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"THE French, with about fifteen hundred rebels, advanced in regular order upon the King's troops, who waited their approach in the position they occupied. The artillery, under Captain Shortall, was admirably served, and made a visible impression, insomuch that the enemy's advance was actually checked, and they began to disperse: at this critical moment, our troops, as if seized with a sudden panic, and without any apparent reason, gave way; and notwithstanding every effort made by Lieutenant-general Lake, Major-generals Hutchinson and Trench, and the very meritorious exertions of all their officers, they could not be ralI lied, but retired in confusion through Castlebar, towards Hollymount. Lord Roden's fencible dragoons, however, shewed great gallantry upon this as they had upon all other occasions; they protected the retreat of the infantry, and even recovered a six-pounder which the French had pushed forward through Castlebar. The skeleton of the sixth regiment, under Major Macbean, also behaved with spirit in the ac

tion.

THE following is the return* of killed, wounded and missing, and of guns lost upon this unfortunate occasion. Of the soldiers of the Longford and Kilkenny militia returned missing, the greater part had de serted to the enemy. The loss of the French in killed and wounded (and resulting almost entirely from the effect of the artillery,) was afterwards found to have been far more considerable than that of the King's troops."

THE total of our loss was, one serjeant and fifty-two rank and file killed; two Lieutenants' three serjeants, and twenty-nine rank and file wounded; two Majors, three Captains, six Lieutenants, three Ensigns, two Staff, ten serjeants, two drummers, and two hundred and fifty-one rank and file missing-also nine fieldpieces.

By comparing our return with Humbert's, page 297, the fallacy is notorious, and tends more fully to establish the French to excel in gasconading.

CASTLEBAR was nine days a republic; they elected a Mayor, two high Justices and six Municipal of ficers: liberty, equality, fraternity and unity, were their boasted professions!-Tho' we were slaves; was this liberty? The French eat bread and beef, drank wine and beer, giving the Irish potatoes, and telling them to drink what they pleased the French slept on beds, and the Irish on hay in the fields; was this equality? the French beat and treated the rebels like dogs; was this fraternity? and they shot and murdered each other, was this unity? No; all was democracy!!! Next we were informed that every one who would not take up arms for the French should be put to death-then for the second time I resolved to meet death, and felt in prospect the sweets of martyrdom. It has been reported that the French abused women indiscriminately; but this is falseMany of us proved them both brave and generous those who were lyons in the street, seemed like lambs in the parlour-however I have imagined this to be policy; and that if they had once conquered the country, they would in a mass cut off all who had opposed them: of this I am the more persuaded, their first tax upon Castlebar being 2000 Guineas.Cruel specimen of freedom. This is most certain, the French mocked the Papists, for paying any res spect to the Sabbath, not eating meat on Fridays, and wearing Scapulars, and in my own hearing they de nied the resurrection.

THUS were we of necessity subject to this wild tyranny; had 2000 kings in our little town; women worse than savages, bearing off hides, tallow, suet, beef, and clothes of all kinds to the mountains-they even robbed and killed each other; a volume only would contain their unnatural acts. The day beforé they left us, the Marquis Cornwallis reached to Hollymount, fourteen miles from us, and on that night one of the Frenchmen who frequented my apartments came to me, told me the English were coming, and that they must depart; I then thought to meet them;

but he meant to flee before them. On the ninth day they departed, commanding their commissary and the mayor to have beef sufficient killed for them on their return. But they returned no more! And the Lord sent their fatal harpies and devouring locusts with them.

WE remained in great distress, dreading their return all that day. Dr. Ellison wrote a letter, and a young man, William Mayley, on my horse (who was hid in a back kiln, and was five days without food or water,) ventured to carry it to the Lord Lieutenant. The doctor finding the French were not returning, though he was their prisoner, set out, when, near Hollymount, he met some Hessians, Hanoverians, and Roxburgh fencibles, coming from the Marquis; with them he returned to Castlebar, at ten of a dark night. When our hope was nearly gone, we heard the noise of horses, ran to the street, and heard the Hessians (whom we supposed to be French) crying halloo halloo! We remained silent, till Dr. Ellison cried aloud, the "King's troops:" with grateful hearts we shouted "God save the King." These brave men kept their saddles all night, though such a heavy rain has been seldom experienced, and next day rode after the grand army, leaving us an hundred French prisoners, fifty of whom were able to fight we had no other force than a few yeomen. In this fearful situation we remained, until Captain Urquhart marched in with fifty-seven Fraser fencibles; thus we were obliged still to continue in a state of watching and terror for some nights.

