he too long found the Orange magistrate. Immediately through him had' the atrocity of the system been inflicted upon the mass of the population; from him did they take their ideas of the executive government of the country; for the country magistrate was the only man armed with civil authority, with whom they ever came into immediate contact. In proportion, as the leading Catholics attempted to reconcile the feelings of the body to the suspension of the great question of their emancipation during the first session of Parliament, so earnest were they in assuring them of the sincerity of their friends in power to put every thing in immediate preparation for bringing it forward in the proper season with ef

1806.

Feelings of

the Catholics on the new admipistration.

1806. fect, and in the mean time to realize their fondest expectations of being redressed in every grievance short of the application of that grand panacea. As long as the persuasion could be kept alive, that the Irish government was actuated by the spirit, and directed by the councils of Mr. Fox, so long, and no longer, did the mass of the Catholic body look to redress with some degree of confi dence. The circulation, rather than the publication of the contents of Mr. Fox's letter to Mr. Ryan, helped to keep alive that impression longer, than it otherwise would have lasted, from any judgment, that could be reasonably formed from the conduct of the new administration in Ireland. Something however was to be attempted, in order to keep up a delusive appearance, that the Bedford administration moved upon the pivot of Mr. Fox's principles. During the whole Summer, the health of that liberal and enlightened Statesman, the value of whose life to the British Empire and to mankind was unknown* and incalculable, declined so rapidly, that he was unable to attend with his usual energy to the pending negociations with France. To prevent the despondency, which his inability to advise and direct, would have naturally diffused through the thinking part of the community, the real state of his expiring powers was suppressed from the public knowledge, till deception could no longer answer its own views. He was never, in

* If ever the words of the poet could be fairly applied a statesman, Mr. Fox was that man, Virtutem incolumem odimus ; Sublatam ex oculis, quærimus invidi,