the object was to get arms, and to affift the French when they should come.

Lawler faid, he paffed for a Roman catholick among the defenders, because Brady defired him to do fo; and Hart declared, he would not fit with Dry and Coffey, two defenders, because they were protestants.

At last, Hart having informed Lawler, who was a proteftant, that all perfons of that religion were to be maffacred, he, on the twenty-third of Auguft, difclofed the whole of the plot to Mr. Cowen of Grafton-street, who employed him.

The fubftance of what he related to Mr. Cowen, was this: That Hart informed him on 'Sunday the twenty-third of Auguft, that there was to have been a general infurrection and a maffacre of all the proteftants, on Saturday the twenty-fecond; but it was poftponed till the harveft was over, left a famine might enfue, fhould it take place before. Mr. Cowen took him to Mr. Hamilton, the lord lieutenant's fecretary; and while they were at the caftle, the mutiny, which I already defcribed, occurred on Effex-bridge. Another meeting took place next day, when Lawler informed them, that there was to be a numerous affembly of the defenders at the Coombe, in the Liberty, on that night; that they were to furprise the Coombe guard; to take their clothes and their arms; to repair to the castle, where, having the guife of foldiers, they would be admitted; and then to distribute among their friends all the arms in the arfenal. * As the two regiments in garrifon at this time were difaffected, it is probable that they would not have been oppofed. Mr. Hamilton fent for alderman James, and defired him to repair to the Coombe with a body of cavalry, which he accordingly did, attended by Mr. Cowen and Lawler; and they found there a mob of three

ΟΙ

Trial of Weldon, taken by counfellor Ridgeway, and pubhed by alderman Exfhaw.

or four thousand ruffians, who gave them three cheers on their arrival, but hiffed them at their departure. Lawler, who mixed with his brother defenders, recommended to alderman James not to fuffer a fhot to be fired, becaufe, fhould a conflict enfue, it was to be feared that the Coombe guard would join them; however, on being threatened by alderman James to be fired on, they difpersed. Lawler fwore, on the trials of Brady, Kennedy, and Hart, that, at a meeting of the defenders held at Stoneybatter, they fpoke of attacking the chancellor in the courfe of the winter, as he returned from the houfe of lords, and of hanging him on a tree in Stephen's-green.

Every collateral circumftance in this bufinefs corroborated the teftimony of Lawler. He fwore, that Weldon always carried the oath in his fob; and when he was arrefted it was found there. The fame thing occurred on the apprehenfion of Kennedy.

Weldon, on whom the defenders oath was found when arrefted, was convicted of high treafon, and hanged on the fecond of March, 1796. Previous to his execution, he confeffed to one of his officers, that Hanlon (a noted defender) told him, there was to be a general infurrection; that none but defenders would be fafe, and that they were all Roman catho dicks.

It is very remarkable, that the defenders oath, adminiftered in the most remote counties from the capital, was much of the fame tenor with that which Weldon exhibited to Lawler; and that it contained the condition," as long as I live under the fame government," or, " as long as the king lives;" which was alfo in the oath found upon Sharky at Drumbanagher in the year 178c.

It appeared on the trials of Brady, Kennedy and Hart, for the fame crime, on the twenty-fecond of February, 1796, that one Burke, who had been expelled from the univerfity for having endeavoured to

propagate

propagate treafon and atheism among the ftudents, informed Lawler, that the plan was this: That he was to find ten felect men, each of whom was tọ procure ten more; that each of them was to find five, and that they, united, would be fufficient to take the castle.

One hundred of them were to get fcarlet uniforms, to make the people believe that the foldiers had joined them.

Lawler made up his number in a fortnight. They met in a room in High-street, and were called the philanthropick fociety. Le Blanc, a Frenchman, who fled, was a member, and was generally either chairman, or committee-man.

I give the reader a concife account of the trial of fome affaffins, who confpired to murder one Hanlon, a gunner in the artillery, as it will unquestionably evince the fanguinary and treafonable defigns of the defenders.

