The following historical account is given by Dr. Caulfield himself of the transactions of the 21st of June; which, abstracting from the personal respectability of his character, cannot be supposed to have been falsely given with so much solemn notoriety in defiance of thousands of eye-witnesses amongst whom he was to continue, as he still does, to abide, with the solace and support of unimpeachable veracity and honour :....

"* Having received a most pressing message from Lord "Kingsborough and Captain Keugh, early on the morning of "Thursday the 21st of June, 1798, I hastened to them, to the "house of Robert Meyler, where Lord Kingsborough was still

a prisoner. On my arrival, Captain Keugh told me, he had "that morning given up the government of the town to Lord "Kingsborough, and the mayoralty to Dr. Jacob; they both " told me the rebels were beaten and routed everywhere, and

were pouring into the town by thousands, from all quarters; "that if they continued any time in the town, they would pro"ceed to murder all the prisoners, as they had declared the day "before; and that if the troops should overtake them in town, "they would make a general slaughter of them, and perhaps " indiscriminately of the inhabitants, and reduce the town to "ashes: that the only means of preventing these shocking "disasters, was to get the rebels out of town; that a strong re" presentation of their own danger, and of Lord Kingsborough's " negociations with the military commanders and government, " would have more weight with the rebels than any exhorta" tions or consideration of duty. They then called on and con"jured me to exert myself, and to call the rest of the clergy to "help me to prevail on the rebels, as they came in, to leave the

town, for their own and the general safety.

" In this state of things, I did not skulk or fly (as perhaps I "might), I immediately sent to the clergy; they came to assist

"me, and not only they, but many or most of the Roman Ca "tholic inhabitants of Wexford, loyal men, (though some to save themselves had been obliged to appear as rebels) nay even real professed rebels aided us. Mr. Perry, the notable "Captain Dixon, &c. helped us; we did our utmost from nine or " ten in the morning to the going down of the sun, and under " God, we succeeded in prevailing on the rebels to leave the "town; and thereby prevented all the mischief and misfor"tunes, which might and probably would attend and follow " from their remaining in it. There was no prisoner put to " death, no. Protestant murdered, no houses burnt, (though se "veral of the rebels threatened, and some of them attempted " to set fire to the town) no disaster took place, all was saved, " prisoners, protestants, inhabitants, and the town were

" safe.

"When the occasion, the only one, and the circumstances " occurred in which I thought I could act with some effect, I " set out with all the energy of my mind and body, regardless " of my own life, (which was repeatedly in imminent danger) " or of any other consideration than that before me, the common "safety. I traversed many thousand rebels on that day, ex"horting, beseeching, sometimes standing in a wood of pikes, " or striving to walk through them, and sometimes on my knees, "conjuring them to depart; those who came in latest were the "most obstinate, sanguinary, and infuriate, on whom we could " hardly make any impression; so that from constant and ve. "hement speaking, I got quite hoarse, and from unremitted " exertion I became so exhausted, so languid and faint, that I " despaired of effecting my purpose, and would have given it up, " were it not that the people of the town and many rebels of " more humanity and reason still pressed me to continue. I " did so until the square, the streets, the town was cleared of " rebels, except that a few stragglers might have lurked in pri"vate houses. Such was my conduct on that memorable and "fortunate day.

"The transaction, to which I here refer, was public and "notorious. I call upon any person who can, to controvert the "truth of my statement. Before I close this narrative, I must "add, that the representations made so successfully by the " clergy, upon this occasion, would have produced little effect "whilst the rebels entertained sanguine hopes of success, much "less whilst they were elated and rendered confident by an " appearance of victory. When we addressed them, they were " routed, and their force broken by disasters; applying our"selves to them at that critical moment, and holding out to "them a prospect of pardon, which was the only hope they "could indulge in such circumstances, we were the instru

"ments under God of softening the unruly multitude into for"bearance.

"It is obvious that Lord Kingsborough might have been " spared or saved, for reasons or circumstances that did not " operate for others, or for any other individual. He was a "nobleman of interest and consequence, an important hostage, a military man treating with military commanders for fa"vourable terms for the rebels; these circumstances and "considerations did not attend or attach to other individuals, " and which must have weight with even a rebel in his serious " and cool senses, particularly in so perilous a situation. Hence " I think it fair to say, that his lordship might have been spared, " though others had suffered. But, thank God, the truth is, no one suffered on that day or occasion."*

Lord Kingsborough certainly was considered by the rebel chiefs as a valuable hostage; and perhaps if they had fully

The Rev. Mr. Gordon is called upon by Dr. Caulfield in his reply (p. 19) if he cannot deny with effect, which he defies him to do, the statement which he solemnly declared to be the absolute truth, that he would change or withdraw his hypothetic argument and invidious conclusion; probably alluding to the supposed or assumed possibility of preventing the massacres, at two o'clock, by the persons who had influence enough to stop them at seven. Mr. Gordon in his 24 edition says, (p. 186) I have apparently no right, and therefore no " inclination to deny the Doctor's (Caulfield) statement." He then refers to his own Appendix, No. 5, which contains a letter from Dr. Caulfield to a Magistrate, which appeared much in his favour, and which may also be seen in the Appendix to this work, No. CXVI. Upon this subject Mr. Gordon had thus argued (p. 183) which had dissatisfied Dr. Caulfield: "Much has been "written in the accusation and defence of the Romish clergy of Wexford, who "are said to have refused to interfere until five hours of butchery had elapsed, "and the news of the menacing movements of the king's forces arrived; though their influence might be supposed as powerful at two o'clock, when the "massacre commenced, as at seven. I must confess myself incompetent to form an accurate judgment in this controversy: to attempt to stop the "slaughter of real or supposed rebels, where the loyalists were victorious, " would have been not only altogether fruitless in a Protestant clergyman, but " even extremely dangerous to his personal safety. Certainly the influence of the "Romish clergy over their followers (which, however, seems at present in a "state of decline) is beyond all comparison greater than that of the Protestant "over theirs; yet to what extent that influence might, among so infuriate a "rabble have been safely or successfully exerted; or how far constitutional

