On the other hand, the most bitter and inveterate enemies of the adherents to the Church of Rome are here treated with peculiar favour and indulgence. Orange Societies had at that time commenced in the North. The avowed object of these was to protect themselves and their country from the machinations of a "set of Popish traitors, who had bound themselves by the most sacred and solemn ties to overturn the constitution and extirpate the Protestants; and that in so secret a manner, that many thousands were united before a discovery could be obtained. In their secret meetings, which were generally held at night, the Romanists, we are told, methodised their operations, employed emissaries to propagate their doctrines, collected money for the purchase of arms and ammunition, laid plans for attacking the houses of Protestants and taking away their arms, and finally concerted the means of a general rebellion and massacre, in conjunction with the rebels of every other part of the kingdom.

"The gentlemen and magistrates of the county were well aware that such mischiefs were hatching, but found it very difficult to procure full and convincing proofs to substantiate the facts, so as to bring the traitors to punishment. It was in this critical state of things, that the spirit and promptitude of the Orangemen, alive to the interests of their country, and attached to the constitution for which their ancestors fought under King William, associated under the strongest bonds of loyalty and affection, and relying on the goodness of the cause in which they had embarked, they, without fear or restraint, hunted the traitors to their dens, developed their dark proceedings, and dragged them to punishment. By their well-timed and spirited exertions, they delivered that part of the kingdom from those horrors which were ready to burst upon the heads of the loyal inhabitants. This was the persecution which the disaffected so much complained of, and which afforded a plausible pretext for the outrages afterwards committed by the rebels.

"The peasantry of the counties of Mayo and Sligo (I mean those of the Roman Catholic persuasion) are savage, ignorant,

and superstitious; and though they were organised, and sworn to assist the French on their landing, yet I am convinced that they would not have had spirit or resolution enough to rise in rebellion, if that event had not taken place, however wellinclined they might have been. The gentlemen and men of landed property, with but few exceptions, were Protestants of the Church of England, and consequently loyal, and strongly attached to the established government. To these were added an equally loyal and very respectable Protestant yeomanry, mostly freeholders, and planted rather thickly over the country. All these were tolerably expert in the use of arms, having served in the volunteer and yeomanry corps."

They however appear to have been incapable of overawing and restraining "an ignorant and unarmed rabble, without men of property or consequence at their head," from immediately joining the French on their landing. One circumstance, hitherto unnoticed, contributed not a little to the general defection: this was the propagation of the mysteries of the Carmelites among the Roman Catholics. the Roman Catholics. At their initiation, the candidates received a square piece of brown cloth, with the letters J. H. S. (Jesus Hominum Salvator) inscribed on it, which was hung around the neck with a string, and lying on the shoulder next to the skin, was, from its situation termed a scapular. This distinguished badge of the order, which costonly one shilling to the poorer class, after receiving the priest's benediction, was supposed to contain the virtue of preserving the disciple from all outward danger. The ignorance and credulity of the benighted multitude were imposed on by a gross device, which possessed all the effect of a miracle, for after the benediction it was committed to the flames, and was afterwards taken out, whole and entire. But the secret that the cloth was composed of asbestos, one of the properties of which is to resist fire, was carefully concealed. The parish priests in the counties of Mayo and Sligo, perceiving the sale of scapulars to be very profitable, solicited a power from the friars to dispose of them, and at the same time to admit candidates into this holy order. Bags of them were accordingly

sent to fairs, and sold to the credulous multitude, previously to the 22d of August, 1798, when three French frigates appeared in the bay of Killala, from which a body of troops was immediately disembarked, and took possession of that place. Soon after this, they marched under General Humbert, accompanied by a rabble, some of whom were dressed in foreign uniforms, and advanced to Castlebar. Having taken possession of that town after a skirmish, in which they proved victorious, their cause appeared to be triumphant.

The invaders are greatly praised for the moderation displayed by them, as well as for the manner in which they restrained their allies.

"The French eat the best of meat and bread, drank wine, beer, and coffee, and slept on good beds. They compelled the rebels to eat potatoes, drink whiskey, and sleep on straw. They beat and abused them like dogs, in the name of liberty, equality, fraternity, and unity. A volume would not contain an account of the brutal actions of the rebels; and the women who were worse than the men, carried off hides, tallow, beef, cloth, and various other articles."

