^tvt^ ^jjci^tp.
EARLY ENGLISH POETRY,
BALLADS,
AND POPULAR LITERATURE
OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
EDITED FROM ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS
AND SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.
VOL. XXI.
LONDON
PRINTED FOR THE PERCY SOCIETY,
H\ r RICHARDS SI MARTINS LANK
M.DCCC.XLVII.
CONTENTS OF VOL. XXI.
POPULAR SONGS, ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE
FRENCH INVASIONS OF IRELAND.
IN FOUR PARTS.
EDITEH BV T. CROFTON CROKER, ESQ. F.S.A.
POPULAR SONGS,
ETC.
POPULAR SONGS,
ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE FRENCH
INVASIONS OF IRELAND.
PART I.
EDITED, WITH INTRODUCTIONS AND NOTES, BY
T. CROFTON CROKER.
Jije tl^at iSnglonlJ tooutt) toin,
jBuat toitl^ Jvclanti first feegin.
Old Proverb.
" Mais il ne consideie Tlrlande que comme le clierain de Londres.
Life of Gene lal Hoche.
LONDON.
REPRINTED FOR THE PERCY SOCIE J Y,
BY T. RICHARDS, 100, ST. MARTIN'S LAliE.
M.DCCC.XLV.
COUNCIL
€l)t perrp ^ocietg.
President.
The Rt. Hon. LORD BRAYBROOKE, F.S.A.
THOMAS AMYOT, Esq. F.R.S. Treas. S.A.
WILLIAM HENRY BLACK, Esq.
WILLIAM CHAPPELL, Esq. F.S.A.
J. PAYNE COLLIER, Esq. F.S.A.
C. PURTON COOPER, Esq. Q.C, F.R.S., F.S.A.
PETER CUNNINGHAM, Esq.
JAMES HENRY DIXON, Esq.
WILLIAM JERDAN, Esq. F.S A., M R.S L.
CAPTAIN JOHNS, R.M.
T. J. PETTIGREW, Esq. F.R.S., F.S.A.
LEWIS POCOCK, Esq. F.S.A.
SIR cuthbert sharp.
WILLIAM SANDYS, Esq. F.S.A,
W'lLLIAM J. THOMS, Esq. F.SA.
THOMAS WRIGHT, Esq. M.A., F.S.A., Secretary
and Treasurer.
ADVERTISEMENT.
When the Editor brought under the consideration
of the Council of the Percy Society the interest
which might be attached, in an historical point of
view, to any collection of popular songs ; and
at the moment offered as an example, a Collection
illustrative of the French Invasions of Ireland;
the Council took him at his word, and so readily
adopted the suggestion, that in order to gain
time, he proposed reprinting amemoir of Thu-
rot, from the very rare pamphlet referred to in
the Gentleman'' s Magazine for March 1760, fvol.
XXX.] p. 110, as a desirable introduction to the
period at which he proposed to commence his
task.
To this proposition the Council, after some
discussion as to whether reprinting pamphlets of
this nature came within the views of the Society,
most kindly assented, in order to meet the wish of
the editor. Sliould any question, therefore, arise
upon the propriety of the proceeding, lie nmst
Vlll
request that this act of the Council may be indul-
gently considered as a personal favour towards
himself.
With respect to the three parts intended to
follow, the Editor has merely to observe that they
are the natural divisions of the subject.
No. II will contain such songs as he has been
able to collect illustrative of Thurot's capture of
Carrickfergus, in 1760.
No. Ill will illustrate, by the same means, the
French invasion of Ban try bay, in 1796; and —
No. IV the landing of the French at Killala, in
1798.
T. C. C.
Rosamond's Bower ^
Fulham.
Qoth January 1845.
GENUINE and CURIOUS
MEMOIRS
Of the FAMOUS
Captain Thurot.
Written by the Reverend
JOHN FEANCIS DURAND.
With some of Monsieur Thurot's Orisrinal
Letters to that Gentleman, now in England.
To which is added,
A much more faithful and particular Account
than has hitherto been published, of his
Proceedings since his sailing from the
Coast of France, Oct. 18, 1759.
He was a Man, take Mm for all in all,
I shall not look upon his Like again.
Shakespear.
LONDON.
Printed for /. Burd, at the Temple-Exchange Coflfee-
House, and J. Williams, under St. Dunstans
Church, Fleelstreet, 1760.
[Price One Shilling.]
GENUINE AND CURIOUS MEMOIES,
ETC.
Of all the affections of the human mind, there is not
one, perhaps, which acts upon it with greater force,
than curiosity ; and this principle is never so power-
fully excited in us, as when any person appears in the
world, whose conduct, by some means or other, be-
comes the subject of public conversation.
From that moment, almost every man grows inter-
ested in his affairs, and if (as is often, nay, commonly
the case) the birth and former life of the object of our
inquiries have happened to be obscure, it only makes
us the more inquisitive, and eager to learn something,
(no matter what) which in appearance, at least, may
gratify the ardent desire we have to be acquainted
with his private circumstances.
This spirit is extremely predominant in these our
British Islands; not to mention the accounts which
are constantly printed of the birth, parentage, and
education of every malefactor that is executed at
Tyburn, which accounts are always bought up with
avidity, and must, therefore, be highly acceptable to
B 2
4 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
the public ; I could give an hundred strange and very
recent instances of the uncommon warmth vrith which
we English pursue the kind of knowledge I am here
speaking of.
Now there are a society of auricular biographers,
who either through the vanity of being thought wiser
than their neighbours, or through a willingness to
gratify the demands of their friends, though at the
expense of veracity, are always ready upon those
occasions, to answer whatever questions are put to
them ; and as their chief fund is invention, they will
tell you the father, mother, country, occupation and
religion of a person, though they know no more of him
than of the Cham of Tartary; nay, some of these
extemporary historians will, in the heat of their narra-
tives, descend to the most minute particulars, and tell
you the most trifling and most secret transactions of a
man's private life ; by which lies and absurdities are
heaped upon one another, till truth is almost impossi-
ble to be come at.
I do not remember,, that for a great while these
geniuses have exercised their talents of intelligence in
a larger field than of late ; Monsieur Thurot has been
an happy subject for them, and our newspapers have
been very faithful retailers of their several accounts.
In the course of a few weeks I have known him to
be an Scotchman, an Englishman, and an Hibernian ;
he was successively the young pretender, a reformed
pirate, and a bastard of the blood royal of France ;
and I make no doubt, that if he had kept the seas a
CAPTAIN THUROT. 5
little longer, he would in his turn have been the bro-
ther of the Grand Turk, or the nephew of the Pope
of Rome, unless the newspapers had thought fit to give
us broad hints that he was those very great personages
themselves in disguise.
But let us see what we can gather from Thurot
himself, from his behaviour I mean, to tell us what he
was ; why, that will inform us, which is all that the
generality of the world knows of him, that he was one
of the bravest, the most humane, and best accomplished
commanders of the age in which he lived ; that will
inform us that he was an honour to his country, though
his country should be Lapland, or the deserts of
Arabia; and that however meanly he might be de-
scended, his actions have ennobled and made him
illustrious. Perhaps his ancestors are but obscure,
yet posterity shall never forget him, while the merit of
a soldier is in esteem.
The person who is now employed in writing these
papers, was long and intimately acquainted with the
extraordinary man of whom he is about to treat ;
several letters written with Thurot's own hand are at
present lying before him, and it is out of regard to his
memory, and as a mark of the friendship which he had
for him while living, that he is prevailed upon to take
up the pen, in order to give the public such an account
of him, as from a strict intimacy with him might
be supposed to come to his knowledge. This he is
certain of, that he will allege nothing but what he
gathered from Thurot's own mouth, and in that case.
6 MEMOIRS OF FAMOUS
nothing but what may -well be taken for the closest
matters of fact.
The famous Captain Thurot, who has of late taken
up so much of the discourse of these three kingdoms,
was neither an English, an Irish, nor a Scotchman,
but was born at Boulogne, in France, his father and
mother being both natives of the same place. But he
was of Irish extraction ; his grandfather, whose name
was Farrel, and was a captain in the Irish army under
King James the Second, going off with that prince
from Ireland.
I remember that when Captain Thurot was here in
England, he shewed me a small gold buckle, with four
diamonds in it, which King James had given to his
grandfather upon the following occasion : —
When his majesty took water at Duncannonfort,
in the county of Wexford in Ireland, in order to make
the best of his way to France, just as he got into
the boat, the wind being very high, his hat was
blown into the water ; however, such was his hurry to
be gone, that he would not let his people delay to take
it up again ; upon which Captain Farrel presented
his Majesty his hat, and the king, when they came to
the house, instead of returning it, ordered that Farrel
should have one of his own royal beavers, (in the
band of which was the before-mentioned buckle), say-
ing at the same time, with his usual insensibility, that
though he could not keep a crown by the heljD of the
Irish, he had got a hat.
During King James the Second's life, and residence
CAPTAIN THUROT. 7
at St. Germain's, Captain Farrel was one of his
household, either gentleman of the bed-chamber to his
majesty or the queen ; and while he attended upon the
abdicated monarch, he paid his address to Mademoiselle
Thurot, whose uncle was a member of the parliament
of Paris.
He married her, but so great was the displeasure of
all the young lady's friends, that none of them would
look upon her ; and three years after the death of his
royal master, poor Farrel was at Boulogne, where he
retired in hopes that some of his wife's relations living
there would have more compassion than those he had
left in the metropolis ; but he was mistaken, for here
he had no money to live upon but a very small pension
which Queen Catherine allowed to all the discharged
servants of the deceased King.
At Boulogne our Thurot's father was born, but not
till three months after his own father's death, nor did
Madam Farrel herself outlive her husband much above
a year, so that the boy being taken by his mother's
relations, on who alone he was to hope for maintenance
and preferment. When he grew up he went by their
name, and there we may account for the puzzling dif-
ference between the names of Farrel and Thurot, and
find some weak foundation for the many false reports
that have gone about of late concerning Thurot's na-
tion and quality.
Old Thurot is now alive at Boulogne ; I cannot say
that I know much of his circumstances, though I have
often heard his son speak of him with much reverence
8 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
and affection, and have seen letters from the old genr
tleman to him.
To the best of my knowledge Captain Thurot told
me, his father was originally bred to the law ; but I
am particularly sure of the circumstance of his having
had three wives, the second of which was called Pi-
card, a vintner's daughter, and this was the mother of
our Thurot.
She died in child-birth of him, and a remarkable
accident happened at his christening, to which he in a
great measure owed his late high fortune.
While his father held him at the font to be made a
member of the Christian church, his mother was
receiving the last office, that of sepulture, without in
the church-yard ; this had such an effect upon Thurot,
who had been a very tender husband, that the tears
streamed from his eyes in great abundance.
It is the custom in Roman Catholic countries about
Christmas, at which season of the year this happened,
for ladies of the first distinction to go into churches,
and offer themselves as sponsors for whatever children
are brought to be baptized.
One Madame Tallard, a woman of great rank and
fortune, was now standing for little Thurot, and ob-
serving the extreme agony in which the father of the
child appeared, inquired what was the cause of it ; the
priest informed her.
She was touched with so melancholy an occasion, it
put her upon asking some more particulars about the
family of Thurot ; she made him a handsome present,
CAPTAIN THUROT. 9
and desired, that if the boy should live till she returned
again into those parts, he might be sent to see her.
During Captain Thurot's infancy, and till he was a
well-grown lad, he received many instances of friend-
ship from his kind godmother, but it was not till with-
in these very few years that he experienced those very
essential ones from her family, which to him, however,
ended only in glory.
I have already said that Thurot's grandfather was an
Irishman. When our hero was about jfifteen years of
age, one Farrel came to Boulogne, who by some means
or other, got acquainted with old Thurot, and learning
the origin of the family, claimed relationship.
This man was the commander of a vessel, and used
to smuggle goods; he assured old Thurot that the
house of the O'Farrels was still a flourishing house in
Connaught, and offered, if he would let his young son
go over with him, to make his fortune.
The lad was extremely sprightly, uncommonly beau-
tiful, and of a great courage ; he had been taught to
read and write, which was all his father could do for
him ; besides, he was now married to another wife, and
had a growing family, so that he was glad to provide
for him at any rate ; therefore, without much reluc-
tance, accepted of Captain Farrel's proposals.
Young Thurot was equipped at the expense of his
Irish cousin, and set out with a light heart and a thin
pair of breeches ; they were bound for Limerick, in the
west of Ireland, but stopped at the Isle of Man upon
some business of the smugglers. And here young
10 MEMOIRS OF THF FAMOUS
Thurot taking some disgust, refused to follow his cou-
sin O'Farrel any farther.
It is a much easier matter to get a footing in the
Isle of Man, than to get off from it ; and after Farrel
had sailed away, which he did in a passion, as we may
well suppose, with Thurot, it was some time before a
ship bound for France came into the port ; so that our
young adventurer was obliged to look about him for
support. I have said before he was a handsome,
spirited lad ; a gentleman of Anglesea took a fancy to
him, and he entered into his service.
This person was old in the trade of running goods,
and had several small vessels continually on the pass
between the Isle of Man and Ireland, laden with con-
traband commodities; with these he frequently sent
Thurot ; and once stationed him for eleven months at
Carlingford, in Ireland, in order that he might (being
lodged with a factor of his), manage some affairs of the
smuggling kind that were of more than ordinary con-
sequence, and which he was extremely expert in.
In this place he acquired his first knowledge of the
English tongue ; and in the end he determined, instead
of returning to the Isle of Man, to go to Dublin and
see whether he could not learn some certain tidings of
those relations of his, about whom he had so often
heard. He seldom formed a resolution without putting
it in practice; and accordingly set out for Dublin,
with, as he told me himself, about eleven shillings in
his pocket.
Whether Thurot ever met with any of his Irish
CAPTAIN THUROT. 11
kinsfolk, or whether, if he did, he renewed any kind-
ness and entertainment from them, I cannot say, but
he was in very straight circumstances in Dublin, and
reduced so low, that he was glad to accept of an offer
to enter into a great family, which he did in quality of
valet de chambre to the lady of Lord B , persons
of vast fortune and alliances in the kingdom of Ireland.
Here he lived near two years, going by the name of
Dauphine, and might, perhaps, have lived much longer,
but for a most unhappy affair which happened in the
family, and which made a great noise in the world.
Thurot was in high favour with his mistress, and was
suspected of being her confidant ; but he was a man
of too nice notions, and had the punctilios of honour
in too much regard to be of service to any one in such
a sort of business. Be that as it will, he was dis-
missed his lordship's service, as was at the same time
my lady's woman, with whom young Thurot was on
very good terms.
Thurot was of a warm temper, especially upon any
thing like an insult; and Lord B • having laid
things to his charge of which he knew himself inno-
cent, he was not backward in speaking his mind, per-
haps too freely, of his lordship, which soon made
Dublin a very improper place for him to remain in.
His friend, the waiting woman, whose name I think
was Lynch, was soon after her dismission from the
family of Lord B received into that of the Earl
of A , who had a great estate in the North of
Ireland; and going down thither the following summer,
12 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
Thurot, who was of a roving disposition, made no diffi-
culty to follow his quondam fellow-servant, though in
no capacity or business.
In this place he made himself acceptable to many
gentlemen, and to the Earl of A , by his skill in
sporting ; but his situation being near the sea, and the
opposite coast of Scotland favouring the cursed trade
of smuggling, in which he was a much greater master
than in cocking or hunting, he soon got in with a gang
of those people.
He was of the most obliging and generous disposi-
tion that I ever knew any man in my life, and as he
was young and sprightly, and of a warm constitution,
it is in vain to deny that he had many intrigues, in
which he made no scruple of bestowing upon his fa-
vourites a piece of India stuff for a gown, a yard or
two of muslin, a pound of tea, and such things, which
by degrees getting wind, other women of the better
sort applied to him for some of these things in the
mercantile way.
The usual method of the smuggler was never to sell
any of these things in the north, but transport them
to Dublin on little carrs, with butter, and such country
merchandise ; by which means they escaped the dan-
ger of a familiar and open trade, and escaped the vigi-
lance of the custom-house officers.
Thurot, however, could not withstand the solicita-
tions of the ladies, and used frequently to sell them tea,
china, chocolate, India goods, and, I am afraid, brandy,
at an easy rate. This trade continued some months.
CAPTAIN THUROT. IS
till one of his customers being more rapacious than the
rest, laid out fifty pounds at once witli him, in order to
get as much as she could buy from the fair trader for
triple the money; by which means her house was
made a warehouse, and the excise people getting the
scent of it, came to search, found the goods upon her,
and made a seizure of every one of them.
Thurot was instantly blown ; the honest, grateful
gentlewoman told whence she had her commodities,
and in three nights after, the officers having laid their
scheme, fell in with some boats which were laden with
run goods : four of them fell into their hands, a rich
booty ; but the vessel in which was our captain, and
which was lighter laden than the rest, had the good
fortune to make the coast of Scotland.
And now a new scene opened itself; the commodi-
ties in the boat were worth about two hundred pounds ;
but how to get them sold was the matter. Thurot
with his accomplices deposited them in safe places, and
it was proposed that two of them, who were Scotch-
men, should take and dispose of them about the coun-
try as pedlars.
The design was approved, and succeeded ; for in less
than three months the whole cargo was sold off for
near three hundred pounds, one hundred and fifty of
which coming to Thurot's share, he made the best of
his way to Edinburgh, where having equipped himself
like a gentleman, he was determined to make the best
of his way to France.
But it was some time before he was to visit his
14 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
native country ; Mr. V , a gentleman of French
extraction, in Edinburgh, who was a merchant, and
used frequently to send vessels from Edinburgh to
London, wanted a master for one of his little sloops,
and having seen Thurot, who passed for a seafaring
captain, and Mr. V , by his pronunciation of the
English language, finding out that he was a Frenchman,
made him the offer of it.
Thurot did not hesitate a moment about the accept-
ance of it ; they struck up a bargain, and the follow-
ing week the Anie of Edinburgh, Thurot master, bound
with linen for London, set sail for the river Thames,
where she arrived safe, but never returned, being
burnt in the river with many others, by some pitch
taking fire in a neighbouring warehouse ; and Thurot
having given an account of his trust to his employer's
factor, fixed himself in London, taking lodgings in
Paddington, where the author of these memoirs by
mere accident got acquainted with him.
From the year one thousand seven hundred and
forty-eight, to the year one thousand seven hundred and
fifty-two. Captain Thurot was going continually back
and forward between France and England, and spent
great part of his time in London, going by his real
name. As I have said before, he took up his first
residence in Paddington, where he lived at the house
of an apothecary, and always appeared like a gentle-
man.
In this place I have been in company with him
many times, and as he was a man of a remarkable free
CAPTAIN THUROT. 15
temper, he used frequently to entertain two or three
of his more intimate acquaintance with the recital of
his adventures.
I never knew any man that had a better natural
understanding ; he spoke English perfectly well,
scarcely with the accent of a foreigner, and had a
great share of the Irish language, which he acquired
while he lived among the people of that nation.
He sung agreeably, played upon the German flute,
the trumpet, and French horn ; but the chief bent of
his inclinations leaned towards navigation and fortifi-
cation ; he had always some little plans, purely the
efforts of his own uninformed genius, relative to those
arts, about him, which he was constantly shewing to his
companions, and never seemed so thoroughly happy as
when he got with people who had a smattering of the
above-mentioned sciences. The last time he was in
England he lived in a court in Cary-street, Lincoln's-
Inn-Fields, and was then instructed in the mathema-
tics by one Mr. Donelly, an Irish gentleman, famous
for his knowledge and abilities in mathematical studies.
There is a circumstance relative to Thurot's beha-
viour while he was in England, which will serve to
throw a great light upon the real character of the man,
and I know it to be fact : —
He used frequently to go to a club, which was held
every Monday night, somewhere about the Seven Dials,
and consisted totally of foreigners, mostly of French-
men ; some of these gentlemen took it in their head
one evening most grossly to abuse the English and
16 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
Irish, calling them every contemptuous name which
liquor and ill-manners could suggest. Thurot listened
to them for some time with a good deal of patience ;
till at length, finding they intended to set no bounds to
their insolence, he very calmly got up, and seizing the
two which sat next to him, each by the nose, without
saying a syllable, he led them to the door, j)ut them
out, and bolted it after them, then returning to his
seat; Come, gentlemen, said he, let us drink about, and
call another subject.
He was extremely punctual in his engagements and
payments, and when he found his money near spent,
he designed returning to his own country, and com-
mence a trading captain : he did so, withdrawing from
Paddington all of a sudden, and we did not see any
thing of him for four or five months, when I by acci-
dent heard that he was then commander of a ship in
the river, bound from Dunkirk, and that he lodged in
Shad well.
In this place he lived with a woman who passed for
his wife, and rented a house for three years, during
which time he never failed of running over two or
three times a year between London and Calais, Dun-
kirk, &c.
It having been strongly reported that there was an
Englishwoman with him during all his grand and last
voyage at sea, I imagined, if there was any truth at
all in the story, that she who lived with him at Shad-
well must be the person. I therefore took some pains
to enquire who she was, and find that this woman did
CAPTAIN THUROT. 17
really go to France with him ; and she either was
actually the wife, or had before been the trull of one
of his sailors, who was a half French, and half En-
glishman.
He had an extreme inclination to be made a Free-
Mason ; he was accordingly admitted in a lodge here :
the consequence of this, I am assured by undoubted
authority, was the following occurrence : —
During his late voyage, soon after his little squad-
ron had put out to sea, they met an English merchant-
man, laden with rum and brandy, from the West
Indies ; it will be needless to say that she made but a
trifling resistance ; in fact, she almost instantly struck,
and the lieutenant of Thurot's ship was sent to bring
the captain on board.
This man was a Freemason, and according to the
custom with that fraternity, made certain signs which
are known by them all in common, in order to find if
any among the enemy were of the order. Thurot
instantly perceived, and answered him; however he
did not then take any farther notice, but asked the
captain what his cargo consisted of; the sailors were
rejoiced when they heard of the unfortunate booty.
But Thurot leaving his prisoner in the cabin, went up
upon deck, and calling all his people about him, said :
" Gentlemen, this is the first prize we have taken,
and I heartily give you joy of it : yet it is but a trifling
one, and when divided among us all will not be worth
naming. Besides, gentlemen, we go to conquer the
enemy's country, not to seize her paltry merchandise ;
c
18 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
and by my discourse with the unhappy man below,
who is the owner as well as master of the vessel,
[which was really the case], I find if he loses it, his
ruin is infallible ; let us then scorn to take this small
booty, return it to him, and look after better." Here
there was some murmuring ; " Well, then, gentlemen,
said he, since you do not relish my proposal, be easy ;
I give my honour, out of my own pocket to pay every
man his dividend of this prize, and will let the vessel
go." Upon this the sailors were overpowered by the
noble generosity of the captain. The poor Freemason
got his cargo safe, and a handsome present from Thu-
rot into the bargain.
The last time Thurot was in England I had not the
pleasure of seeing him, being obliged to be in Wales
upon some particular affairs ; but I presently heard
from him while he was in London, and also after he
went to settle at Boulogne with his father.
It seems that the early taint which he received from
the Irishman, Farrel, who was a most infamous smug-
gler himself, still stuck to him ; and, indeed, I think
it was the only thing to be alleged against him ; this
inclined him to hearken to a French gang, who offered
to take him for their captain. He communicated it to
his father, who strongly dissuaded him against it ; but
Thurot was one of those men who feared nothing ;
and though the smuggling trade is in France the most
daring and dangerous that can be imagined, he followed
the bent of his own will. It must be owned, indeed.
CAPTAIN THUROT. 19
that his great good sense and moderation kept his
bravoes from committing any very mischievous out-
rages.
He left off coming to England in the year 1 752, and
the very next year being in France, I saw him ; he
then, without any reluctance, told me the bottom he
had embarked on. I represented to him in the strongest
manner I could, the hazardous life he had taken up ;
but he laughed at me.
His chief place of residence was at Boulogne, where
his trade was kept secret; though, indeed, had it
been known, he was so great a favourite with the
towns-people, I believe he might have passed his time
securely enough. He was also frequently at Calais,
Dunkirk, &c., and I was credibly informed, during his
short reign, as king of the smugglers, he did not
export and import clandestinely, less than twenty thou-
sand pounds worth of goods per year.
But here, as he had before in Ireland, he added
indiscretion to vice ; and to say the truth, prosperity,
I believe, and success had lulled him so far, as it does
most who are in unjustifiable causes, that he thought
justice either would not, or dare not see him; but he
was mistaken ; I think, indeed, as it has happened, she
had recourse to her scales only, and not to her sword.
The son of Madam Tallard, his godmother, whom
we have before made mention of, was president of the
province ; and it being well known that smugglers did
infest those parts, though the government could not
point out the very individual delinquents, he had
c2
20 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
orders to be very vigilant, and, if possible, to put a
stop to their mal-practices.
He performed his duty punctually, and two or three
of his mermidons being set upon the watch, it was not
long before they wormed themselves so far into the
secret, that they had not only intelligence of the
meeting-places of the smugglers, but of every person
concerned in the trade.
Monsieur Tallard took his measures accordingly ; in
one place he seized a whole covey of them together,
and at the same time arrested several others ; among
the first was poor Thurot.
In writing memoirs of the life of a private person,
who till within a short space of time, was never em-
ployed in any one interesting scene of action, there
cannot be expected those turns and adventures, which
are so agreeable in a novel, neither can it be thought
that his ordinary employments should afford matter for
a large volume ; all I mean to do here is to set down
a few occurrences, which happened within the sphere of
my own knowledge, which though in themselves are
insignificant, become of consequence, in as much as
they may serve to give some idea of a man, who has
ingrossed a great deal of the attention of the world,
and particularly raised the curiosity of this nation.
Thurot's natural inclination to fortification, gave
him a desire to see all our buildings of that sort, which
I believe he did, walking to most of those within thirty
miles of London, during the frequent recesses between
his several passages ; and I have often heard him say,
CAPTAIN THUROT. 21
how easy a matter it would be for to invade these
kinordoins, thouo^h neither he nor I at that time had
any thought of his being one day that very invader
himself.
There was eight months at one time, between his
leaving England and his returning to it, occasioned
by some disagreement between his owners : during
that time I received several letters from him, but they
are all destroyed except the following : —
Dunkirk, June 5, 1752.
Sir, — I find it is a very selfish motive that makes
me write to you, my design being to extort an answer.
If you had so much disinterested charity as to write
without expecting a reply, I should certainly receive
the favour with the utmost gratitude and modesty.
However, it is well you indulge my talent of imperti-
nence, and never strictly insist upon common sense.
I have already told you, that my affairs would oblige
me to remain on this side of the water till next sum-
mer. New oppositions every day arise to my return-
ing to England ; but I hope to surmount them all, and
once more enjoy the company of my good friends in
Cateaton-street, among which I chiefly reckon your-
self.
I am very much concerned to hear you have been
out of order, yet was far from thinking your letter the
effect of the spleen, for I am really persuaded it was
written in one of your gayest humours. To a mind
turned like yours, the thoughts of death can have very
22 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
few terrors. I fancy you will be pleased with the lines
which a gentleman of our country, as I have been told,
ordered to be written over his closet door. I know you
like verses, and therefore write them :
" Las d'esperer et de me plaindre,
De I'amour des grands et du sort,
C'est ici que j'attens la mort
Sans le desirer, ou la craindre."
C'est bien le caractere, le plus beau, et le plus rare
qu'on peut avoir : but I beg pardon for writing French,
and yet I can hardly think you will be able to make
out my English.
My letter is of a convenient length, therefore, with
my most humble service to
Je suis, &c. &c.
It was agreed between us, that we should write no-
thing but English to each other, in order to perfect
him in the language ; and this letter is, I think, no
very bad instance of his skill and understanding.
It is needless to expatiate on the distressful circum-
stance of confinement to a person of Thurot's volatile
disposition. After being examined by Monsieur Tal-
lard, he was sent to Dunkirk, and there confined in
the common prison ; but his father and some other
friends had such power over the good-natured magis-
trate, that he promised to do his utmost to save Thu-
rot's life, whom he was himself also very well inclined
towards, having been his playfellow when a boy, and
CAPTAIN THUROT. 23
perfectly remembering the regard which his mother
had for him.
The other smugglers were now every day breaking
upon the wheel, and hanging, while our unfortunate
hero lay snug in his dungeon ; from this place I had
the following letter from him : —
Dunkirky December 12, 1754.
Dear Sir, — Though it is not without some pain that
I date a letter to you from this miserable place, yet I
thought I should be inexcusable, was I not to inform
so good a friend of my situation ; which, though
wretched enough, God knows, I dare swear you will
be pleased to hear, is not likely to close with a shame-
ful death ; my good friends seeming to consider every
thing but my deserts. I do assure you I now heartily
detest and despise myself for the wicked and ridicu-
lous part I have acted, and sincerely wish I had taken
your good advice ; but I am willing to think Provi-
dence orders every thing for the best. Pen and ink
being allowed me is a great favour ; but at present 1
will not trespass on you farther than to assure you that
I am, &c.
Shortly after this, he was commanded up to Paris,
with an intent that he should make discoveries that
might prevent the robberies of the smugglers for the
future. He remained there in prison several months,
but during his examinations convinced some people in
power, that should the war break out with England,
24 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
which was at that time contriviug, and in the form of
an invasion too, Mons. Thurot might be rendered a
serviceable man.
This consideration, together with Mons. Tallard's
interest, not only procured him his liberty, but the
command of one of the king's sloops, and his father
got a pension of five hundred livres per annum, for
what services his son might do his country.
After this I had never any correspondence with
him ; but know, that finding in the beginning of the
war that his sloop was not likely to be much employed,
and the thoughts of invading England was laid aside,
he desired permission to go on board a Dunkirk priva-
teer, in which he commanded till the beginning of the
summer of the memorable year one thousand seven
hundred and fifty-nine.
Then it was that the French ministry, as the dernier
resort, determined to invade this island, and make us
feel the force of Gallic indignation ; inost terrible
indeed!
Thurot was pitched upon as a man rather to frighten
us, than do any real mischief. He spoke English, he
knew both the British and Irish channels, he would be
of great use in putting us in confusion, while Conflans
destroyed us.
The scheme was, that Thurot should go to Ireland,
while Conflans was here, in order to make that king-
dom, easy enough to take an alarm, so anxious in pre-
serving her own safety, and so full of her own danger,
that she could not think of sending any succour to her
neighbour.
CAPTAIN THUROT. 25
Thurot having got his orders and every thing ready,
sailed out of Dunkirk harbour on the evening of the
twenty-second of October, one thousand seven hun-
dred and fifty-nine, with the following ships in his
little squadron : — Marshal Belleisle of fifty-four guns,
two frigates of thirty-six each, one of twenty-six, and
a cutter. He sailed in a hard gale at South West ;
arrived at Ostend the next day, and the same evening
sailed again northward. He had fifteen hundred land-
men on board, most of whom were pressed, and picked
up in prisons. The ofiicers (such as they were) went
on board with the greatest reluctance.
