the most peaceable and amenable to the laws, of any county in the kingdom; and the active and unabating industry of its inhabitants, had improved it fo much, that its appearance was entirely changed within the last twenty years.

Religious animofities between proteftants and papists were at an end, or at least were dormant; and tythes were not complained of as a grievance. The gentlemen of the country refided on their eftates, employed great numbers in building, planting, and agricultural improvements, maintained focial order, and gave energy to the execution of the laws. The farmers followed the example of their landlords, meliorated the state of their arable lands, and, in general, built good and commodious houses.

The labourers, who had conftant employment, received as wages ten pence a day in the fummer, and eight pence in the winter; and paid but two guineas a year for a cottage and an acre of land; but in fome places their wages were higher.

In the parish of Rathdrum, twenty good flated houfes were built within a few years, with fuitable offices, fit for gentlemen of large fortune; and many others on a smaller fcale, but neat and commodious.

Most of these buildings have been deftroyed; every thing that art could accomplish for the hap pinefs of man has been annihilated; and all progreffive industry has been fufpended by the late rebellion, promoted by the united Irishmen.

For fome weeks previous to the breaking-out of the rebellion, the magiftrates of the county of Wicklow met almost every week, for the purpofe of préventing, if poffible, the explofion fo much dreaded.

Every means were ufed to call the lower clafs of people to a fenfe of their duty, and a fubmiffion to the laws. Friendly exhortations, and promises of protection, were for a long time reforted to; but they were treated with derifion. Threats were then ufed, with no better effect. The magiftrates then had recourfe to rewards for publick or private information

b B 2

formation of feditious meetings, and concealed arms; however, friendly and conciliating admonitions were ftill continued. The refolutions of the magiftrates, containing pathetick exhortations, and threats, and rewards, were printed and circulated through the country; but the mass of the people had drunk fo deep of the intoxicating poifon of French republicanifm, fublimated by fanaticifm, that no antidote could counteract its baneful influence.

I fhall refer the reader to Appendix, No. XVI. 1. for part of a pathetick addrefs, published by the magiftrates, on the third of April, 1798; when, finding that mild and conciliatory measures were difregarded, they were driven to the neceffity of proclaiming the whole county. The upper and lower half barony of Talbotftown was fo much difturbed, that it was proclaimed the tenth of November, 1797.

The firft feeds of difaffection fown in the county of Wicklow were by a party of defenders, whe had been hunted out of the county of Louth by the Speaker, in the year 1792; and were employed as labourers in the mines of meffieurs Camacs, at Ballymurtagh.

Those mifcreants, with their most zealous exertions, could not propagate defenderifm any farther than the district in which they lived; and it was not accompanied with any acts of violence or outrage. All the efforts of the united Irifhmen to make the people of the county of Wicklow join in their rebellious defigns, proved unavailing, till they perfuaded the popish clergy to co-operate with them for that purpofe; which took place in the year 1796, as ftated in the report of the fecret committee, on the evidence of doctor M'Nevin, a Roman catholick, and one of the leaders in the rebellion.

A loyal papift, who was tenant to captain King of Rathdrum, informed his landlord, that he had been preffed by a neighbour to take the united Irifhmen's oath, and threatened, if he refused, or delayed to comply, with the total deftruction of him and his family;

family; but he peremptorily refused, having affigned as a reason, that he had taken the oath of allegiance. This objection was laughed at by his pretended friend, who affured him, that it had been decided, and declared, by their clergy, that the oath of allegiance, and all other oaths prescribed by law, were to be confidered as compulfory, and therefore not binding; and that none but thofe which were voluntarily taken, impofed any obligation on confciences. * He at the fame time recommended to him, to confult father C. a priest, on the subject; and having afked him, whether it was finful to take the united Irifhmen's oath, after having taken the oath of allegiance? he affured him, that it was no fin. This man, having been informed that his life would be in imminent danger, unless he joined the united party, as he was told that a refolution had paffed at one of their meetings, that fuch perfons as refused to do fo fhould be put to death, told his landlord, captain King, of what had passed; and by his advice, he afked father C. and two more priests, who happened to be in his company, whether a perfon could get abfolution in their church, for having deliberately killed a heretick, or one who differed from them in religious tenets? The answer of the priests, which was evafive and equivocal, fhocked him fo much, that he refolved to become a proteftant; and he and all his family have continued to go to church ever fince the rebellion.

