Dame Butler being duly sworn, deposeth that "Sir Edward Butler did inform her, that James Butler of Finnyhinch had hanged and put to death all the English that were at Goran and Wells, and all thereabouts." [Temple, p. 116.] "Richard Bourk deposeth, that he heard and verily believeth the burning and killing of one hundred at least in the Castle of Tullah, and that the same was done after fair quarter promised." [Temple, p. 84.] "Elizabeth Green deposeth, that she is verily persuaded that the rebels, at sev eral times and places, within the county of Armagh, drowned above 4000 Protestants, enforcing the sons and daughters of those aged people, who were not able to go themselves, to take them out of their beds and houses, and carry them to the drowning, especially in the river of Toll!!" [Idem, p. 91.] “John Carmack deposeth, that he did hear that there were about 152,000 that they had destroyed in the province of Ulster, in the first four months of the rebellion." [Trial of Lord Maguire, appended to Temple's history, p. 225.] "James Geare, of the county of Monaghan, deposeth, that the rebels at Clownes murdered one James Netterville, proctor to the minister there, who, although he was diversely wounded, his belly ripped up, and his entrails taken out, and laid above a yard from him, yet he bled not at all, until they lifted him up, and carried him away!!" [Idem, p. 88.] "James Shaw deposeth, that many Irish rebels, in the time of this deponent's restraint and staying among them, told him very often, and that it was a common report, that all those that lived about the bridge of Portnedown, were so affrighted with the cries and noise made there, of some spirits or visions, for revenge, as that they durst not stay, but fled away thence, (so as they protested,) affrighted, to Market-Hill." [Idem, p. 121.] "Joan, the relict of Gabriel Constable, deposeth and saith, that she hath often heard the rebels, Owen O'Farren, Patrick O'Conellan, and divers others of the rebels at Drumard, earnestly say, protest, and tell each other, that the blood of some of those that were knocked in the head, and afterwards drowned, at Portnedown bridge, still remained; that often there appeared visions or apparitions, sometimes of men, sometimes of women, breast-high above the water, at or near Portnedown, which did most extremely and fearfully screech and cry out for vengeance against the Irish that murdered their bodies there; and that their cries and shrieks did so terrify the Irish thereabouts, that none durst stay nor live longer there, but fled and removed further into the country." [Idem, p. 121.] Of the remaining depositions I shall give merely the heading, to show the miserable grounds on which the evidence of the numbers massacred and the cruelties practised by the Irish, rests. One is credibly informed”—another“ sincerely believes"—a third was "informed by the rebels themselves," &c. &c. John Montgomery, of the County of Monaghan, deposeth, that he was credibly informed, &c. [Idem, p. 89.] Thomas Fleetwood deposeth, that he heard from the mouths of the rebels themselves, &c. [Idem, p. 90.] Charity Chappel deposeth, that she hath credibly heard, &c. [Idem, p. 90.] Martha Culm deposeth, that she heard some of the rebels themselves say, &c. [Idem, p. 92.] James Hacket deposeth, that an Irish gentleman told him, &c. [Idem, p. 93.] John Clark deposeth, that he heard credibly from Mr. Lightfoot, minister of the Naas, &c. [Idem, p. 93.] Katharine Cook deposeth, that many of her neighbors said and affirmed, &c. [Ibid.] Christian Stanhaw deposeth, that a woman who formerly lived near Langale, absolutely informed this deponent, &c. [Idem, p. 94.] William Lucas deposeth, that he doth confidently believe, &c. [Idem, p. 97.] Alexander Creighton deposeth, that he heard it credibly reported among the rebels, &c. [Temple, p. 100.] John Stubs deposeth, that he heard by some of the sheriff's men, &c. [Idem, p. 90.] Elizabeth Champion, of the County of Fermanagh, deposeth, that she heard the rebels say, that they had killed so many Englishmen that the grease or fat which remained on their swords and skeins might well serve to make an Irish candle. [Ibid.] I hope the reader will pause a few moments, and ponder on these depositions in two points of view: first, as to the ground on which millions of acres were confiscated-and estates, which had descended from father to son, in regular order of succession, for centuries, were feloniously transferred from their rightful owners to, in some instances, the most worthless of mankind, and the owners doomed to penury and wretchedness, on evidence