The first port he made was that of Gottenburgh,
from whence the two following extracts of original
letters ; one from Captain Gorrel, to his owners at
Liverpool ; the other from Liverpool, will serve to give
us a perfect insight to his situation : —
Gottenburgh, November 3, 1759.
I wrote to you from hence the twenty-seventh ult.
and then told you how I was blocked up by Mous.
Thurot, with five frigates and one cutter : we lay in
the road three days, during which time they rowed
round and round our ship, and took particular notice
of us : I also took all the notice I could of them ; two
frigates lay a-head of us, two a-stern, and one a little
within the rocks, to watch the ships, &c. So far as I
can learn and observe, Thurot's fleet are in want of
many things, such as anchors and cables ; for by all
accounts, they slipped them when they left Dunkirk.
They liave also employed all the bakers in Gottenburgh,
26 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
and have bought up all the beef they can meet with.
Another cutter is arrived here ; so that now there are
two, one of eight guns and the other of ten ; one of
which they are now heaving down and cleaning. One
of the frigates has her top -mast down, occasioned, I
suppose, by something being amiss with her mast. It
is most certainly true, that they have a great number
of land-forces with them, for they appear on board
like bees about a hive; the number is said here to be
two thousand two hundred land soldiers, of several
Scotch and Irish regiments. One of my sailors spoke
with some of them in Irish, and was answered in the
same language. They have many gentlemen on board,
and when on shore make a fine appearance, being full
of money. It is whispered about here, that they are
designed either for the Highlands of Scotland, or the
North of Ireland, and that they will be ready to sail
from hence in seven or eight days. They behaved
with great complaisance to us when we lay amongst
them, but as I did not like my company, we took the
first opportunity of leaving them, and are now lying
above the Castle: they have taken two brigs, and
brought them into this harbour, one they ransomed:
her ransom-bill is No. 6, which makes us believe that
they have taken six sail. They are all rigged in the
same manner as our men of war, with red vanes, long
heads to their top-gallant masts, and the top-gallant
masts strike abaft, the top -masts with sprit- sail top-
Sciils rigged, and the cutters are rigged the same as our
English cutters ; and, upon the whole, they appear very
CAPTAIN THUROT. 27
like English ships of war. The wind is coming strong
again to the westward, which I hope willbring an English
fleet to our relief ; four of our men of war, I am sure,
would be very sufficient to keep them in here, and they
might lie very safe at anchor in the road. The Anti-
gua merchant is ready to sail with us for Liverpool,
and fifteen for London and Hull."
Liverpool, Dec. 7, 1759.
"Captain Rimmer, of the Gorrell, arrived here from
Gottenburgh on Sunday last, farther informs us, that
Mons. Thurot, with his squadron of five privateer-
frigates, and two cutters, left Gottenburgh on the four-
teenth ult. Thurot's frigate, the Marshal Belleisle,
mounts forty-four guns, viz. thirty nine-pounders upon
one deck, four eighteen-pounders below, and the rest
only quarter-deck and forecastle guns ; she has a black
lion-head, appears very ill hogged in the midships, and
is painted black and red. — Number 2 is a frigate of
thirty-two guns, viz. twenty-eight nine-pounders on
one deck, the rest are quarter-deck and forecastle guns ;
has a yellow lion-head standing remarkably high, is
painted yellow and black. — Number 3 is a frigate of
the same number of guns, painted black, with a large
figure-head. — Number 4 is a frigate of thirty guns,
viz. twenty-four on the main-deck, and the rest quar-
ter-deck and forecastle guns ; she has a figure-head
painted white and yellow, and her sides black and yel-
low. — Number 5 is a frigate of twenty guns on one
deck, is painted black and yellow, with a short quarter-
28 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
deck. The two cutters have long top -gallant-masts,
one of them is pierced for ten, and the other eight
guns, exactly in the English form.
" The frigates, when they came into Gottenhurgh,
were very foul, as if come off from a long voyage,
and were destitute of many necessaries, had very few
seamen on board, but full of land forces, commanded
by a major-general; most of the soldiers were in blue,
faced with white, and others all white. Whilst they
remained at Gottenburgh, nineteen days, they were
fully emj)loyed in cleaning their ships, getting new
top-masts, new rigging for their vessels, victualling and
watering ; the demand for bread and eatables was so
great, that they raised the prices considerably at mar-
ket, and the Swedes assisted them all in their power ;
sending them their East-India ships' boats to water
with, and procuring them cables in lieu of those they
had ordered to be made, which w^ould have detained
them before finished. During their stay the land and
sea officers quarrelled ; the former not being acquainted
with the place of their destination. On November 6,
whilst the French frigates lay in Calf Sound, the Pen-
zance man of war appeared at the mouth of the har-
bour in company with four or five neutral ships, as she
was going up to Elsineur, and fired a gun to take all
ready under convoy, which so affrighted the French-
men, that they slipped their cables, and run up above
the castle for security. When they sailed, the com-
modore and second vessel carried white whifflers or
pendants forward, the rest all had red vanes, and they
CAPTAIN THUROT. 29
had their steering sails and small sails all ready bent
in the shrouds to run away with. Captain Rimmer
came out of Gottenburgh two days after Thurot, and
is of opinion, by the winds he met with, that they
could not reach Scotland, but would be obliged to go to
Norway."
After this a thousand false reports were spread
of him, but nothing of consequence till his appearance
on the coast of Ireland. A full account of which
follows : —
Carrickfergiis, Feb. 21. — " On the garrison's ob-
serving three frigates coming up under English colours,
they concluded they were our own ships, on some ex-
pedition ; but observing that instead of sailing before
the castle, as is usual, they made for Killroot Point,
they thought proper to send out Captain Jennings in
the king's boat to reconnoitre : who, on approaching
near them, observed them landing with their flat-
bottomed boats, which they effected very suddenly.
On the captain's return the garrison took the alarm ;
but, alas ! they were but two hundred in number,
mostly undisciplined recruits, and had three hundred
French prisoners to guard. The brave mayor, Wil-
loughby Chaplin, Esq., got the militia under arms,
and though asked by Colonel Fleming, the commander-
in-chief, to go into the castle, he bravely refused, and
in his own gallant phrase, said, " He would go out
with his dear boys, and meet the poltroons, and have
a knock with them :" which he most resolutely did by
marching to the Scotch quarters, and lining the hedges,
30 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
gave them a fire which killed forty-three men of the
enemy, and wounded their general-in-chief, who lived
only to sign the articles of capitulation.
" It deserves to be remarked, that one of the worthy
mayor's men killed three Frenchmen himself, but
stooi^ing over the last, (who appeared to be a person
of distinction), was unfortunately shot through the
head. But what makes the whole affair the more sur-
prising, and, we hope, is a happy presage of our shortly
chastising their insolence, is, that the brave stout lads,
(as their worthy leader calls them), lost but five men,
although they were obliged, as they were marching
out to meet the enemy, to send back forty of their
company, to escort the French prisoners to Belfast.
After all, they made a retreating fight of it back again
into the castle. But as to the French, on their land-
ing, they immediately seized the house of Mr. Brice
of Killroot, and made him, his wife, &c., prisoners,
and sent him on board their ships ; they likewise seized
Castle Dobbs, and made prisoners the squire and his
lady, and a colonel who was on visit at the house j they
pillaged both houses of every thing ; they likewise got
Squire Ennis into their hands ; but what even affects
the public is, that they have carried off every yard of
linen that was in the possession of Mr. James Allen,
one of the most considerable linen-drapers in the
north. They took the gentlemen's horses, and drew
ten pieces of cannon to the Scotch Quarter-Bank,
where they fixed a battery which played on the half-
moon and gate of the castle without intermission.
CAPTAIN THUROT. 31
There were no provision in the castle, but what the
mayor ordered in on the first alarm, from his own house,
being the beef, pork, and meal of his own private family;
nor was there one cannon on a carriage, nor proper
ammunition in the place, and yet the brave garrison,
who were but an handful, held out till four o'clock in
the morning of the ensuing day after being attacked,
when they were obliged to capitulate, and become pri-
soners of war. They have got the Colonel, the mayor.
Dean Benson, 'Squire Wilson, Mr. Spaight, &c.
" On receiving this melancholy news, it is impossible
to express with what alacrity and cheerfulness every
one able to carry a gun flew to arms. There are
already more than three thousand five hundred militia
in Belfast, who march down every day to Woodburn,
within a mile of them, where they wait for their coming
out, but they keep themselves close, and are intrenched
up to the chin ; it was with the greatest difficulty
that lieutenant-general Strode has withheld his men
till the artillery arrives, (which is coming from Charle-
mount), from rushing into the town, and attacking
them sword in hand.
This night General Fitzwilliams, Lord Newbattle,
&c., with a party of the light horse, arrived in this
town, who are to be followed by three thousand troops
to-morrow, with a train of artillery, so that the coun-
try need not be under the least apprehensions from
such a parcel of wretches, who have been so long on
board, and whom the most exaggerating account does
not make to exceed one thousand men.
23 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
" On the arrival of the news in this town, Cornet
Scott, Mr. William Ogle, Mr. Corry, and the other
gentlemen of thivS place, immediately assembled at the
market-house, and got the militia under arms, and
though we, as a maritime town, dare not send off our
militia for fear of a surprise from an enemy that must
be desperate, yet the gentlemen earnestly recommended
to any young gentlemen who would chuse to do so, to
go and assist our brethren in this critical conjuncture,
and immediately Mr. Thomas Warring, Mr. Andrew
Thompson, Mr. James Ogle, Mr. John Hutchinson,
Mr. Wier, Mr. Boyde, Mr. Braddock and many more
marched off, and were follovv ed by above eighty brave
fellows; it would be doing injustice to merit not to
mention Mr. Adam Maitland on this important occa-
sion, he has exerted himself in an extraordinary man-
ner, and was as far as Drogheda yesterday, to solicit
arms, &c., from the government, and stopped on hear-
ing the succours were on their march ; loyal 'Squire
Johnson of Treymont, went through this country from
house to house, and collected together every one who
had a weapon, whom he entertained at his own house,
and conducted the French prisoners into this town at
their head, together with a party of gentlemen who
went to Ban-bridge to receive them ; the same worthy
gentleman marched to-day at the head of his intrepid
lads to Carrickfergus.
" I have no more to add, but confess it is a hard task
to do justice to the merit of every party vying with
each other, who shall exert themselves most upon
CAPTAIN TIIUROT. 33
this important occasion; the Roman catholic gentle-
men have offered to give tlieir wives and cliildren as
hostages of their loyalty at this time, and offered to
march, if the government will please to entrust them
with arms, along with their fellow subjects against the
common enemy ; I can assure the public of the truth
of the following, viz. that the priest of this parish
offered his own horse, bridle and saddle, together with
daily pay, to any young protestant lad that would
march down to Carrickfergus.
" On the first intelligence of the landing of the
French, nothing could exceed the alacrity of the
Rich-Hill, Market-Hill, Armagh, Lurgan, and War-
ringstown militia, who immediately marched for Bel-
fast; the Rich-Hill militia were conducted by the
honourable colonel Richardson of the said town.
" We hear they have broken down one of the long
bridges of Belfast, to prevent any surprise from the
county of Down side, as the enemy might easily pass
over the bay from Carrick to Holliwood, and surprise
them from that quarter : the gentlemen of Belfast
behaved in an extraordinary manner on this occasion,
the most considerable of them takes the meanest militia
man into his own house, and entertains him at his own
table.
" The Rev. Mr. Cherry of Taudragee, has set a
pattern worthy of imitation, who has marched down
at the head of sixty brave fellows of his congregation ;
and the Rev. Mr. Michael Henry, of Drumbanagher
has the same number ready to march, only waiting for
D
34 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
arms ; and the Rev. Mr. Hacket of the said parish, is
industriously encouraging the youths of his congre-
gation, to embark in the same glorious cause."
The following passages will set the wisdom, bra-
very, and at the same time consternation of the Irish
in a proper light :
Dublin, Feb. 23, 1760.
" Yesterday morning, a little before eleven o'clock,
an account was received that a body of French, sup-
posed to be about a thousand men, were landed at
Carrickfergus, on Thursday morning. Immediately
upon the receipt of this intelligence, his Grace the
Lord-Lieutenant gave orders for the assembling with
the utmost expedition at Newry, four regiments of
infantry, viz. Pole's, Anstruther's, Sandford's, and
Sebright's ; and the three rigiments of dragoons, viz.
Mostyn's, Yorke's, and Whitley's ; and his Grace made
no doubt, that should the French be hardy enough to
hazard themselves at any distance from their ships, the
troops he should be able to get together in a very few
days, will be more that sufficient to protect the coun-
try from any violence, and to drive them out of the
kingdom. And this morning, at half past seven, a
farther account was received, that lieutenant-colonel
Jennings had suffered himself, with four companies of
major-general Strode's regiment under his command at
Carrickfergus, to be made prisoners of war : and that,
on the twenty- second, in the morning, about eight
o'clock, a flag of truce came to Belfast, and made a
demand of several articles of provision, and other
CAPTAIN THUROT. 35
necessaries, to be delivered that day at two o'clock,
promising to pay for them ; and threatening, in case
of refusal, to burn Carrickfergus, and afterwards to
come up and burn Belfast also ; with which demands
the gentlemen of Belfast thought it best to comply.
The French prisoners of war had been removed from
Carrickfergus and Belfast to Lisburn.
" Dublin, Feb. 24. This evening his Grace the Lord-
Lieutenant received the following letter from Major-
G-eneral Strode, dated at Belfast, Feb. 23, 1 760, at six
in the evening, viz.
" Information of Benjamin Hall, lieutenant and ad-
jutant of my regiment, who, this moment, arrived
here, on his parole, from Carrickfergus, in order to
get provisions for the officers and soldiers of my
regiment there, says, that on the twenty-first instant,
three ships appeared off the isle of Magee, standing
in shore, for the Bay of Carrickfergus ; and at eleven
o'clock came to an anchor, about two miles and a half
to the north-east part of the castle, and within mus-
quet shot of the shore at Killrute-point. At this time
the small number of troops belonging to the garrison
were at exercise, about half a mile on the road to
Belfast ; and at a quarter after eleven o'clock, the
guard was turned out, made up, and marched off, to
relieve that on the French prisoners in the castle ;
the rest of the men continued in the field of exercise,
where an account was soon brought, that the three
ships, just come to an anchor, had taken and detained
two fishing boats, and, with them and several others.
o6 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
were plying on and off betwixt the shore and the
ships ; on which immediate orders were sent to the
castle for both guards to continue under arms, and
double centries over the French prisoners, and be
particularly strict and watchful over them, till such
time as they could be satisfied whether they were
friends or enemies ; though, at the same time, a strong
report prevailed with some, that it was an English
frigate, and two store-ships: but to be convinced what
they were, after the troops had assembled in the
market-place, the said Lieutenant Hall, went off with
a reconnoitring party, and took post on a rising ground,
where he could plainly perceive eight boats landing
armed men, and that they drew out in detachments,
and took post on the dykes, hedges, and all the rising
grounds, from whence they could have most extensive
views; upon which he gave the necessary orders to his
non-commissioned officers and men, to have a watch-
ful eye of their approaches, and to take particular
care they did not get round them, by going at the foot
of the hill undiscovered : in order to prevent which,
he posted them himself, and told them, as soon as ever
the advance guard came within shot, to fire at them,
and continue so to do, until they repulsed them, or if
necessitated, to retreat, he likewise pointed that out to
them, with orders to take every opportunity, on ad-
vantage of the ground, in their retreat, to retard the
enemy's approach, and to be sure to keep a communi-
cation with the town as much as possible ; and on this
he immediately went to the town, and acquainted
CAPTAIN THUROT. 37
Lieutenant Colonel Jennings, where he found him
with the troops on the parade, who immediately ordered
detachments to be made to defend the gates of the
town, and all the avenues leading thereto. Soon after
which the reconnoitring party retired, after having
spent all their ammunition ; during which time, the
Lieutenant Colonel and chief magistrate of the town,
sent off the sheriff, and Mr. Mucklevvaine, (who is
captain of the militia of the corporation), with orders
to take off the French prisoners of war, and convey
them with all speed to Belfast, where they were to
receive further orders from me. By this time the
enemy were in full march for the town, which he
computed to be near one thousand men ; and two or
three straggling hussars, on horses they had picked up
after landing, attempted to enter the gates ; but on the
first fire retired, but were soon supported by parties of
foot, who attacked both the North and Scotch gates,
as also the garden walls of Lord Donnegall, who were
repulsed also, and kept back as long as the men had
ammunition ; on which Colonel Jennings ordered the
whole to retire to the castle ; which he had sufficient
time to do, as at this time the enemy was a little
checked from our fire ; and would have been more so,
had the men had ammunition. Before the gates of the
castle were shut, they made their appearance in the
market-place; and then it was in his opinion, the
destruction of the enemy would have commenced, had
it not been still (he begs leave again to observe) the
then di'eadful want of ammunition, notwithstanding;
38 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
the supply of powder they had a few days before, from
Belfast, by my order, but were in want of ball, and
even time, if they had that, to make them up ; from
which the enemy, finding our fire so cool, attacked the
gates sword in hand, which, from the battering of the
shot on both sides, the bolts Avere knock'd back, and
the gates opened, and the enemy marched in ; but
Lieutenant Colonel Jennings, Lord Wallingford, Cap-
tain Bland, Lieutenant Ellis, with some gentlemen,
and about fifty men, repulsed the enemy, and beat
them back. Here it was he saw great resolution in a
few Irish boys, who defended the gate, after it was
opened, with their bayonets ; and those from the Half
moon, after their ammunition was gone, threw stones
and bricks. Had this attack of the enemy been sup-
ported with any degree of courage, they must cer-
tainly have succeeded in it, but they retired back under
cover, leaving the gates open with our men in the
front of it, which gave them a short time to consider
what was the best to be done ; first to see the men's
ammunition, which, if they had had any, would have
certainly sallied, and even so without it, had not
Colonel Jennings, and all the officers thought the
enterprize too hazardous. Then they considered, if
the gate could be defended, the breach in the castle
wall could not, it being near fifty feet long ; and having
but a short time to deliberate, all agreed a parly should
be beat, and Lieutenant Hall sent out to know on what
terms they might surrender; which was accordingly
CAPTAIN THUROT. 89
done ; and on his going out, found the greatest part of
the enemy under shelter of the old walls and houses
before the castle-gate ; and after the usual ceremony, .
demanded of the Commandant, (the General being
wounded), what terms would be given the troops on
their surrender, and at the same time sent the drum to
call Colonel Jennings out of the castle, in order to
treat with the French Commandant on articles of
capitulation, which, he says, as well as he can re-
member, were as follows : viz.
" Colonel Jennings demanded, that the troops should
march out with all the honours of war, and the offi-
cers to be on their parole in Ireland, and not be sent
prisoners to France ; the soldiers also to stay in Ireland,
and that an equal number of French prisoners should
be sent to France, within one month, or as soon after
as ships could be got ready for that purpose. Granted.
" That the castle of Carrickfergus should not be
demolished, or any of the stores destroyed or taken
out of it. Granted.
" That the town and county of Carrickfergus should
not be plundered or burnt, on condition the mayor and
corporation furnished the French troops with neces-
sary provisions. Granted.
" This, as well as he can remember, was the verbal
articles agreed on, though on writing them, the French
Commandant, after consulting his principal officers,
declared he could not by any means, answer to his
master, the French king, granting to his Britanic-
40 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
Majesty the stores in the castle, which he insisted
upon ; and Colonel Jennings, to his great grief, had it
not in his power to refuse, declaring solemnly, at the
same time, with a grave countenance, that he had
rather have been buried in the ruins. To which the
French Commandant replied, that he could not insert
it in the articles of capitulation, yet he would give his
word and honour, and did so, that if there was nothing
of great value in the castle, belonging to the king,
besides powder, he would not touch it, (which there
really was not) but how far he will keep his promise
is not yet known. Likewise the magistrates of Car-
rickfergus, not furnishing the French with necessary
provisions, they plundered the town, declaring it was
their own fault, as they were convinced they had it in
their own power to supply them, as they had found
enough in the town afterwards.
" Mr. Hall further informs me, that he has discovered
by some of the French, there was a disagreement
betwixt their General and Captain Thurot, the Gene-
ral being for the attack of Carrick, and Thurot for
landing at the Whitehouse, and attacking Belfast. He
likewise judged the frigates to be, one of forty guns,
the other two about twenty each.
" Lieutenant Hall begs leave to present his duty to
your Grace, and hopes your Grace will excuse any
inaccuracy that may be in his description, as he was
no ways provided with any papers, but his memory,
and often interrupted by numbers of gentlemen of the
CAPTAIN TIIUROT. 41
militia, wlio were crowding perpetually in the room to
receive orders."
" I beg leave to subscribe myself,
"My Lord, &c.
" Will. Strode."
Belfast, Feb. 2.3, 1760.
Besides this, I do not think there is anything to be
depended upon that we have heard, every one knows
of the engagement which ensued between his Majes-
ty's ships and those of Thurot's little squadron, upon
his leaving Ireland ; and of this engagement no account
can be so faithful, as that to be found in the following:
Copy of a letter from Captain Elliott, of his Majesty's
ship -ffiolus, to Mr. Cleveland, dated in Ramsey
Bay, in the Isle of Man, the 29th of February,
1760.
" Please to acquaint the Right Hon. my Lords Com-
missioners of the Admiralty, that on the 24tli instant
I received information at Kinsale, from his Grace the
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, that there were three
ships of the enemy's at Carrickfergus. The same
evening I sailed with his Majesty's ship under my
command, together with the Pallas and Brilliant, in
quest of them. I made the entrance of Carrickfergus
on the evening of the 26th, but could not get in, the
wind being contrary, and very bad weather. On the
28th, at four in the morning, we got sight of them,
and gave chace. About nine I got up along-side their
commodore, (off the Isle of Man), and in a few minutes
42 MEMOIRS OF THE FAMOUS
after the action became general, and lasted about
an hour and half, when they all three struck their
colours. They are, the Marshal Bellisle of forty-four
guns, and five hundred and forty -five men, including
troops, M. Thurot commander, who is killed ; the La
Blond of thirty-two guns, and four hundred men,
commanded by Captain La Kayce; and the Terpsi-
chore of twenty-six guns, and three hundred men,
commanded by Captain Desrauaudais. I put into this
road to repair the ships, who are all much disabled in
their masts and rigging, the Marshal Bellisle in par-
ticular, who lost her boltsprit, mizen-mast, and main-
yard in the action, and it was with great difficulty we
prevented her sinking.
" It is with the greatest pleasure I acquaint their
Lordships that the officers and men of his Majesty's
ehips behaved remarkably w^ell on this occasion.
" I shall use the greatest dispatch in getting the ships
refitted, and purpose returning to Plymouth, or some
other port in England, as soon as possible, if I do not
receive their Lordships' directions before the ships are
got ready.
" Inclosed is an account of the killed and wounded
on board his Majesty's ships.
" I am, &c.
"John Elliott."
Killed. Wounded.
^olus - - 4 lo
Pallas . - 1 5
Brilliant - - 11
CAPTAIN THUROT. 43
" N.B. I find it impossible to ascertain the number of
the enemy killed and wounded, but bj the best ac-
counts I can get they amount to about three hundred."
As to Thurot's person, it was rather robust than
genteel, and he was rather comely than handsome;
very brown, and extremely florid ; he was about six or
seven and thirty years old, and had a very small scar
under his left eye, which was rather an advantage to
him than otherwise. This, I think, is a faithful pic-
ture of him, unless he was much altered from the time
I saw him, till he was killed.
There were several bales of merchandize found on
board his ships, particularly linens; however, I am
well assured that he paid for every thing he had in
Ireland, as well as he was able ; but it might, and no
doubt was, a thing impossible to restrain the rapacity
of his people.
He behaved with the greatest bravery imaginable ;
had lost one of his arms near an hour, and received
his death wound above half an hour before he quitted
the deck.
While he lived, he insisted on the ship being fought:
but as soon as the breath was out of his body, the
whole squadron struck.
Nothing could equal the courage of Captain Elliot,
his Majesty's commander, but his humanity ; he would
not suffer any thing to be touched in Thurot's ship,
made sacred by his dead body: Alexander himself did
not more bewail the death of Darius than Captain
Elliot did the loss of Thurot.
44 MEMOIRS OF CAPTAIN THUROT.
As soon as the shattered ships got to the Isle of
Man, Thurot's body was taken on shore, and embalmed,
after which he was buried with all those military hon-
ours which his courage and conduct so well deserved ;
and Captain Elliot gave all his officers liberty to
attend his funeral, himself walking in the procession.
Thus fell the brave Thurot !— a mirror of the fickle
state of human affairs, and an example to all men,
particularly those in a military capacity, by what steps
to gain the height of favour among friends, and re-
spect among enemies.
FIKIS.
London : Richards, St. Martin's Lane.
POPULAR SONGS,
ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE FRENCH
INVASIONS OF IRELAND.
PART II.
CAPTURE OF CARRICKFERGUS BY THUROT IN 1760.
EDITED, WITH INTRODUCTIONS AND NOTES, BY
T. CROFTON CROKER.
f^e if}ai ©nglonti tDouIlr toin,
IHust toiti^ Jlrelanl) first teqin.
Old Prove?!).
Mais il ne considere I'lrlande qne comme le chemin de Londres.
Li/e of General Hoche.
LONDON:
PRIiNTED FOR THE PERCY SOCIETY,
Jty T. RICHARDS, 100, ST. MARTIN'S LANE.
M.DCOC.XLVI.
COUNCIL
Wi)t ^errp ^on'etp.
President,
The Rt. Hon. LORD BRAYBROOKE, F.SA.
THOMAS AMYOT, Esq. F.R.S. Treas S.A.
WILLIAM HENRY BLACK, Esq.
J. PAYNE COLLIER, Esq. F.SA.
BOLTON CORNEY, Esq.
T. CROFTON CROKER, Esq. F.S.A., M.R I.A.
J. H. DIXON, Esq.
FREDERICK WILLIAM FAIRHOLT, Esq. F.SA.
JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S., F.SA.,
WILLIAM JERDAN, Esq M.R.S.L.
CAPTAIN JOHNS, R.M.
J. S. MOORE, Esq.
T. J. PETTIGREW, Esq F R.S., F.S.A.
JAMES PRIOR, Esq. F.S.A.
WILLIAM SANDYS, Esq F.S A.
THOMAS WRIGHT, Esq. M.A., F.S.A., Secretary
and Treaxttrcr.
PKEFACE.
In the advertisement prefixed to the fifty-fourth
issue of the Percy Society, in February 1845, it is
stated, that the reprint of a memoir of Thurot
was to be considered as an introduction to such
songs as the editor could collect, illustrative of
the capture of Carrickfergus by the French in
1760. To the account given in this memoir, a
general sketch of the state of affairs previous to,
and at this period, may not be unacceptable,
gleaned from the London Gazette^ the Annual
jRegister, John Wesley's Journal^ and Mac
Skimin's R'utory of CarricJcfergus ; verified by
some additional particulars, from original official
documents in the records of the Admiralty office,
and manuscript letters from Captain Elliot and
the officers of his squadron, which latter have been
most kindly communicated to the editor by Mr.
Robert Cole, of Token-house Yard.'^" From the col-
* Viz. :—
3 letters from Captain John Elliot, dated 11 March 1760,
29 May, and 14 August 1761.
VI
lation of these materials, some important errors
in dates are rectified, and a few details preserved
that may now be regarded as possessing historical
interest.
During the Spring, Summer, and Autumn of
1 759) active preparations were going forward at
most of the ports of France, for an invasion of
the British dominions. Thurot was appointed to
the command of a small squadron fitting out at
Dunkirk, which consisted of
guns.
sailors.
soldiers.
Le Marechal Belleisle
-
48
200
400
La Blond
-
-
36
200
400
Terpsichore
-
-
24
60
70
Begon
-
-
36
200
400
Ainaranthe -
-
-
24
40
100
With 2 Cutters
as Tender
s.
and which force, according to the rumour of the
day, was destined to effect a landing in Scotland.
The design against England, report stated, was
to have been carried into effect, by the transport
of troops from Havre, and other parts of Nor-
2 letters from Captain Jas. Loggie, 12 and 15 Nov. 1761.
1 ditto „ Lieut. Peter Forbes, 29 March 1 760.
1 ditto „ Thos. Pasley, Dd. Jefferson^ and Wm. Shan-
non.
1 ditto „ Mr. Lewis Brown, 10 March 1760.
1 ditto „ Mr. John Wilson, 13 March 1760.
Messrs. Innes and Hope's account with Captain Elliot,
22 Oct. 1761.
Vll
mandy, in " flat-bottomed boats," which, as the
editor hopes to be able to shew by an illustration
in part III, were the ''bugaboos" of popular
opinion in all invasions from France. The third
descent was to have been made upon the South
of Ireland, from Vannes in Lower Brittany,
where a considerable body of troops were assem-
bled under the command of the Duke d'Aiguillon,
the governor of that province ; and the transport
of these troops was to have been protected by a
formidable fleet of ships of war, which had been
fitted out at Brest, and wa^ commanded by M.
de Conflans. " Had this design," observes the
writer in the Annual Register^ " been such as it
was represented, and had it been put into ex-
ecution, there is no doubt, that such an attempt
upon both kingdoms at three different places at
once, must have thrown the whole into no small
confusion/'
Dunkirk was watched by a squadron under
Commodore Boys, which however Thurot con-
trived to evade. Admiral E-odney bombarded
Havre. Hawke blocked up the harbour of Brest,
and with a small squadron kept a watch on that
of Vannes.
After the defeat experienced by the French at
the battle of Minden, greater exertions were used
to forward the projected invasion.
VIU
The winter did not delay the operations at
Vannes, as it was hoped that season would
compel the English squadron to retire, and indeed
a violent storm did oblige Sir Edward Hawke to
quit his station off Brest, and with his fleet to
anchor in Torbay. On the 14th November, the
French fleet under Conflans sailed. On the
same day Hawke put to sea ; and a general
action took place on the 20th November : now
remembered as Hawke's victory.
On the 15th October,* Thurot with his small
squadron, favoured by a hazy night, got out of
Dunkirk, and after touching at Ostend, sailed
the next evening for Gottenburg, where they
arrived on the 26th, and after procuring supplies
of provisions and other stores there, put to sea
on the 14th November, the same day with
Conflans and Hawke. A strong gale dispersed
Thurot's squadron in the night between the 15th
and 16th, and four of his vessels only joined
company the next day. The Begon had received
so much damage that she was compelled to return
to Dunkirk; and was supposed to have foundered.
On the 1 7th, his squadron anchored at Bergen in
Norway, where they remained until the 5th
* The Annual Register for 1760 says the 5th, Thurot's
Memoir the 22nd : both are wrong.
