IRELAN D, 
The night of the 23d of May had been fixed for the 
time of infurrefiion. The execution of the plan was to 
commence with an attack on the camp of Lehaunftown, 
or Laughlinilown, feven miles fouthward of Dublin ; and 
another party was to l'eize the artillery ftationed at Cha- 
pelizod, twp miles to the weft of the metropolis. After 
accompli'k ing thefe objects, the two parties were to pro¬ 
ceed to Dublin, to co-operate with a third, which was 
deftined to furprife the caftle. As the whole plan was 
known to government, the plot was announced on the 
2?.d to both houfes of parliament by a meffage from the 
viceroy. To prevent its execution, the metropolis was 
proclaimed as in a ftate of infurre&ion, and fo guarded 
at every point asto prevent the poftibility of furprife; and 
the troops throughout the country were ftationed for the 
like purpofe. Though the conductors of the confpiracy 
were in prifon, and the fyftem of the Irifh union Teemed 
completely broken, yet the preparations of government 
to fupprefs infurreftion were not capable of preventing a 
partial explofion. The country-people in the diftricts 
adjacent to the capital, deftitute of leaders, with fcarcely 
any ammunition, or other arms than clumfy pikes, rofe 
at the time appointed. They deftroyed the mail-coaches 
in their progrefs from Dublin, and that night and the fol¬ 
lowing day they had feveral lkirmifhes with fmall parties 
of the royal troops, and attacked feveral towns near the 
feat of government. In all the lkirmifhes the infurgents 
were defeated, except atDunboyne and Barretftown, where 
fmall parties of the Reay and Suffolk fencibles were fur- 
prifed. They were equally unfuccefsful in their attempts 
upon the towns, with the exception of Profperous, a re¬ 
cently-improved village in the county of Kildare, feven- 
teen miles from Dublin. Here, in the dead of the night, 
the garrifon was furrounded, the barrack fired, and thirty- 
feven foldiers perifhed in the flames, or by the pikes of 
their aflailants. A body of about a thoufand rebels at¬ 
tempted, before day-light on the 24th, to furprife Naas, 
garrifoned by three hundred of the Armagh militia, and 
fome fquadrons of cavalry: but lord Gosford, the com¬ 
mander, having been apprifed of their intention, his troops 
were prepared to repel the aflailants, whom they purfued 
with fome flaughter. An aftion the fame morning at Kil- 
cullen, was chiefly remarkable as affording a proof of the 
total unfitnefs of cavalry for the attack of pikemen. Three 
hundred of the latter fuftained, without the leaft impref- 
fion, three furious charges from a body of light dragoons 
and Romney fencible cavalry, who loft two captains and 
thirty privates; yet thefe pikemen were a few minutes af¬ 
terwards totally routed by twenty-two fencible infantry, 
led againft them by general Dundas. The town was how¬ 
ever abandoned as untenable by the troops; and the loy- 
alifts from this and other parts of the country fled to Naas 
in fuch crowds, that molt of them were obliged to pafs 
the night in the ftreets. 
Hoftilities having now openly commenced againft the 
king’s government, proclamations were iffued on the 
24th of May, by general Lake, commander in chief, the 
lord-mayor of Dublin, and the lord-lieutenant. In the 
firft it was notified, that the general was determined to 
exert, in the moft fummary and vigorous manner, the 
powers veiled in him for the fuppreflion of rebellion ; and 
that all perfons not in military uniform, with the excep¬ 
tion of magiftrates and members of parliament, were com¬ 
manded to remain in their houfes from the hour of nine 
at night till five in the morning. In the fecond, all per¬ 
fons in Dublin poffeffing regiftered arms, were enjoined 
immediately to furniffi exaft lifts of them ; fuch as were 
not regiftered, were required to be furrendered; and every 
houlekeeper was commanded to fix on the outfide off his 
door a lift of the names of ail perfons refident in his houfe, 
both inmates and ftrangers. The third gave notice, that 
all his majefty’s general officers in Ireland were authorifed 
to ptinilh, according to their judgment, by martial law, all 
perfons afting or affifting in the rebellion. 