that would, I repeat, be scouted out of any honest court in Christendom, without a moment's hesitation. Let us try this point by the argumentum ad hominem. Suppose a man accused of murder-and that George Washington swore that James Madison told him that he "verily believed" the man guilty, or that "he was credibly informed" of his guilt, would such a declaration have the weight of a feather with court or jury? Certainly not. The other point of view regards the history of the period in question. Temple is almost the only original authority for the rebellion, as it is called. Borlase and others of his cotemporaries, are mere compilers from him. On such miserable authority, partaking largely of the character of Baron Munchausen, has the foulest stigma been impressed on the character of one of the most oppressed and plundered nations in the world. Hume, the great and mighty Hume, out of forty-five references on the subject of this insurrection, has twenty-four from Temple's History!! However irrelevant these historical details may seem, I cannot allow myself to believe, that the candid and honorable will regret the time bestowed on their perusal. I should form a very humble opinion of the head or heart of the man who would not rejoice at the opportunity thus afforded him for emancipating his mind from the galling shackles of prejudice, by which it has been enslaved almost from his infancy, whereby he has been taught to abhor a portion of the human family who have had, for above six hundred years, as large a claim to sympathy and commiseration as any other portion has ever preferred. The Rev. Ferdinando Warner, LL. D. Vicar of Ronde, Wilts, Rector of St. Michael's, London, and of Barnes, Surry, a Protestant of high reputation for fairness and candor, wrote a history of the Irish Rebellion, in the preparation for which he had occasion to consult all the anterior authorities, and finally came to this conclusion :— "It is easy enough to demonstrate the falsehood of the relation of every Protestant historian of this rebellion." [Warner's Irish Rebellion, p. 296.] He sums up the account of the murders in the following words :— "The number of people killed, upon positive evidence, collected in two years after the insurrection broke out, adding them all together, amounts only to two thousand one hundred and nine; on the reports of other Protestants, one thousand six hundred and nineteen more; and on the report of some of the rebels themselves, a further number of three hundred; the whole making four thousand and twenty-eight. Besides these murders, there is, in the same collection, evidence, on the report of others, of eight thousand killed by ill usage and if we should allow that the cruelties of the Irish out of war, extended to these numbers, which, considering the nature of several of the depositions, I think in my conscience we cannot, yet to be impartial we must allow, that there is no pretence for laying a greater number to their charge." [Warner, p. 297.] This statement reduces the hundreds of thousands to 4028, exclusive of 8000 killed by ill usage-and even this number he thinks too great; for he says, "in his conscience he cannot believe it extended to these numbers." Who can reflect on this statement of a respectable Protestant historian, without indignation and horror at the stupendous falsehoods of the writers whom I have quoted above? What becomes of "the hundreds of thousands" murdered in a few weeks? Before bidding adieu here to the Vindicia Hibernica, I hope I shall be pardoned for introducing the opinions of the work of two individuals of high standing : * "You have victoriously proved all your positions, and not only vindicated our common country, but fixed an indelible stigma on her oppressors. * This book does more for its purpose than any other extant; and entitles you to the thanks of every lover of Ireland, and indeed of every lover of truth and humanity of any country." W. J. MacNeven, M. D. "Your brother's book has done more to vindicate Ireland than all that ever was written or published on the subject." Letter from the Right Rev. Dr. Troy, Archbishop of Dublin, to Wm. Carey. Philadelphia, Aug. 12, 1834. M. CAREY. THE TWO GRAVES. BY I. M'LELLAN, JUN. "Another interesting object in Mount Auburn Cemetery, is a Cenotaph in honor of a young man of talents and great promise, of whom the simple inscription says, And here is his unmade tomb, here the record of his name and death, here the place of tears, and the spot where he is remembered and loved; but he is not here! "There is also one at rest in his tomb, in this inclosure, who was known