tumidity, or well grounded fear, may be justly admitted as a plea, I cannot " pretend to determine. Dr. Caulfield, the Romish bishop, succeeded, with "apparently extreme difficulty, in his endeavours to rescue from the assassins, "Lord Kingsborough, Cotonel of the North Cork regiment of militia, who had "rendered himself particularly an object of hatred, at least, to the rebels, by actions, concerning the utility of which to the loval party I shall not pre"sume to give judgment, but leave the decision to the loyalists of Wexford, "who saw the example which he set, and the discipline which he maintained in the regiment. The limitation of the Doctor's interference to a person of "high rank, who might in reverse of fortune repay the service, has with seem"ing justice been deemed by some a proof of interested conduct; and his *success, in favour of so obnoxious a subject, an irrefragable argument of his ability to save many others."

availed themselves of this advantage, some terms might have been obtained in their favour; though of the Lives of hostages no account seems to have been made by many of the commanders of his majesty's troops. The offers of surrender transmitted by Captain M'Manus, and forwarded by general Moore to his superior, were disdainfully rejected by General Lake, who returned for answer, that no terms could be granted to rebels in arms, but that the deluded multitude might have peace and protection when their arms and leaders should have been delivered into his hands.

Ensign Harman of the North Cork, who was sent with Mr. Carthy by Lord Kingsborough on a second mission to General Moore, was intercepted and shot, almost as soon as he had quitted the town, by one Timothy Whelan, a furious maniac, who having shot Ensign Harman, snapped a pistol at Mr. Carthy, who instantly returned into town. This ruffian afterward had the audacity, to attempt the life of Lord Kingsborough, in order to put an end at once to all accommodation; he would have been ordered for instant execution by the chiefs, but for fear of irritating the great body of the populace, too ready in such perturbed times to mistake desperation for heroism, and to substitute instant vengeance upon the unresisting for zeal and prowess in the general cause.

After the evacuation of Wexford by the main body of the rebels, Father Philip Roche, accompanied by three gentlemen of that denomination, met in his way out of town four men from the neighbourhood of Enniscorthy, who said, that they were going into Wexford to put the prisoners to death, since others had not the courage to do it, while Roche with a drawn sword commanded them to turn back without entering the town, and one of them presented a blunderbuss at him, and swore that none should prevent them: the three gentlemen of Roche's company fied, leaving him to contend alone with the four murderers. After a furious altercation the matter was compounded. The murderers took a solemn oath (and the low Irish consider an oath to a priest as peculiarly binding) that they would merely take a little refreshment, and immediately quit the town without the perpetration of any mischief. It cannot therefore be said, that the dreadful apprehensions of a general massacre by the rebels before they evacuated the town, were altogether without reason and grounds; though not founded either in the conduct or principles of the leaders, or the system or regular organization of their discipline, as appears from the before mentioned proclamations.

The insurgents were at length prevailed on, by the incessant entreaties and exertions of their chiefs, to quit the town. They divided themselves into two bodies: one under the command of the Reverend Philip Roche, marched into the barony of Forth, and encamped that night at Sledagh; the other, under the conduct of Messieurs Fitzgerald, Perry, and Edward Roche, proceeded over the bridge to Peppard's Castle, where they took their station for that night.

General Moore, availing himself of the retreat of the rebels, and having been informed by Captain Bourke of the peaceable disposition of the Wexford people, had approached within two miles of the town, when Captain Boyd, the representative of Wexford (now returning home in General Moore's train) made many cautious and minute inquiries, from Captain Bourke, who had been come recently from that town, and having himself, from the commanding elevation of the road, observed the retreat of the insurgents over the bridge, entered the town attended with eight yeomen, almost with as much precipitancy, as he had formerly abandoned it; loudly declaring the army at his heels. The face of the town was instantly changed: persons, who but the moment before appeared anxious to demonstrate their friendship for the rebels, instantaneously changed sides, and vied with each other in exhibiting symptoms of their loyalty. General Moore, on consultation with Lord Kingsborough, thought it most advisable not to let his troops into the town, which it had previously been determined to annihilate before the negociation had been proposed; so that it required the utmost precaution to prevent its being plundered, sacked and destroyed. General Moore took his station on the Windmill Hills, which completely commanded the town. A sloop of war, and three gun-boats were so stationed, that Wexford was thoroughly invested both by land and water. No sooner had the army entered the town, than all the wounded men in the hospital were put to the sword, and some of the sraggling inhabitants lost their lives, notwithstanding the most express orders of General Moore, that no kind of excess should be committed.

Relying on the faith of Lord Kingsborough's promises of complete protection of persons and properties, several remained in the town of Wexford, unconscious of any reason to apprehend danger; but they were soon taken up and committed to gaol. The Reverend Philip Roche had such confidence in these assurances, and was so certain of obtaining similar terms for those under his command, that he left his force at Sledagh, in full hopes of being permitted to return in peace to their homes, and was on his way to Wexford unarmed, coming, as he thought, to receive a confirmation of the conditions, and so little apprehensive of danger, that he advanced within the lines, before he was recognized. He was instantly dragged from his horse, and in the most ignominious manner taken up to the Camp on the