inferted here, with no other view, but to fhew what endeavours have been used from time to time, for feveral years past, to obtain the emancipation of at least three parts in four of his majesty's useful and innoxious Irish catholic fubjects from the galling fetters of the popery laws of Queen Anne.

CHA P. XV.

Tumults in Munster confidered.

ABOUT this time, great tumults had been raised, and fome outrages committed in different parts of Munfter, by cottiers and others of the lowest class of its inhabitants, occafioned by the tyranny and rapacity of their landlords. These landlords have fet their lands

a

to

"The landlord of an Irish eftate," fays the learned and impartial Mr. Young, " inhabited by Roman catholics, is a fort of defpot, who yields obedience in whatever concerns the poor to no law but that of his will. To discover what the liberty of a people is, we must live among them, and not look for it in the ftatutes of the realm: the language of written law may be that of liberty, but the fituation of the poor may speak no language but that of flavery: there is too much of this contradiction in Ireland. A long feries of oppreffions, aided by many very ill-judged laws, have brought landlords into a habit of exerting a very lofty fuperiority, and their vaffals into that of an almoft unlimited fubmiffion : fpeaking a language that is despised, profefling a religion that is abhorred, and being disarmed, the poor find themselves in many cases flaves even in the bofom of written liberty. Landlords that have refided much abroad, are usually humane in their ideas, but the habit of tyranny naturally contracts the mind, fo that even in this polished age, there are instances of a fevere carriage towards the poor, which is quite unknown in England.

Nay, (fays the fame ingenious writer) I have heard anecdotes of the lives of people being made free with without any apprehenfion of the justice of a jury. But let it not be imagined that is common; formerly it happened every day, but law gains ground. . . . . . . . . The execution of the law lies very much in the hands of justices of the peace, many of whom are drawn

from

to cottiers far above their value, and to lighten their burthen, had allowed commonage to their tenants. Afterwards in despite of all equity, contrary to all compacts, the landlords inclofed thefe commons, and precluded their unhappy tenants from the only means of making their bargains tolerable.” '

Another cause of these people's difcontents was, the cruel exactions of tithe-mongers: these harpies "fqueezed out the very vitals of the people, and by procefs, citation, and fequeftration, dragged from them the little which the landlord had left them. These are the real causes of the late tumults in Munster, and it may be fafely affirmed (adds my author) that there is no nation that has not had tumults from fuch or the like causes), without religion coming into question."

The riots, however, of these few forlorn men, were foon conftrued into a general popifh confpiracy against the government; becaufe, indeed, the greatest part of them were papifts, at least in name; although it was

b

well

'An Enquiry into the Causes of the Outrages committed by the Levellers.

from the most illiberal clafs in the kingdom. If a poor man lodges a complaint against a gentleman, or any animal that chufes to call itself a gentleman, and the justice iffues out a fummons for his appearance, it is a fixed affront, and he will infallibly be called out. Where manners are in confpiracy against law, to whom are the oppreffed people to have recourfe?...... They know their fituation too well to think of it; they can have no defence but by means of protection from one gentleman against another, who probably protects his vaffal as he would the sheep he intends to eat.

The colours of this picture are not charged. To affert that all these cafes are common, would be an exaggeration; but to say that an unfeeling landlord will do all this with impunity, is to keep ftrictly to truth: and what is liberty but a farce and a jest, if its bleffings are received as the favour of kindness and humanity, instead of being the inheritance of RIGHT?" Young's Tour, Dub. Edit. vol. ii. p. 40-41.

b"Confequences have flowed from these oppreffions (fay s Mr. Young) which ought long ago to have put a stop to them. In England we have heard much of white-boys, fteel-boys, oak

boys,

well known, that feveral proteftant gentlenen and magiftrates of confiderable influence in that province, did all along, for their own private ends connive at, if not foment thefe tumults, and although we were affured by authority, "that the authors of these riots confifted indifcriminately of perfons of different persuasions, and that no marks of difaffection to his majefty's person or government appeared in any of these people."

This authentic declaration was grounded on the report which had been made to government, by persons VOL. II.

