the frightful state of society nearly four years after the suppression of the rebellion of 1798. The facts detailed, the writer states he knows to have occurred.

"There were some persons in the vicinity of Greenan, a village on the road between Rathdrum and Ballymanus, who had given information against Mr. William Byrne, and every one of them was shot; and such was the dreadful determination of the murderers, when one man, who went on crutches, called Cripple Doyle, evaded destruction for a long time, by secreting himself at a Mr. Allen's, the gate of whose orchard was opposite his cabin door. He used to go occasionally to his cabin for a change of linen. Some of the outlaws having in-. timation of this circumstance, concealed themselves in a plantation; and as the cripple was limping up to his door, they shot him dead. A man named Matthew Davies, was served in like manner, as also one Dixon; and Biddy Dolan, commonly called Croppy Biddy, was the only one of Mr. Byrne's informers who escaped. I should have mentioned before, that a Mr. Patrick Grant, a respectable farmer of that place, was arrested, and sent to Wicklow jail, principally for the purpose of forcing him to swear against Mr. Billy Byrne; but Mr. Grant would do no such thing, not even to save his life; and accordingly he was hanged, and his body ignominiously treated. His son, Thomas, was living some years ago, at his residence, Keerakee, near Rathdrum.

"A party of Dwyer's men crossed the river near the Seven Churches, in December, 1800. On going to one of their haunts, they and their arms got wetted: their place of concealment was a turf-clamp hollowed out, and the aperture built up with sods of turf. They were in this place of concealment when the Rathdrum cavalry came up, having received information of their being there. One of their party was in an adjoining house, and was in the act of shaving himself at the very moment the cavalry were at the door. After a few minutes conversation among themselves, the soldiers passed on to another house, not thinking that was the place which had been described by their informer. The outlaws being apprized of their movements, considered it better not to stir, thinking the party would not come back. They came back, however, and proceeded to pull down the clamp of turf; when one of the men in concealment, Andrew Thomas, snapped his gun thrice at the

assailants without effect, as from passing the river the night before, the priming of their guns had been wetted. Thomas looked at the musket, and said, 'It never missed fire before.' He and the others then rushed forth, and bolted through the cavalry without sustaining any injury, saving a blow of the butt end of a pistol, which Thomas received on the head from a man named Manby, from Rathdrum; and Manby, it was believed by his own companions, would have got out of Thomas's way, but the passage was very narrow.

I had this account from one of the yeomen who was on the spot. Mr. Weeks was out shooting on the bogs, and had his fowling piece loaded with duck shot, and had joined the party in quest of the outlaw, he fired at Thomas and wounded him severely in the thigh, after been wounded he made a desperate resistance, but he was despatched. His body was thrown across a horse's back in a shockingly mutilated state, and carried the distance of eight miles to Rathdrum, where they cut off his head and placed it on the Flannel Hall. Thomas was much looked up to by his party, and he was known to be a very determined man and a first rate shot. He was considered by the yeomen to be a brave honourable fellow. Harman, who was in a complete state of nudity when he broke through the cavalry, was pursued by Mr. Thomas Manning, both were men of large stature and great bodily strength, but the former soon began to leave Manning behind, whose horse sunk at every step in the boggy ground; at length, after a chase of three miles, and coming to a bridge extremely narrow, Harman found his passage likely to be stopped by a Mr. Darby, who was posted there on horseback fully equipped, having got before him by taking the road. Harman advanced boldly to him with his gun levelled, which was in the same condition as Thomas's had been, and cried out, 'Come on, Darby, you or I for it.' Mr. Darby astonished at the strange apparition of the naked desperado, drew his horse as close as he could to the battlements of the bridge, and let this ugly customer pass by. This rencounter took place near to Harman's residence. He succeeded in getting to a place of safety, and surrendered some time afterwards, was sent to Botany Bay, returned from thence and went to Canada.

"About this time, a man residing between Rathdrum and Hacketstown, got private information that his house was to be

robbed on a certain night. He gave notice to the yeomanry officers at Rathdrum; they were highly pleased at the intelligence, for they expected that Dwyer and some of his party would be there; plans were laid with great caution and secrecy; they advanced to the house in the night, the men being placed in ambush. A man named Williams, the best shot amongst them, was placed inside, and ordered not to shoot unless in great danger. One of the robbers came, entered the house, proceeded to blow the fire and to light his candle, Williams fired and shot the robber dead on the spot; he was a noted shot and had killed a man outside of Rathdrum in 1798, and in so wanton a manner that his captain, the celebrated Thomas King, of Kingstown, said he was shocked at his brutality. The rest of the robbers escaped. When the body of the robber was examined, instead of being that of Dwyer, it proved to be the body of a yeoman of the name of Mondy, of the Hacketstown corps, and was brought into Rathdrum. By way of exhibiting the impartiality of military justice, they placed the head of the yeomanry robber opposite to that of the rebel Thomas on the same building."

