CHAP. I. be prepared at all points, and especially at those in the south of England likely to be first assailed. The dis1798. persion of the French fleet, which took refuge in Bantry Bay in November 1796, and the glorious victory of Camperdown in the succeeding year, had alone prevented the descent in some part of the British Isles in those years. In these circumstances it was perfectly impossible for the British Government, even with the aid of the British militia, which all volunteered for service beyond St George's Channel, to have anything like a regular force of the requisite amount in Ireland. Yet, after making every allowance for these difficulties, it is with no small astonishment that we learn now, from authentic sources, that, at the period when the rebellion broke out, and even after that event, eight skeleton regiments, four weak battalions, and a brigade of the Guards, constituted the whole British forces stationed in Ireland! On the native Irish force, excepting the 1 Cornwallis mounted yeomanry, it will immediately appear, that no 413. reliance whatever could be placed.1* Yet such were the necessities of the British Government, that even with Corresp. ii. * "Situated as I am for my sins in the direction of the affairs of a country, nine-tenths of the inhabitants of which are thoroughly disaffected to the Government, with a militia on which no dependence whatever can be placed, and which Abercromby too justly described by saying that they were only formidable to their friends, and with the constant threats of foreign invasion, how hard it is for me to say what troops I can spare. But this is not my only difficulty; as great part of what is supposed to be disposable, is in fact an ideal force. You will see by the enclosed statement that the eight skeleton regiments which are on this establishment are too weak to be of any use here, or to render service elsewhere; and even their wretched numbers are composed chiefly of raw recruits. The brigade of Guards cannot, I conclude, be disposed of for the service of India. There remain, then, the four regiments which were sent in the last spring from Britain: the Royals, consisting, when they landed, of about 300 men; the 2d and 29th, which corps, when they were with me in the late business, brought about 450 each into the field; and the 100th (Huntley's), which produced 600 under arms. . . . I have now put you in possession of all my wealth, and told you all my dangers. You will easily conceive that, with a hostile fleet hovering on our coast, and two civil wars (one in Wexford and Wicklow, and the other in Mayo) raging in the country, I am at this moment pretty well occupied.”—MARQUESS CORNWALLIS, Dublin Castle, Sept. 25, 1798; Cornwallis Correspondence, ii. 413. ... I. the pressing dangers and miserable force at the disposal CHAP. of the Irish Government, the Ministry in London were anxiously urging the return of some regiments from Ireland to send out to India.* 1798. 35. conduct of militia and This extreme disproportion of the regular British military forces to the necessities of Ireland, threatened at Savage once with foreign invasion and domestic revolt, was at the Irish tended with an evil of another and a most serious kind, volunteers. which tended, almost as much as the sanguinary measures of the rebels, to stamp its horrid and melancholy character on the Irish Rebellion, and was made the foundation on which the most atrocious falsehoods and calumnies against Lord Castlereagh were rested. As the British soldiers in this country were a mere handful, and disaffection was so widespread, and in many places universal, it became a matter of absolute necessity to send the Irish militia and yeomanry into the endangered points and disaffected districts. These troops had all the courage which is inherent in the Irish race, but they were in many cases more inclined to take part with the rebels than to act against them, and in almost all were infected with the savage passions and spirit of revenge which is the invariable attendant of civil conflicts, and which always appears with the greatest vehemence where religious fanaticism is mingled with political exasperation. The licentiousness of the Irish troops, both militia and volunteers, soon became, in consequence of the sanguinary excesses of the rebels, and the unbounded exasperation of the Orangemen and Roman Catholics at each other, so extreme, that the locating of these "defenders of order" in the disturbed districts speedily led to a great *"The eight regiments on this establishment are mere skeletons, yours (the 89th) is by far the strongest; the 30th is the only other corps that has 250 men; several of them have not half that number-the 2d and 29th being about 450 men each under arms, and the 100th (by far the best of the whole) 600. The Royals have on paper only 300. By taking the three serviceable regiments he may ruin Ireland, but I am afraid he cannot save India.”—MARQUESS CORNWALLIS to MAJOR-GENERAL Ross, Sept. 30, 1798; Cornwallis Correspondence, ii. 414. I. CHAP. and most alarming increase of the disturbances, and to cruelties noways inferior to those which disgraced the 1798. other side. So generally was this experienced that, when petitions were sent to Government for protection, it was often requested that Irish militia should not be sent.* This state of matters excited the utmost anxiety in the breasts both of Lord Cornwallis and Lord Castlereagh, and they did everything in their power, on every occasion, to terminate them. General, afterwards Sir Ralph, Abercromby condemned these atrocities in the strongest terms, saying they "must render the army formidable to every one but the enemy." But the extremely small amount of the regular force in the island, and the absolute necessity of occupying so many different posts, often very remote and far removed from each other, for long rendered this impossible; and fearful deeds of cruelty were perpetrated, when the disturbances began, with equal impunity on each side. From this cause has arisen the profound and ineradicable hostility of the Irish Ribbonmen and Orangemen at each other which still animates the members of these unhappy factions, and, even in these times, has crossed the ocean with their descendants, and almost resp. i. 189. periodically, on the 12th July, stains the plains of America with blood.1 1 Castle reagh Cor "This country is daily becoming more disturbed. Religious animosities increase, and I am sorry to say they are encouraged by the foolish violence of all the principal persons who have been in the habit of governing this island; and the Irish militia, from their repeated misbehaviour in the field, and their extreme licentiousness, are fallen into such universal contempt and abhorrence that, when applications are made for the protection of troops, it is often requested that Irish militia may not be sent.”