IX
December, when they weighed and steered north-
ward, and from the 14th to the 27 th, were beating
about within sight of the Fero Islands, but
without being able to make them.
A general council was called on the 1st
January, when it was resolved that each man's
allowance should be reduced to ten ounces of
biscuit, and half a septier of wine or spirits per
day. Notwithstanding this regulation they had
no more biscuit left than would serve them to the
14th, and of wine and spirits only to the 1st of
February. It was then determined to steer the
first fair gale for Londonderry, as Thurot's in-
structions were to attempt the capture of that
town, but if the winds continued contrary, he was
to sail for France.
On Saturday the 1 6th February, Thurot's ship
appeared on the north-east coast of Islay : when
tw^o of the islanders, named Macneil and Mac-
donald went oft* in a small boat, believing the
vessel to be English, and in want of a pilot. At
this time the Belleisle had been seriously strained
by the stormy weather, and was so leaky that two
pumps were constantly kept going, and sometimes
all the six together. Macneil and Macdonald
were introduced into Thurot's cabin, where they
found him with ten or twelve officers at dinner.
Wine and glasses were placed before the visitors ;
Thurot and a gentleman who acted as interpreter
to the land officers alone, spoke in English. And
here it was that Thurot first heard of the defeat
of Conflans by Hawke, which was told him by
Mr. Macdonald. Thurot gave no credit to the
fact, until Macdonald shewed him the account
in a Magazine, which he had in his pocket.
When this w^as communicated to the other par-
ties at the dinner table, they are said to have
" hung down their heads and laid down their
knives and forks." After a short conversation
about the safety of the anchorage, Mr. Macneil
was desired to go ashore, and tell the country
people that they had nothing to fear, and that all
that would be required was some fresh provisions,
to be paid for in ready money. But Mr. Mac-
donald, in consequence of his possessing a printed
account of Hawke's victory, was retained on
board the Belleisle for some days, during which
time he was treated with the utmost politeness.
On Sunday the 1 7th February, a council of
war, of the land and sea officers, was held in the
great cabin of the Belleisle, at which Mac-
donald was present. According to his report, this
council consisted of thirteen members, of whom
eleven gave their opinion for plundering, burning,
and destroying the country.
" Thurot and one other only were of a differ-
XI
ent opinion, and spoke with some warmth against
the majority. He told them they might, if they
pleased, go ashore, but swore that not a man of
them should ever set foot on board the Belleisle,
if they were guilty of the smallest irregularity ;
and at length he brought from his trunk the
French king's orders, which expressly forbid their
committing any hostilities, unless they met with
opposition in Scotland."*'
Previous to this declaration, it would appear,
that Thurot had denied to Mr. Macdonald, all
knowledge of an act of aggresson, committed by
the long boats of the Belleisle, upon the night
when that vessel anchored in Claggencarrock
Bay, when two sloops were plundered, from one
of which, belonging to Mr. Macdonald, five tons
of flour had been taken, and in payment for which
Thurot insisted on his receiving fifty guineas,
Macdonald's reply was, " that the flour was
overpaid, being somewhat damnified before.''
Upon this, Thurot remarked, " that it was good
enough for those who were to eat it," and added,
" that no good merchant should spoil his own
market."
After the council of war broke up, Thurot
landed, and entered into a negociation with
Mr. Campbell of Ardmore, respecting the purchase
of some live cattle, poultry, and corn ; and so far
Xll
amicably arranged matters that about 200 soldiers
were allowed to land to bring off the supply of
provisions his little squadron so much required.
Respecting the condition of these soldiers, a con-
temporary writer says, " these poor creatures
had no sooner touched dry land, than with their
bayonets they fell to digging up herbs and every
green thing they met with, at length they came
to a field of potatoes, which they very eagerly dug,
and after shaking off the earth, and wiping them
a little on their waistcoats, eat them up, raw as
they were, with the greatest keenness." Forty-
eight head of cattle were procured for the general
supply, and seven sacks of barley in grain were
sent on board each vessel, with a quern or hand-
mill to grind it.
Thurot quietly embarked, after presenting
Mr. Macdonald with a handsome double-bar-
reled fuzee, valued at twelve or fifteen guineas.
When Mr. Campbell complained to Thurot that
the commissary of the land-forces had valued his
cattle at twenty shillings a head, and had given
him a bill on the French resident at the Hague
for that amount; Thurot replied that the bill
was not w^orth a farthing ; and ordered the officer,
after upbraiding him for his attempt to cheat an
honest gentleman, to value the cattle at fifty
shillings a head, to pay down fifty guineas in part,
Xlll
which was all the English gold he had, and to
draw a bill for the remainder on the French king's
banker at Paris, which Thiirot assured Mr. Camp-
bell was good money, even though the banker
should not honour it, for that the commissary-
general was rich, and might easily be forced to
pay it, if the other party should refuse. " Every
other thing they got," it is stated, " was paid for
in ready money.""
On the morning of Thursday the 21st February,
Thurot's squadron, reduced by the desertion of
the Amarinthe to three frigates, appeared off the
Island of Magee, standing in shore for the Bay of
Carrickfergus ; where, at eleven o'clock, they came
to anchor, scarcely distant three miles from the
town, and within musket-shot of the point of
Kilroot. The small garrison of Carrickfergus
consisted of four companies of the 62nd regiment,
which did not amount to 150 men, who were, at the
moment, exercising in a field half a mile from the
town, on the Belfast road. At a quarter after
eleven the guard was turned out, made up, and
marched to relieve the guard on the French pri-
soners in the castle; an old and ruinous fortifica-
tion built upon a rock which adjoins the town,
and projects into the Bay. The rest of the men
continued in the field, where intelligence soon
arrived that three ships, which at first were taken
XIV
for Indiamen and then for an English frigate and
two store ships, had seized a couple of fishing
boats, and with these boats and several others
were plying between the shore and the ships, land-
ing soldiers. An order was immediately des-
patched to the castle, by lieutenant colonel
Jennings, the commanding officer, for both guards
to continue under arms, and to double the sentries
over the French prisoners, with directions to be
particularly strict and watchful upon them, until
it could be ascertained whether the disembarking
troops were friends or enemies. The garrison
soldiers, most of whom were recruits, then marched
from the exercise field to the market-place of
Carrickfergus, and the adjutant. Lieutenant Ben-
jamin Hall was despatched with a small party to
reconnoitre. From the rising ground upon which
he posted himself, Mr. Hall observed eight boats
landing armed men, who formed in detached bodies
and took up the most advantageous positions they
could find. " My daughter," said Mrs. Cobham
to John Wesley, " came running in and said,
* Mamma, there are three Indiamen come into the
bay, and I suppose my brothers are come in them'
(who had been in the East Indies for some time).
An hour afterwards, she came in and cried, ' Oh,
mamma, they say they are Frenchmen ; and they
XV
are landing, and their guns glitter in the sun." "
After posting his little party, Lieutenant Hall left
them, with instructions to fire upon the French
troops as they advanced and to retard their pro-
gress as much as possible, and he hurried back to
Carrickfergus, to inform Colonel Jennings that
there could be no doubt of the hostile intention of
the body of men just landed, whom he estimated
at one thousand. Detachments were immediately
made for the defence of the town and the ap-
proaches to it : the French prisoners of war were
instantly marched off to Belfast in charge of the
sheriff, and escorted by forty townsmen under
the command of Mr. James Mucklewaine, or
Mcllwain ; and the Mayor ( Willoughby Chaplin)
requested Colonel Jennings to inform him what
his instructions were with respect to defending
Carrickfergus. The Colonel is traditionally said
to have coolly received the demand of the
mayor by the offer of a pinch of snuff, which
being impatiently accepted by his worship, and
after taking a huge one himself, he laconically
replied to the question, ^^Fiddle-de-deP The mayor
demanded a more distinct answer, when Colonel
Jennings said that, considering the smallness of
the force at his disposal, not one hundred and
fifty men, and as had been reported to him the
numerical superiority of the enemy, together with
XVI
the ruinous state of the castle, he deemed resist-
ance rather unnecessary. But the valiant mayor,
with no doubt the memory of the fame of the
defence of Londonderry in his mind, notwith-
standing that there was a breach in the castle
wall towards the sea of fifty feet, that it did not
possess a single cannon mounted, and that there
were only a few rounds of ball cartridge for the
soldiers, regarded the Castle of Carrickfergus as
impregnable, and angrily insisted upon resistance,
accompanied by the threat of reporting the con-
duct of Colonel Jennings to the government, if
he declined the defence; and it would appear from
the London Gazette (No. 9978) that some such
communication was actually made, as it is there
chronicled, in the official document which records
the capture of Carrickfergus, that " Lt.-Colonel
Jennings had suffered himself with four companies
of Major-GreneraFs Strode's regiment to be made
prisoners of war."
Upon the mayor's declaration. Colonel Jen-
nings retired into the castle, and aware of the
want of sufficient stores there, for any serious op-
position, made the best preparations in his power
for a temporary stand, and his small force was
joined by the mayor, Lieutenant Hercules Ellis,
and a few other zealous and loyal inhabitants ;
and here it is only rio-ht to state, in using the
XVll
word loyal, that there was no mark whatever of
disaffection among the inhabitants of Carrick-
fer^us at the period of this surprise.
The French advanced against the town in two
bodies, one marching up to the East, or Water
Gate, by what is called the Scotch Quarter, the
other crossing the fields to —
THE NORTH GATE.
Twelve soldiers and a corporal were posted on
the wall. They fired upon the advancing enemy,
when General Flaubert fell, his leg having been
broken by a musket ball, and he was carried into
the house of Mr. James Craig. The next in
command, traditionally said to have been " the
young Marquis D'Estrees," then led on the divi-
sion, and entered the High Street by the Water
Gate, where after a few shots had been fired, it
h
XVlll
was joined in the market-place by the division
that had forced its way down North Street with
the loss of an officer and several men. The small
party of the 62nd, by whom the town walls were
defended, having expended all their ammunition,
four rounds, retired into the castle. During the
firing, in the High Street, between the advanced
division and the retreating English soldiers, a
child, the son of Mr. John Seeds, the sheriff, ran
between the conflicting parties, which, the Marquis
D'Estrees observing, took the boy up in his arms,
and seizing a musket from a soldier, who had
just fired it, sledged in with the butt end the
door of a house in the High Street, which hap-
pened to be that of the child^s father, and after
placing him in the hall, immediately returned to
resume hostilities. The child was subsequently
Dr. Thomas Seeds, of the Royal Navy, by whom
the Editor was told the circumstance, which is
mentioned by Mac Skimin as a " tradition of old
inhabitants.'^
The united divisions proceeded from the market-
place against the castle, in the most determined
manner, and readily forced the outward gate,
which had not been properly secured by the re-
tiring party of the 62nd. Although the num-
ber of men within the Castle of Oarrickfergus
amounted only to one hundred and sixty-two, and
XIX
the Frencli force was estimated at between seven
and eight hundred, they were received with so
warm a fire, that they retreated with some loss,
especially that of their humane and gallant leader,
the Marquis D'Estrees, who is described " as a
remarkably fine-looking man."" Upon the gate
being forced open he was the first to enter; " at
which time he was observed to kiss a miniature
picture that he took from his bosom." Upon his
fall, the French troops which he had headed, took
up position under cover of the adjoining houses,
and an old wall, north of the castle, when Colonel
Cavenac immediately assumed the command, and
formed for the assault. Perceiving this movement,
and the ammunition of the besieged being nearly
exhausted, it was determined by them to beat a
parley and capitulate upon honorable terms, sti-
pulating that the town should not be plundered.
The number of troops who surrendered, amounted to
10 officers, 11 sergeants, 10 corporals, 5 drummers,
and 102 rank and file, of the garrison, there had
been 2 killed and 3 wounded. And in the en-
counter about 50 of the French were killed, among
whom were three officers; " They were buried,"
says MacSkimin, "close by the castle, in the ground
now (1829) occupied as a garden by the Ord-
nance storekeeper." This surrender,* which suited
the views of both parties, was followed by an
h2
XX
agreement to furnish the French troops with pro-
visions in six hours; but that could not be per-
formed, there not being a sufficient supply in the
town. " On this," says John Wesley in his Jour-
nal, " Mr.Cavenac sent for Mr. Cobham, and de-
sired him to go to Belfast and procure them,
leaving his wife with the general as a hostage for
his return. But the poor Frenchmen could not
stay for this. At the time prefixed, they began
to serve themselves with meat and drink, having
been in such want that they were glad to eat raw
oats to sustain nature. They accordingly took
all the food they could find, with some linen and
wearing apparel; but they neither hurt nor af-
fronted man, woman, or child, nor did any mis-
chief for mischief's sake, though they were suffi-
ciently provoked ; for many of the inhabitants af-
fronted them without fear or wit, cursed them to
their face, and even took up pokers and other
things to strike them."
The terms on which the garrison of Carrick-
fergus surrendered are given in the Memoirs of
Thurot. They are stated to have been signed
by Colonel Jennings and Colonel Dusulier, in the
house of William Wilkinson, in the High Street,
in the presence of Thurot, who " spoke English
fluently, and was very polite." The French offi-
cers invited the Mayor to dine with them. After
XXI
dinner, "the glass/' says Mac Skimin, "having
circulated freely, Thurot requested Mr. Chaplin
to sing a song; who, after some entreaties from
the different officers, complied; and sung, with
much spirit, * The British Grenadiers.' Thurot
heard him out with perfect good-nature; but some
of the officers who understood English were rather
ruffled." The French being masters of Oarrick-
fergus, guards were placed by them in the evening,
on the different roads leading into the town, and
sentinels on the houses of some of the principal
inhabitants. On the first alarm the more timid
fled ; those who remained, shut up their doors
and windows; and considering that some cases
of intoxication occurred among the French sol-
diers, it is surprising that so little damage was
done or plunder committed. When Wesley en-
quired of Colonel Cavenac, — (who had told him,
that being almost famished, having only one
ounce of bread per man daily, they had landed
merely to procure provisions,) — whether they had
a design to burn the town? he cried out, " Jesu
Maria ! we never had such a thought. To burn,
to destroy, cannot enter into the heart or head of
a good man.'"
That plunder to any great extent did not take
place, is proved by the Irish House of Commons
granting, on the 21st October following, only the
XXll
small sum of ^4285 12 0^, in full compensation
to the inhabitants of Oarrickfergus for their losses
by the French ; about £ 600 of which was after-
wards returned to the government. Among the
items was <^ 17 for the church plate. In June of
the next year, an additional £ 200, was paid to
Mr. John Campbell, Surgeon, for his losses.
Mac Skimin relates an anecdote, which al-
though it may establish his statement, " that
many houses were broken into, and despoiled of
their most valuable effects : and even the church
was robbed of its plate," tends to shew how
trifling this plunder must have been. " Two
French soldiers going into the house of an old
woman, called Mave Dempsey, one of them took
her silk handkerchief, and was putting it into his
pocket ; when Mave, who was a pious Roman
Catholic, presented her beads at him, doubtless
expecting that he would be struck with compunc-
tion by such a forcible appeal to his conscience.
' Ah !' said the soldier, with a significant shrug,
' dat be good for your soul — dis be good for my
body.' It was observed, that the French soldiers
never lost their national politeness.
" On one occasion, in taking a lady's ear-rings,
the soldier who requested to have them, made as
many bows, scrapes, and motions with his hand,
as one of our most consummate dandies on enter-
ing a drawing-room."
xxni
Nor is there any good evidence to fix the loss
of the church pUite on the French. For on the
morning of Friday, the day after the surrender of
Carrickfergus, it appears that John Hagan, the
mayor's servant, who had been hiding his master's
plate near lower Woodburn Bridge, was called
on by a sentinel to stand ; but hastening his pace,
he was fired at and shot.
In the course of Friday, the French liberated
most of the prisoners confined in the county of
Antrim goal. There was only one woman in the
prison of the county of the town of Carrickfergus,
charged with the murder of her child, and they
did not release her, " professing the utmost
detestation of the crime with which she stood
charged."
As the town of Carrickfergus could not produce
the required supply of provisions, the Rev. David
FuUerton, a dissenting clergyman, accompanied
by a French officer, proceeded to Belfast with a
flag of truce, and a letter to the sovereign of that
town : demanding provisions to the value of about
<£*1200, which it was stated would be paid for,
and threatening, if not immediately sent, to burn
both Belfast and Carrickfergus. The answer re-
turned was, that " their wishes would be complied
with as soon as possible;" and, in part of the de-
mand, two lighters were loaded on Friday evening,
XXIV
but the weather was so rough that they were
unable to sail. On Saturday morning, a flag of
truce was sent from Belfast to the French com-
mandant, to state the cause of the delay, and to
assure him that one lighter would, if possible,
proceed with the evening tide : this vessel did so,
but was stopped in Garmoyle by a tender com-
manded by Lieutenant Gentil. Intelligence having
reached Carrickfergus that armed parties had been
seen in motion, from the assembling of some militia,
and the expected supply of provisions not having
arrived, another flag of truce was despatched to
Belfast, with a letter from Mr. Fullerton to the
sovereign, acquainting him that if the provisions
were not forthcoming early next morning, the
French "would burn Carrickfergus, put the in-
habitants to the sword, and march to Belfast."
" These threats had the desired effect ; for
early on Sunday, some cars arrived from Belfast,
with part of the promised provisions, and a num-
ber of live bullocks, with which returned as drovers
some of the inhabitants who had guarded the
French prisoners to Belfast. The lighter that
had been detained, also arrived about the same
time, and the enemy were very busy this evening
in getting provisions and fresh water on board.
Monday they continued actively employed as
above, and evidently were in some confusion ; it
XXV
was believed they had received notice of the troops
marching against them."
On Tuesday, the last of the French force, which
consisted of volunteer drafts from regular regi-
ments,* embarked from the Quay of Carrick-
fergus, at four in the afternoon, taking with them
the Mayor, Mr. Spaight, port surveyor, and the
Rev. David Fullerton, as hostages for the de-
livery of the French prisoners. The latter
gentleman, being very unwell, was afterwards put
on shore at Kilroot.
They had scarcely left the town, when the
advanced guard of the English forces arrived
from Belfast, whither the following regiments had
been marched, with all speed from different parts
of the kingdom : Pole's (10th), Anstruther's
(26th), Sandford's (52nd), and Seabright's foot ;
with Mostyn's, Yorke's, and Whitley's (7th, 8th,
and 9th Light) Dragoons.
At four in the morning of the following
Thursday (28th) Captain Elliot's squadron got
sight of Thurot's ship, and gave chase.
* French Guards. Le Comte De Kersalls Commandant,
M. de Cavenac Colonel.
. Swiss Guards. Cassailas „
Regiment of Burgundy. De Roussilly „
„ Camkise. Frechcan „
Hussars Le Comte de Skcrdeck „
Volunteers Etrangcrs „
XXVI
The details of the action supplied by the logs
of these vessels are as follows: —
H. M. S. Mollis.—" Wednesday, 27th February
1760.— Wind W.N.W. and N.W. strong gales
and squally.
" 28th.— Wind N. by W. N.N.W. N. by E.N-
N.E.
"Aire point. Isle of Man. — S.S.E. ^ E. distance
2 miles. First part, strong gales and squally,
latter, moderate and clear weather. Wore ship
several times, by reason of the narrowness of the
channel, at 8 P.M. Mull of Galloway, E. by N. 7
miles. At 12 Copland Light, N.W. i N. 4 leagues,
at 3 A. M. discovered 3 sails to windward, cleared
ship and gave chase, at 6 discovered the chase to
be the enemy's, fired two chase guns, which they
returned ; at half past 6 got close along side the
largest of the enemy and engaged, and soon after
the action became general, and continued about
an hour and half, when our antagonist struck her
colours, as did the other two soon follow her
example. They proved to be the Marshall Bellisle,
Mon. Thurott commander, the La Blond, and
Terpsichore (being lockt with the M. Bellisle)
was obliged to let go our small B^ anchor to
clear us, slipt the cable and bore away for Ram-
sey Bay in the Isle of Man, to refit the ships
which were all greatly disabled in the action. We
XXVll
had 4 men killed, and 15 men wounded, the enemy
about 300 killed and wounded, amongst the first
was Mons. Thurott, Commodore, with several
officers of distinction."
"Friday 29. — Wind N.E. Moored in Eamsey
Bay. Light breezes and cloudy at 3 p.m. an-
chored in Ramsey Bay, B*- B'- and moored a
cable each way. It was with great difficulty we
kept the M. Bellisle from sinking, she having six
foot in the hold. A.M. employed repairing our
rigging &c.
"Saturday, March 1. — N.W. Moored in Ram-
sey Bay, ditto weather, sailed the Pallas with five
hundred prisoners for Belfast; employed fishing,
the masts being all wounded."
The log of the Brilliant, Captain James Loggie,
represents that vessel to be on the 28th February
distant three miles from the point of Air, in the Isle
of Man, S. E.^ S. At 8, when the enemy struck,
the Point, bearing S.E. by S. distant Tor 8 miles.
A Lieutenant and 30 men were put on board La
Blonde prize ; and the Pallas is recorded to have
sailed on the 1st for Ireland, with 550 prisoners.
Thelogofthe Pallas, Captain Michael Clements,
states that vessel to be on the 28 February 1 760,
with the Point of Air on the Isle of Man, S.E.
by E. distant 2 miles.
" First part, fresh gales and S(|ually, mid<llo
XXVUl
and latter moderate and fair, at 3 p.m. unbent
the mainsail, and bent another, at 4 a.m. saw
three strange ships on our weather bow, bearing
down upon us, cleared ship and gave them chase,
they hauled their wind for the Mull of Galloway, then
bore away right before it, at daylight were almost
within gun shot, out 8rd and 2nd reefs of the top
sails, got up top gallant yards, quarter past 6 the
^olus made the signal for engaging. They proved
to be the Marshal Bellisle, La Blond, and La
Terpsichore French frigates; half-past 6 began
to engage, and at 8 they struck. During the
engagement had one man killed and two wounded,
our sails and rigging very much damaged, one
shot through our main mast, and our best bower
anchor shot away, when they struck the Point of
Air on the Isle of Man, bore S.E. distant 8 or 4
miles, at 9, the jEoIus made the signal to anchor,
and bore away for Ramsay Bay, sent our first
lieutenant, a mate and nineteen men on board the
Terpsichore. At noon the Point of Air S.E. by
E. distance 2 miles, the Commodore made our
signal to stay by the Bellisle, she having made
the signal of distress."
2nd March — employed sending the prisoners
ashore to Carrickfergus.
Such are the meagre accounts supplied by the
official documents respecting this smart action; —
XXIX
nor do the private letters communicated by Mr.
Cole, furnish any anecdotes, as they are all most
business-like ; — one from the first lieutenant of
the ^olus to his agents, may serve as an
example.
" Portsmouth, 29 March 60.
" Gentlemen,
I received your favour of the 27 th
with pleasure, and am much obliged to you for
your good wishes in setting me down Commander
of the Bellisle ; I wish Lord Anson could be
brought to think as you do, I might then be
satisfy'd tho' with a much less ship ; my command
is yet very uncertain. As for the particulars you
desire to know, they really are soon told, for I
know no more than three English frigates en-
gaging three French and taking them. As for
making you part agents, was it in my power you
should have the whole, you shall be mine while
you think it worth while. I should by this post
send you up my journals, but wait to see whether
I may make them up for my whole time in the
-^olus, or a twelve month only.
** I am, Gentleman, with esteem,
" Your obliged humble servant,
P. Forbes."
Captain Elliot, after placing some of his men,
who were dangerously wounded, on shore in Ram-
XXX
sey, under the care of Mr. Thomas Gillespie,
surgeon of that place, dispatched the Pallas with
some of his prisoners to Carrickfergus, and hired
a small vessel for the transport of 200 more of
them to Whitehaven. On the 3rd of March the
Pallas returned from Carrickfergus, after landing
450 prisoners; and H. M. S. Nightingale and
Weazle having arrived in Ramsey Bay, 158 super-
numeraries and marine recruits were discharged
from them into the ^olus and Brilliant, for the
purpose of manning the three prizes, and with the
Pallas in company, the six frigates sailed on the
7th from Ramsey. On the 9th the wind changing,
Captain Elliot judged it right to bear away for
Kinsale, where he arrived with his little vic-
torious squadron on the 1 0th, and from whence he
proceeded to Spithead, where he anchored on the
25th March.
" The Irish House of Commons voted their
thanks to the several captains of His Majesty's
ships of war, who on the 28th February signalized
their courage and conduct, in pursuing, defeating,
and taking the French squadron, that rashly and
fruitlessly presumed to insult the coasts of that king-
dom ; expressing their high sense of the honour
and advantage accrued to that kingdom by their
diligence, bravery, and success ; and the dis-
couragement thereby given to such vain attempts
XXXI
for the future/' And likewise to lieutenant-
colonel Jennings, *'for his prudent and resolute
conduct at Carrickfergus, and for the gallant
stand he made there, against a much superior
force, by which he gained time for the militia to
assemble, and preserved Belfast from being plun-
dered."
'*Even this inconsiderable action,"'' says the
editor of the A nnual Register^ " added to the
glory of the English arms. None had been better
conducted, or fought with greater resolution.
This sole insult on our coasts was severely pun-
ished ; and not a vessel concerned in it escaped.*
The public indeed lamented the death of brave
Thurot, who, even whilst he commanded a pri-
vateer, fought less for plunder than honour; whose
behaviour was on all occasions full of humanity and
generosity ; and whose undaunted courage raised
him to rank and merited distinction. His death se-
cured the glory he always sought; he did not live
to be brought a prisoner into England, or to hear
* This was not the case, — the Begon, which was sup-
posed to have foundered, returned to Dunkirk, — and the
Amarinth, which had separated from Thiu*ot's squadron on
the 12th February, got back to France by the west of Ire-
land, and reached St. Malo on the 25th of that month ;
which port her crew entered " almost dead with fatigue,
hunger, and thirst."
XXXll
in France those malignant criticisms, which so
often attend unfortunate bravery. This was the
fate of the last remaining branch of that grand
armament, which had so long been the hope of
France, the alarm of England, and the object of
general attention to Europe.*"
T. C. C.
Hyde Park Gate, South,
Kensington Gore.
26th October 1846.
CAPTURE OF CARRICKFERGUS,
BY THUROT.
I.
hawke's victory.
The action between the English fleet, commanded by
Sir Edward Hawke, and the French fleet, by M. de
Conflans, off Quiberon Bay, saved the south of Ireland
from invasion, and probably the city of Cork from being
burned. On the 29th October 1759, the Duke of
Bedford, then Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, announced
to the House of Commons that Mr. Secretary Pitt had,
by his Majesty's express command, acquainted him that
it appeared " by repeated most authentic intelligences,
that France, far from desisting from the plan of in-
vasion on account of the disaster happened to her
Toulon squadron, is rather more and more confirmed
therein, and even instigated by despair itself, to attempt
at all hazards the only resource she seems to think
left her, for breaking, by such a diversion given us at
home, the measures of England abroad, in prosecution
of a war, which hitherto, by the blessing of God on
his Majesty's arms, opens in all parts of the world so
unfavourable a prospect to the views of France ; and
Mr. Secretary Pitt having added on this subject, that
there is a strong probability, in case of the body of
B
2 HAWKES VICTORY.
the troops, consisting of 18,000 men* under the com-
mand of the Due d'Aiguillon, assembled at Vannes,
where more than sufficient transports for that number
are actually prepared, and ready to receive them on
board, should (as the season of the year is growing less
favourable for cruising) be able to elude his Majesty's
squadrons, Ireland iHll not fail to he ons of their
objects y
Hawke's squadron, consisting of twenty-three ships
of the line, besides frigates, left Torbay ; and Confians's,
consisting of twenty-one ships of the line and several
frigates, left Brest on the same day, the 14th November
1759. But the French are said to have out-numbered
the English by 4270 men; and the engagement took
place, as already mentioned, on the 20th. Hawke
ordered his ship to reserve her fire, until laid along-
side that of Conflans ; the master remonstrated on the
almost inevitable danger of the coast. Hawke replied,
* In addition to this foi'ce, 7000 men are believed to have
been formed into five Irish and one Scotch brigade, who had
among themselves arranged for the division of the counties of
Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Clare, and Galway, and such parts of
the country where they expected to meet most friends. This was
probably the last movement in favour of the Pretender made
by France. Conflans, it is stated, was most assuredly ordered
to leave them there ; and the Duke, and those with him, were to
make a conquest of the whole island, or lose their lives in the
attempt. It is most certainly true, that the Duke d'Aiguillon
had then in his pocket a commission from the French king, as
viceroy of Ireland.
HAWKES VICTORY. 3
" You have done your duty in this remonstrance, now
obey my orders, and hiy me along -side the French
admiral." A French ship of 74 guns generously put her-
self between them. The English admiral was obliged
to bestow on her the fire he had reserved for a greater
occasion, and with one broadside sent her to the bottom.
The victory was for a considerable time doubtful ;
but at last was decided about four in the afternoon, by
the Formidable, of 80 guns and 1000 men, bearing
the flag of Rear-Admiral de St. Andre du Verger,
striking her colours. About the same time, the
Superbe and Thesee, each of 74 guns, sunk. The
Heros, another 74, struck, hauled down her colours,
and came to anchor, but it was blowing such a gale
of wind, that no boat could be sent to take possession.
The Soleil Royal (said to have been the finest ship
of the French navy), of 80 guns and 1200 men, com-
manded by Conflans, in the darkness of the night
came to anchor in the midst of Hawke's squadron ;
at day-break, Conflans ordered her cable to be cut,
and she drove on shore. Uawke no sooner saw the
French admiral, than he made a signal to the Essex,
of 60 guns, to slip her cable and follow, in doing
which, she ran on a sand-bank and was lost, together
with another ship of the British fleet, the Resolution,
of 74 guns; the crews, however, with the greater part
of the stores were saved, and the wrecks set on fire,
to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy.
In the mean time, the Soleil Royal lay beating on shore,
and the French perceiving the English preparing to
B 2
4 HAWKE S VICTORY,
destroy her, set her on fire. The English, therefore, re-
turned, and burned the Heros, which was also aground.
The Juste, another large French ship, was lost at the
mouth of the river Loire. Next morning, the storm
increased to such a degree, that seven of the French
fleet threw overboard their cannon and stores in order
to facilitate their escape.
In this important general action, the English had
only I lieutenant and 39 men killed, with 202 wounded.
Admiral Hawke was thanked by the English House of
Commons, in February 1760, for his services, and in
the following month was presented with the freedom
of the city of Cork in a gold box.