Extract from the Hibernian Magazine, Nov. 1803.

SOME ACCOUNT OF DWYER, THE IRISH DESPARADO.

"At the breaking out of the late rebellion, (Michael Dwyer) being about six or seven and twenty years of age, ranged himself under the banners of insurrection; and though always foremost in danger, had the good fortune to retire unhurt through all the battles of that deplorable contest. When the rebellion was put down, Dwyer withdrew, accompanied by a chosen band, into the fastnesses of his native mountains, where he has since kept his ground, bidding defiance to all the parties sent out from time to time against him.

"On a certain night, three men, who had before been privates in the Meath militia, and one of whom was the first that administered the oath of an United Irishman, suddenly deserted from his gang. Dwyer instantly concluded that they had been tempted by the reward to betray him, of which he not only soon after received a confirmation from his emissaries, but also intelligence of the night on which they were to set out

for the purpose of securing him. Being well acquainted with all his haunts, they made little doubt of their success, but were waylaid by Dwyer, who put them to death with his own hand. Early in the last spring, a survey was taken of that part of the country, and a place marked out for the erection of a barrack, at the entrance of a glen, called Glenmalore, which it is supposed would afford the facility of exploring the fastnesses, recesses, and caverns of the rebels. The work proceeded with great rapidity, and without the smallest molestation, till the month of June last, when preparations were making to roof and occupy the building. In the night time, however, when things seemed to be in great forwardness, Dwyer appeared at the head of a strong party-and laying a sufficient train of powder, blew it from the foundation, so that there appeared scarcely a vestige of it in the morning.

"It must be a matter of astonishment, that an active, powerful, and vigilant government, could never entirely succeed in exterminating this banditti from these mountains, however difficult or inaccessible they may at first sight appear. The rebel, who is intimately acquainted with the topography of the place, has his regular videts and scouts upon the qui vive, in all the most advantageous points, who, on the appearance of alarm, or the approach of strangers, blow their whistles, which resound through the innumerable caverns, and are the signals for a general muster, to those hardy desperadoes. They are generally superintended by the chief himself, or by his brotherin-law of the name of Byrne, a determined fellow, in whom alone he places confidence. They are both great adepts at disguising their faces and persons, and are thought to pay fre-` quent visits to the metropolis,-Dwyer is an active, vigorous fellow, about five feet nine inches high, with something of a stoop about the shoulders. He has a ruddy complexion, with lively penetrating eyes, and said to be wonderfully patient of fatigue, and fearless of every kind of danger."

The following account of Dwyer I obtained from his brother Hugh Dwyer. After many fruitless inquiries respecting the surviving friends and relatives of the former, I found the brother living in Dublin in Flemming's-place, Baggot-street, the owner and driver of a jaunting car. From this intelligent, well-conducted person, I received the account which is now given to the public.

"Michael Dwyer was born at Glenbymall, county Wicklow, near Baltinglass.* His father was the eldest son of four children; he, and all his family, were of the Catholic religion. His father held twenty-four acres of land, under Mr. Hannan and Mr. Cooke. Michael married, in the early part of 1798, Mary Doyle, the daughter of a small farmer. He had been out with the boys,' in 1798, and had been on his keeping even previous to that year.

“Mr. Hayden, an informer, a brother-in-law of Mr. Tennison, near Stratford, told old Dwyer, if his son did not surrender, that all his family would be taken up. Michael did not surrender, and, accordingly, they were all taken up, and put in jail; the father, two brothers, and two sisters, were kept in prison fifteen weeks, as hostages. Hugh Dwyer took no part in 'the troubles,' and none of the rest of the family.

"Michael Dwyer was a well-behaved, good-natured young man; moral in his conduct, civil and obliging to his acquaintances, and very true to his friends; by no means quarrelsome, but always had been of a bold and daring disposition. He could read and write; he went to school at Bushfield. When a young man, he was very sober; but, in his latter years abroad, it was said he was not quite so much so as he had been at home. During the time he was 'out,' he had a great many escapes; one of the narrowest of them was at Dernamuck, in the glen of Emall, on a very stormy night, when he, and nine of his comrades, were concealed there. Six of them were in one house, and four in another, convenient to the former; information had been given to the magistrates. At the dawn of day, the house in which Michael Dwyer slept was attacked by the Highlanders; Colonel Macdonald was the commanding officer.

"When Dwyer heard the tramp of the soldiers, he called up his friends, Samuel M'Alister, a deserter of the Antrim militia, John Savage, and one Costello, a tailor. Dwyer asked the soldier (without opening the door) if they would let the peo

*The notes of the conversation which furnishes these particulars, were taken down at the interview referred to.

The details of this adventure have been given in Hope's account of his communication with Dwyer. I have been induced to give the brother's version of it, as a corroboration of the main incident, which is one of a very singular nature.-R. R. M.