The Great Chemist, Joseph Black. 77 



"New Grove, 5th July, 1798 



Although I have not received a letter from you, my 

 dear Ellen, since I wrote to you, I cannot deny myself the 

 gratification of addressing a few lines to you, as I am sure 

 you will be wanting to hear about the state of the country. 

 It is now, thank God, perfectly quiet in the North, but I 

 believe not so much so in the South. There have been great 

 numbers of rebels killed there. I believe they are beginning 

 to open their eyes and see that they have been deluded by 

 designing men. In a letter which Mr. Younghusband has 

 had from James Butler since he went home, he mentions 

 that a plot was discovered by which all the Protestant 

 families in Carlow were to have been unmercifully butchered, 

 including his uncles. There were parties of rebels to have 

 come in at a certain hour by all the avenues leading into the 

 town, and 600 actually did come in, but they were about 

 ten minutes too soon. Out of the 600 only about ten 

 escaped the slaughter, and they were taken prisoners. The 

 other parties who were advancing when they heard the firing 

 retreated in great confusion, 



I think Dr. Birch's case is truly pitiable. His brother, 

 the clei'gyman, was tried last week in Lisburn for sedition, 

 and I believe had it not been on his brother's account he 

 would have been hanged. He is only to transport himself 

 with all his family out of the British dominions for ever. 

 The Doctor's eldest son, I hear, was shot in the engagement 

 at Saintfield at the head of a party of rebels ; and George 

 was there, too, but he escaped to England and was taken 

 prisoner at Carlisle in the dress of a young lady, accompanied 

 by his mother and one of his sisters. . . . Only conceive 

 the father, who is in the Yeomanry, fighting on one side and 

 his two sons on the other. It is enough to make human 

 nature shudder at the thought," 