On the terrace of Rostellan, in Cork harbour, the
seat of the Marquis of Thomond, there stands, says
Sir Richard Hoare, in his Tour through Ireland (1806),
" a statue of Admiral Hawke, the position of which
rather surprised me, as the back of this celebrated
warrior was turned upon the very element on which
he had acquired such immortal honour. I was told
that the following circumstance gave rise to placing
the figure in this position. Upon the defeat of the
French fleet commanded by Conflans, in the year 1759,
the city of Cork ordered a statue to be cast of the
English Admiral Hawke; but on its completion, some
objections were made to the expense by the citizens ;
upon which, the noble Inchiquin said, ' that he would
pay for it,' which he did; and, as a rebuke, placed the
admirals figure on a pedestal, with his back turned
towards the ungrateful city. Mr. O'Brien, the present
HAWKE S VICTOKY.
inhabitant of the place, and who, on the death of the
Marquis of Thomond, succeeds to the earldom of
Inchiquin," continues Sir Richard Hoare, " told me a
most singular anecdote relating to this same statue,
and which in a less enlightened age than the present might
have been considered as ominous ; that the admiral's
right arm, which grasped a sword, fell off on the very-
day that the French landed on the coast of Ireland, at
Bantry Bay."
" This same statue" was blown down in the winter
of 1834-5, and, the Editor was told, has not been set
up again.
Two songs on Hawke's victory have already appeared
in a collection of The early Naval Ballads of England,
edited for the Percy Society by Mr. Halliwell, in 1841,
p. 131 and p. 134; but that entitled Neptune's Besig-
nation is again printed, as many of the readings differ
from the version preserved in Sir Richard Hoare 's
Tout, and which is the one here followed.
NEPTUNE S RESIGNATION.
The watery god, great Neptune, lay,
In dalliance soft, and amorous play,
On Amphitrite's breast ;
When uproar raised its horrid head,
His palace shook, the Tritons Hed,
And each his fear confess "d.
HAWKE S VICTORY.
Loud thunder shook his wide domain.
The liquid world was wrapt in flame,
The god amazed spoke —
" Ye winds go forth, and make it known,
Who dares to shake my coral throne,
And veil my realms in smoke?"
The winds submissive to his nod,
Sprung strongly up to obey their god,
And saw two fleets at sea;
The one, victorious Hawke! was thine,
The other, Conflans' broken line
In terror and dismay.
Amaz'd they saw Britannia's sons.
Destruction deal from all their guns,
Their conquering shouts resound ;
While vanquish'd Gallia's hapless slaves
Sunk to their deaths in briny graves,
Beneath the deep profound.
The winds return'd, and told their chief.
That France was ruin'd past belief,
And Hawke triumphant rode :
" Hawke!" Neptune cried, " why who is he.
Who thus usurps my power at sea.
And dares defy a god ? "
TIAWKE S VICTORY.
The winds replied, — " In distant lands,
There lives a king, who Hawke commands.
Who scorns all foreign force!
And when his floating castles roll,
From sea to sea, from pole to pole,
Great Hawke directs their course.
And when his winged bullets fly
To punish fraud and perfidy.
And scourge a guilty land.
Then gallant Hawke, serenely great.
Though death and horror round him wait,
Fulfils the dread command."
Neptune with wonder heard the story
Of George's power and Britain's glory,
Which time shall ne'er subdue ;
Boscawen's deeds and Saunders' fame.
Joined with brave Wolfe's immortal name^
And cried, " Can this be true ? "
" A king ! he needs must be a god.
Who has such heroes at his nod.
To govern earth and sea ;
I yield my trident and my crown, —
A tribute due to such renown, —
Great George shall rule for me ! "
THE STEGE
11.
THE SIEGE OF CARRICKFERGUS.
The late Mr. Mac Skimin, in his History of Carrick-
fergus (p. 88), having stated that, " Immediately after
[the capture of the town by the French], a ballad was
written and published here, by a William Magennis,
called The Siege of Carrickfergusr^ the Editor, in 1836,
requested hira to procure a copy of this ballad. In
reply, Mr. Mac Skimin wrote : " I send you the song
required, with the exception of the last verse, which
I still hope to obtain for you.f I could not procure a
printed copy, and the annexed was taken down from
an old man. It is, I believe, very correct, as I have
some recollection of most of the lines, having heard
the song when a boy. There was also another song
made regarding the French at Carrickfergus. I have
the greatest part of it, but it never was so popular as
the song I now send you, — perhaps, from its tune
being less lively. In 1760, there was a pamphlet
* Mr. Mac Skimin adds: "In 1764, a play was published in
Belfast, bearing the same title ; and in 1770, a pantomime was
presented on the Belfast stage, by the name of Thurot, or the Siege
of Carrickfergus."
t Mr. Mac Skimin subsequently sent to the Editor the sixth
and seventh verses.
OF CARRTCKFERGUS. 9
published at Belfast, respecting this invasion. 1 have
never been able to procure a copy, and have only met
with one person who had it."
The following ballad, Mr. Mac Skimin informed the
Editor, was sung to the well-known melody of " Haste
to the Wedding." It is here given, not after his manu-
script version, but after a copy, differing only slightly
from it, in " Johnson's Lottery Song Book, or Vocal
Adventurer, containing a choice collection of the most
admired Love, Hunting, and Bacchanalian Songs, that
are sung in the most polite circles ; with a number of
new, spirited, and genteel Toasts, Sentiments, and
Hob-nobs. London : printed for E. Johnson and Co.,
at their old Licensed State Lottery Of&ce, No. 4,
Ludgate Hill." The date of which publication is fixed
by an engraving resembling a lottery ticket, being
inserted opposite to the title page: —
"London, NO- 5ia 854, Lottery, 1779.
" I promise to sell the Bearer a State Lottery Ticket for
one shilling, if the above Number is the first drawn on Either
of the first five days ; and if it is the first drawn on the Tenth
Day, to sell the Bearer three State Lottery Tickets for three
shillings, which Tickets may be drawn prizes of Twenty
THOUSAND, TEN THOUSAND, AND FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS eacb.
" (Signed,) Johnson & Co.,
" At his Lottery Office, licensed by Fai'liament,
" No. 4, Ludgate Hill ;"
and to which is prefixed a portrait of " Mrs. Wrighten
of Drury Lane Theatre."
The communication of this Lottery Song Book to the
10 THE SIEGE
Editor, increases the obligations of the Percy Society
to Mr. Fairholt. Mr. Wright, our zealous Secretary,
has also placed in the Editor^s hands, a chap book
printed at Glasgow by J. and M. Robertson, Salt-
market, 1801, containing " The Siege of Carrickfergus,
or Thurot's defeat," to which are added other songs,
embellished with a rude wood-cut evidently designed
to represent the attack on Carrickfergus Castle. But
as by a printer's error, intentional or otherwise, no
less than nine verses of a ballad written with reference
to some different affair are strangely comingled after
the verse ending with " brave Captain Bland," and the
subsequent verse, it is only necessary here to mention
this copy, as one that has come under the Editor's
notice, and which he believes to be a rare printed
illustration of the manner in which information was
conveyed in Ireland and Scotland among those disaf-
fected to the English Government in 1798.
THE SIEGE OF CARRICKFERGUS.
From} Dunkirk, in France, in the month of September,
Fitted out was a fleet, and away they did sail ;
And" Monsieur Thurot, their onlif commander.
With him at their head they were sure not to fail.
So^ away they did steer, without dread or fear.
And searched and plunder'd all ships they could find ^
The readings given at foot are from Mr. Mac Skimin's MS.
1 At 2 under 3 chief 4 Then
5 The coasts all around. (The I'hj'me proves this to be cor-
rect, unless the eighth Hne, as probably originally written, ended
with "wind.")
OF CARRICKFEKGUS. 1 I
[Till"] at length they arriv'd on the coast of old Ireland.'
And landed their men on our Irish ground.
[It was'^] At Carrickfergus, in the north of this
kingdomy*
They landed their men and march 'd up to our walls;
Then cn/d the undaunted, brace, colonel Jennings,^'*
My boys, lefs^^ salute them with powder and balls.
The battle began, and^^ the guns they did rattle,
And bravely we fought under Jennings' command,
Said he, play away,^^ play away, my brave boys,
The beggars the force of our fire cannot stand.
The town then they took^^ without any^^ resistance.
The castle they thought was as easy likewise ;
So they^^ came marching up in^' grand divisions,
To storm it, then^^ guarded by the^^ brave Irish boys.
But we kept constant fire, and made them retire.
Till our ammunition entirely was gone ;
Then aloud we-^ did say, brave boys let's away.
And sally out on^^ them with sword in hand.
6 Till (omitted). 7 in the north of our kingdom,
8 It was (omitted). 9 Old Ireland,
10 Says brave Colonel Jennings, our valiant commander,
11 we'll 12 So we begun the battle,
13 play, 14 it was taken
15 much 16 And
17 three (omitted). 18 the gates
19 with 20 they
21 we'll sally upon
12 THE SIEGE
But says^' our brave colonel, " We cannot defend it,
For^^ to make a sally it is hut^^ in vain,
As^ our ammunition, you see is^^ expended ;
Well therefore'^'' submit, and^^goodi terms icell^ obtain,
For plainly you see, that to^ one tJiey^^ are three,
'Tis^^ best then^^ in time for^ to capitulate :
[For^^] If they take it by storm, by the law^ of arms.
Then death without mercy will sure be our fate."
Then these beggars obtained?'' possession of Carrick,
Where they revelVd and sotted, and drunk all the while, ^^
Poor people they did sorely^ ransack and plunder.
And hoisted it^ all on board the Belleisle ;
But Elliot soon^^ met them, nor away did he let them,^^
But fore d"^'-^ them to yield up their ill-gotten store;
NoiVf monsieurs,^ lament in the deejiest contrition,^''
For now you can brag of your Thurot^^ no more.
22 Then said 23 But 24 you see its
25 For 26 is entirely
27 Therefore well 28 in hopes
29 to 30 for
31 there 32 Soil's
33 now 34 dele for.
35 For (omitted). 36 laws
37 These ruffians on obtaining
38 They bullied and roved, and drank the whole while,
39 sorely did 40 dele it.
41 he 42 and soon did attack them,
43 And made 44 Which makes them
45 in deep discontent,
46 So, Monsieurs, of your Thurot you can brag
OF CARRICKFERGUS. 13
Let's exalt the brave Elliot, who gained thia^' action,
And sing to his praise in the joijfuUest^^ song ;
For^^ we of our foes have got satisfaction,
And Thurot lies rotting in the Isle of Man.
Their general is wounded, his^ schemes are confounded,
The brave British tars they can never withstand f^
The fire of the fierce and^- the bold British lions
Appear d in the men under^^ brave Captain Bland.
But now to bring my story to a conclusiony^
Let's drink a good health^ to our officers all ;
First brave colonel Jennings, Ukewise^^ Bland our^'^
captain,
Yet^^ never forgetting the brave Mr. Hall.
Let s drink and be joUy,^^ and drown melancholy,
So^ merrily let us*"^ rejoice too,*"'-^ and sing ;
So fill up your bowls, all ye^ loyal souls,
And^ toast a good^"" health to^ great George our
king.
47 the 48 every
49 Since 50 their
51 Their cavalry legions never can stand
52 so fair of 53 Commanded b}^ the bold and
54 Now to conclude, and to end my ditty,
55 In toasting a health
56 next 57 the
58 And 59 merry,
60 And 61 we'll
62 now, 63 you brave
64 Let's here 65 dele good.
66 unto
14 THUROTS DREAM,
TIL
thurot's dream.
The title of this song refers to the popular belief
that Thurot, in consequence of a dream, was possessed
with a presentiment of his death. That this may
have been the case appears not improbable, from the
statement of the French Lieutenant- General Cavenac
to John Wesley, which Wesley has preserved in his
Journal, 5th May 1760. "The next morning [after
sailing from Carrickfergus] as he [Thurot] was walk-
ing the deck, he frequently started without any visible
cause, stopped short, and said ' I shall die to-day.' "
The ballad-maker, however, has availed himself of
the supposed mysterious warning imparted to Thurot,
for a satirical purpose, in making the voice of his
grandfather advise him to flight from Ireland ; as
OFarrell, Thurot's grandfather, is said to have
recommended James II to secure his retreat after the
Battle of the Boyne, and to have been the agent who
procured a vessel at Waterford, for the conveyance of
the abdicating monarch to France. O'Farrell ac-
companied James, and when in embarking the king's
hat was blown off, that officer offered his own to the
king, which James graciously received, observing, that
thurot's dream. 15
if he should lose a crown in Ireland, he certainly
would remember that he had gained a hat there.
The attention of the editor was first directed to this
song, by Mr. Jerdan's enquiry (1830) whether he
knew a ballad commencing with —
" My heart it lies breaking for Carrickfergus town,
That pretty situation the enemy pulled down"
which he remembered as a boy to have heard sung in
Kelso ? Upon the editor stating that he was un-
acquainted with the lines, and requesting Mr. Jerdan
to furnish him with any other lines that he could re-
collect : that gentlemen, without hesitation, wrote
thus in reply : —
" On the twenty-fifth of February [qu. the month]
as I've heard people say,
Three [qu. six]* French ships of war came and
anchored in our Bay."
" As Thurot lay in his cabin, he dreamed a dream.
There was a voice came to him and called him by
his name :
Saying, Thurot you're to blame for your long lying
here,
* Mr. Jerdan, in the kind, prompt, and characteristic note
accompanying this version, has misplaced his tirst quere ; it
should have been after the day of the, and not the month. And in
his subsequent quere, certainly he saw not but remembered
" double," although, historically speaking, he is correct as to the
force intended for the invasion on the north of Ireland,
16 thurot's deeam.
For the English will be here to-night, the wind
bloweth fair."
In the version now printed of nearly the entire ballad,
Mr. Mac Skimin's MS. is followed, except in the third
verse, which is given, as more probably the original,
for the reasons stated, from a manuscript handed to
the editor by the late Mr. Allan Cunningham. — Mr.
Mac Skimin's version of the third verse runs thus : —
" As Thurot lay in his hammock, one night he did
dream.
That a spirit came unto him, and called him by his
name :
Saying, Thurot, you're to blame for lying so long
here.
For the English will be in this night, the wind it is
fair."
But these really unimportant readings are here re-
corded, as illustrative of the oral transmission of a
song, of which the editor has never seen a printed
copy.
In 1837, Mr. Mac Skimin informed the editor, that
this and the preceding song "were common in print,"
but he says, " I have not seen either in print for
upwards of thirty years." And in 1840 that he has
" not as yet been able to procure the two lines wanting
of this song," adding, " but I still hope to get them."
Alas, Mr. Mac Skimin died on the 17th February,
1843.
thurot's dream. 17
thurot's dream.
The twenty-first of February, as I've heard the people
say,
Three French ships of war came and anchored in our
Bay:
They hoisted English colours, and landed at Kilroot,
And marched their men for Carrick, without further
dispute.
Colonel Jennings being there, at that pretty town,
His heart it was a breaking, while the enemy came down :
He could not defend it for the want of powder and
ball.
And aloud to his enemies for "quarter" did he call.
As Thurot in his cabin lay, he dreamed a dream,
That his grandsire's voice came to him and called him
by his name :
Saying, Thurot you re to blame for lying so long here.
For the English will be in this night, the wind it
bloweth fair.*
Then Thurot started up, and said unto his men,
" Weigh your anchors, my brave lads, and let us begone :
* The meaning of this line is, that the English may be ex-
pected, and that the wind blows fair for Thurot to escape. This
was so ; the wind on the 27th February, 1760, at Carrickfergus
is recorded to have been " W.N.W. and N.W. strong gales and
squally."
c
18 thurot's dream.
Well go off this very night, make all the haste you
can,
And well steer south and south-east, straight for the
Isle of Man."
Upon the next day the wind it blew north west,
And Elliot s gallant seamen, they sorely were oppressed,
They could not get in that night, the wind it blew so
high :
And as for Monsieur Thurot, he was forced for to lie
Early the next morning, as daylight did appear,
Brave Elliot he espied them, which gave to him great
cheer,
It gave to him great cheer, and he to his men did say,
"Boys, yonder's Monsieur Thurot, we'll shew him
warm play."
The first ship that came up was the Brilliant without
doubt,
She gave to them a broadside, and then she wheeled
about :
The other two then followed her, and fired another
round,
" Oh, oh, my lads," says Thurot, " this is not Carrick
town."
Then out cried Monsieur Thurot, with his visage pale
and wan,
thurot's dream. 19
" Strike, strike, your colours, brave boys, or they'll
sink us — every man :
Their weighty shot comes in so hot, on both the
weather and the lee,
Strike your colours, my brave boys, or they'll sink us
in the sea."
Before they got their colours struck, great slaughter
was made.
And many a gallant Frenchman on Thurot's decks lay
dead,
They came tumbling down the shrouds, upon his deck
they lay,
While our brave Irish heroes cut their booms and
yards away.
And as for Monsieur Thurot, as I've heard people say,
He was taken up by Elliot's men and buried in Ramsey
Bay.
Now for to conclude, and put an end unto my song,
To drink a health to Elliot, I hope it is not wrong ;
And may all French invaders be served the same way,
Let the English beat the French by land, our Irish
boys on sea.
* " I expect to make out the above two lines wanting." — Note
by Mr. Mac Skimin.
c 2
QO THE CAPTURE
IV.
THE CAPTURE OF CARRICKFERGUS.
" Taken down," says Mr. Mac Skimin, after whose
MS. this song is given, " from an old man, January
1836," and he adds, " I do not recollect of ever seeing
this song in print." —
"I now recollect," he adds, "that there was another
song on the same subject, but I cannot find any person
who has it, and I now remember only two lines,
though I had it all by heart when a very young boy.
I cannot be mistaken, as its tune was so very different
from the other. The words that occur to me are,
when speaking of Elliot, that he
" Sailed with his three frigates from Kinsale,
On the pursuit of Monsieur Thurot."
and the tune was " Moll Roe." —
THE CAPTURE OF CARRICKFERGUS.
Louis of France with hunger loud does cry,
" A shepherd's dog in Ireland, lives better far than I,
With their butter and their bacon, they have them in
stores,
But I'll send forth my forces, to plunder their shores."
Sing fall, &c.
OF CARRICKFEEGUS. 21
It was lately I dreamed my army was away,
And all these rich dainties, I thought were their prey; —
So in the province of Ulster invaded were we,
By Commodore Thurot, and French frigates three.
Sing fall, &c.
To Londonderry city, their course they did steer,
But they were prevented, although very near,
Their fleet while at sea, they were scattered away.
By a storm from the heavens, which did them dismay.
Sing fall, &c.
But three of them remained, and there came about.
To the bay of Carrickfergus, near the point of Kilroot;
Then with flat boats, they landed a thousand men well
armed.
Under English colours, to prevent our being alarmed.
Sing fall, &c.
Under General Thurot, these men did march away,
Unto Carrickfergus, and he to them did say.
The garrison are but a handful of silly gossoons,*
And at our appearance, I'm sure they will run.
Sing fall, &c.
* Gossoon, now popularly considered an Ix'ish word, does not
belong to the Irish language, in which it appears to have been
adopted from the Anglo-norm an garson, or garpon. The modern
acceptation of the word in Ireland is hobbledy-hoy.
22 THE CAPTURE
But sore he was mistaken, for soon they let him know,
And left him broken-legged, to France he could not go;
One hundred of his soldiers, and more they did
destroy,
With nothing but the loss of four Carrick boys. —
Sing fall, &c.
Like unto hearts of gold, so bravely they did stand,
Though but one hundred and fifty, against a thousand
men ;
And they were all six feet high, of chosen tories wild,*
And slighted us gossoons, as Flobert them styled.
Sing fall, &c.
They sail'd away by morning, before the sun arose,
Brave Elliot he espied them, and cried, " Boys, here
are foes !"
* Upon the words " six feet high " Mr. Mac Skimin observes :
" The French troops were volunteers from different corps, and
are still recorded here for their fine appearance ; especially a
corps of the Swiss Guards and some Hussars." John Wesley
in his Journal, 1 May 1760, says, " General Flaubert, who com-
manded the French troops at Carrickfergus, was just gone from
Lord Moira's. Major Bragelon was now there, .a man of fine
person, and extremely graceful behaviour. Both these affirmed
that the French were all picked men out of the king's guards ;
that their commission was to land either at Londonderry or
Carrickfergus, while Monsieur Conflans landed in the south ;
and if they did not do this within three months to return directly
to France.
OF CARRICKFERGUS. 23
With frigates three like fire darts, he boldly did
pursue,
He from Kinsale had sailed, these robbers to subdue.
Sing fall, &c.
" My boys," he says, '^ they're yonder, betwixt us and
the sun;
Now coolly and with courage, fall on, my boys, fall on !"
And betwixt the mull of Gralloway, and the point of
Ayre,
The thundering of our cannon the nations round did
hear. Sing fall, &c.
Now in this hard engagement, poor Thurot he did die.
By an unlucky shot that through his heart did fly ;
Aloud they called for quarter, for lady Mary's sake,
For Captain Elliot's cannon made all their hearts to
quake. Sing fall, &c.
And now then taken prisoners, upon the raging main,
And back to Carrickfergus they were brought again;*
Here's the praise of brave Elliot, who conquered the foe,
And likewise to Clements and Loggie also.
Sing fall, &c.
* John Wesley in his Journal, 18th April 1760, notes, that he
" went with Miss F to see the French prisoners sent fi'om
Carrickfergus." They were surprised at hearing as good French
spoken in Dublin as they could have heard in Paris, and still
more at being exhorted to heart-religion, to the "faith that
worketh by love."
•34 EPITAPH OX
EPITAPH ON M. THUROT.
Copied from one of the poetical articles in the
Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xxx. p. 148, for March
1760.
Thurot's personal appearance and conduct at
Carrickfergus, are thus described by John Wesley in his
Journal, 5th May 1760, from the narrative of Mrs.
Cobham. While that lady was in attendance upon
General Flaubert after he had been wounded, " a little
plain-dressed man came in, to whom they all showed
a particular respect. It struck into her mind, ' Is not
this Mr. Thurot?' which was soon confirmed."
" She said to him, ' Sir, you seem much fatigued : will
you step to my house and refresh yourself ?' He
readily accepted the offer. She prepared a little veal,
of which he ate moderately, and drank three glasses of
small warm punch ; after which he told her — 'I have
not taken any food before for eight and forty hours.'
She asked, ' Sir, will you be pleased to take a little
rest now?' Observing he started, she added, 'I will
answer life for life, that none shall hurt you under
my roof He said, ' Madam, I believe you ; I
accept the offer.' He desired that two of his men
M. TIIUROT. 25
might lie on the floor by the bed side, slept about six
hours, and then returning her many thanks, went
aboard his ship.
" Five days he was kept in the bay by contrary
winds. When he sailed he took the mayor of Carrick
and another gentleman as hostages, for the delivery of
the French prisoners."
The presentiment felt by Thurot respecting his
death, has been already mentioned on the authority of
Wesley. He thus continues — "Awhile after, he
(Thurot) said to one of the English, -'Sir, I see three
ships ; pray take my glass and tell me freely what you
think they are ?' He looked some time, and said, ' I
think they are English, and I guess they are about
forty-gun ships.' He called to his officers and said,
* Our ships are too foul to fight at a distance ; we must
board them.' Accordingly when they came up, after
a short fire, he ran close up to Captain Elliot, and
Captain Scordeck, with his four and twenty hussars,
immediately leaped on board. Almost instantly nine
of them lay dead ; on which he was so much enraged,
that he rushed forward with his sabre, among the
English, who seized his arms and carried him away.
Meantime his men that were left, retired into their
own ship. Thurot seeing this, cried out, * Why
should we throw away the lives of the poor men?'
and ordered them to strike the colours. A man going
up to do this was shot dead, as was likewise a second ;
and before a third could do it Mr. Thurot himself
was shot through -the heart. So fell a brave man ;
D
•26 EPITAPH ON
giving yet another proof that there i.s no counsel or
strength against the Lord."
EPITAPH ON M. THUKOT.
Here lies the pirate brave Thurot,
To merchant's wealth a dreadful foe :
Who, weary of a robber's name
Aspired to gain a hero's fame ;
But oft ambition soars too high,
Like Icarus when he strove to fly :
In short, Thurot with ardour fill'd,
His breast with emulation swelled.
Abjuring Sweden's copper shore,
His course to fair Hibernia bore ;
There took some peasants unprepar'd.
So struck his blow and disappear'd ;
But luckless fate which oft pursues us,
And when we least expect subdues us,
This scheme, how well soe'er concerted,
Into a dire mischance converted,
And made it prove, as we'll relate
The sad forerunner of his fate ;
For CEolus brave Elliot led,
Who early in his school was bred,
Cut short this champion's thread of life.
And with it clos'd the doubtful strife ;
In which Belleisle, a name we own,
Amongst ten thousand heroes known.
M. THUROT. 27
Of France, the wonder and the brag,
Again compell'd to drop the flag,*
Was forced such fortune to lament,
As erst her namesake underwent :
But to return to him whose glory
Is now the subject of our story.
He was no wit, nor quite an ass,
But lov'd his bottle and his lass.f
You then good fellows passing by.
Afford the tribute of a sigh,
His fate lament — enough we've said,
Thurot once lived — Thurot is dead.
* The Chevalier de Belleisle, brother to the Marshal, lost his
life as he was endeavouring to fix a standard on the Sardinian J
entrenchments at Exilles, 1747. I
f M. Thurot's mistress, it is said, attended all his fortunes, i
and was on board the Belleisle when he was killed. ^
POPULAR SONGS,
ETC.
POPULAR SONGS,
ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE FRENCH
INVASIONS OF IRELAND.
PARTS III AND IV.
THE BANTRY BAY AND KILLALA INVASIONS.
EDITED, WITH INTRODUCTIONS AND NOTES, BY
T. CROFTON CROKER.
f^e tffai (i^nglontr tooultr torn,
must tDit^ firelanti first tegtn.
Old Proverb.
Mais i) ne cousidere I'lrlande que comme le chemiu de Londres.
Li/e of General Hoche.
LONDON :
PRINTED FOR THE PERCY SOCIETY,
BY RICHARDS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE.
M DOOC.XLVII.
COUNCIL
Cfte ^ercp ^ocirtg.
President,
THE RIGHT HON. LORD BRAYBROOKE, F.S.A.
THOMAS AMYOT, Esq. F.R S., Treas. S.A.
WILLIAM HENRY BLACK, Esq.
J. PAYNE COLLIER, Esq. F.S.A.
BOLTON CORNEY, Esq., M.R.S.L.
T. CROFTON CROKER, Esq. F.S.A., M.R.I.A.
J. H. DIXON, Esq.
FREDERICK WILLIAM FAIRHOLT, Esq. F.S.A.
JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S., F.S.A,
WILLIAM .JERDAN, Esq. M.R.S.L.
CAPTAIN JOHNS, R.M.
J. S. MOORE, Esq.
T. J. PETTIOREW, Esq. F.R.S., F.S.A.
JAMES PRIOR, Esq. F.S.A., M.R.I.A.
WILLIAM SANDYS, Esq. F.S.A.
THOMAS WRIGHT, Esq. M.A., F.S.A., Treasurer Sf Secretary.
CONTENTS.
PART I.
(Issued February 1845.)
Advertisement .
Memoirs of Thurot, reprinted
1 to 44
PART II.
(Issued November 1846.)
Capture of Carriekfergus by Thurot.
Pr€
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
face . . . . iii t
Hawke's Victory
The Siege of Carriekfergus
Thurot's Dream
The Capture of Carriekfergus
Epitaph on M. Thurot .
xxxii
1
8
14
20
24
PARTS III AND IV.
(Issued May 1847.)
French Invasions of Ireland, 1796-98.
Introduction to Parts III and IV
The Bantry Bay Invasion .
. 1 to iv
5 to 42
Vlll
Songs relating to the Bantry Bay Invasion.
I. The Shan Van Voeht
II. The Invasion of Ireland, Christmas 1796
III. On a Mountain whose summit .
IV. The Bantry Bay Invasion, 1797
V. Oh ! Brother Soldier
VI. Ye Sons of Hibernia .
vn. The Triumphs of Erin
VIII. Rouse, Hibernians
IX. General Wonder in our Land
43
46
52
.54
58
62
66
68
70
PART IV.
The Killala Invasion, 1798 . . 73 to 78
Songs relating to the Killala Invasion.
I. Again, to seek our Emerald Isle . .79
n. Plant, plant the Tree . . . .84
m. Erin may go bray . . . .87
IV. Humbert's Mistake . . . .90
V. The Croppies in Spirits . . .95
VI. News from France . . . .97
VII. The Orange Lily . . . .100
Sir John "Warren's Action
103 to 113
Songs referring to the Action of Sir John Borlase Warren's
Squadron with the French Fleet.
I. The Song of Theobald Wolfe Tone . .114
II. When the Paddies of Erin . . .117
FRENCH INVASIONS OF IRELAND.
1796—1798.
INTRODUCTION TO PARTS III AND IV.
During the war between England and repub-
lican France, two armaments were fitted out by
France for the invasion of Ireland. Fortunately
for England, the first and most formidable of these
expeditions arrived before the system of action
proposed by the Association of United Irishmen
had organized the remote southern districts. And
when the two divisions which composed the latter
made their appearance, the popular rebelUon of
1798 had been so far crushed, that, comparatively
speaking, the support given to the French by the
country at large was trifling and unimportant.
The first, or Bantky Bay Invasion, occurred
in December 1796. It consisted of a formidable
French fleet, with 14,000 troops; which fleet,
immediately after its departure from Brest, was
11
separated by a violent storm. Several of the
ships reached Bantry bay on the south-west coast
of Ireland, and some of them lay there at anchor
for about a week, without making any attempt to
land. General Hoche, and Admiral de Galle,
the military and naval commanders-in-chief of
the expedition, were on board one of the missing
ships, and never joined the main body. For
this circumstance a curious explanation is first
made public in a subsequent page. The French
admiral (Bouvet), therefore, hesitated to disembark
the troops, without the orders of his superior officer,
and finally such of the vessels as had escaped ship-
wreck or capture returned to France.
The other and last invasion of Ireland occurred
in the autumn of 1798. More than three-fourths
of the troops upon that occasion destined for Ire-
land were to sail from Brest, the remainder from
Rochefort. Everything was so arranged that the
same wind enabled Bompart, the naval commander
of the Brest division, and Savary, who commanded
that of Kochefort, to set sail simultaneously.
The troops were embarked, with the necessary
supplies of arms, ammunition and stores. All
was ready ; and the money required by Generals
Hardy and Humbert, was drawn for on the bank
in cash, and the necessary orders and advice were
given to the treasury.
Ill
On the 28th of July, two couriers extraordinary
were dispatched from Paris, one to Brest, the
other to Rochefort, each bearing an order to the
commanders of the expeditions to set sail on the
first breath of a favourable wind. General Hum-
bert received the cash intended for him, paid his
troops, and Savary's division accordingly sailed
from Rochefort on the 4th of August.
At Brest, on the contrary. General Hardy, in
consequence of a failure in the transmission of
the money, was obliged to send back the extraor-
dinary courier on the 2nd of August, to announce,
that nothing but the absolute want of pecuniary
means prevented the armament from sailing. And
thus was the departure of Bompart's squadron
delayed to the 17th of September.