At length a considerable army having been collected, Lord. Cornwallis and General Lake advanced in two distinct columns against the enemy. On this a retreat took place, which produced a close pursuit, and the French having been overtaken, were finally forced to surrender. Many of the insurgents were seized and executed on this occasion; but in the beginning of September, 1798, a general pardon, with very few exceptions, was published, an act of policy and of clemency, which does not appear to have entirely satisfied our author.

"It is to be lamented," observes he, at the conclusion, "that at this time the Popish multitude are as much fraught with disaffection as ever, though they are still smarting from the former rebellion, and though the royal mercy has been extended to them in a very extraordinary degree. It might be said, that I have gone far in exposing the errors of Popery, and have been severe upon them, but it should be

recollected that the Popish clergy never cease to represent the Protestant religion as a pestilent heresy, which brings the frowns of the Almighty on its votaries in this life, and dooms them to eternal damnation hereafter, and this not only orally, but by various publications, some of which I shall mention; one of them, entitled "Fifty reasons why the holy Roman Catholic religion ought to be preferred to all the sects in Christendom," contains the following extracts: "They (the Protestant ministers) are not priests, since they have not power to consecrate in the Eucharist, nor to forgive sins, which is the main office of priestly dignity," p. 80.

yet

"Heretics themselves confess that the Roman Catholics may be saved, whereas these maintain there is no salvation for such as are out of the Roman Catholic church. What madness then were it, for any man not to go over to the Roman Catholics, who may be saved in the judgment of their adversaries, &c. &c.

"What can be expected from a rabble," exclaims Sir Richard, "drenched with the inebriating poison of such productions, but treason, robbery, and assassination !"

It has been already stated, that the present publication was not at all pleasing to government. The truth is, that it proved both unsuitable and unseasonable. Mr. Pitt and the English cabinet, a considerable time before this, had conceived the idea of a union with Ireland, and all their measures were very properly directed towards this most important point. It was with this view, that a speedy end had been put to the violent operations of martial law and free quarters; and the Marquis Cornwallis having been sent over with the olive branch, the benevolent and paternal viceroyship of that amiable nobleman, tended not a little to conciliate the nation.

Sir Richard Musgrave and his doctrines being now exceedingly unpopular, he was attacked in his turn by writers of all parties. Protestants and Catholics, both in England and Ireland, wished to render him odious'; and the latter part of his life was doubtless tormented with these hostile attacks.

Indeed, it would have occupied a large portion of the remainder of his existence to have read and to have answered the numerous books, pamphlets, and periodical essays in which he was daily and sometimes grossly assailed. To two of his adversaries, and two only, did he think fit to reply; they were both men of some rank and estimation in Ireland. *

In private life, Sir Richard Musgrave was greatly esteemed and respected. Indeed, he was capable both of friendship and kindness; he loved and he practised hospitality; his tongue was sometimes eloquent at the festive board, in praise of good men of all denominations; and it was only while the pen was in his hand, and his mind agitated with the occurrences of the day, that he displayed a spirit of bitterness, seldom to be equalled, and scarcely ever surpassed in modern times.

This baronet died at his house in Holles-street, Dublin, on April 7th, 1818, and having no male issue by his lady, the title, according to the provisions of the patent, has descended to his brother, now Sir Christopher Musgrave.

List of the Works

Of the late Sir Richard Musgrave, Bart.

1. A Letter on the present situation of public affairs, 8vo.

1794.

2. Considerations on the present state of England and France, 8vo. 1796.

3. Short view of the political situation of the Northern Powers, 8vo. 1801.

4. Memoirs of the different rebellions in Ireland, from the arrival of the English, with a particular detail of that which broke out in 1798, 4to. 1801. 2d ed. with appendix, 4to. 1801. 3d ed. 2 vols. 8vo, 1802.

5. Observations on the reply of Dr. Caulfield, 8vo. 1802. 6. Observations on Dr. Drumgoole's speech, at the Catholic Board, December 8, 1813. 8vo. 1814.

* The Doctors Drumgoole and Caulfield.