Thomas Smith, a gunner in that corps, and a proteftant of the established church, was fworn a defender in January, 1795, in the houfe of James Doyle, on George's-quay, and in the prefence of faid Doyle and Andrew Glennan, who were commanders of the regiment of defenders to which they belonged. It was then propofed to him, to form an intimacy with Hanlon, to conduct him to Doyle's houfe, with a promife of entertaining him there, that they nfight murder him, and throw his body into the river Liffey, as he was returning to his quarters at Chapelizod. Next morning Smith related the whole of what had paffed at Doyle's to Lane the ferjeantmajor, and faid he would pretend to fecond their defigns.

The next meeting was at the houfe of one Carmichael, in Thomas-ftreet, on the twenty-fourth of January, 1795, when the aflaflination was planned in the prefence of him, Glennan, and three men of the names of Kinfhela, Sleavan, and Shanaghan. The reafon for withing to affallinate Hanlon was, that

he,

hc, on behalf of the crown, was to profecute fome defenders who were then confined in the gaol of Naas.

Smith communicated every thing that paffed to his ferjeant-major and to Hanlon, who agreed to accompany him to Carmichael's houfe, on being affured that fome magiftrates and constables would be ready near at hand, and would arreft the affaflins; and accordingly aldermen Alexander and Tweedy, and fome peace-officers attended, and arrested the affaffins, in number thirteen, who were afterwards convicted and punished.

In the course of the trial it appeared, that Smith, foon after he became a defender, difcovered, that all the order of defenders had the most inveterate hatred and fanguinary defigns against proteftants of every description; in confequence of which he, from motives of felf-prefervation, concealed his bible and prayer-book, and denied that he was of that religion; and at laft, he and his wife agreed that he had better go into the artillery, for the fake of protection, and that he might have an opportunity of exercifing his devotion with fafety. He therefore enlifted in that corps on the fifteenth of April, 1795,

In a converfation with a body of defenders, at the houfe of one Connor in Dublin, they faid, "That they daily expected a rebellion, and a maffacre; that no proteítant was to be left alive; that the oath was to ferve France and Ireland, and under James Cole, fir Edward Bellew, Napper Tandy, and Hamilton Rowan; that they were to have no king; to recover their eftates; fweep clean the proteftants; to leave none alive; and to kill the lord lieutenant."

In the month of April, 1795, they entered into a refolution to fhoot the lord lieutenant as he paffed through the park; to feize the magazine there; and to kill all the nobility in Dublin.*

I give the reader in Appendix, No. XII. a lift of fome of the outrages committed in the year 1795.

Trial reported by counfellor Ridgeway in 1796.

In confequence of the dreadful outrages committed by the defenders in fome northern counties, which I have already described, the earl of Carhampton,t by order of government, vifited thofe of Weftmeath, Leitrim, Longford, Rofcommon, Mayo and Sligo, in order to reftore focial order in them; as those mifcreants had completely impeded the execution of the laws, by a fyftem of terror, and had exercifed defpotick fway in them.

In most places his lordfhip found that a leader of banditti, under the feigned name of captain Stout, had intimidated the people of the neighbourhood fo much, that fuch perfons as had fuftained any injury were afraid to profecute, and the magiftrates were deterred from enforcing justice.

Some informers had been murdered, and others, fearing the fame fate, forfeited their recognifances, fooner than give evidence against them. One faid, that Larry, a farmer in his neighbourhood, another, that Thady would have his house burned, and himfelf murdered; for they had the hardened audacity to avow themselves in fome places, where they had completely filenced the voice of justice.

A party of this banditti, in the county of Longford, after having plundered the houfe of a widow of various articles, and of her rent, which fhe had ready to pay her landlord, fet fire to it, and threw her into the flames; where he would have perrifhed, but that her fon, touched by filial piety, refcued her, and fought for her life at the rifque of his own.

They were prevailed on to profecute; but at the affizes they were fo infulted and threatened, that, from motives of fear, they prevaricated in their evidence, and pretended not to know the prifoners, though they were their neighbours.

They

+ The zeal, fagacity and firmness of this nobleman, in fupport of the crown, and in preferving focial order, often at the risk of his life, fhould endear him to all loyal subjects.