In the meantime, Savary, who had steered a
circuitous course, avoided falling in with any
English ship, and on the 22nd of August 1798,
landed General Humbert and his troops, which
should be considered merely as the van-guard of
the Brest expedition, at Killala. Humbert's
force consisted of about a thousand soldiers.
With this small body of men, he surprised and
seized the town of Killala; made the bishop pri-
soner, and then advanced towards Castlebar,
where he defeated the British troops, and became
master of that town. But after two or three
B 2
IV
smart skirmishes Humbert found himself so com-
pletely surrounded and overwhelmed by numbers,
that he surrendered with his men, as prisoners of
war, at Ballinamuck, on the 8th of September,
seventeen days after landing.
The Brest division arrived off the coast of the
county of Donegal, on the 10th of October fol-
lowing. But an English squadron under the
command of Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren,
brought this fleet to action, and prevented the
landing of troops. The commodore's ship, with
the rebel Tone on board, was captured, and of
the eight frigates, of which it consisted, two only
escaped.
Such is a broad outline of the fate of the inva-
sions of Ireland, by France, at the close of the
last century. Various details necessary to illus-
trate the songs of this period of general excitement
and alarm, are given in the foot notes, and where
the editor is unable to refer to any general and
authentic account (as in the case of the Bantry
bay invasion), he has not hesitated to extend the
introductory notice into a slight historical sketch.
THE BANTRY BAY INVASION— 1796.
No general account of the French invasion of Ban-
try Bay has been published ; and as the history of all
political events is best written after the lapse of one
or more centuries, while the anecdotes which form im-
portant historical illustrations are best related as soon
as possible after the occurrence ; it is evident that the
editor stands too remote from either of the periods, to
be able satisfactorily to supply this want, did the limits
of the present work allow of his doing so.
The paragraphs to be found in the newspapers and
periodicals of the day, respecting this important event,
are meagre and questionable, and upon the whole the
journal of Theobald Wolf Tone, edited by his son, and
printed at Washington in 1826, supplies the best in-
formation respecting the organization of this formidable
armament.
The seditious conduct of Tone in Ireland had caused
him to become an exile in America, where, stimulated
to action and supplied with funds by his revolutionary
friends, he determined on proceeding to France as
agent for the Society of United Irishmen. But there
can be little doubt that before this movement. Lord
6 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
Edward Fitzgerald and Mr. Arthur O'Connor had
secretly communicated with the French government,
for the invasion of their country. Tone reached
Havre on the 2nd of February, 1796; and after his
arrival in Paris, he was put into the proper channels
for diplomatic negociation by Munro, the American
minister. That America was cautiously intriguing
for the separation of Ireland from England at this
period, is evident from the recommendations given to
Tone by Munro, and by Munro's successor (Adet)
having offered Tone money for his expenses, when the
French government refused to do so, even after he had
received a commission in the service of the republic.
The vague plans of the French ministry for the
invasion of Ireland, appeared to have assumed a de-
finite shape, which offered some reasonable prospect of
success, about the 3rd of April 1796. Three months
after, that is to say in June, Tone seems to have been
aware of what was going forward. A commission
dated the 19th of June as chef de brigade (a rank
which answers to that of colonel in our service), was
given to him ; and delighted by this elevation, he, ac-
cording to his own confession, directly aspired at the
post of Ambassador from the Irish republic to France.
Early in July Tone was informed by General Clarke,
that upon the arrival of General Hoche to confer with
the directory, the final arrangements for the invasion
of Ireland would be made. At this time Tone's
finances were completely exhausted ; on the 6th of
Julv he writes: " Here I am, with exactly two louis in
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 7
my exchequer, negociating with the French govern-
ment and planning revolutions." Tone was introduced
on the 12th of July to General Hoche, by whom he
was subsequently appointed adjutant general. And he
was directed by him to draw up a proclamation re-
specting the invasion of Ireland, of which important
document Hoche on the 23rd of July shewed him a
copy in print.
This circumstance would probably be unworthy of
notice, did it not prove how effectually secrecy was
preserved by the ingenious conduct of Hoche, which
prevented a copy of the proclamation falling into the
hands of the English spies, who were well known
to be abundant in Paris, and also in every considerable
sea-port of France, and who were assured of receiving
a considerable reward for the authentic communication
of any important intelligence. Hoche caused pro-
clamations, as if the armament fitting out at Brest
was destined for Portugal, to be printed both at Paris
and Brest, with the usual precautions to ensure
secrecy, and copies of these speedily reached England.
The proclamation as to the real destination of the
expedition was printed at the town of Pau, distant
nearly two hundred miles from Brest, without any at-
tempt at secrecy, by a common printer who was living
there in 1831. This and similar extraordinary ma-
noeuvres by Hoche, appear to have completely bafiied
the activity of the English spies at Brest, and will in
some measure account for the vague and doubtful intel-
ligence which it is evident the English government had
8 BANTEY BxVY INVASION.
respecting the destination of this formidable arma-
ment. But the mystery of this extraordinary his-
torical passage remains to be cleared up.
After a residence in Paris of more than seven
months, Tone quitted the French capital on the 17th
of September, to join General Hoche at Brest.
General Lazarus Hoche, to whom the command of the
expedition was entrusted, is considered to have been
one of the ablest men of his time, and in military skill
inferior to none of his contemporaries. " Hoche etait
un enfant de la revolution"; he was born on the 24th
February 1 763, had been brought up in the corps of
gens-d'armes (or the guards), which first declared in
favour of the republic, and we are told from the com-
mencement of his career possessed the proud bearing of
a soldier. " Une femme de la cour I'ayant remarqu6,
dans une revue a Versailles, avait dit avec interet,
* On ferait un general de ce jeune homme. Tout son
air est, en eifet, de quelqu'un qui doit commander
aux autres.' " His conduct soon attracted attention ;
in the battle of Honschoot, Hoche acted as adjutant-
general, and so eminently distinguished himself
as to induce the committee of public safety to give
him the command of the army of the Moselle, which
he joined in the winter of 1793. Notwithstanding
that the men were suffering many painful privations,
and the season was remarkably severe, after fourteen
days of hard fighting, and forced marches through a
mountainous and snow-covered country, Hoche suc-
ceeded in forming a junction with the republican army
BANTRY HAY INVASION. 9
of the Rhine. The command of both armies was
entrusted to him, and the result of their union was
the raising of the blockade of Landau, the expulsion
of the enemy from Alsace, and the recapture of the
fort Vauban.
The conduct of Hoche, however, fell under suspi-
cion, and he was recalled and imprisoned; owing as
is stated in the " Histoire Moderne," of the 18th cen-
tury, to the hatred of St. Just, and Hoche would
doubtless have perished on the scaffold had it not
been for the Revolution of 27th July 1794.* On
his release he was sent to take the command in La
Vendee. At Quiberon, Hoche obtained a decisive
victory over a body of royalists, who had returned to
their country from England ; and much as his success
gratified the republicans, his conduct in La Vendee
appears to have also received the commendation of
his enemies.
In a speech delivered in the Constitutional Circle, by
General Jourdan, on the death of Hoche, he says : —
" Hoche was now appointed by government to en-
* The editor is indebted to Mr. Blachford, Member of the Percy
Society, for a copy of the following original document respecting
Hoche's imprisonment: the date of which is 2.3rd April 1794.
" Du 23e Germinal an 2 rep. Fr. indivisible.
Le Comite de salut public arrete que le Citoyen Hoche detenu
dans la Maison des Carmes en vertu d'un arrete precedent, sera
mis au secret dans cette raaison.
J. Barege. Collot d'Herbois. Robespierre.
Expedle. St. Just. Couthon.
10 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
counter new dangers and acquire fresh glory. He
embarked to carry liberty to the people of Ireland, and
terror to the cabinet of St. James's."
The entire summer of 1796, was consumed in
fitting out the armament at Brest ; the want of
money retarded the equipment, and it was further
embarrassed by a bad understanding which existed
between the naval and military services. On the 1st
of December Tone was ordered on board the Indompt-
able of 80 guns. Captain Bedout. The naval force,
he tells us, at this time consisted of fifteen sail of the
line, ten frigates, and seven or eight transports, and
that 13,400 troops were embarked.* The squadron of
Admiral Richery, which had been cruising off the
coast of Newfoundland, was directed to repair to
Brest to join this fleet ; and on board the ships of
Richery's squadron 1700 additional troops were em-
barked. According to Tone, on the 16th of December
there were " 15,000, or more correctly, 13,975 men,
and 45,000 stand of arms embarked" for the invasion
of Ireland. I This force of 14,000 is magnified in the
* " The French fleet," according to James, " numbered forty-
three sail; of which seventeen were of the line (all two deckers),
fourteen frigates, six corvettes, and brigs, and the remaining six,
large, roomy transports, some of which had been ships of war.
On board this fleet were about twenty-five thousand men, both
cavalry and infantry." — Vol. i. 393.
f The following is a list of the names of the ships of which the
expedition consisted.
Ships of the line, 1 7 :— Indomptable ; Nestor (driven on shore :
BANTRY BAY INVASION. II
London Gazette of the 3rd of January 1797, into
20,000, and in the Animal Register into 25,000
soldiers.
The address distributed by Hoche among the fleet,
the day previous to their departure ran thus : —
(Device. A lictor's axe with a branch of oak on each
side, upon a shield, surmounted by the cap of liberty,
James is silent on this); Cassard; Droits de I'homme (driven on
shore) ; Tourville ; Eole ; Fougueux ; Mucins ; Redomptable ;
Patriote; Pluton; Constitution; Trajan; Watigny; Pegase (after-
wards the Hoche and H. M. S. Donegal) ; Revolution ; Seduisant
(Captain Dufossey, "wrecked Dec. 16, on the grand Stevenet,
going out of Brest. About thirteen hundred and forty of her
fourteen hundred seamen and troops perished." James, vol. ii).
Frigates \3: — La Cocard ; Bravoure ; Immortalite (Rear Ad-
miral Bouvet and General Grouchy) ; Bellone ; Coquille ; Ro-
maine ; Sirene ; Impatiente (" wrecked 30th of December on the
Mizen head ; crew except seven perished." James, vol. ii.) ; Sur-
veillante (scuttled and sunk in Bantry bay ; Charente ; Resolue
(Rear Admiral Nielly, dismasted by being riin foul of in Bantry
bay by the Indomptable, and towed into Brest on the 1 1 th of
January by Pegase) ; Tartare (captured, 5th of January 1798,
after a short action, by the Polyphemus (64), and brought into
Cork harbour. The Tartare had six hundred and twenty-five
men on board, including troops, and had sixteen killed and thirty-
five wounded in the action ; the Polyphemus lost only one marine);
Fraternite (Vice Admiral Morand de Galle, with Generals Hoche
and Borin, and Adjutant General Bruix, on board).
Armes en flutes 2: — Scaevola (foundered Dec. 30th off the coast
of Ireland ; crew saved by the French (74) Revolution." James,
vol. ii.) ; Fidele.
Corvettes, 5:— Mutine (taken); Renard ; Atalante (taken);
Voltigeur or Vautour ; Affront^ur.
12 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
and supported by various naval and military trophies.
At its base, a broken yoke and dissevered chain.)
Transports, 6 : — Justine (probably foundered at sea with all on
board ; supposed to have four hundred and fifty troops. Un-
noticed by James) ; Nieodeme or Nicomede ; Suffren or Sutfrein ;
Experiment ; Alegre (taken by H. M. S. Spitfire) ; Ville
d' Orient (captured by Unicorn, Doris and Druid, cruizing in
company, and brought into Kinsale, with four hundred hussars
on board, completely equipped ; some mortars, cannons, muskets,
&c. Unnoticed by James).
On board each of the line of battle ships between five and six
hundred soldiers were embarked, and from two hundred and
fifty to three hundred on board each of the frigates. The re-
maining thirteen sail carried about fifteen hundred soldiers
more.
The Mutine was attached to the expedition at the especial re-
quest of Hoche, as appears from the following letter, the original
of which is in the possession of Mr. Blachford. —
Armee RES NON VERBA. A Brest, le 28e Brumaire,
Frangaise. (Hoche s adopted motto.) 5e annee de la Republique.
Le General L. Hoche, au General Morand de Galle.
Au nombre des batimens que vous m'avez promis, General, je
desirerais que vous voulassiez bien comprendre la Mutine corvette
venant de I'Orient, qui, dit-on, a des vivres pour six mois, tire
tres peu d'eau, et par consequent est tres propre a favoriser un
debar quement.
[^Repondu de suite.^
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 13
" A Varmee Francaise destinee a operer la revolutio?i
dirlande.
" Republicains,
FiER de vous avoir fait vaincre en plusieurs oc-
casions, j'ai obtenu du gouvernement la permission de
vous conduire a de nouveaux succes. Vous commander,
c'est etre assure du triomphe.
" Jaloux de rendre a la liberie un peuple digne d'elle,
et miir pour une revolution, le directoire nous envoie en
Irlande, a I'effet d'y faciliter la revolution que d'excel-
lents republicains viennent d'y entreprendre. H sera
beau pour nous, qui avons vaincu les satellites des rois
armes centre la Republique, de briser les fers d'une
nation amie, de lui aider a recouvrir ses droits usurpes
par I'odieux gouvernement anglais.
" Vous n'oublierez jamais, braves et fideles compa-
gnons, que le peuple, chez lequel nous allons, est I'ami
de notre patrie, que nous devons le traiter comme tel,
et non comme un peuple conquis.
" En arrivant en Irlande, vous trouverez I'hospitalite,
la fraternite ; bientot des milliers de ses habitans vien-
dront grossir nos phalanges. Gardons-nous done bien
de jamais traiter aucuns d'eux en ennemis. Ainsi que
nous, ils ont a se venger des perfides Anglais ; ces
derniers sont les seuls dont nous ayons a tirer une
vengeance eclatante. Croyez que les Irlandais ne
soupirent pas moins que vous apres le moment ou, de
concert, nous irons a Londres, rappeler a Pitt et a ses
amis, ce qu'ils ont fait contre notre liberie.
14 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
" Par amiti6, par devoir, et pour I'honneur du nom
fran9ais, vous respecterez les personnes et les pro-
prietes du pays ou nous allons. Si, par des efforts
constans, je pourvois a vos besoins, croyez que, jaloux
de conserver la reputation de Tarmee que j'ai I'hon-
neur de commander, je punirai severement quiconque
s'ecartera de ce qu'il doit a son pays. Les lauriers et
la gloire seront le partage du soldat republicain ; la
mort sera le prix du viol et du pillage. Vous me
connoissez assez pour croire que, pour la premiere
fois, je ne manquerai pas a ma parole. J'ai du vous
prevenir, sachez vous en rappeler.
Le General,
L. HOCHE.
" Brest, le [this blank is in the original] annee re-
publicaifie .^^
The fleet assembled for the invasion of Ireland, we
are told by M. Rousselin, Hoche's biographer — " pre-
sentent le spectacle le plus majestueux. Aussi fiere
que la flotte romaine qui, commandee par Scipion,
portait la ruine de Carthage, I'escadre est rassemblee;
les voiles deploy ees — il part."
Although some previous movements appear to have
taken place, the general departure of the expedition
from Brest was on the 16th of December. A signal
being made to go out by the Passage du Raz, the
Fraternite frigate bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral de
Galle, with General Hoche, and, as was reported in
the fleet, three millions sterling in gold on board, got
under weigh, and accompanied by eighteen sail, with
BANTRY BAY INVASION'. 15
6500 troops, proceeded to sea by that passage. In this
proceeding, as if ominous of the disasters the expedition
was destined to encounter,* the Fougueux (74) ran
foul of the Indomptable (80), and narrowly escaped
striking against a rock, upon which the Seduisant (74)
struck with 550 of the 94th demi-brigade on board,
of whom only thirty-three were saved. The remain-
ing twenty-four sail went out by the Passage des
Flotes or Passage du Four.
Before the two divisions had joined, so violent a
gale of wind came on, that the Nestor (74), which
had followed the Admiral, having her main-top-mast
carried away, was obliged to part company and was
driven on shore, when one thousand men out of eighteen
hundred on board, perished. f Several of the ships
also were so much injured by the fury of the storm as
to be rendered unfit for present service, and this tem-
pestuous weather, intermingled only by dense fogs,
lasted during the entire time the armament was out.
On the 18th, the storm, which had dispersed and
more or less damaged the entire fleet, was succeeded
by a dense fog, so dense indeed, that a complete re-
union was never effected by the scattered expedition.
* " Mais, d6s I'aurore de I'expedition, un genie mal-faisant
avait tente de la paralyser ; le meme genie devait la poursuivre
dans toutes ses chances, en ternir les diflFerentes periodes, et lancer
enfin sur ses derniers resultats tout le poids de sa fatale influence.
Les elemens conspirent avec les conspirateurs: tout est d'accord
contre les desseins de la liberte." — Vie de Hoche.
t Another account says fifty of her crew only were saved.
16 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
The orders to the ships were, in case of separation,
to cruise for five days off the Mizen head, then to pro-
ceed to the mouth of the Shannon, where they were to
remain for three more, and if then without further
orders they were respectively to return to Brest.
The following day the greater part of the two
divisions fell in with each other, but the Fraternite
was missing. Two line of battle ships, the Nestor
and Seduisant had been wrecked ; and the Cocade
and Romaine frigates, with the Mutine and Voltigeur
corvettes, and three transports, were also unaccounted
for.
In the night of the 20th of December, although the
weather was moderate^ several of the fleet again parted
company, and on the morning of the 21st, which was
hazy, only fifteen sail were to be seen from the In-
domptable. Although the main body had arrived off
the coast of Ireland three days after sailing from
Brest, they beat about, disunited and uncertain of their
precise position,* until the 22nd, when with the excep-
tion of six or seven vessels, the entire fleet came to
anchor off Bere Island in Bantry bay,f between five
and six in the evening, under the command of Ad-
* "The pilots mistaking the Durseys for the Mizen head."
— James.
t " A noble bay, capable of containing all the shipping in Eu-
rope, being twenty-six miles long, and, in most places, above a
league broad, with forty fathoms' water in the midst of it. The
coast around it consists of stupendous rocks." — Note by James,
i. 395.
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 17
miral Bouvet. Tone says, " we have 41,160 stand of
arms, twenty pieces of field artillery, nine of siege,
including mortars and howitzers, 61,200 barrels of
powder, 7,000,000 ball cartridges, about 700,000
flints," &c.
Previous to the French fleet coming to anchor, his
majesty's brig Kangaroo, commanded by the Hon.
Courtenay Boyle, fell in with it, and immediately
proceeded off Crookhaven, a small harbour close to the
entrance of Bantry bay, in order to communicate the
intelligence of the appearance of the enemy. On the
morning of the 22nd of December, the Kangaroo
made repeated signals for a boat from the shore,
which although they were distinctly seen, yet so high
a sea was running at the time, and the wind was
blowing so tremendously, that no boat would venture
to put off. At length, however, a Mr. Coghlan, ob-
serving the perseverance with which the signal was
continued, and deeming it a case of extreme urgency,
induced five men to accompany him upon this dan-
gerous service in a pilot boat, although they left the
shore with but little probability of reaching the Kan-
garoo, or if they succeeded in doing so, of returning in
safety from her.
In a private letter, written by a spectator* to a
friend in Cork, the sea is described as breaking over
the little bark almost with every wave, so that "it
* The Rev. Fitzgerald Tisdale, who was murdered in this
neighbourhood 26th March, 1809.
18 BANTRY BAY INYASIO>\
was only the hand of Providence which could have
saved the boat from being swamped, and what was
still more wonderful in the preservation of Coghlan,
and the men who had adventured out with him, is that
one of the planks of the boat was stove in while she
was along-side of the Kangaroo." An officer, (the
second lieutenant, Mr. Watson), was by this means
landed with dispatches for Admiral Kingsmill at the
Cove of Cork, and captain Boyle proceeded in the
Kano-aroo to Enorland.
Mr. Richard Edward Hull, a gentleman residing at
Leamcon, sent the intelligence to Mr. White of
Seafield Park, who was the first to communicate it
to the Irish Government, and Mr. White's services
at this critical moment, were rewarded by his eleva-
tion to the peerage, under the title of Bantry. ]Mr.
White had also "received two affidavits made before
the Rev. John Beamish of Berehaven, and Mr. O' Sul-
livan of Colaugh, by some fisherman who passed near
a fleet which were turning up at the N.W. extremity
of the bay, and from the manner they were rigged and
form of their build they were positive the ships were
French, and of considerable force. A similar infor-
mation from the surveyor of Berehaven was sent to
Mr. White, who directly called together the corps of
yeomanry under his command, and made the necessary
arrangements for establishing a chain of out-posts
along the mountains down to Sheep-head, the S.W.
extremity of Bantry bay, distant from his house
twenty-two miles."
BANTKY BAY INVASION. 19
Dangers dimly seen usually become magnified in an
extraordinary degree. The panic occasioned by the
news that a hostile fleet was riding at anchor in one of
the finest harbours of Ireland, may be readily con-
ceived, and the general alarm was considerably increased
by the difiiculty of obtaining and conveying intelli-
gence. " Dix jours consecutifs sont consumes, pendant
lesquels presque tous les vaisseaux de la flotte sont
apper^us et reconnus par les habitans de I'lrlande;"
but the reverse of the feeling described by the French
historian, was unquestionably manifested towards the
invaders by all clasess in the south of Ireland, as yet
untainted by Republicanism. " Leur coeur a tressailli
de joie et de bonheur a la vue de leurs liberateurs.
Vain espoir ! illusion cruelle ! les generaux en chef
sont absens: ceux qui les remplacent devraient agir;
ils deliberent; ils devroient operer leur debarquement,
ils assemblent des conseils; le moindre evenement fait
prendre des resolutions, le moindre Evenement les fait
changer; tout fait un devoir de descendre a terre, tout
est un pretexte de rester dans les vaisseaux; le temps
precieux echappe; I'heure de la liberie est sonnee;
elle s'envole."
The weather was the severest ever remembered,
and as such, in the Editor's recollection, the winter
when the French were in Bantry bay, was often re-
ferred to in common conversation. A heavy fall of
snow had rendered the roads, which between Bantry
and Cork at this period were rugged, wild and
mountainous, nearly impassable on foot; travelling on
c 2
20 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
horseback was desperate work ; and tlie unabating
fury of the wind, which rolled the excited billows of
the Atlantic with tremendous swell upon the coast,
opposed an insurmountable barrier to any attempt at
communication by water. It is however stated in a
" Journal of the movements of the French fleet in
Bantry bay, by Edward Morgan, printed at Cork in
1 797," that one of Mr. White's servants brought the
first intelligence of the appearance of the enemy to
General Dalrymple in Cork, on the night of Thursday,
December 22nd, and that the messenger " was but four
hours going forty-two miles, Irish, on a single horse."
On the evening of the 23rd, a heavy gale from the
eastward forced about twenty of the French ships to
sea, and dispersed the fleet for the fourth time. By
this separation the stores on board the remaining
ships in Bantry bay, were reduced to " 4 field pieces,
20,000 firelocks, at most 1000 lbs. of powder, and
3,000,000 cartridges." Admiral Bouvet and General
Grouchy, the second in command, held a council of
war. Tone proposed proceeding to Sligo Bay and
there landing, a proposition which, if acted upon,
might possibly have revolutionized Ireland. " We are
here," says he in his journal, " sixteen sail, great and
small (nine or ten are of the line)* scattered up and
* A letter written from Berehaven on the morning of the
24th, which the Editor has seen in the Records of the Admiralty,
says, " eight two-deckers and nine vessels of different classes."
It concludes thus: "I must apologize for not writing before,
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 21
down in a noble bay, and so dispersed that there are
not two together in any spot, save one, and there they
are so close, that if it blows to-night as it did last
night, they will inevitably run foul of each other,
unless one of them prefers driving on shore."
During the night of the 23rd of December, H.M.S.
Jaseur, captain Stirling, having captured Le Suffren,*
transport, appears to have passed through the portion
of the French fleet which had been blown out to sea
from the mouth of Bantry bay; for in a letter, dated
the following day "off Cape Clear," and published
in the London Gazette^ of 3rd January 1797, captain
Stirling says, " I saw a large ship of war last night,
and I am persuaded the body of the French fleet can-
not be far from me. A rudder and other pieces of
wreck have floated past us to day."
The portion of the fleet which rode out the gale of
the 23rd at their anchorage, found it impossible to
work up the bay against the wind, and they came
to anchor directly across it. On Christmas night, the
exposed situation of Admiral Bouvet's ship, rendered
it necessary for him to order the cables to be cut, and
he stood out to sea without being able to communicate
with any of the ships at anchor.
Doctor Moylan, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Cork,
but I assure you the demand for paper has been so great, that I
could only obtain half a sheet to write an account to the Admiral."
* Retaken by the Tartare, which was afterwards captured by
the Polyphemus.
22 BANTKY BAY INVASION.
addressed the people on that anxious day to the follow-
ing effect, which address was immediately printed and
circulated by the Committee of Merchants.
" At a Meeting of the City of Cork Committee,
Held at the Council Chamber, on the 6th of January,
1797.
Sir Patrick O'Conor, Chairman.
" ^nanimottfilj) resolbetl. That Two Thousand Copies
of the Right Rev. Doctor Moylan's Letter to his Flock
be immediately Printed, for the purpose of being cir-
culated through the respective Baronies of this County."
"DOCTOR FRANCIS MOYLAN,
TO HIS BELOVED FLOCK,
The Roman Catholics of the Diocess of Cork.
" At a moment of such general Alarm and Conster-
nation, it is a duty I owe to you, my Beloved Flock,
to recall to your minds the sacred Principles of Loyalty,
Allegiance, and Good Order, that must direct your
conduct on such an awful Occasion. Charged as I am,
by that Blessed Saviour (whose Birth with grateful
hearts we on this Day solemnize), with the Care of
your Souls, interested beyond expression in your Tem-
poral and Eternal welfare, it is incumbent on me to
exhort you to that peaceable demeanor, which must
ever mark his true and faithful Disciples.
"Loyalty to the Sovereign, and respect for the
Constituted Authorities, have been always the promi-
nent features in the Christian Character ; and by
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 23
Patriotism and Obedience to the Established form of
Government, have our Ancestors been distinguished at
times, and under circumstances very different from
these in which we have the happiness to live. For,
blessed be God, we are no longer Strangers in our
Native Land — no longer excluded from the Benefits of
the happy Constitution under which we live — no longer
separated by odious distinctions from our Fellow-sub-
jects. To our Gracious Sovereign we are bound by
the concurring principles of gratitude and duty, and
to all our Fellow-Citizens by mutual Interest and
Christian Charity.
" Under these circumstances it is obvious what line
of conduct you are to adopt, if the Invaders, who are
said to be on our Coasts, should make good their land-
ing, and attempt to penetrate into our Country. To
allure you to a co-operation with their views, they will
not fail to make specious professions, that their only
object is to Emancipate you from the pretended
Tyranny, under which you groan ; and to restore you
those Rights, of which they will say you are deprived.
" You, my good People, whom I particularly address,
who are strangers to passing Occurrences, had you
known in what manner they fulfilled similar promises
in the unfortunate Countries into which, on the faith
of them, they gained admittance, you would learn
Caution from their Credulity, and distrust Men who
have trampled on all Laws, Human and Divine ; Ger-
many, Flanders, Italy, Holland, to say nothing of their
own, once the happiest, now the most miserable
24 BANTKY BAY INVASION.
Country in the World, can attest the irreparable ruin,
desolation and destruction occasioned by French
fraternity.
"Be not deceived by the lure of Equalizing pro-
perty, which they will hold out to you, as they did to
the above-mentioned people ; for the Poor, instead of
getting any part of the spoil of the Rich, were robbed
of their own little pittance.
" Be not then, imposed on by their professions —
they come only to Rob, Plunder and Destroy. Listen
not to their agitating Abettors in this Country, who
endeavour by every means to corrupt your Principles,
but join Heart and Hand with all the virtuous and
honest Members of the Community, who are come for-
ward with distinguished Patriotism, as well to resist
the invading Foe, as to counteract the insiduous
Machinations of the Domestic Enemies and unnatural
Children, who are seeking to bring on their Native
Country the train of untold Evils that flow from An-
archy and Confusion. — Obey the Laws that protect
you in your Persons and Properties. — Reverence the
Magistrate entrusted with their execution, and display
your readiness to give him every assistance in your
Power.
" Act thus, my Beloved Brethren, from a principle
of Conscience, and you will thereby ensure the favor
of your God, and the approbation of all good Men ;
whereas a contrary conduct will draw down inevitable
Ruin on you here, and eternal Misery hereafter.
" I shall conclude with this simple Reflection, if the
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 25
s^yay of our impious Invaders were here established,
you would not, my Beloved People, enjoy the comfort
of Celebrating this auspicious day with Gladness and
Thanksgiving, nor of uniting with all Christians on
Earth, and with the celestial spirits in Heaven, in
singing. Glory to God on High^ and on Earth Peace
to Men of good Will! F. Moylan, r. c. b. c.
Dec. 25, 1796."
The "useful impression" made by this "judicious
address" upon the minds of the lower Catholics, was
particularly mentioned in a dispatch from the Lord-
Lieutenant of Ireland, published in the London
Gazette, of 17th January 1797.
Tone in the Indomptable, on the 26th December, thus
sums up affairs: — "We have lost two commanders-in-
chief — of four Admirals not one remains. We have
lost one ship of the line, that we know of, and probably
many others of which we know nothing. We have
been now six days in Bantry bay, within five hundred
yards of the shore, without being able to effectuate a
landing. We have been dispersed four times in four
days; and at this moment, of forty-three sail, of which
the expedition consisted, we can muster of all sizes but
fourteen."
The day following he writes: "Yesterday several
vessels, including the Indomptable, dragged their
anchors several times, and it was with great difficulty
they rode out the gale. At two o'clock the Revolution
(74), made signal that she could hold no longer, and
20 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
in consequence of the commodore's jDermission, cut her
only cable and put to sea. In the night, the Patriote
and Pluton^ of 74 each, Avere forced to put to sea, with
the Nicomede, flute, so that this morning we are
reduced to seven sail of the line and one frigate."
A council of war met, at which General Hardy-
presided, generals Cherin and Humbert, (subsequently
distinguished by his Invasion of Ireland), Adjutant
generals, Simon, Chasseloup, and Tone, lieutenant-
colonel Waudre, commanding the Artillery, captain
Favory of the Engineers, with commodore Bedout,
were the members. The force and stores at their dis-
posal, were found to be 4168 men, two four pounders,
1,500,000 cartridges, 500 rounds for artillery, and
500 lbs. of powder. With a force so small, it was
deemed by the majority inadvisable to attempt landing,
as no demonstration had been made on shore in their
favour ; and it was determined to proceed off the
Shannon, to cruize for a few days, according to
captain Bedout's instructions, in the hope that the dis-
severed armament might be concentrated there. At
half-past four, on the 27th, Tone writes : " The In-
domptable having with great difficulty weighed one
anchor, we were forced at length to cut the cable of
the other, and make the best of our way out of the
bay, being followed by the whole of our little squadron,
now reduced to ten sail, of which seven are of the line,
one frigate and two corvettes or luggers."