to a large circle of friends, and whose bright prospects were early shut in by death. Having enjoyed every advantage for the improvement of his mind, and of preparation for future usefulness by visiting foreign lands, he returned to the bosom of his family to die. Here he sleeps in the neighborhood of that seminary where he spent four of the most important years of his life, and in which he formed attachments of peculiar strength, and where he afterwards loved to come, and in the spirit of faithfulness and affection converse upon subjects which had assumed an infinite importance in his mind." American Quarterly Observer. HERE, in the ray of morn and eve, Gleams the white stone, that bears his name; But far away, beneath the sea, Is sepulchred his frame. But here, with solemn step, may come Affection, with her streaming eye, The father, with his manly grief, The mother, with her mournful sigh, 'The brother, with his brow of care, The sister, with her secret prayer. Dear Youth! when seeking in a foreign land, How fondly didst thou pant, once more To join the anxious group at home; Or hope, at least, to bid farewell To life, beside a father's hearth, That kindred hands might close thine eye, But no;-strange faces watched thy dying pain, Another grave! another name Graved on the lonely church-yard stone, Another youthful heart at rest, Another youthful spirit flown! And oft parental love shall seek And thou, too, in a foreign land Had joined thee to that long-wished home, Dear Youth! as by thy early grave I think of youth, and joy, and bloom, But never more that happy voice FLY-TIME. THE seasons are nicely balanced: summer has fruits, deep foliage, and beauty; but there are snakes in the grass, and flies among the leaves. The cold of February may give more pain than any thing in summer, except a steel-trap; but the evils of summer, though small, are so annoying, that in August one almost longs for December. Our blessings, then, are so coupled with evils, that we are apt to fall into the impatience of the old gentleman, who was so pestered with settling his brother's estate, though the sole heir, that he broke out to his lawyer, "Confound it, 'squire Grab, I almost wish brother Joe had lived." Uncle Toby was a marvel of patience when he let go that rascal fly that buzzed about his nose and tormented him all dinner time. He probably had company to dine, or it was the only fly in the room. What would he have done," had he the motive and the cue" to anger that I have? for I dine in a room whereof the ceiling is black with flies, every one of which descends on sounding wings, and taints the feast, like the harpies in Virgil, while they assail, also, the master, mistress, and guests. They have more appetite than taste; for they assail my tough old epidermis as soon as the bloom of the prettiest child present. I can conceive that Pharaoh, after he became hardened, could endure the frogs; but it is inexplicable that he should hold out after suffering the flies. To destroy them is easy; but it only invites in a more hungry brood. Is there no chemistry, "no poppy or mandragora," that will operate on these winged plagues, to debar them from our parlors, kitchens, and chambers. It is the feet of a fly, and not the gimblet-like proboscis, that causes the most annoyance. It is his philosophical tree-toad-like apparatus for walking with his feet uppermost, that makes his alighting on the face so unwelcome to the party visited. But a fly is a gentleman and a Christian, compared to a musquito, which is not a twentieth part its bulk, though a hundred fold superior in talent for tormenting. Comparing our evils with those of our southern brethren, we must, however, consider ourselves comparatively, if not absolutely, fortunate. Here, in our chambers, sacred to peace and repose, three or four dozen insects buzz and bite; in Charleston there is such a flood, that the inhabitants keep them out as the sea is kept at bay in Holland-by raising barriers against them. The beds are enclosed with nettings; and though the circulation of the air is checked, that of the blood is preserved. The musquitos may roar like the devils around paradise, but they have none to bite but themselves. They may look in through the grates, as a boy looks at a confectioner's window, but to sharpen their appetite, without the means of gratifying it. L. Hushed be every worldly care— "Jesu Christe, salve nos." "When the weak disciples slept- "Thou, who in the desert prayed- "Save us from temptation's power, "Fading light-farewell! farewell!" Save us, save from death and hell, 'Jesu Christe, salve nos.' |