On Wednesday, September 12, before day-break, two of our men being stationed as picquets, Messrs. Edward Mayley and John Dudgeon, they heard the noise of horses coming from the Gap, and proceeding to the road-side, demanded, "Who comes there?" Ans. "A friend." "A friend to whom? Ans. "To the French." "O very well," said our heroes, "Come on, my lads, where are you going?" The rebels answered, "We are going to take Castlebar;

we are captains, and there are two thousand coming within half a mile of us." Immediately these two brave loyalists closed in with them; one of them presented a pistol, the other his sword, saying "deliver your arms or you are dead men." Having made them prisoners, they entered the town shouting, "murder! murder! arise to arms, or you will be burned in your beds." This echoed so loud, all the town rung with it-hundreds repeated it ;-men un-" dressed rushed through the streets-incessant rain heavily descended! the drums beat "to arms, to arms," whilst the dark solitary walls re-echoed, "to arms, to arms!!!" At last the tempest silenced the drum: but no cause could allay the vigilance of our townsmen, and the gallant handful of Frasers. The guards continued to bring in prisoners till morning.

AT last welcome day shone upon our afflicted town; to me it afforded much consolation, my wife being in the pangs of childbearing all night, though I thought will light save us? no! only serve to display our danger-thus hope and apprehension bent alternately the balance. At length all our forebodings are confirmed by a discovery of the plodding assassins, planted to great advantage round the North-west part of our devoted town. Capt. Urquhart, with the spirit of an Alexander commanded his few heroes to advance in order. Our defence that day against 2000 armed rebels, (in a country all in rebellion and numbers in our town with open arms ready to receive them) consisted of 57 Frazers, 34 townsmen and boys-and one corps of yeomen cavalry. The Fraser captain divided his men into four parts-one part by the only piece of cannon he had, at the market cross-the second part he posted in the centre, between the market-house and the extreme entrance to the town-with the third part he covered half of the cavalry at the North end of the town, where he judged the rebels would attempt an entrance, and the fourth part he posted in a Western-street, near a bridge to cover the retreat of the 34 infantry, who

were townsmen, chiefly volunteers in coloured clothes, and the other part of the cavalry he posted on an eminence in the South end of the town opposite the church.

THE wisdom of Captain Urquhart in this distribu tion of his men appears, when we consider, first, the Frasers were so placed, that they defended the town entrance-secondly, they were ready to save the cavalry from the pikes-thirdly, they could support the retreat of the 34 townsmen if overcome-fourthly, they had such command, of the interior of the street and goal, that our intestine foes could not stir; and fifthly all the Frasers could in a moment rush together, and assist each other if occasion required. I cannot say whether the captain had all this in view, but I could prove it all from the positions of his little Highland army. There was in the town at this time a certain gentleman who gave it as his advice to flee to Tuam, and leave our wives, children, sick and aged with our property to the savage plunderers—I mention this to correct a base newspaper report which gave him the chief place in our deliverance-But thank God a Scotchman had the command-Captain Urquhart will be held in grateful remembrance by the loyalists of Castlebar.

SECOND BATTLE OF CASTLEBAR.

ABOUT 7 o'clock in the morning the firing commenced; the rebels were furious, and fired with determination and close direction, at length a Mr. John Gallagher rushed from his ranks upon the rebels and was followed by his brother who commanded the party-another party then flew on the enemy-the Frasers burned with ardour to be in the action: hence all pursue the flying banditti, except a small detachment which remained with Lieut. Denham to keep possession of the town-now the cavalry dart upon them, kill and take prisoners until they fill our goals-numbers attempting to cross a river were

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