The only occurrence of note during these five
anxious days, was the capture of a boat, sent to recon-
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 27
noitre from one of the French ships, which was
taken by Mr. O' Sullivan of Beerhaven, who made
the crew, consisting of an officer and seven men, pri-
soners. Lieut. Prosseau, the officer, was immediately
sent off to Dublin. A memoir of Mr. OSuUivan, and
his services, may be found in the Gentleman^ Maga-
zine, for March 1814 (Vol. 84, part i), copied from
the Dublin Evening Post.
On the 28th it blew a perfect hurricane, and for the
sixth time the Indomptable parted company. At the
rendezvous off the mouth of the Shannon, however, she
was rejoined by the Coquille, and on the 29th, commo-
dore Bedout, finding no part of the fleet there, steered
for France, where he arrived on the 1st of January,
with the Watigny, Cassard, and Eole, line of battle
ships, and the Coquille, Atalante and Vautour.
In the afternoon, of the 31st of December, two
armed boats, crowded with men, put off from the re-
maining French ships of war in Bantry bay, with the
intention, as was supposed, of landing. " The infantry
which were stationed in Bantry immediately flew to
their arms, and under the command of Colonel French,
of the Galway militia, marched to the shore to dispute
their landing — the cavalry galloped off to Beach, the
house of Mr. Simon White — the entire did not exceed
four hundred men. The Generals withdrew them-
selves from Bantry to Dunmanway."
Upon this occasion a serjeant of the Galway militia,
who had been an old sailor, observed to Colonel French,
that the enemy's tire upon the beach, where he had
28 BANTKY BAY INVASION.
drawn up his men, would probably treble the effect of
their shot. The Colonel replied. " I know that, and
how Nelson's eye was put out ; but we must shew our
whole force, which they will never believe we would
dare to do, without being well backed." The boats,
however, did not attempt to land, and after boarding
an American vessel returned to their ship.
A division of the dispersed fleet, consisting of four
line of battle ships, three frigates, two corvettes, and
two transports, with about four thousand soldiers on
board, returned to Bantry Bay on the 1st of January,
and remained there two or three days. They had cap-
tured a brig belonging to Liverpool, called the Three
Sisters, and another English vessel named the Mary,
bound from Lisbon to Bristol, which they burned with
their cargoes. By this division a council of war was
also held, and the military officers desired to be put on
shore with their men, in which they were supported by
the voices of all the Irishmen present. But the naval
officers refused to disobey their orders.* About the
* The above statement is given from the leaf of a manuscript
Journal, written very closely in English, and apparently kept by
a person on board one of the ships of this division. It was
washed ashore, picked up and preserved by an illiterate old
woman as a charm, in consequence of a rough sketch of the bay,
with soundings, and compass elaborately drawn, which she mistook
for a representation of the Cross. This document was shewn
to the Editor at Kenmare, in 1825, where he made a note of
these particulars.
The following is a copy of the information given to the Com-
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 29
same time three or four French ships of war appeared
off the Shannon, as before mentioned, but finding no
instructions there, returned without landing, except
in one instance, when a boat pulled in for Scattery
Island, and took away a few sheep.
The Fraternite, with General Hoche on board, after
" an extremely narrow escape," as is supposed, from
capture by the English fleet, reached Eochelle on the
15th of January, having fallen in with the Revolution.
The disasters encountered by the frigate, during her
mittee of Merchants iu Cork, by James Sullivan, Esq. of Bere-
haven, on the 4th January, 1797.
" On Monday, the 2nd January, there were 13 French ships
at anchor across the mouth of the bay [Bantry] from Bere
Island to Sheeps Head ; of which two were Une of battle ships.
There were six other ships high up in the bay, back of the
Island of Whiddy, and one a league from Bantry to S.W. of
Whiddy. About 2 o'clock in the afternoon of Monday, a brig
was detached from the 13 ships to work up the bay ; which she
did, and then made a signal to the seven, one of which fired a gun.
They then set fire to a prize they had, and five of the seven got
under weigh and sailed down the bay, leaving two line of battle
ships behind them, which are considered to be disabled ships.
They liberated some English prisoners, who heard that the French
fleet had 25000 troops on board, whilst others reported but 16000,
but all agreed that they were in want of provisions. On Tuesday
the 3rd January, Mr. O'SulUvan went up the high hill, back of
the town of Bantry, at nine o'clock in the morning, and could
only see the two disabled ships — but the weather was hazy and
he could not see farther than eight or nine miles. The ships had
no horses on board, but what belonged to the generals, and
relied on obtaining them in the country."
30 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
course, and the magnanimity displayed by Hoche, are
thus related by his French biographer: — "Pendant toute
la travers^e, la fr^ate etait toujours sans voiles, a peine
avait on pu manger a table deux fois : la peau d'ours
blanc de Hoche, etendue sur le pont, servait souvent de
nappe: cette peau lui etait bien utile a bord ; car il etait
impossible de se tenir debout, a cause des grands roulis
du batiment. Tous les passagers etaient incommodes
du mal de mer ; lui seul supportait les fatigues, avec
I'assurance et la fermete d'habitude d'un marin con-
somme, mettant lui-meme la main a la manoeuvre, en-
courageant par son exemple toute la troupe de terre a
supplier le plus mauvais equipage qui ait jamais existe.
Ses yeux excellens distinguaient les objets a des
distances ou les longues vues n'appercevaient que con-
fusement. Plus d'une fois sa presence d'esprit avait
sauve la fregate : elle se trouve bientot engagee dans
un danger dont toute la vigilance de Hoche n'avait pu
la preserver. Ayant pris forcement le parti de
retourner a Brest, la Fraternite fut vivement pour-
suivie par deux vaisseaux ennemis tres-forts ; elle
etait parvenue a les tromper a la faveur des tenebres
de la nuit. Le lendemain, a la pointe du jour, on fut
fort etonne de se voir au milieu de la flotte Anglaise ;
aucune esperance d'echapper a ce blocus ; aussitot
dispositions prises pour couler a fond les drapeaux
republicains, les manifestes, les journaux, les papiers
de toute espece. Chacun calculait, dans ses arrange-
mens, ce qu'il pourroit sauver avec son individu ; on
s'attendait d'un moment a I'autre a se voir eonduire
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 31
dans les prisons d'Angleterre. Des officiers Anglais
que I'oQ avait fait prisonniers dans la route, et qui se
trouvaient a bord, ne dissimulaient pas I'esperance
qu'ils avaient d'etre incessamment delivr^s ; leur con-
tenance joyeuse achevait de porter le dernier coup au
coeur des republicains. Dans cette deplorable situation,
Hocbe ne perd rien de sa grandeur, il conserve toute
sa dignite; et, sans se dissimuler le veritable embarras
de la circonstance, il demeure superieur aux caprices
du sort.
" On dirait qu'etonnee du courage quelle n'avait pu
intimider, la fortune voulut lui rendre hommage, en
cessant de le poursuivre. La mer devint tellement
grosse, le vent si fort, qu'au milieu meme des vaisseaux
Anglais, occupes de leur propre conservation, la
fregate la Fraternite fut prise par eux pour I'une des
leurs; elle tint la meme route jusqu'a la fin du jour ;
changeant alors sa direction a la faveur des tenebres,
elle arriva heureusement au mouillage de Tile de Rh6
(cette manoeuvre habile est due toute entiere au contre-
amiral Bruix), un mois juste apres le depart de
Brest."
Before the end of the month of January, Hoche was
appointed to the command of the Republican army of
the Rhine, and after some severe fighting, in which
he was victorious, appeared before Frankfort. He
died in his thirtieth year, on the loth September 1797,
" The following short abstract," says James (vol. ii. p. 9) "will
show as well the loss sustained by the Brest fleet during its
32
BANTEY BAY INVASION.
(not without suspicion of having been taken off by-
poison), and lies buried at Coblentz beside the remains
of Mar9eau.* To the last, Hoche appears never to
voyage to Ireland and back, as the date of the arrival in France
of the line of battle part of it."
Classes.
p
3
p.
o
o
Q
rs
J)
s
o
1797.
Port aiTi ved at in January
2 f
— a,
o'S
|il
^'^^
17
14
6
6
43
Brest. 1 Rochefort
1st
nth
I3th
I3th
Line, (all 74s, 1
but one anSSJ
Frigates . . .
Brigs . . . .
Flutes. . . .
Total..
1
2
4
7
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
5
5
4
1
15
10
4
2
31
* The following verses on the death of Hoche, who but a few
months before had attempted the conquest of Ireland, appeared
in the Press newspaper, published in Dublin, and are here copied,
not on account of their merit, but as illustrative of the rev'olu-
tionary character of that print:
" Weep ! GalUa weep ! in sorrow droop thy head,
Thy Hoche, thy hero, and thy friend is dead;
That man so truly great in freedom's cause,
That brave defender of his country's laws;
Who, from her fields the Pitt-leagued tyrants chased,
And all the hordes of slaves that laid them waste;
Made the crown'd robbers of his native soil,
Shake on their blood-stain'd thrones and quit their spoil.
Now paie and breathless, lo ! the hero lies.
As envious fate had call'd him to the skies,
But still unconquered, tbo' resigned his breath,
He springs immortal from the ai ms of death ;
O ! friend of man, upon thy honoured bier,
The good and brave shall drop a gi-ateful tear ;
Bright fame, thy virtues from oblivion save,
And snatch thy honours from the silent grav«.
From age to age thy glorious deeds impart,
And make thy monument each Patriot's heart,"
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 313
have abandoned the desire to subdue England by
means of Ireland ; " mais il ne considere I'lrlande
que comnie le cliemin de Londres," says his bio-
grapher. In a letter to General Hedouville, Hoche
writes, "Ma fortune me menerait-elle, avee cette
armee, aux portes de Vienne, ce que j'espere, je
la quitterais encore pour aller a Dublin, et de la a
Londres"; and in the last letter addressed by him to
the Minister of Marine he alludes to the subject.
Charles Hamilton Teeling, a state prisoner in Dub-
lin, at the time of the appearance of the Freach fleet
in Bantry bay, thus relates in a romantic personal
narrative of the Rebellion of 1798,* the feelings of
himself and fellow prisoners. " It was at the still hour of
night, in the depth of the wintry storm, when the old
year had nearly run its course, and the approach of
the new was anticipated with alternate hopes and fears,
when every moment increased suspense and every
footstep caught the listening ear, that the long vaulted
passages announced the approach of feet, which pro-
claimed the arrival of the most unlooked-for but most
welcome of friends.
" The moment was to us one of the deepest interest.
The country was agitated ; the government was
alarmed; all the disposable military force was in motion,
for a hostile squadron hovered on the peaceful shores
* Published in London 1828. Inscribed to his wife and
children, as "the only inheritance which the enemies of his
country have left him to bequeath."
D
34 BANTKY BAY INVASION.
of the south, and the capacious bay of Bantry was
crowded with foreign masts. Never had Ireland
experienced an hour of greater excitement — never was
her population more agitated with alternate hopes and
fears. The prisons were crowded with the most
popular characters of the day; and as the troops were
passing that in which we were confined, some detach-
ments halted and cheered us on their march to the
south. The anxiety of the people increased, as alarm
for our safety or hopes of our liberation prevailed.
The sanguinary measures of the administration had
alienated the great majority of the nation, and the
minority possessed neither the influence nor the power
to contend with the approaching storm. Everything
without the cabinet bespoke the alarm that prevailed
within, for government had neither the wisdom to
conciliate the people, nor the talent to direct the dis-
posable force, with which they were ill-prepared to
encounter a bold and adventurous foe. Hurry, con-
fusion, and disorder, marked the advance of the army;
all was terror, doubt and dismay; troops disaffected,
horses wanting, the munitions of war badly supplied,
and even the bullet was unfitted to the calibre of the
cannon,* which a defective commissariat had supplied.
The general's culinary apparatus only was complete;
and while the troops had to contend with the severity
of the winter's storm, the mountain's torrent, roads
* "Nine-pound shot was provided for six pound cannon." —
Teeling.
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 35
broken up by the floods or rendered impassable from
the depth of the drifted snow, peril and dismay in the
front, hunger and privation in the rear; everything
that could gratify the palate, even to the satiety of
taste, was profusely provided for the general's table.*
And thus prepared, the unwieldy Dalrymple faced to
the south, to meet the invincible Hoche, the victor of
La Vendee, followed by the bravest troops the re-
public of France could boast. But the elements
protected the empire for Britain, and the country was
preserved from the havoc of war."
Of the many chimerical inventions which at this
period were intended to influence and delude the
minds of the ignorant and disaffected Irish, as to the
power of France, the circulation of documents repre-
senting balloons freighted with armed men, and
equipped with steering apparatus, and of rafts on flat-
bottomed boats, were of common occurrence ; although
such prints are now rarely to be met with. The Editor
is indebted to Sir Lucius O'Brien, Bart., for the original
drawing from which the annexed woodcut is copied.
It was probably the work of some disaifected "philo-
math" or schoolmaster in the county of Clare or
Limerick, confidentially exhibitedj and publicly dis-
cussed, by the agitators of the age in these localities.
* " So peculiarly delicate was the general's palate, that
gentlemen who served under him in the yeomanry ranks, were
sometimes obliged to ride express ten or fifteen miles to procure
cayenne pepper for his soup and capers for his favorite sauce."
Teeling.
D 2
36
BANTRY BAY INVASION.
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BANTRY BAY INVASION. 37
And what is the true history of the failure of this
expedition? The Editor has been told from the most
unquestionable authority — that it was public confidence
in the English funds — the trust of England in her
Chancellor of the Exchequer. — This is not the time or
place to enter into more minute statements — but there
can be no doubt whatever, that the captain of the
Fraternite had accepted a bribe of a considerable
amount, to give the military and naval commanders
in chief a cruise for a few weeks on the bank of
Newfoundland, before landing them in Ireland ;
and that he performed this little delicate act of secret
service so well, that he boldly drew upon the English
Government for double the amount agreed upon,
which however was ultimately arranged to the perfect
satisfaction of all parties concerned.
As an illustration of the proverb "Before fire there
is smoke," two songs are appended to this introduction.
It is a subject of no incurious speculation how and
by what means historical movements of national revo-
lution have been paralized. The spirit of philosophy
replies, " speculation and money."
The two following songs were written in 1779, in
anticipation of the landing and defeat of the French.
They both appear in Swiney's Juvenile Muse^ intro-
duced into a dramatic entertainment called The Alar?n,
founded on the supposed appearance of the enemy's
fleet off Bantry bay. In this little drama, the odd
38 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
combination of fact with fiction ; of local with classical
names, although seriously intended by the author, is
highly ludicrous. Thus, in the first scene, Marcus
and Antonius meet upon the Mall or grand parade in
Cork, and Ventidius and other Roman [Catholic]
ofiicers figure in Georges Street, when Ventidius says,
"Lapp's Island is the general parade." Elsewhere
the following direction occurs : —
** Aurelius, dispatch some flying troops,
Forward towards Bantry to observe the French."
A genuine letter in every respect, except the
address and writer's signature, upon which the troops
that had marched from Cork to oppose the invaders
were countermanded, is preserved by Mr. Swiney in
his drama.
" To Antillus, general of the Vokinteer Army, &c.
To remove, as soon as possible, the public apprehensions,
occasioned by the ill-founded rumour of a French invasion, I
find it necessary to acquaint you with the event which gave rise
to the report. A fleet was seen hovering about this bay, which
at first view, appeared to sail under French colours ; but upon
closer observation, the mistake was cleared up, as it proved to be
a British squadron. Numbers at first hurried away by fear, and
the natural desire of self-preservation fled for safety to the city
and there propagated the fiction with additional horrors. As
you may depend upon this account to be a real fact, it is needless
to point out to you the propriety of making it as public as
possible, in order to remove the general terror.
I have the honor to be,
Bantry, June 4, 1779. Your most obedient humble servant,
POPLICOLA."
BANTBY BAY INVASION. 89
The occurrence upon which The Alarm was founded,
is thus chronicled by Fitzgerald in his Cork Remem-
brancer. " 1779, June 4. The True Blue, Boyne,
Aughrim, Union and Culloden, armed societies of the
city of Cork, had a general field-day at Balliphehane,
from whence they returned to the Mall about two
o'clock, where they fired three voUies each, in honour
of his Majesty's birth-day; they were scarcely done
dinner, when the town was alarmed with the news of
a large French fleet having appeared off Bantry bay.
Drums instantly began to beat to arms, through every
quarter of the city; the volunteers again assembled
and paraded on the Mall. The true Blues took
charge of the main guard, the Highlanders quitted it
and joined the remaining part of the regiment in the
old barracks. Palms Westropp, Esq., Mayor of Cork,
summoned a council to consider what was necessary
to be done on such an alarming occasion ; the coun-
tenances of the people were sensibly changed, terror
in some, courage in others, and joy in the hearts and
minds of some of the lower class or rabble of the city.
Fear and apprehension, danger and distress, sat
visible almost on every brow; the affliction and un-
easiness of the people could be more easily conceived
than described; several Roman Catholics took up arms,
offered to assist the volunteers, and distinguish them-
selves like loyal subjects in defence of their country.
The volunteers paraded the whole night, preserved
peace, order, and regularity, and held themselves in
constant readiness to repel the expected foe. About
40 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
ten at night, the Highland regiment marched from the
old barracks towards Bandon; they were met express
on the road, countermanded, and returned next
morning; upon the whole, it appeared to be an English
fleet hovering off Cape Clear, who, on firing several
great guns in honour of his Majesty's birth-day, gave
rise to the alarm and expected invasion. In short,
the alertness, spirited conduct and behaviour of our
volunteers on this alarming occasion, claim the most
exalted praise, and w'ill transmit their fame to posterity
with honour and lustre which time itself cannot
deface."
Another report of invasion, which caused a move-
ment of the troops, occurred in Cork, on the 4th
September following, and arose from the appearance
of the homeward-bound Jamaica fleet off Kinsale.
The song of " The French now are landed " was
thus introduced into the second act of the Alarm^
which was represented by an amateur theatrical com-
pany in Cork.
" Sceue n. The North Main Street.
Enter a Ballad Singer, surrounded hy a mob.
Ballad-singer. Here is an excellent new song, made on the
present alarm occasioned by the landing of the French in Bantry."
Tune. — " How happy a life does a Miller possess."
The French are now landed to plunder our coast,
But soon we'll discomfit their cowardly host;
And prove to the grief of those spider-like dogs,
Hibernians will never knock under to frogs.
BANTEY BAY INVASION. 41
We'll lead them a dance tliey ne'er practised before;
Compel these French skippers to skip from our shore,
And long rue the ill-fated hour when they came
Our land and submissive allegiance to claim.
No doubt they surmise we are ignorant fools,
To be of such spindle-shaped shadows the tools;
However, we'll show them they're sadly misled,
And make them remember invasion with dread.
Were all the soup gentry to enter our land,
With Louis the haughty, as first in command,
Our bold volunteers would oblige them to yield,
Lie drowned in their gore, or relinquish the field.
NOW, MY LADS.
Tune. — " Jolly Mortals, fill your glasses.
Now, my lads, let glory fire us.
To pursue the sons of France:
George — Hibernia — both require us;
Freedom courts us to advance.
Blest with freedom's glorious charter,
We shall ne'er desert her cause;
Ne'er our king or country barter.
For proud Louis' slavish laws.
42 BANTRY BAY INVASION,
Shortly hell behold with wonder,
Little all his art avails;
Soon we'll drive the invading dunder
Back, to feast on frogs and snails.
Hark ! the God of War invites us,
Ireland's genius to protect;
Courage, sure, must now incite us.
Her deliverance to effect.
SONGS RELATING TO THE BANTRY BAY
INVASION.
I.
THE SHAN VAN VOCHT.
The chorus of this song, by which it and many other
songs, generally of a rebellious character, are known,
means literally " The Old Crippled Woman," under
which figure L-eland is allegorically depicted. The
authorship or singing of " The Shan Van Vocht," the
Editor believes caused a military court of enquiry to
be held, at Cork, into the conduct of Mr. Michael
Joseph Barry, an active member of one of the volun-
teer corps of that city; and as the song appears for the
first time, to the Editor's knowledge, in print in " The
Songs of Ireland," (Duffy's Library for Ireland) edited
by a gentleman with the same christian and surname
as those of the presumed author, the editor follows
respectfully Mr. Barry's copy, with quoting merely his
observation, that "the versions of this song are num-
berless; but that here given is considered the best."
It may be so ; but the last verse is certainly " out of
44 BANTEY BAY INVASION,
keeping/' as an artist would term it, with the preceding
verses.
Oh! the French are on the sea,
Says the Shan Van vocht;
The French are on the sea,
Says the Shan Van vocht;
Oh I the French are in the bay,
They'll be here without delay,
And the Orange will decay.
Says the Shan Van vocht.
CHORUS.
Oh! the French are in the Bay,
They'll be here by break of day,
And the Orange will decay,
Says the Shaii Van vocht.
And where will they have their camp?
Says the Shan Van vocht ;
Where will they have their camp?
Says the Shan Van vocht;
On the Currach of Kildare,
The boys they will be there
With their pikes in good repai]',
Says the Shan Van vocht.
To the Currach of Kildare
The boys they will repair,
And Lord Edward will be there,
Says the Shan Van vocht.
BAXTRY BAY INVASION. 45
Then what will the yeomen do?
Says the Shan Van vocht;
What ivill the yeomen do?
Says the Shan Van vocht;
"What should the yeomen do,
But throw off the red and blue,
And swear that they'll be true
To the Shan Van vocht.
What should the yeomen do
But throw off the red and blue,
And swear that they'll be true
To the Shan Van vocht.
And what colour will they wear?
Says the Shan Van vocht;
What colour will they wear?
Says the Shan Van vocht;
What colour should be seen
Where our Fathers' homes have been,
But their own immortal Green?
Says the Shan Van vocht.
What colour should be seen
Where our Fathers' homes have been,
But their own immortal Green?
Says the Shan Van vocht.
And will Ireland then be free?
Says the Shan Van vocht;
46 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
Will Ireland then be free?
Says the Shan Van vocht;
Yes! Ireland shall be free,
From the centre to the sea ;
Then hurra for Liberty!
Says the Shan Van vocht.
Yes! Ireland shall be free,
From the centre to the sea ;
Then hurra for Liberty!
Says the Shan Van vocht.
IL
THE INVASION OF IRELAND, CHRISTMAS 1796.
This ballad, which was probably first printed in a
newspaper of the time, appears in "A Collection of
Constitutional Songs," vol. i. p. 80, published by A.
Edwards, Cork, 1799, and is entitled " the Invasion,
(written in January 1797)." It is here given from
collation with a revised copy in a small volume of
"Verses," "privately printed at the Wesleyan Mission
press, Columbo," without date, (but obviously 1821).
The corrections are little more than verbal, except the
omission of the 10th verse, " But not to Albion's navy
bold," and the addition of the 14th verse, commencing,
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 47'
" And fierce and furious is the gale." Some of the
author's corrections only are followed, as the Editor
does not consider them all to have been made for the
better. Various readings are pointed out in the notes.
The author was Sir Hardinge Giffard, who died chief
justice of Ceylon, on his return to England in 1827.
Now fair and strong the south-east blew,
And high the billows rose ;
The French fleet bounded o'er the main,*
Freighted with Erin's foes.
Oh ! where was Hood, and where was Howe,
And where Cornwallis then;
Where Colpoys, Bridport, orf Pellew,J:
And all their gallant men ?
* waves. — Author's MS.
f and. — Corrected edition, 1821.
J The question asked in this line subsequently formed the
groundwork of a motion, by Mr. Whitbread in the House of
Commons, and of the Earl of Albemarle in the House of Peers,
for a committee to inquire into the conduct of ministers respect-
ing the French invasion of Bantry bay. It was stated that
although the enemy's fleet had been at sea from the middle of
December to the 6th of January, the English squadron under
Lord Bridport remained in harbour, while that commanded by
Admiral Colpoys actually came into Portsmouth the very day on
which the new^s of the arrival of the French fleet in Bantry
bay reached London (31st December). The reply of Mr.
Dundas was a satisfactory vindication of ministers. He stated
that Sir Edward Fellow's squadron was employed in cruizing off
48 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
Nor skill nor courage aught avail,
Against high Heaven's decrees,*
The storm arose and closed our ports,
A mist o'erspread the seas.
For not to feeble, mortal man.
Did God his vengeance trust;
He raised his own tremendous arm,
All-powerful asf all just.
Brest to watch the motions of the enemy, but the hazy state of
the weather was such, that fog guns were obhged to be continually
fired, and the French fleet succeeded in getting out, notwith-
standing all the efforts of that active and gallant ofl&cer to prevent
it ; that Admiral Colpoys's squadron, which was also hovering
off Brest, came into harbour for supplies, having been kept out
longer than was anticipated, by Sir Eoger Curtis, who was en-
gaged in the pursuit of Admiral Richery, delaying to relieve it ;
that Lord Bridport's squadron, which was ordered on the 21st
of December off Cape Clear, sailed on the 25th; but the dense-
ness of the fog prevented his falling in with a single French
vessel ; and that other ships had also been dispatched in search
of the enemy. Mr. Dundas triiunphantly observed, that if with
every previous knowledge, the most accurate arrangement had
been made to intercept the hostile expedition, and that ministers
had failed in doing so, no blame could fairly be attached to them,
when the state of the weather was such as to render it impossible
for the admiral and general intrusted with the command, (and who
had sailed at the same time from the same port) to rejoin the
main body, or even to communicate Avith it.
* When Pro^idence gainsays. — Cork edition, 1799.
f and.— Cork edition, 1799.
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 49
Now fierce and loud the tempest roared,*
And swept the quivering main;
And part go south, and part go west,
And part the shore attain.
And tremblingt on the boisterous wave,
The shattered vessels lie ;
The billows mounting o'er their heads,
To kiss the bending sky.
" Arise, ye sons of Erin, rise,
The Gaul is on the shore ;
He comes, begrim'd with murder foul
And red with royal gore."
The sons of ThemisJ proudly drew
The sword of justice bright ;
And thirty thousand yeomen's swords§
Reflected back its light.
* blew.— Cork edition, 1799.
■f tumbling. —Cork edition, 1799, and Author's MS.
J " Goddess of law.'" — MS. note. An evident compliment to
the Dublin lawyers' corps, to which of course the author belonged.
§ blades. — Cork edition, 1799. The author's MS. has swords.
Thirty thousand is a poetic amplification ; for the London Gazette
of 17th January, 1797, states that "the number of yeomanry
fully appointed and disciplined in Dublin exceed two thousand,
above four hundred of whom are horse. The whole number of
corps approved by government amount to four hundred and fortj^
exclusive of the Dublin corps. The gross number is nearly
twenty -five thousand."
E
50 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
Now firm and bold her patriot sons*
To Erin's coasts repair ;
With ardent zeal they hold their march, f
Their banners fill the air.
But not to Albion's navy bold,
Nor Erin's patriot band,
Did God his ministry depute
To save his favored land.
In Bantry's deepj and rocky bay,
The hostile navy rode ;
And now arrived the festal hour
When earth beheld her God.§
The impious crews, || with anxious eyes
Gazed on each verdant plain ;!"
And mocked and scoffed the holy time
With many a jest profane.
* hardy troops. — Cork edition, 1799.
t march along. — Cork edition, 1799.
% bold.— Author's MS.
§ " Christmas Day, 1796."— MS. note.
II Crew.— Author's MS.
^ However anxious those embarked may have been to get on
shore, they were certainly not allured by the sight of verdant
plains. " Last night it blew a heavy gale from the eastward with
snow, so that the mountains are covered this morning, which will
render our bivouacs extremely amusing." — December 23, 1796.
Tone's Journal on board the Indomptable in Bantry Bay.
BANTR"! BAY INVASION. 5 t
But sure such loud and angry winds
Ne'er shook the seas before ;
Nor ever did the glaring clouds*
With| such deep thunder roar.
And fierce and furious is the gale
That tears the troubled sky ;
While, trembling in the dreadful blast,
The boasting cowards fly.
For thirteen nights and thirteen days
Their scattered navyj strove ;
And some were wrecked, and some despair.
Before the tempest drove.
Now, ever praised be our God
Who saved us from their hand,
And never more may foe presume
To dare this christian land.
* skies. — Cork edition, 1799.
t In.— Author's MS.
X The famish'd wretches.— Cork edition, 1799.
£ 2
52 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
III.
ON A MOUNTAIN WHOSE SUMMIT.
From a manuscript copy procured for the Editor by
Miss Elliot. The writer is said to have been the Rev.
Horatio Townsend, author of the Statistical Survey of
Cork. 2 vols. 8vo. 2nd ed. 1815, and other works.
On a mountain whose summit approach'd to the skies,
Hibernia in anguish reclined;
Unstrung was her harp, all bedewed were her eyes,
And her tresses flowed loose in the wind.
'Twas the goddess of discord that reigns over France,
In her bosom had raised those alarms;
Who amidst Gallic warriors shook her dread lance,
And in Ireland directed their arms.
" Shall the sister of Britain," she cried, **that blest Isle
No cup but of happiness taste;
On her shall sweet peace everlastingly smile.
While here rage and war commit waste;
No, bear desolation and death to her shore,
Where treasures of nature abound;
Proud England her conquests shall gladly restore,
And France be with victory crowned."
She said, and her sons to th(}ir ships in delight,
With haste inconsiderate flew,
BANTRY BAY INVASIOM. 53
From the navy of Britain she wrapt them in night,
And soon showed lerne in view;
Inflamed by the prospect, and eager for spoil.
With ardour and canvas they pressed,
And Avhile they impatient redoubled their toil,
Hibernia her Sire thus addressed:
" Disposer of fate, still the innocent's friend,
On Ireland with favour look down;
From the blood-stained despoiler ray votaries defend,
And crush these proud hopes with thy frown.
Oh, ne'er let the sons of impiety bold.
Defying thy judgments, exclaim>^
That guilt is permitted to rage uncontrouled,
And Providence nought but a name."
She spoke, and loud thunder proclaimed to her ear,
That the boon was conceded by Heaven;
The tempest's strain rose, filled the boldest with fear.
While each bark in disorder was driven;
The sport of wild waves, some were tossed to and fro.
Some engulphed in the fathomless main,
Some captured, while all who survived, in despair
Bewailed their rash project in vain.
Hibernia enraptured her mellow harp strung ;
And, transport succeeding to pain,
So sweetly her tribute of gratitude sung.
