sioners, and all the succeeding Lord-Lieutenants, most deeply lamented his misfortune, and were all most sorry that he had been ruined by my order. And then he talked of a wife and children, and the want of meat and bread; and Mr. Lees' friendship and certificate ; and Lord Townshend's, and Lord St. Helen's, &c., &c. ; and Mr. Allan Maclean's statement to show that I was the person who had ruined him sixteen years ago. I at last told him that there was not common sense in a story which implied a deliberate injustice and helplessness too in your Board, and there I left him. Have the goodness to return his paper to me.

a

Yours very affectionately,

AUCKLAND.

MR. BERESFORD TO LORD AUCKLAND.

2nd Sept., 1798.

MY DEAR AUCKLAND,-I yesterday received yours of the 28th. I wish I could give you a satisfactory account of our visitors the French. I take for granted that Lord Cornwallis is right in all that he is doing: he is on the spot, and knows all the circumstances. He means to make very sure work of it. I do not choose to write to you reports, and His Excellency is not very communicative to Lord Castlereagh.

You ask me what sort of character Dr. Duigenan

• Allan Maclean, a most efficient confidential clerk at the Custom House, who succeeded Mr. Winder as Secretary for the Port business 1796; he continued Secretary to the Revenue Board till

bears. He is a very odd man. He is an excellent scholar, and was esteemed one of the best in college in my time. He became a fellow, quarrelled early with the late Provost, and wrote a book against him, as large as his answer to Grattan, under the title of "Pranceriana," which much resembled his late production, but was even more coarse and abusive. Since that period he became the principal civilian here, and had a good business as a common lawyer. He was then made judge of the Prerogative Court, and also of the Consistorial Court of Dublin; is Member for Armagh, and a great manner of man, but he still retains that coarseness which his original entailed upon him. I hope to be able to send you by this post the Report of the Secret Committee of the Lords, in the appendix to which, in Mr. Hughes' and Mr. Neilson's evidence, you will see what you inquire for respecting Mr. Grattan. Both Lords and Commons have passed an address, requesting that it may be laid before His Majesty, so that either or both of your Houses will have them upon any future occasion.

Yours ever,

J. BERESFORD.

LORD AUCKLAND TO MR. BERESFORD.

Eden Farm, Sept. 3rd, 1798.

MY DEAR BERESFORD,-The letters of the 28th from Dublin are certainly of a kind to give great anxiety

a Samuel Neilson, the editor of the "Northern Star" newspaper, and a leader of the United Irishmen.

for the consequences. The Castlebar catastrophe was a most unexpected event; but it is vain to talk about it, otherwise I would say that if the troops could have been depended on, we ought to have made the attack, and not to have waited for it; and if they could not be depended on, we ought to have fallen back towards the head-quarters, leaving to the enemy the risk of advancing into the plains of Connaught, with one army in their front and another in their flank-but afterwisdom is easy and idle.

Even now, I dread nothing but great risings, which the impression of the Castlebar defeat may

encourage.

Mr. Pitt, within four hours after the arrival of the news, had given orders for great reinforcements to be sent to you, and they will embark instantly.

The march of the enemy to Tuam seems to indicate the expectation of some other landing at the north of the Shannon.

Further conjectures are idle, and they would not be pleasant.

I will say no more at present. I passed the morning yesterday at Holwood. Mr. Pitt is better.

Yours ever affectionately,

AUCKLAND.

P.S. Many thanks for yours of the 30th it affords the strongest hope that your next letters will give accounts of an entire surrender.

MR. BERESFORD TO LORD AUCKLAND.

5th Sept., 1798.

MY DEAR AUCKLAND,-I have just seen the Government despatches, and find that Lord Cornwallis intended to attack the enemy this morning early; he moves from a place between Hollymount and Castlebar. General Lake moves from Swineford, General Taylor from Bellaghy, and General Nugent from Sligo. The French are entrenched behind Castlebar, in number about eight hundred, with ten pieces of cannon; and the rebels, whose force is not certainly known, but supposed to be from four thousand to eight thousand, are in possession of Castlebar. Our army is altogether twenty-two thousand strong, so that the event of a battle may be easily supposed; and yet it is thought they will fight, which I cannot bring myself to believe.

I received yours this day of the 31st, with Mr. Gough's paper. Strange as it may appear, what he says is true; he was surveyor of Blackrock near Cork; was in a very bad state of health; got leave of absen for three or four months, stayed away eighteen, and was reported to the Board of Revenue to be dead; we reported so to Government, and you put in Patrick Webbe, a relative of the Archbishop of Cashel. Some year after, he applied to me in person, and assured me he was not dead; and certain I am that he was neither dead nor dumb. I got the Board to certify the fact, as I do now, several times to several Governments, but none would give him office; lately I did the same, and spoke also to

Lord Camden and Mr. Pelham, but they referred me to Cooke; and at length I was told, that as he would not die, he was justly dismissed for overstaying his leave of absence so many months; that might have been just cause, but really was not the cause of his dismissal. This is his case, but what can you do? I cannot see how you can remedy him, except by asking a personal favour.

The country has everywhere the appearance of being much agitated and disturbed, waiting the event of this day, which if unsuccessful, there would be a general rising; and I dread a further visit from the French.

Yours ever,

J. BERESFORD.

MR. BERESFORD TO LORD AUCKLAND.

Dublin, 6th Sept., 1798.

MY DEAR AUCKLAND,-I enclose the bulletin, by which you see that when the French found that Lord Cornwallis was moving towards them, they retreated, early on Tuesday morning, on the road to Foxford. His Excellency is taking all necessary steps to pursue. It appears to me, on looking into the map, that the French by this step are completely shut up in a corner of the country, out of which they cannot get, and in a very wild part, where they cannot move guns, except on the line of Ballina and Killalla, or get provisions. As soon as they got to Foxford, the main army under Cornwallis