The calamities of rebellion would have been far lefs 
34 ? 
lamentable, had not the power thus delegated been in 
numberlels inltances abufed. One of the earlieft and moft 
atrocious of thefe occurred after the attack of Carlow, 
which took place at two in the morning of the 25th of 
May. The garrifon of 450 men was fully prepared for 
the reception of the infurgents. Different parties of them 
had been directed to affail the town from different quarters; 
but, the plan not being executed in concert, onlv one 
column attempted an entrance. -Ruffling tumultuoufly, 
and in full confidence of viflory, into the town, they re¬ 
ceived fo deftructive a fire, that they attempted a retreat; 
but, finding it impracticable, they fought Ihelter in the 
houfes, which were immediately fired by the troops. 
Eighty houfes were confirmed, and the number of rebels 
burned and flauglitered is computed at four hundred, while 
not a man was wounded on the fide of the foldiers. The 
otherparties,beingtoolate for co-operation,difperfed with¬ 
out attempting an attack. After the defeat executions 
commenced, and about 200 perfons were put to death by 
martial law. Among thefe viftims was fir Edward Crolbie, 
a gentleman diftinguiflied for his accomplilhments, beloved 
for his humanity, and other amiable qualities; but ob¬ 
noxious to fome for his fentiments in favour of the poor 
oppreffed peafantry, and of a reform in parliament. On 
no other grounds was he denounced by his enemies as a 
republican, and brought to trial. On this occafion pro- 
teftant loyalifts, witnelfes in his behalf, were prevented by 
the bayonets of the foldiers from entering the court. Ca¬ 
tholic prifoners were tortured, by repeated floggings, to 
compel them to give evidence againft him, and even ap¬ 
pear to have been promifed their lives on no other condi¬ 
tion than that of his condemnation. Notwithftanding 
thefe violent meafures, no charge was proved ; and of this 
the members of the court-martial who fentenced him to 
die were fo fenfible, that, in defiance of the law, the re- 
gitter of the proceedings was withheld from his family. 
The court itfelf was illegal, irregularly conftituted, defti¬ 
tute of a judge-advocate, and the prefident fo illiterate as 
to be unable to fpell the moft common words with pro¬ 
priety. The execution was precipitate, at an unufual 
hour, and attended with circumftances not warranted even 
by the fentence. After fir Edward was hanged, his body 
was abufed, his head fevered from it and expofed on a 
fpike. 
By this bloody repulfe at Carlow, and the defeats of the 
infurgents elfewhere, particularly at Hacket’s-town the 
fame morning, the progrefs of rebellion was checked to¬ 
ward the fouth-weft. On the north fide of Dublin, the 
only large affembly found in arms was completely routed 
in the evening of the 26th, on the hill of Tarah, by a de¬ 
tachment of 400 Reay fencibles and yeomen. On the 
weft, fir James Duffe, marching rapidly with 600 men from 
Limeric, and arriving on the 29th of May at Kildare, 
completed the plan of reftoring the communication be¬ 
tween the country and the metropolis, which had for fome 
days been reduced to a kind of blockade. The troops, 
however, were guilty of an act which ftrongly tended to 
confirm a fpirit of rebellion among the unfortunate pea¬ 
fantry. General Dundas, having routed the rebels at Kil- 
cullen, and recovered that little town, with the confent 
of the lord-lieutenant accepted the furrender of two thou¬ 
fand infurgents polled on Knockawlin-hill, on the borders 
of the great race-courfe called the Curragh of Kildare. 
Being permitted, on the delivery of their arms, to retire 
unmolefted, they left on the ground thirteen cart-loads of 
pikes, and with fliouts of joy returned to their homes. 
Encouraged by this example, a difpofition to furrender 
was becoming general; and a large body had, by agree¬ 
ment with Dundas, affembled for that purpofe at Gibbet- 
rath on the Curragh. Duffe’s troops, marching from Kil¬ 
dare, attacked, on the moft frivolous pretence, this unre- 
filling multitude, Who fled in confternation, and were 
purfued by a company of fencible cavalry, with the flaugh¬ 
ter of two or three hundred. The carnage would have 
been Hill greater, had not the troops been called off, ac- 
4 cording 