That angels re-echoed that strain;
54 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
Oh join the loud chorus of thanks and of love,
Through all Europe be wafted the sounds;
Praise Him, who on virtue beams mild from above,
But guilt and presumption confounds.
IV.
THE BANTRY BAY INVASION, 1797.
Printed in the 1st volume of a Collection of Constitutional
Songs. A. Edwards, Cork, 1799, p. 78.
The world has long waited in great consternation
Th' event of this wonderful French preparation ;
Whether Portugal,* Ireland, or India called west.
Should be prey to the fierce desperadoes of Brest.
Derry down, &c.
* In Tone's Journal of 18th October, 1796, the following
anecdote is given respecting this report. " Shee told me a
good story to-day. The English had lodged fifty louis to pay
the printer here (Brest) for a copy of the proclamation which
they foresaw Hoche would publish, wheresoever he was bound.
He got wind of this, and by Shee's advice prepared a proclamation
for the Portuguese, in order to have it translated. Having thus
spread the report among these knaves, he sent off Shee privately to
Angiers, where there is a printer on whom he has reliance, and
caused the proclamation to be printed there, taking every possible
precaution that not a copy should escape. It was well imagined
BANTRY BAY liNVASlON. 55
There was Admiral Galle, faith, and Richery too,
A pair of damned pirates as ever you knew ;
With soldiers and galley-slaves led on by Hoche, *
I wish the dee'l had the whole set " dans sa poche."
Derry down, &c.
'Twas long undetermined which way they should steer,
'Till at last they bethought 'em of our Christmas cheer;
When with good provisions our cellars are stored.
And beef and plum-pudding smoke rich on the board.
Derry down, &c.
In anger and appetite none could exceed 'em.
They failed — 'tis no treason to say, devil speed 'em,
That this was their scheme you must own is most clear,
For they moored 'twixt Sheeps-head and the island of
Beer.f Derry down, &c.
of Colonel Shee, and I have no doubt but those rascally priests
will take care the story of the Portuguese proclamation shall
find its way to England. All fair — all fair."
* This, no doubt alludes to the legion noire — "about eighteen
hundred. They are the banditti for England, and sad black-
guards they are. They put me strongly in mind of the green-
boys of Dublin." — Tone's Journal, 10th November, 1796.
\ Punning as this line may seem, it is nevertheless correct.
Sheep's Head, or Minterbarra Point, is at the eastern entrance of
Bantry bay; Beer, Bere or Bear island, is about a league north-
west of it, and about six miles in length. The channel between
Bere island on the western side of Bantry bay is about an English
mile in breadth, and affords good anchorage in from ten to fifteen
66 BANTEY BAY INVASION.
It blew from the shore a brisk wind at north-east,
And they snuff'd in the gale, Richard White's* Christ-
mas feast ;
For at Seafield good cheer and good fellowship reign,
May our enemies long for them ever in vain.
Derry down, &c.
How they licked their lank lips, as they thought to
On his Carberry mutton and old bottled-ale ; [regale
Lut in this the French gluttons were sadly mistaken,
'Stead of tasting his meat, not to save their own bacon.
Derry down, &c.
For Patrick, the tutelar saint of our isle,
Looked down on his favourite sons with a smile.
*' No ravages shall this fair country deform,
I'll scatter the ruffians," he cried, " with a storm."
Derry down, &c.
With spirits elate, and with arms in each hand
Indignant we rose to repel this rash band ;
Meantime our good saint had preferred his petition,
And ^olus, well pleased, undertook the commission.
Derry down, &c.
fathoms water. On the east of the island, or main-passage up the
bay, the anchorage varies from thirty to forty fathoms.
* The present Earl of Bantry. The London Gazette of 3rd
January, 1797, states that " in particular, the spirit, activity, and
exertions of Richard White, Esq., of Seafield Park, deserve the
most honourable mention."
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 57
The wind 'gan to rage, and the surges to roar,
And drove them, half-starved, from the long vvished-
for shore ;
A few ships returned, when the weather grew still,
But they ne'er could get farther than Hungry Hill.
Derry down, &c.
O name of ill omen to Riehery's crew,
The island of promise just suffered to view ;
Now robbed of their booty, let Hoche and his hectors
Go tell their great feats to the Gallic directors.
Derry down, &c.
To complete their confusion, Lord Bridport appear?,*
And the flag of Great Britain triumphant uprears ;
Upon the Atlantic all scattered they rove.
As sheep from the wolf, or from falcon the dove.
Derry down, &c.
Then bumper your glasses, to George drink a health.
To Ireland, peace, haj^piness, honor, and wealth ;
May no feuds or discord her united sons sever,
And our army and navy be victorious for ever.
Derry down, &c.
* Lord Bridport's squadron, consisting of ten sail of the line,
put to sea from Spithead on the 3rd January, 1797, in quest
of the French fleet.
BANTET BAY INVASION.
V.
OH ! BROTHER SOLDIER.
At the time of the Bantry bay Invasion, the south
and west of Ireland were, comparatively speaking,
free from the rebellious poison which the United
Irishmen, of the north, endeavoured to instil into the
country, and these districts were therefore decidedly
hostile to France.
The zeal and alacrity of the yeomanry and volunteer
corps, upon the intelligence of the appearance of the
enemy's fleet, is particularly noticed in the London
Gazette, of 3rd January 1797. And in the subse-
quent Gazette, of 7th of January, it is stated, that
" the accounts of the disposition of the country where
the troops are assembled are as favorable as possible,
and the greatest loyalty has manifested itself through-
out the kingdom; and in the south and west, where the
troops have been in motion, they have been met by
the country people of all descriptions with provisions
and all sorts of accommodations to facilitate their
march ; and every demonstration has been given of
the zeal and ardour of the nation to oppose the enemy,
in every place where it could be supposed a descent
might be attempted."
The London Gazette, of the I7th of January, con-
tains a letter from the Lord Lieutenant,* in which after
* Earl Camden.
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 59
noticing the good disposition evinced by the troops, his
excellency proceeds: — " The roads, which in parts had
been rendered impassable by the snow, were cleared
by the peasantry. The poor people often shared their
potatoes with them, and dressed their meat without
demanding payment ; of which there was a very par-
ticular instance in the town of Banagher, where no
gentleman or principal farmer resides to set them an
example. At Carlow a considerable subscription was
made for the troops as they passed ; and at Limerick
and Cork every exertion was used to facilitate the
carriage of artillery and baggage, by premiums to the
carmen;* and in the town of Galway which for a short
time was left with a very inadequate garrison, the
zeal and ardour of the inhabitants and yeomanry was
peculiarly manifested, and in a manner to give the
utmost satisfaction. In short the general good dispo-
sition of the people through the south and west was so
prevalent, that had the enemy landed their hope of
assistance from the inhabitants would have been totally
disappointed. From the armed yeomanry government
derived the most honorable assistance. Noblemen
and gentlemen of the first property vied in exerting
themselves at the head of their corps. Much of the
* The merchants of Cork kept ready in stable twenty horses
at their own expense for the use of government, and on the 3rd
of January they gave refreshments to seven hundred of the army,
besides making an allowance of two pence halfpenny to the wife,
and two pence to each child, per day, of those married soldiers
Avho had marched towards Bantry. — Ed.
60 BANTRY BAY INVxVSlON.
express and escort duty was performed by them. In
Cork, Limerick, and Galvvay, they took the duty of
the garrison. Lord Shannon informs me, that men of
three and four thousand pounds a-year were employed
in escorting baggage and carrying expresses. Mr.
John Latouche, who was a private in his son's corps,-
rode twenty-five miles in one of the severest nights,
with an express, it being his turn for duty. The
merchants of Dublin, many of them of the first
eminence, marched sixteen, Irish, miles with a convoy
of arms to the north, whither it was conducted by
reliefs of yeomanry."
The song here given is from a manuscript copy,
accidentally rescued by the Editor from lighting a fire
in an inn at Bandon, May 1825. An inferior version
is printed in the first volume of a " Collection of Con-
stitutional Songs." A. Edwards, Cork, 1799, p. 54.
It is evidently an impromptu on the first intelligence
of the French fleet having anchored in Bantry bay,
and exemplifies the loyal feeling so strongly manifested
on that trying occasion.
Tune—" Lilliburlero."
Oh ! brother soldier, heard you the news,
Twang 'em, we'll bang 'em, and hang 'em up all ;
An army's arrived without breeches or shoes.
Twang 'em, we'll bang 'em, and hang em up all.
To arms, to arms!
Brave boys, to arms!
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 61
A true Irish cause on your courage does call,
Court, country, and city,
Against a banditti ;
Twang 'em, we'll bang 'em, and hang 'em up all.
The French to invade us prepared a great fleet,
Twang 'era, &c.
And now since they're come, we shall very soon meet.
Twang 'em, &c.
To arms, to arms, &c.
They come the true cause, they say, to advance,
Twang 'em, &c.
But what is more rare they bring freedom from France.
Twang 'em, &c.
To arms, to arms, &c.
If this should surprise you, there's news, brothers, yet.
Twang 'em, &c.
They bring French assignats to pay every man's debt.
Twang 'em, &c.
To arms, to arms, &c.
• It was intended by the French to issue assignats immedi-
ately on their landing. A few were issued by Humbert's order
at Killala. The following is a copy of one of these :
" No. 20.
" In the name of the French government, good for half-a-
guinea, to be raised of the province of Connaught.
"3rd September, 1798. " John Mooke."
Mr. Moore, who signed the above, was the sou of a Roman
63 BANTEY BAY INVASION.
And sure this is paying you in the best ore.
Twang 'em, &c.
For who once is thus paid, will never want more.
Twang 'em, &c.
To arms, to arms, &c.
After all their good nature, we shall not agree,
Twang 'em, &c.
Our Protestant heroes will make them to flee.
Twang 'em, &c.
To arms, to arms, &c.
V.
YE SONS OF HIBERNIA.
This song is printed in the first volume of " A Col-
lection of Constitutional Songs. A. Edwards, Cork,
1799, p. 56." And it is given in addition to the pre-
ceding, as evidence of the loyal alacrity generally
manifested by all classes at the appearance of the
French fleet in Bantry bay. From the fourth verse
it would seem to have been written by a student of
Catholic gentleman of considerable fortune in the county of
Mayo, and was appointed President of Connaught by General
Humbert.
BANTRY DAY INVASION. 63
Trinity College, Dublin, on the formation of " the col-
lege corps."
The dispatch of his excellency the lord lieutenant,
published in the London Gazette^ of I7th January,
1797, and already extensively quoted from, contains
the following passage. "The appearance in this
metropolis has been highly meritorious. The corps
have been formed of the most respectable barristers,
attornies, merchants, gentlemen, and citizens, and
their number is so considerable, and their zeal in
mounting guards so useful, that I was enabled greatly
to reduce the garrison with perfect safety to the town."
Tune — " Joy and health to the Duchess wherever she goes."
Ye sons of Hibernia, alive to the call
Of duty most sacred, of glory and honour;
Resolved with your country to stand or to fall,
Who gloriously crowd to true liberty's banner;
Thus loyal and free
You always shall be.
Your king and your country rewards shall bestow,
And gratitude raise
The song to your praise,
Success to our yeomen wherever they go.
In history's volume the sage shall record.
How in anarchy sunk and urged on by distraction,
'Gainst this loyal kingdom that France drew the sword,
Obeying the nod of vile party and faction :
64 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
To your country still true,
To your arms you flew
With ardour to combat the insolent foe ;
While Hibernia with pride
Triumphantly cried,
Success to my yeomen wherever they go.
Attached to our country, our king, and our laws,
No party shall rule us, no faction dissever;
We'll conquer or perish in this glorious cause.
Our motto shall be " George and freedom for ever."
To win glory's charms.
More brothers in arms
Shall join us, as streams still enlarge as they flow;
Be sacred each name
In the records of fame,
Success to our yeomen wherever they go.
At college, our students the ardour have caught*
Of patriots distinguished in Greece and in Rome;
By such bright examples so gloriously taught.
To fight for their country in life's early bloom.
How in every age
The hero and sage
United to combat for freedom, they know,
* " The corps, consisting of three hundred gentlemen of the
University of Dublin, have so distinguished themselves by spirit
and activity, that the dangerous outposts upon the canals are
usually committed to them." — Courier Newspaper, June 12, 1798.
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 65
For their country enroll'd
Like the patriots of old.
The laurel shall wreath them wherever they go.
All ranks, all professions, shall greatly unite.
The lawyer, the student, the farmer, the trader ;
In one armed host for their country to fight,
Their rights to preserve and repel the invader :*
By this valiant band
Protected we'll stand,
* Teeling, in his Personal Narrative, thus ironically describes
the appearance of Dublin. " Every man was dressed in military
costume. The clerks of office frisked about like young cadets,
who, though vain of their dress and appointments, were not yet
familiarized with their use. Such of the law officers as I encoun-
tered had exchanged their sable for scarlet, and presented the
most grotesque appearance, — a perfect caricature of the military
profession. Some of the aldermanic body, who happened to be
in attendance [at the Castle], were so completely metamorphosed,
that even the inventive imagination of Shakspeare could have
produced no forms more extraordinary, or more opposite in
nature to the human race,— a combination of German moustaches,
with Prussian cues extending from the cumbrous helmet which
covered the tonsured crown of years ; the gross unwieldy paunch,
supported by a belt cracking under the weight of turtle and
savoury ragouts. The immense rotundity projecting beyond the
scanty skirt of a light horseman's jacket, formed an appearance
not more disgusting to the eye, than unsuited to the saddle which
was to bear the precious burthen of the gallant volunteer. ' And
are these,' said I, ' the heroes that were to contend with Hoche?
Oh, blessed be the hour that raised the storm which protected
corj)orate rights, and deprived the vulture of its prey.' "
F
66 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
Long as sea round the shores of Ireland shall flow ;
To them let us raise
The due tribute of praise,
Success to our yeomen wherever they go.
VII.
THE TRIUMPHS OF ERIN.
From "A Collection of Constitutional Songs. A.
Edwards, Cork, 1799. Vol. 1. p. 92."
Emerald island, verdant Erin,
Lo! along thy troubled shore,
Treason high its standard rearing,
Pants to dye thy fields in gore.
Once endowed with every blessing,
Free, united, loyal, brave ;
Now thy treach'rous sons are pressing
Thee, their parent to enslave.
Freedom's sacred name assuming,
Basely they pervert its end;
To their dreadful plans presuming,
Erin's gen'rous soul to bend.
BANTRY BAY INVASION. 67
But beneath the cloak of feeling,
Love and truth and peace professed;
Treason, thus its head concealing,
Points a dagger at thy breast.
Those for freedom truly fighting,
Ne'er would sell their native plains ;
Nor the aid of France inviting.
Seek a foreign tyrant's chains.
Erin, ancient seat of learning.
Whilst o'er Europe darkness spread,
Can'st not thou, its wiles discerning,
Crush the specious serpent's head.
Nurse of heroes, famed in story.
Oft confounding France and Spain ;
May those miscreants cause thy gloiy.
As of old, to shine again.
See thy sister-island standing,
Mark her calm majestic form;
All her ancient soul commanding.
Smiling at the threaten 'd storm.
Round your isles, e'en now in motion.
See her circling navy draws;
Peerless empress of tlie ocean,
Neptune's self sui)ports her cause.
f2
68 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
Then, in conscious strength elated,
Join with her to save the world;
Soon shall France, to ruin fated,
At jour conqu'ring feet be hurl'd.
VIII.
ROUSE, HIBERNIANS.
Is entitled " A Song of the United Irishmen," and is
copied from the appendix. No. xvi. of Sir Richard
Musgrave s Memoirs of the Irish Rebellio?is : — with the
following note upon it. " This was found on the mother
of Dogherty, an United Irishman, who was killed by
Woollaghan, at Delgany, in the county of Wicklow,
in autumn 1798. She was seen to throw it out of her
pocket, yet she swore she never saw it." Sir Richard
Musgrave adds the following remark : " By means
of songs the passions of the multitude were very much
excited."
Rouse, Hibernians, from your slumbers!
See the moment just arrived,
Imperious tyrants for to humble,
Our French brethren are at hand.
J3ANTUY BAY INVASION. (39
Vive la, united heroes,
Triumphant always may they be,
Vive la, our gallant brethren,
That have come to set us free.
Erin's sons be not faint-hearted,
Welcome, sing then ^a Ira;
From Killala they are marching,
To the tune of Vive la.
Vive la, united heroes, &c.
To arms quickly, and be ready,
Join the ranks and never flee,
Determined stand by one another.
And from tyrants you'll be free.
Vive la, united heroes, &c.
Cruel tyrants who oppressed you.
Now with terror see their fall!
Then bless the heroes who caress you,
The orange now goes to the wall.
Vive la, united heroes, &c.
Apostate orange, why so dull now?
Self-willed slaves, why do you frown?
Sure you might know how Irish freemen
Soon would put your orange down.
Vive la, united heroes,
Triumphant always may they be,
Vive la, our gallant brethren,
That have come to set us free.
70 BANTRY BAY INVASION.
IX.
GENERAL WONDER IN OUR LAND.
From a manuscript copy found among the papers of
the late Mr. Millikin (the author of the " Groves of
Blarney"), but not in that gentleman's autograph.
Some lines embodying the same idea occur in the
poems of O'Kelly, an Irish rhymer, whose visit to
Sir Walter Scott and Miss Edgeworth, when pass-
ing through Limerick in 1825, is thus described by
Mr. Lockhart : — " There was ushered in a brother-
poet, who must needs pay his personal respects to the
author of " Marmion." He was a scare-crow figure —
attired much in the fashion of the strugglers — by name
O'Kelly; and he had produced on the spur of the
occasion this modest parody of Dryden's famous epi-
gram.
" Three poets, of three different nations born,
The United Kingdom in this age adorn :
Byron of England, Scott of Scotia's blood,
And Erin's pride — O'Kelly great and good."
" Sir Walter's five shillings were at once forth-
coming." — &c.
" While Admiral Bridport lay at rest.
And Colpoys everywhere was peeping,
Admiral de Galle stole from Brest,
And thought to catch the Irish sleeping.
BANTRY r>A\ INVASION. 71
But a rai'o Admiral, General Gale,
Oh may the gods give him a blessing !
Appeared in time with cro^wded sail,
And gave to frog-eaters a dressing.
Then here's a health to General Gale,
And to Momonia's friends another.
Oh may their union never fail
Invading: foes to blast and smother.*'
General wonder in our land,
And general consternation;
General gale on Bantry strand,
For general preservation.
General rich he shook with awe
At general insurrection;
General poor his sword did draw,
With general disaffection.
General blood was just at hand,
As general Hoche appeared;
General woe fled through our land,
As general want was feared.
General gale our fears dispersed,
He conquered general dread;
General joy each heart has swelled,
As general Hoche has fled.
72 BANTKY BAY INVASION.
General love no blood has shed^
He left us general ease,
General horror he has fled,
Let God get general praise.
To that great General of the skies,
That sent us general gale,
With general love our voices rise
In one great general peal.
PART IV.
THE KILLALA INVASION— 1798.
" A NARRATIVE of what passed at Killala in the county
of Mayo, and the parts adjacent, during the French
invasion in the summer of 1798, hy an Eye- Witness,"
appeared soon after the occurrence, and of which pam-
phlet (of about 120 8vo. pages) several editions have
appeared in Ireland. This eye-witness was Dr. Joseph
Stock, Bishop of Killala, and who was afterwards
translated to the see of Waterford. But the following
account of this invasion, which was published in the
" Dublin Penny Journal," by another eye-witness, is so
graphic a picture, that the Editor has been tempted
to transfer it to these pages.
" A serene and cloudless sky, and brilliant sun,
rendered the 22nd of August one of the finest days of
that remarkable season.
" It was on the morning of that day, whilst proceed-
ing from Palmerstown to Killala, I first beheld a ship of
war; three vessels of unusual size, magnified by the
still calm of the ocean, stretched slowly across the bay
of Rathfran (on the larboard tack), weathering the
reef which divides it from the bay of Killala : a smaller
vessel ap))eared in the oifing.
"About twelve o'clock the frigates were visible from
<4 KILLALA INVASION.
the Steeple Hill aiid the higher parts of the town; they
showed English colours.
" The collector and some other persons proceeded on
board; between two and three o'clock, p.m. the frigates
were standing across towards the bay of Rathfran ;
marks of agitation and restlessness became now appa-
rent amongst several of the inhabitants. I met
O'Kearney, the classical teacher, as he was returning
from the ' Acres,' a remote and elevated quarter of the
town; a half-suppressed smile of satisfaction played on
his countenance as he saluted me; it was the last time
we ever spoke. At four o'clock the agitation and
alarm increased; the revenue officers had not returned.
The inhabitants were fronted on the Steeple Hill,
Captain "William Kirk wood of the yeomanry, now
joined in uniform, as well as several of his corps,
who began to make their appearance. Two officers of
the carabineers arrived from Ballina; they had been at
the Cape of Good Hope, and were judges of all those
sort of things; we awaited their opinion with anxiety —
they could form none. ' Here,' said Captain Kirk-
wood, handing his telescope to an old seaman belonging
to the town, who had served under Howe and Rodney,
* here, tell me what these vessels are." ' They are
French, sir,' replied the veteran, ' I know them by the
cut and colour of their sails.'
" Quitting the crowd. Captain Kirkwood was ac-
costed by Neal Kerugan (afterwards an active chief of
insurgents), inquiring, what nation the frigates be-
longed to. ' Ah, Neal,' replied the Captain, ' you
KILLALA INVASION. 10
know as well as I do.' Returning now to Palmers-
town, I had scarcely arrived, when a neighbouring
peasant on horseback, breathless, and with the perspira-
tion of terror streaming down his forehead, announced
that a body of strangers in dark uniforms had landed
from the ships — were distributing arms — had been
joined by several of the inhabitants, and were actually
advancing. — ' There they come,' said he, pointing to
an eminence a mile and half distant, over which the
road passed, and we beheld a dark and solid mass,
moving onwards; their arms glittered in the rays of
the declining sun. They were occasionally visible as
they passed over the inequalities of the ground, till
emerging from a banky part of the road, within a
quarter of a mile of Palmerstown, we beheld their
column of about eight hundred men, silently, but ra-
pidly, advancing. They were preceded at some dis-
tance by a single horseman, a robust middle-aged man,
dressed in a long green hunting frock, and high conical
fur cap; stopping for a moment, he saluted us in the
Leinster patois of Irish, with ' Go de mu ha hi (how
do ye do? — A general officer (Sarrazin) and aide-de-
camp (Mr. Tone) were now close up; a laugh of ap-
probation was interchanged between the chasseur and
his general.
" The Commander-in-chief (Humbert) seated in a
gig now advanced at the head of this celebrated band
of warriors, which regularly, but with precision, pressed
rapidly forwards ; calm and unconcerned, they pre-
sented no indication of men going into combat. Having
76 KILLALA INVASION.
crossed the bridge of Palmerstown, about three hundred
men were countermarched and bivouacked on the
green esplanade in front of the village ; the remainder
marched on to Killala.
" The sun had set behind the western wave and the
grey twilight of evening was fast advancing, as the
French, descending the hill of Mullagharn, beheld the
yeomanry and a party of the Leicestershire fencibles
forming on a commanding ridge, at the entrance of the
town ; Captain Kirkwood had been just apprised of
the hostile landing, by a fisherman, who had crossed at
Rathfran, whilst the French detoured by Palmers-
town, and had ordered his men to this post; from
which, however, they retired into the town, on the
nearer approach of the French. Three streets diverge
from the centre of Killala, in the form of a sportsman's
turnscrew : one southerly towards the 'Acres'; a
second westerly, by which the French were advancing ;
the third or main street, easterly, winding by the
church-yard wall, on a steep declivity to the castle ;
and onwards towards Ballina.
" It was on the edge of this declivity the military
reformed ; Moreau could not have chosen a more judi-
cious position for a retreat. Humbert on reaching
the outskirts of the town, made his dispositions : he
detached a party under Neal Kerrugan (who had first
joined him), across the Meadows, to enter by the Acres
road, in order to cut off the retreat of the military by
that rout, or turn them if in position ; he advanced a
few sections, en tirailleur, to occupy the ridge from
KILLALA INVASION. 77
which the military had retired. The chasseur gal-
lopped into the town to reconnoitre ; he was scarcely
out of sight in the winding street, when a single shot
was heard, followed at a short interval by a random
scattery volley : — it was a moment of anxious sus-
pense, but the chasseur bore a charmed life. On ap-
proaching the market-place, he was challenged by a
yeoman, (a young gentleman of the place), who had
loitered behind his companions, with ' What do ye
want, you spy ?' the answer was a bullet through the
body, and he fell dead into the door of a house at
which he was standing. The veteran then reconnoitred
the line of the military, and receiving their fire, re-
turned to his comrades : he related these events with
the sangfroid of an amateur ; he had been in twenty
battles, and had never had the honour of receiving the
entire fire of the enemy's line before. The tirailleurs
were warmly engaged ; the column redoubled its speed,
and at the centre of the town, a party of grenadiers
Avhich marched at its head, deployed on the main
street ; they were received by an ill-directed volley
from the military, at about one hundred yards distance ;
their captain was struck with a ball on the foot; foam-
ing with rage, he ordered his grenadiers to charge.
It was refused by the military ; the yeomanry first
broke ground and were soon followed by the fencibles.
Protected by the declivity and the church-yard wall,
from the French fire, the yeomanry escaped through
the custle gates ; the fencibles fled onwards towards
Bullina ; Captain Kirkwood turned down, by his own
78 KILLALA INVASION.
liouse, to the strand, expecting to reach Ballina, un-
perceived, by that route. One yeoman alone remained,
Mr. Smith, the respectable apothecary of the town ;
aged and afflicted with gout, he was unable to keep
pace Avith his companions ; excluded, on shutting the
castle gates, he struggled to reach his own house, it
was not distant one hundred yards, but his days Avere
numbered ; the chasseur was at his heels : eager to
make Captain Kirkwood, (whom he first observed) his
prisoner, he disdained the same favour to a soldier be-
longing to the ranks — he fired, and the unfortunate
man fell a lifeless corpse."
KlIiLALA INVASION.
SONGS RELATING TO THE KILLALA
INVASION.
I.
AGAIN, TO SEEK OUR EMERALD ISLE.
Printed in the first volume of " A Collection of Con-
stitutional Songs." A. Edwards, Cork, 1799, p. 89.
The editor has no hesitation in ascribing the author-
ship of this song to Sir Hardinge Giffard.
Again, to seek our Emerald Isle,
The frantic Gaul directs his way ;
Even now his feet the land defile,
Even now I hear sad Erin say,
" Once more arise, ye patriot band,
Avengers of your native land.'**
" By all the fields your fathers won,
By all the blood yourselves have shed,
Let every sire exhort his son
To emulate the mighty dead :
Then shall arise the patriot band,
Avenarers of their native land.
" On yuiidcr cliffs, a grisly band,
I see them sit — tliey linger yet.
Avengers of their native land." — Giai/s Banl.
80 KIIXALA INVASION.
"By Wexford's bridge, begrim'd with blood,
The scene of many a murderous day,
"While silver Slaney's trembling flood,
Ran blushing crimson to the sea!*
To vengeance rise ye patriot band,
To vengeance for your native land.
" By Enniscorthy's blood-stain'd hill.
Where many a loyal hero lies,
By Ross's streets, and Fowkes's mill,
Once more my sons to glory rise ;
'Tis Erin calls her patriot band,
Avengers of their native land.
" By the sad matron's piercing screams,
That mingle with her children's cries.
From Scullaboge'sf detested flames.
And claim their vengeance from the skies.
'Tis Erin calls her patriot band,
Avengers of her native land.
* Sir William Davenant, in a poem addressed to the Earl of
Orrery, thus compliments his lordship upon his victory at Ma-
croom, in 1650.
*' When Makroom chang'd the colour of her flood,
And deeply blushed with stains of rebels^ blood;
When Cork's proud river did her flowing stay.
And frighted gave the ebb of Makroom way.
Which from her stream did pale as christal flow.
But in her ebb as red as corral show."
f For an account of the horrid tragedies enacted in 1798, at
the above-named places, see Sir Richard Musgrave's " Memoirs
of the different Rebellions in Ireland."
KILLAIA INVASION. 81
" By glorious Ryan's* honored shade,
(The victim of a murderer's knife!)
That spirit by no fear dismayed,
Wliich for his country gave his life.
'Tis Erin calls her patriot band,
Avengers of their native land.
" By sainted Giffard'sf early urn,
A martyr in the dawn of youth,
* Captain Ryan received fourteen wounds from a dagger in the
struggle with Lord Edward Fitzgei'ald (19th May, 1798), which
ended in the capture of his lordship. Captain Ryan died in
consequence a few days after.
+ Lieutenant William Giffard, of the eighty-second regiment,
son of the well-known " Jack Giffard " of Dublin, was taken out
of the Limerick mail coach, and piked to death by a party of
rebels, in May 1798, near Kildare. " The savages having shot
one of the horses, so as effectually to prevent the coach from
proceeding, demanded of Lieutenant Giffard who and what he
was ; to which he answered without hesitation that he was an
officer, proceeding on his way to Chatham in obedience to orders
he had received. They demanded whether he was a Protestant,
and being answered in the affirmative, they held a moment's
consultation, and then told him that they wanted officers ; that
if he would take an oath to be true to them, and join them in an
attack to be made the next morning upon Monastereven, they
would give him a command, but otherwise he must die. To this
the gallant youth replied that he had already sworn allegiance to
the king ; that he would never offend God Almighty by a breach
of that oath; nor would he disgrace himself by turning a deserter
and joining the king's enemies ; that lie could not suppose an
army of men would be so cruel as to murder an individual who
G
82 KILLALA INVASION.
Wliose glowing soul no force could turn
From honour, loyalty, and truth.
'Tis Erin calls her patriot band,
Avengers of their native land.
" By brave Mountjoy* and proud 0"Neill,t
had never injured them, and who was merely passing through
them to a country from whence possibly he never should return ;
but if they insisted on this proposal he must die, for he never
could consent to it. This brave and yet pathetic answer, which
would have kindled sentiments of generous humanity in any
breasts but those of Irish rebels, had directly the contrary effect
upon them. With the utmost fury they assaulted him ; he had
a case of pocket pistols, which his natural courage and love of
life, though hopeless, prompted him to use with effect. Being
uncommonly active, he burst from them, and vaulting over a six-
feet wall, he made towards a house where he saw a light, and
heard people talking. Alas! it afforded no refuge! It was the
house of poor Crawford (an old soldier and a pensioner), whom
with his grandaughter they had just piked. A band of barba-
rians, returning from this exploit, met Ueutenant Giffard ; there
he fell, covered with wounds and glory, and his mangled body
was thrown into the same ditch with honest Crawford and his
innocent grandaughter. Thus he expired at the age of seventeen."
General Sir James Duff, with a body of the king's troops, who
had made a forced march from Limerick, of seventy miles, with-
out halting, in forty-eight hours, found the body of the noble
young Giffard, and interred it with military honours.