- MARQUESS CORNWALLIS to MAJOR-GENERAL Ross, Sept. 30, 1798; Cornwallis Correspondence, ii. 414. In the trial of some privates in the Militia for murdering a Catholic, the court-martial found the prisoners guilty, and pronounced sentence of death, accompanied with this recommendation :-"But it appearing that the deceased had belonged to a yeomanry corps which had been disbanded, and that he had not joined any other, the Court are of opinion that at the time the crime was committed the prisoners did not think they were doing an improper act in putting a person that they thought a rebel to death; and, from their former good conduct, the Court submit to his Excellency whether they are not fit objects for mercy, and be sent to serve in a regiment abroad for life."— Cornwallis Correspondence, ii. 421. I. 1796. 36. tween the Irish French Go The leaders of the insurrection, Lord Edward Fitz- CHAP. gerald, Mr Arthur O'Connor, and Mr Wolfe Tone, as already mentioned, sent an agent over to Paris, who reached it by way of Hamburg in June 1796, and Treaty bethere concluded a treaty with the French Directory. I rebels < The conditions of the treaty were, that the French Go- and the vernment should, in the autumn of that year, despatch a vernment. considerable expedition to Ireland, in order to assist the people of that country in their endeavours to throw off the yoke of England. The expedition set sail accordingly in December 1796, and appeared in Bantry Bay, but so Dec. 1796. shattered by a tempest, and in such small numbers, that it was deemed unwise to effect a landing, and it returned in consequence in disgrace to France with the loss of seven vessels. The facility, however, with which the armament reached the coast of Ireland, despite the blockade of the British fleets, revealed the precarious footing on which the Irish connection depended; and had it not been for a storm of unusual severity even on that iron-bound coast, and the want of any proper concert with the Irish malcontents, who were not made acquainted with the intended place of debarkation, the most disastrous results might have followed the descent even of the few thousand men who formed the military force of that expedition.* * It was resolved by the Irish Executive to accept the tenders of aid made to it by the French Government. "In consequence of this determination of the Executive, an agent was despatched to the Directory, who acquainted them with it, stated the dispositions of the people, and the measures which caused them. He received fresh assurances that the succours should be sent as soon as the armament could be got ready. About October 1796, a messenger from the Republic arrived, who, after authenticating himself, said he came to be informed of the state of the country, and to tell the leaders of the United Irishmen of the intention of the French to invade it speedily, with 15,000 men, and a great quantity of arms and ammunition; but he neither mentioned the precise time nor the place, doubting, we suppose, our caution and secresy. Shortly after his departure, a letter arrived from a quarter which there was reason to look upon as confidential, stating that they would invade England in the ensuing spring, and possibly Ireland. The reason of this contradiction has never been explained; but the consequence of it, and the messenger not having stated the intended place of landing, was that, when the armament arrived in December 1796 at Bantry Bay, they came at a time and in a port we had not foreknown."-Memoir of the State Prisoners; Castlereagh Correspondence, i. 366, 367. CHAP. I. 1797. 37. Renewed the French in 1797, and battle Taught by the disastrous issue of this attempt the many difficulties with which the proposed descent on the Irish coast was beset, the Directory resolved to make the next effort on a larger scale, and with the aid of a powerattempt of ful fleet, which might be capable of protecting the armament across the Channel. To make the arrangements of Camper necessary for this purpose, Lord Edward Fitzgerald, Mr Arthur O'Connor, and Mr Wolfe Tone went over to Paris in June 1797, bearing with them the French memoir as to the state of the country, and the arrangements made 1 Ante, c. i. for a general rising, from which liberal extracts have $32, note. already been given.1 A second and more formal con down. vention was concluded by these more elevated functionaries, by which the aid of a powerful naval as well as military force was promised, but the number was not specified, as the Irish Executive had come to conceive apprehensions of a French armament on the scale which the Directory were desirous to send.* As it was, however, the troops were embarked at the Texel to the * "A small force only was asked for, because the Executive, faithful to the principle of Irish independence, wished for what they deemed just sufficient to liberate their country, but incompetent to subdue it. Their most determined resolution, and that of the whole body (as far as its opinion could be collected), always has been, in no event to let Ireland come under the dominion of France; but it was offered to pay the expenses of the expedition. The number required was 10,000 men at the most, and at the least 5000. The Executive inclined to the larger number; but, even with the smaller, the general opinion among them was, that there could be no doubt of success. As to the quantity of arms, by the first agent, 40,000 stand were specified; but, by the second, as much more as could be sent. The Executive also instructed its agents to negotiate for a loan of money, if it could be had in France; but, if not, to negotiate for that purpose with Spain: the sum was £500,000.” After the negotiations for a general peace at Lille were broken off, our agent ceived positive assurances that the Irish never should be abandoned until a separation was effected, and that they should be left entirely at their own option to choose their own form of government. About the same time a person came over, informing us that a considerable armament was ready, and embarked in the Texel, destined for Ireland, and only waiting for a wind. The troops were afterwards disembarked; but we are ignorant of the reason why they never sailed. . . . We know nothing of further communications from any foreign State, nor of the future plan of operations of the French; but we are convinced they will never abandon the purpose of separating this country from England, so long as the discontents of the people would induce them to support an invasion."- Memoir of O'Connor, Emmett, and M'Nevin, State Prisoners; Castlereagh Correspondence, i. 368, 370. re |