T

2 Dublin Gazette.

of

pu

boys, peep-of-day-boys, &c. But these various infurgents are not to be confounded, for they are very different. The proper diftinction in the difcontents of the people is into proteftant and catholic. All but the white-boys were among the manufacturing proteftants in the north. The white-boys catholic labourers in the fouth: from the beft intelligence I could gain, the riots of the manufacturers had no other foundation, but fuch variations in the manufacture as all fabrics experience, and which they had themselves known and submitted to before. The cafe, however, was different with the white-boys; who being labouring catholics met with all those oppreffions I have described, and would probably have continued in full fubmiffion had not very fevere treatment in refpect of tithes united with a great speculative rife of rents about the fame time, blown up the flame of refistance; the atrocious acts they were guilty of made them the object of general indignation; acts were paffed for their nifhment, which feemed calculated for the meridian of Barbary; this arose to fuch a height, that by one they were to be hanged under circumstances without the common formalities of a trial, which though repealed the following feffions marks the spirit of punishment; while others remain yet the law of the land, that would if executed tend more to raise than quell an infurrection. From all which it is manifeft that the gentlemen of Ireland never thought of a radical cure from overlooking the real cause of disease, which in fact lay in themselves, and not in the wretches they doomed to the gallows. Let them change their own conduct intirely, and the poor will not long riot. Treat them like men who ought to be as free as yourselves: put an end to that system of religious perfecution which for seventy years has divided the kingdom against itself; in these two circumftances lies the cure of infurrection, perform them completely, and you will have an affectionate poor, instead of oppreffed and discontented vaffals." Young's Tour, vol. ii. p. 41-42.

of diftinguished loyalty and eminence in the law, fent. down and commiffioned fome time before to enquire upon the spot into the real caufes and circumstances of thefe riots; which report was afterwards confirmed by the going judges of affize, and by the dying protestations of the first five of these unhappy men, who were executed in 1762 at Waterford, for having been present at the burning down of a cabin, upon the information of one of their affociates, who was the very perfon that with his own hand fet fire to it. Thefe men immediately before their execution, publicly declared and took God to witnefs, " that in all these tumults it never did enter into their thoughts to do any thing against the king or government,

BUT the perfon moft obnoxious on this occafion, and whofe life feems to have been moft eagerly fought after, on a real or affected belief of his having primarily stirred up, and with French money and officers, fupported these rioters, for the purpose of a future rebellion, was one Nicholas Sheehy, parish-priest of Clogheen. This man was giddy and officious, but not ill-meaning, with fomewhat of a Quixotifh caft of mind towards relieving all those within his diftrict, whom he fancied to be injured or oppreffed; and, fetting afide his unavoidable connexion with thofe rioters, feveral hundred of whom were his parishioners, he was a clergyman of an unimpeached character in all other refpects. In the course of these disturbances, he had been often indicted, and tried as a popish priest, but no fufficient evidence having appeared against him on that charge, he was always acquitted, to his own great misfortune; for, had he been convicted, his punishment, which would be only transportation, might have prevented his ignominious death, which foon after followed.

In

In the year 1765, the government was prevailed upon by his powerful enemies, to iffue a proclamation against him, as a perfon guilty of high treafon, offering a reward of three hundred pounds for taking him, which Sheehy in his retreat happening to hear of, immediately wrote up to Secretary Waite," that as he was not confcious of any fuch crime, as he was charged with in the proclamation, he was ready to fave to the government the money offered for taking him, by furrendering himself out of hand, to be tried for that or any other crime he might be accufed of; not at Clonmell, where he feared that the power and malice of his enemies were too prevalent for juftice (as they foon after indeed proved to be), but at the court of king's bench in Dublin. His propofal having been accepted, he was accordingly brought up to Dublin and tried there for rebellion, of which, however, after a fevere fcrutiny of fourteen hours, he was honourably acquitted; no evidence having appeared against him but a blackguard boy, a common proftitute, and an impeached thief, all brought out of Clonmell jail, and bribed for the purpose of witneffing against him.

But his inveterate enemies, who like fo many bloodhounds had purfued him to Dublin, finding themselves difappointed there, refolved upon his destruction at all events. One Bridge, an infamous informer against fome of those who had been executed for thefe riots, was faid to have been murdered by their affociates, in revenge (although his body could never be found a), and a confiderable reward was offered for difcovering and convicting the murderer. Sheehy, immediately after his acquittal in Dublin for rebellion, was indicted by his purfuers for this murder, and notwithstanding the promife given him by thofe in office on furrendering himfelf, he was tranfmitted to Clonmell, to be tried there for this new crime, and, upon the fole evidence of the T 2 fame

a It was pofitively fworn, by two unexceptionable witneffes, that he privately left the kingdom fome fhort time before he was faid to have been murdered. See notes of the trial taken by one of the jury, in Exfhaw's Magazine for June 1766.