This man being satisfied that papists, under priests influence, regarded the oath of allegiance as not binding, fuggefted to his landlord, captain King, the following teft oath, and recommended that it might be propofed to the Cronebane corps of yeomen; and affured him, that numbers of them, who were dif#fected, would refuse to take it.

"I,

* See the council of Lateran, pages 12, 13, and the opinions of doctor Burke, and the cardinal Legate, on fuch an oath, pages 45, 46.

6 I,

-, do, in the prefence of my neighbours, folemnly fwear by the contents of this book, containing the holy gofpel of Chrift, that I have not joined, nor in any manner entered into, any fociety, or affociation of perfons, ftyling themfelves united Irishmen, or any other feditious fociety or affociation whatsoever, or taken any oath to keep the fecrets of any fuch fociety: And that I will not join, nor enter into, any fuch fociety, or take any oath to the prejudice of his majefty king George III. or contrary to the exifting laws, or conftitution of this kingdom of Ireland. And all this I fwear, freely and voluntarily, without any mental evafion, or fecret refervation whatsoever."

"So help me God."

The fact turned out as predicted; forty-four of that corps who were deeply difaffected, refufed to take the oath, which a priest of the name of Meagher, pronounced to be blafphemous, when it was propoled for his confideration; though he would allow his flock to take the oath of allegiance, or any other prefcribed by law.

This priest declared that he had loft all influence over his congregation ever fince the introduction of French principles; and yet, when a fearch for arms was about to be made, he gave notice to them to come in and take the oath of allegiance, which was immediately and implicitly obeyed by all his parifhi

oners.

It was univerfally believed that he did fo from an idea that the taking that oath would fuperfede the neceffity of fearching for arms, and throw a veil over the malignant defigns of the united Irifhmen. Captain Mills, who commanded the Cronebane corps, difarmed the forty-four difaffected members, and their places were fupplied by loyal men. AKATS

This teft oath, and the occafion of framing it, having been mentioned in the Dublin Journal, was adopted by the officers of many other corps in the

counties

counties of Wicklow, Dublin, and Wexford, by whom it was propofed to be taken; and it produced univerfally the fame effect, as almost the whole of the popish yeomen refused to take it, and who were therefore difmiffed, which tended much to ftrenghten the caufe of loyalty; as fome corps were purged of many traitors by it. Fourteen Roman catholicks of the Coolgreny corps, commanded by captain John Beauman, refused to take it, and were therefore difmissed.

In the Caftletown corps, commanded by captain Grogan Knox, there were about fifty papifts, and ten proteftants. The captain intended to propose the above test oath to be taken, but was diffuaded by his two lieutenants, fir Thomas Efmond and Laurence Doyle, both papifts; but as the difaffection of the popish members was very strongly fufpected, the gentlemen of the county infifted on having them dif miffed, which was very fortunate, as many of them were afterwards hanged, or fhot, for having been concerned in the rebellion.

There was very great difaffection in the popish yeomen of Bray. In fhort, there appeared a fpirit of difaffection among the popish yeomen of every corps in the county of Wicklow. Captain Hume's corps confifted of proteftants, and they were of courfe loyal.

William Byrne of Ballymanus, a rebel captain, and a member of the Wicklow yeomanry, having refufed to take the oath, quitted it. He was afterwards hanged, for having been an active rebel leader!

Some time previous to the rebellion, and during its existence, many proteftants were murdered, with horrid circumstances of barbarity. The magiftrates and gentry of the country, by frequent addreffes, endeavoured to recal the people to a fenfe of their duty; and offered large rewards for the discovery of fuch atrocities.

Captain King having fent one of thofe papers to father C to be read from the altar; he, in answer faid, "That he had received a paper from him,

which