* Luke Gardinei', Lord Mountjoy, colonel of the Dublin
regiment of militia, was killed on the 5th June, 1798, in the
tirst attack made b}'^ the rebels on the Three Bullet Gate, at New
Ross. He was much beloved and lamented.
t Viscount O'Neill, governor of the count}' of Antrim, acting
killala invasion. 83
By gallant Sandys, in glory slain ;
Where many a traitor taints the gale,
Unburied in the goary plain.
'Tis Erin calls her patriot band,
Avengers of their native land.
" Yes, by those goary fields we swear.
By every immolated friend,
The loyal banner still to rear.
Our king and country to defend.
Since Erin calls her patriot band,
Avengers of their native land."
upon intelligence which he had received, summoned the magis-
trates of the county, by public notice, to meet him on the 7th
June, 1798, at Antrim, to concert measures to prevent an insur-
rection in the north. The leaders of the conspiracy determined
therefore to attack the town on that day, and to make his lord-
ship and the other magistrates prisoners. The attack was made
accordingly, and was very nearly successful. Lord O'NciU's
horse, being wounded, became unmanageable, and his lordship
was knocked off it, in the street between the market house and
guard house, by a pikeraan, and mortally wounded. His lordship
died on the 17th of June, at Shane's Castle,
84 KILLALA INVASION.
II.
PLANT, PLANT, THE TREE.
From a collection of songs entitled " The Irish Harp
new strung." Tune — "Daffy, hi down dilly." It is
also printed in the appendix, No. xxvii, to the report
from the Committee of Secrecy of the Irish House of
Commons, presented by Lord Castlereagh, on the
21st August 1798.
See, Erin's sons, yon rising beam,
The eastern hills adorning,
Now freedom's sun begins to gleam,
And break a glorious morning;
Despotic sway from France is chased,
And church delusion vauish'd.
Our isle shall never be disgraced,
If these dread fiends were banished.
CHORUS.
Plant, plant, the tree, fair freedom's tree.
Midst danger, wounds, and slaughter;
Erin's green fields its soil shall be.
Her tyrant's blood its water.
They come, they come, see myriads come.
Of Frenchmen to relieve us :
Seize, seize, the pike, beat, beat, the drum,
They come, my friends, to save us;
KILLALA INVASION. 85
Whilst trembling despots fly this land,
To shun impending danger,
We stretch forth our fraternal hand,
To hail each welcome stranger.
Plant, plant, the tree, &c.
The castle which through ages past,
For despots was appointed,
You, sovereign people, claim at last,
For you're the Lord's anointed :
The useless baubles that adorned
Our late vice-royal ninnies.
Now to the crucible returned,
Produce you useful guineas.
Plant, plant, the tree, &c.
Those nicknames, marquis, lord, and earl,
That set the crowd a-gazing;
We prize as hogs esteem a pearl.
Their patents set a-blazing.
No more they'll vote away our wealth.
To please a king or queen, sirs.
But gladly pack away by stealth.
Or taste the guillotine, sirs.
Plant, plant, the tree, &c.
Our Commons too who say, for sooth,
They represent the nation,
Shall scamper east^ west, north, and south,
Or feel our indignation;
86 KILLALA INVASION.
The speaker's mace to current coin
We presently Avill alter,
For ribands lately thought so fine
We'll fit each with a halter.
Plant, plant, the tree, &c.
No more our tithes we'll grumbling throw
To those who on us trample,
But, where he wills each man shall go,
To reason's purest temple;
Erin go bragh, each choir shall sing,
The heart oppressed to cheer, sirs;
Nor those curs'd sounds " God save the King,"
Discordant grate our ears, sirs.
Plant, plant, the tree, &c.
The nation's bank has been put up,
To swindling most completely.
To forgeries it e'en can stoop,
On guinea notes so neatly.
And when it gets your solid coin,
The custom-house marauder,
Will forgery in red letters join
To the back of Townly Lawder.
Plant, plant, the tree, &c.
Those lawyers who with face of brass.
And wigs replete with learning,
Whose far-fetch'd quibbling quirks surpass
Republicans' discerning;
JvlLLALA INVASION. ST
For them, to ancient forms be staunch,
'Twill suit such worthy fellows,
In justice spare one legal branch, —
I mean reserve the gallows.
Plant, plant, the tree, &c.
And when th' all-glorious work is done.
Rejoice with one another,
To plough-shares beat the sword and gun.
Now ev'ry man's your brother;
Detested wars shall ever cease
In kind fraternization.
All will be harmony and peace,
And the whole world one nation.
Plant, plant, the tree, &c.
III.
ERIN MAY GO BRAY.
Originally published under a caricature print of a
hussar, riding on an unruly ass, and stated to be
"found in the pocket of a French officer." To the
tune of "Malbrook." Reprinted in the first volume
of "A Collection of Constitutional Songs." Cork:
A. Edwards, 1799, p. 90. The authorshi[) of this
song has been attributed to Law, bishop of Elphin.
88 KILLALA INVASION.
ERIN MAT GO BRAY.
From Rochfort, in the Baj of Biscay,
Me come for de very fine whiskey,
To make de Jacobine friskey;
And Erin may go bray,*
And Erin may go bray!
Me get de mealy potatoe,
From de Irish democrato,
To make de Jacobin fatto.
And Erin may go bray, &c.
Me get by de guillotine axes,
De rents, and de tydes, and de taxes,
De beef, and de pork, and de flaxes,
And Erin may go bray, &c.
De beef be good for my belly,
De veal make very fine jelly.
For me to kiss Norah and Nelly.
And Erin may go bray, &c.
* A play upon the Avell-known motto of Erin go bragh. The
Bantry bay as well as the Killala expeditions, had on board
several flags, Avith this and other Irish mottoes and devices. In
the narrative of the Killala invasion by Bishop Stock, he sa3's,
" A green flag was mounted" (by the French) " over the castle
gate," (the bishop's residence) " with the inscription Erin go
BRAGH, importing, as I am told, Ireland for ever! This flag was
the signal to invite as many as had the spirit to assert their free-
dom to join a brave people, who were come for no other purpose
but to make them independent and liapp}-."
KILLALA INVASION. 89
De linen make shirt for my ruffle,
And Pat may go work vid his shovel,
Or live in his d d dirty hovel.
And Erin may go bray, &c.
By Gar! you may grumble and pricko,
But Jacobin always will sticko,
While there's any thing for him to picko.
And Erin may go bray, &c.
Thanks to Neddy* and O'Connor, f
Who did me very great honor,
To put me astride upon her.
And Erin may go bray, &c.
* Lord Edward Fitzgerald.
t Mr. Arthur O'Connor, the nephew of Lord Longueville,
was educated for the church, which, as a profession, he gave up
for the bar. He was brought into the Irish Parliament by his
uncle, and to his great surprise and displeasure, in 1795 made a
violent speech against government ; after which he proceeded to
England, and became intimate with several of the opposition
members of the English house. Mr. O'Connor was the sworn
proprietor of Tlie Press, a revolutionary newspaper, established
in Dublin in October 1797, and the publication of which it ap-
pears extraordinary that the Irish government should have
allowed to continue until Mr. O'Connor's arrest at Margate with
Father Coigley. The paper and printing materials of Tfie Press
were seized, with the sixty-eighth number unpubHshed, on the
6th March 1798, by Alderman Alexander, in consequence of this
information.
90 KII.LALA INVASION.
IV.
Humbert's mistake.
Reprinted from the first volume of " A Collection of
Constitutional Songs." Cork, A. Edwards, 1799,
p. 118.
Tune — " Mog'gy Lawder."
From Castlebar, the French declare.
It is their sole intention,
On Connaught forthwith to confer
Freedom of their invention;
What freedom this
You soon may guess
By Humbert's proclamation;*
" You dogs," said he,
" You shall with me
Go plunder your own nation."
As Cooke, when on a savage shore
He friends would make of boobies,
* " A proclamation has been published by the French general,
addi'essed to the Irish people. I read it this day. It differs but
in feAv particulars from that issued by General Hoche, when off
the coast of this kingdom. Great numbers of them, it appears,
have been distributed through the province of Connaught, and
from its appearance, I think, it was printed in Ireland." — Private
letter from Dublin, 29th A^yHst, printecf in Cmirier, of -Ith Sept. 1798.
KILJ.ALA INVASION. 91
So beads and trinkets they brought o\
As presents for cropt boobies;
Of green surtouts,
Three thousand suits,*
* " Chests, containing each forty fusils, and others filled with
new French uniforms and gaud}' helmets, being heaped together
in the castle-yard," (at Killala) "the first" (Irish peasants) "that
offered their services received complete clothing; and these, by
credible report, were about a thousand in number. The next
comers, who were at least as many, had every thing but shoes
and stockings. To the last arms only were given. And of arms,
Colonel Charost assured the bishop, not less than five thousand
stand were, in this place, delivered out to the insurgents.
" It was a melancholy spectacle, to those in the castle, to wit-
ness the eagerness with which the unfortunate rustics pressed
forward to lay hold of these fatal trappings, the sure harbingers
of their own speedy destruction.
" The coxcombry of the young clowns in their new dress ; the
mixture of good humour and contempt in the countenances of
the French, employed in making puppies of them; the haste of
the undressed to be as fine as their neighbours, casting away
their old clothes long before it came to their turn to receive the
new ; above all, the merry activity of a handsome young fellow,
a marine oificer, whose business it was to consummate the vanity
of the recruits by decorating them with helmets, beautifully
edged with spotted brown paper, to look Uke leopard's skin, a
task which he performed standing on a powder-barrel, and making
the helmet fit any skull, even the lai-gest, by thumping it down
with his fists, careless whether it could ever be taken off again —
these were circumstances that would have made you smile,
though you had just come from seeing your house in flames." —
Extracts from Bishop Stock's Narrative.
d'2 KILLALA INVASION.
They gave the rabble round them,
Who on that night
Played least in sight,
Nor have the Gauls since found them.
This novel "freedom" next "commands"
" That all men under forty
Shall in a mass, with pikes in hands.
Go fight the Orange-party ;"
But when they hear
Cornwallis near,
These mighty boasters scamper;
And as they run
From town to town
Their front and rear we hamper.
Behold at length, near MohilFs plain.
We to an action brought them;
Their barefoot allies they complain.
Are more savage than they thought 'em;
French vipers fought
'Till they were taught
An Orange file was stronger,
Than any yet
They ever met;
So they would bite no longer.
And when the French a parley beat
Our cannons cease to thunder.
The Connaught spalpeens now retreat,
'Twas useless to knock under;
KIT.LAl.A INVASION. 98
For well they knew,
The perjured crew,
No claim they had to favours;
With fright half dead
Each savage fled,
His brogues his only saviours.
When th' open foe were prisoners made,
'Twas then began the slaughter;
Brave Roden's horse about them laid,
'Mongst rebels from the altar.
Now Croppies speak,*
What think you o' Lake,
An't he a horrid ^Delzo'Pf
Of earth the scum.
Before him run,
They can't digest his pills O!:}:
Our Armagh brothers did sustain
An action hot and bloody;
* Hibernice — spake.
t Delzo — was a nickname given by the rebels to the orange -
men or loyalists; and is of fVeq\ient occurrence in the songs of
this period. —
"And may each loyal Dilzo long join in the strain, sir,
God save the king, to the devil with Tom Paine, sir." &c.
The word Delzo has been explained to the Editor as a contraction
of the devil's or de'il's own.
J " Lake's pills for a breaking out," was a common term for
musket balls, in 1798.
94 KILLALA IXVASfuN.
Their bayonets broke they still mjiintain
The fight with fists most ready;
The traitor Blake*
Submits to Lake,
With ninety -three poor peasants;
Teeling and Roach
(Our isle's reproach)
Are now convicted felons.
You wealthy Crops, a warning take,
From Humbert's " Gallic freedom,'"'
Did he succeed, alike he'd speak
To you and " Thomas Needham."
" How can I know
A friend from foe?"
Would be the Frenchman's answer;
The piper you'd pay
As sure as day.
Let who would be the dancer, t
* A Galway gentleman, of the Roman Catliolic persuasion,
taken in French uniform among the rebels, at Ballinamuck, and
hanged. A postscript to General Lake's letter, dated 8th Sep-
tember, and published in the London Gazette, e::traordinary, of
14th September 1798, states, "Ninety-six rebels taken. Three of
them called general officers, by the names of Roach, Blake, and
Teeling."
t This seems suggested by the following lines in Dibdin's
song of " The Invasion " —
" Then they'll fasten a rope from the land's eud to Fi-ance,
On which, when their wonderful project's grown ripei-,
They'll all to the tune of the carniagnol dance,
Dettrmin'd to make Jack Rosbiflpay the piper."
KlI-LALA TNVASIOX.
V.
THE CROPPIES IN SPIRITS.
From a manuscript copy. An inferior version appears
in "A Collection of Constitutional Songs," Vol. ii.
p. 61, published by A.Edwards, Cork, 1800. Tune —
" The Protestant Boys," as the popular melody of
'' Lilliburlero " was generally called in the year 1798.
The Croppies " great news," in high spirits are crying,
" Come cheer up, my boys, the day is our own!
The French flag is flying, the French fleet is lying,
In Killala bay, so all friends must go down.
Great warriors all, obey the glad call,
To w^elcome brave Humbert who's just come to land;
With pike, scythe, and hedge-stake, now let us the
field take,
And prove to the world we can yet make a stand.
Then every crop quickly pulled off" the tail.
That a fortnight before he wdth caution put on ;
Quite sure that their stratagems now could not fail,
The day was their own, they would hold two to one;
As their union, union, republican union,
Now would take place on the Shannon's green banks,
And the liberty tree should there firm planted be.
And from turf a gold cup made togive Fi ance their
thanks.
96 KILLALA INVASION.
Strong union like our's, between freedom and power,
Must sure be cemented and never decay;
All heretic king's-men will long curse the hour
That Humbert first landed at Killala bay.
His clothing and arms, brought with them such charms,
As made hundreds in haste to his standard to hie;
But when dressed snug and warm, they thought it no
harm
From their new civ ic friends with their booty to fly.
At first the French fancied their allies did but joke.
And issued their orders, that they'd take the field;
But stout General Teeling to Humbert thus spoke:
" Do you think, you Spalpeen,* that to you I will yield?
No, I'll have the command, as this is our land.
No soup-meagre Frenchman shall e'er command me;
And now if you grumble, you back all may tumble,
Take a stick jn your hands, boys, and walk home by
sea.
But while he was speaking Lake's army appears,
And Teeling stops short at the sound of a gun;
"Boys, trust to your legs; bid good bye to monseers."
So away to the mountains and bogs they all run.
Then the gallant Armagh such feats did display,
As filled their allies full of dread and alarms,
That the rebels all fled, and the Frenchmen in dread
Thought it best for their safety to lay down their
arms.
* Spailpin — a mean fellow.
IQLLALA INVASION. 97
Let each loyal subject that's fond of his king,
Now fall in the ranks, with his musket in hand,
In praise of our yeomen each roof should now ring,
For. they're the protection of this troubled land;
All rebels, suppress *em, our king may God bless him,
And may he live long till all foes he destroys;
May our good constitution meet no revolution.
But still be supported by protestant boys!
VI.
NEWS FROM FRANCE.
Printed in the first volume of " A Collection of Con-
stitutional Songs," A. Edwards, Cork, 1799, p. 38.
Tune—" Paddy Whack."
Good people of Erin attend to the nation,
That long ago threaten'd to drive the world free.
And quickly consult for your self-preservation,
On reading her impudent Irish decree:
" France offers the Irish that gentle protection
She offered the Swiss, who like fools chose their graves.
And as proof of indulgence, she'll feel no objection
To raise the poor dogs to the rank of French slaves.
" But freedom like her's being really a blessing,
And not by a state to be gained every day,
H
98 laLLALA INVASION.
'Tis fair that a people, this treasure possessing,
A price to their masters proportioned should pay;
To conquer for nothing, and rule without profit,
While charged with expenses her troops to maintain,
Is what she dislikes, and she begs to be off it,
France never gives freedom to natives in vain.
" She therefore refuses to aid insurrection,
As serving the cause of the rebels alone,
But first she will conquer, and then give protection,
And settle conditions — when Erin's her own.
For, unless to her plans of dominion appendant,
How can they, unconquered, affect to be free?
And how can they ever be called independent,
Unless, to whatever she wills, they agree?
" By Bridports and Curtiss special permission.
As soon as her ships shall appear on the coast.
She begs from the Irish unquestioned admission,
And no molestation in landing her host :
The country she'll clear, as a proof of affection.
Of horses and cattle, and all she can reach,
And trusts that the peasants will find no objection.
Just gently to drag her great guns from the beach.
" To tradesmen shell shew her particular favour,
And take manufactures that hang on their hands ;
For plunder alone is the plan that can save her.
And surely they'll strive to outdo her demands.
The wealthy will find in a moment corrected
Each source of complaint and abuse in finance.
KILLALA INVASION. 99
For the casli of the land having wisely collected,
She'll lodge that incumbrance securely in France.
*' The clergy of every persuasion admitting,
To that toleration she shews to her own, [fitting,
They may do their good works in the place most be-
But the ravens of heaven shall feed them alone ;
Shell help the high church to a much safer station,
And leave not the catholics quite without hope.
For should they be teased till they fly from the nation,
They'll happily wander about with the Pope.
" Then for starving mechanics what holiday making!
No work for their labour, no cash for their gains,
No collectors of taxes, no proctors tythes taking.
But active French soldiers to spare them the pains ;
"Whilst all shall by force volunteer contribution,
And those who have nothing must raise it by stealth.
With blessings like these and the French constitution,
Sure Slav ry is freedom, and beggary wealth!"
Sons of Erin, confound with indignant emotion
The traitors who thus would reduce you to slaves,
For proudly secure 's the green isle of the ocean.
While Duncan, and Jervis, and Howe, rule the waves:
United with Britain, may Erin for ever,
In commerce, in arts, and in science advance ;
United with Britain, may Erin for ever
Live mighty and free, independent of France.
h2
K'O KILLALA INVASION,
VII.
THE ORANGE LILY.
Printed in the second Volume of " A Collection
of Constitutional Songs," Cork, A. Edwards, 1800,
p. 6, and there stated to be written "by J. B., Esq.,
of Lodge No. 471."
Mj dear Orange brothers, have you heard of the news.
How the treacherous Frenchmen our gulls to amuse,
The troops that last April they promised to send,
At length at Killala they ventured to land.
Good Croppies, but dont be too bold now,
Lest you should be all stow'd in the hold now,
Then to Bot'ny you'd trudge, I am told now.
And a sweet orange lily for me.
But now that they're landed they find their mistake.
For in place of the Croppies they meet the brave Lake ;
He soon will convince them that our orange and blue
Can ne'er be subdued by their plundering crew.
Good Croppies, then don t, &c.
That false traitor Emmet,* more ungrateful than hell,
* Mr. Thomas Addis Emmet, who died an exile in America.
His younger brother, Robert, was executed iu Dublin, 20th
September, 1803.
KILLATA INVASION. 101
With Mc Neviii* andArthur,f though fast in their cell;
What they formerly swore they have dar'd to deny,
And the Secret Committee have charge! with a lie!
Good Croppies, then don't, &c.
But as, by this falsehood, it is clear they intend
To induce us poor peasants the French to befriend ;
We shall soon, I hope, see them high dangling in air,
'Twould be murd'ring the loyal such miscreants to spare.
Good Croppies, then don't, &c.
On the trees at the camp Crop Law^less^ intended.
To hang up all those who their country defended ;
As the scene is reversed, a good joke it will be,
In the place of dear Camden § to put up those three.
Good Croppies then don't, &c.
Judgment being entered on that bloody Bond,^
Execution should follow, the people contend ;
* Dr. Mc Nevin, sent over, as an agent to France, by the
society of United Irishmen, in June 1797, to press that republic
to hasten another expedition.
t Mr. Arthur O'Connor. See p. 89.
{ Mr. "William Lawless, a surgeon residing in French- street,
Dublin, by whom Lord Edward Fiztgerald was brought to the
house of Cormick, in Thomas-street, for concealment in the early
part of April 1798, and where his lordship remained concealed
for nearly a month.
§ The Marquis Camden.
II Mr. Oliver Bond, at whose house the Leinster delegates, of
the United Irishmen, were arrested, and several papers taken.
102 KILLALA INVASION.
Why stay it, say they, when engagements they've
broken?
The Direct'ry deny ev'ry word they had spoken.
Good Croppies, then don't, &c.
Then gird on your sabres, my brave Orangemen all,
For the Croppies are down ,and the Frenchmen shall fall ;
Let each lodge sally forth, from one to nine hundred.
Those freebooters ere long with the dead shall be
number'd.
Good Croppies, then don't, &c.
on the 12th March, 1798, which proved the existence of a con-
spiracy, upon information given by Mr. Thomas Reynolds, sub-
sequently held up to public contempt as " Reynolds the informer."
The Memoirs of Mr. Reynolds have been published by his son (2
vols. 8vo. 1838) with a view to vindicate his father's motives and
memory. Mr. Bond died suddenly, 6th September, 1798, in
Newgate, Dublin, where he was confined on the charge of high
treason.
103
SIR JOHN WARREN'S ACTION.
YU4/i4.^t^^t/t/^
To cooperate with what was considered to be the suc-
cessful invasion of Humbert* and his small force at
Killala, the French Directory used every exertion to
dispatch the more formidable armament destined for
Ireland, and which sailed before the news of Humbert's
surrender was known.
This expedition consisted of one line-of-battle ship
(la Hoche), ejght frigates (namely, la Loire, la Coquille,
la Bellone, I'lmmortalite, I'Ambuscade, la Resolue,
la Romaine, and la S^millante), with a schooner (la
Biche), and a transport brig, all of which, except the two
last-named frigates and the two smaller vessels, were
captured. In this fleet about three thousand soldiers
were embarked, and the complements of the ships
amounted to two thousand five hundred men more ;
which is mentioned as orders appear to have been
given, if a landing was effected, to destroy the ships
in case of necessity, and unite their crews with the
troops. Considerable supplies of ammunition, spare
arms, and clothing, were, as in the cases of the
Bantry bay and Killala armaments, embarked.
* The signature given above is engraved from an autograph
in the collection of John Blachfux'd, Esq.
104 SIR JOHN warren's ACTION.
The military command of this force was entrusted
to General Hardy, and the naval to Commodore Bom-
part, of the Hoche ; on board which ship was the no-
torious Irish traitor Theobald Wolfe Tone, under his
• republican name of Citizen Smith, and in the character
of Chef-de-Brigade.
Bompart's squadron sailed from Brest on the 17th
September 1798, and after encountering contrary
winds and some severe gales, arrived on the 10th of
October off the coast of the county of Donegal. On
the following day, at noon, the enemy was discovered
bearing to the northward, by the Amelia (38 guns),
w^hich signalized the intelligence to the Canada (74),
Captain Sir John Borlase Warren, who had in com-
pany at the time, two line-of-battle ships, and five
frigates, including the Amelia, of which two were
razees.* Two of these frigates, with a small vessel
(the Sylph), had hovered around and watched the
French squadron since its departure from Brest, until
they fell in with and joined that of Sir John Warren.
The signal for a general chase was immediately
made from the Canada, and to form as each ship came
up with the enemy ; but from the great distance of
the French ships to windward, and a hollow sea, with
rough and boisterous weather, the chase was continued
all day during the 11th; the entire night, and until
half-past five in the morning of the 12th of October;
when the French Commodore (Bompart) perceiving
* " Tone's Memoirs " says, " Six ships of the line, one razee
of sixty guns, and two frigates.''
SIR JOHN warren's ACTION. 105
an engagement to be unavoidable, bore down and
formed his line in close order upon the starboard tack.
From the length of the chase, and the English ships
being so much separated, it was impossible to close
before seven ; and then the Robust led ; the Magnanime
followed, and passing to leeward of five French frigates
they proceeded to engage the Hoche.
The action, which took place off Tory Island, and
was distinctly seen and heard from the main land,
commenced, according to the gazetted account, at
twenty minutes past seven, and at eleven the Hoche,
after a gallant defence, struck (see note, p. 115), and
the French frigates made sail. The English ships of
the line engaged were the Canada, Robust, and Fou-
droyant, with the Magnanime, Amelia, Ethalion, Me-
lampus, and Anson frigates, which latter came up at
the close of the action, having lost her mizen-mast in
the chase of the preceding day.
Little more, and indeed in some particulars not so
much as is here stated, appears in the London Gazette
or official record of this action. Mr. James, in his
Naval History, justly remarks that it is "very bar-
ren of details"; and to James's valuable work the
reader is referred for the best account which has been
published. Vol. ii, p. 224 to 248.
The flying frigates Avere followed by Sir John
Warren's squadron, with the exception of the Robust,
which remained by the Hoche ; and at four o'clock
in the afternoon three of them had, after an honorable
and obstinate resistance, liauled down their colours.
106 SIR JOHN warren's ACTION.
These were the Coquille, Ambuscade.* and Bellone ;
between the latter frigate and the Ethalion a close and
severe contest was maintained for nearly two hours.
And when the Bellone struck most of her sails had
come down, and she had five feet of water in her hold,
with twenty men killed and forty-five wounded. Of
the remaining five frigates three were pursued by the
English squadron round Telling-head, the other two
with the schooner and brig having hauled the wind.
The three frigates on rounding Telling-head ran up
Donegal bay during the night. One of them (la Ro-
maine) which appeared nearly opposite the town of Don-
egal, grounded, when she prepared to put some men
on shore. On perceiving this, Captain Montgomery, of
the Mount Charles yeomanry, bravely and j udiciously
drew up his small corps, under cover of a wall, to
oppose any attempt of the enemy to land. But the
frigate floating with the rise of the tide, and an Irish-
man who had gone on board acquainting the captain
with the surrender of Humbert, the intention was
abandoned, and she stood out to join her companions.
Sir John Warren observing in the morning the two
frigates which had hauled the wind the preceding day,
gave chase to them in the Canada, accompanied by
theFoudroyant; and dispatched the Melam])us, Captain
(afterwards Admiral Sir Graham) Moore, in search of
those which had run into Donegal bay.
* The Coquille had eighteen killed and thirty-one wounded.
The Ambuscade fifteen killed and twenty-six wounded.
SIR JOHN warren's ACTION. 107
At midnight, on the 13th, the Melampus fell in
v/ith the Resolue and Immortalite, and directly opened
so effective a fire upon the former as completely to
unrig her in twenty-five minutes ; which forced her
to bring to and surrender, with the loss of ten men
killed and several wounded, while the Melampus had
but one man wounded. What was singular and can
only be accounted for by a supposition on the part of
the captain of the Immortalite that a superior English
force was at hand, is, that his frigate, although in
company with the Resolue, did not in any way inter-
fere in the action between her and the Melampus,
beyond making several signals. The Immortalite was
subsequently (on the 20th October) captured by the
Fisgard, Captain (now Admiral Sir T. Byam) Martin,
after a severe action, with the loss of ten officers and
forty-four men killed and sixty-one wounded,* and after
having thrown overboard, while chased, fifteen hundred
stand of arms.
On the 18th of October, the Anson, Captain (after-
wards Admiral Sir Philip) Durham, after an action
of an hour and a quarter, took the Loire, which,
before she surrendered, had forty-eight men killed
and seventy-five wounded. t The Loire was one of
the two frigates pursued by Sir John Warren
on the morning of the 13th, and from whom
she escaped. On the 15th, she was chased by the
Mermaid and Kangaroo, and during the morning of
* The Fisgard had ten killed and twenty -five wounded.
t The Anson had two killed and thirteen wounded.
108 SIR JOHN warren's ACTION.
the 16th a slight engagement took place between her
and the latter vessel, when the Kangaroo's foretopmast
being shot away Captain Brace was obliged to give up
the contest. At daylight on the I7th the Mermaid,
Captain Newman, came up with the Loire, after a
tedious chase of forty-eight hours, and a desperate
fight ensued. A great part of the time the ships
were within pistol shot of each other, and the French
soldiers on board the Loire kept up a tremendous and
incessant fire of musketry, although literally mowed
down by the round and grape shot from the guns of
the Mermaid. Both ships being dismasted and nearly
wrecks the action was mutually discontinued. But
the Loire escaped only from the Canada, the Kangaroo,
and the Mermaid, to be taken, as has been stated, on
the 18th by the Anson ; and when her crippled state,
and the great exhaustion of her crew is considered,
her defence must stand amongst the most extraordinary
instances of courage and perseverance upon record.
The Loire is described as "one of the largest and
finest frigates belonging to the French republic, pre-
sented by the city of Nantes, quite new, and never at
sea before." She was pierced for fifty-four guns, and
actually mounted forty-six eighteen-pounders. On
board of her were a number of artillery-men, with the
etat-major for three regiments, three thousand complete
suits of clothing, and upwards of a thousand muskets,
with other arms and ammunition.
It was not until the 3J st of October that the Robust
brought her prize, the Hoche, into Lough S willy ;
SIR JOHN WARRENS ACTION. 109
for SO tempestuous had been the weather that both
ships, with the Doris, which had joined them, w^ere
nearly lost on Barra-head. The following is a copy
of General Hardy's proclamation, from one taken on
board the Hoche.
" Liberty ! Equality ! Fraternity ! Union !
{Device. — A cap of liberty. Two hands united, and
the rising-sun.)
" The general commanding the French army in
Ireland, to the United Irishmen.
" United Irishmen, — The persecution which you
experience on the part of a government atrociously
perfidious, has excited sentiments of indignation and
horror in the breast of every friend of humanity.
The lovers of liberty, while tliey admire your fortitude,
deplore the situation to which you are reduced. The
complaints of your suffering country are heard in all
parts of the world, but your cause has become more
particularly that of the French people. It is to give
you new proofs of their affection, it is to second your
generous efforts, that the Executive Directory of the
French republic have sent me among you. I do not
enter your country with hostile views, to spread terror
and desolation around me. I come not to dictate the
law. Companion and friend of the gallant Hoche, I
follow scrupulously the line of conduct which he has
chalked out. I come to fulfil his engagements; to
offer you friendship and assistance ; to bring you arms,
ammunition, and all the means necessary to break the
barbarous yoke under which you groan ; I present to
110 SIR JOHN WARRENS ACTION.
you my brave companions ; they know no other road
but that of honour and victory. Long trained in the
art of humbling tyrants, under whatever form they
may present themselves, they will join their courage
with yours; they will mix their bayonets with your
pikes, and Ireland shall be free for ever !
"Unhappy victims of the most execrable despotism,
you who groan in hideous dungeons, where at every
moment you are plunged by the ferocious cruelty of
your English tyrants, let hope once more revisit your
hearts; your chains shall be broken. Unfortunate
inhabitants, who have seen your houses, your property,
wrapped in flames, by your pitiless enemies, your
losses shall be repaired.
" Rest in peace, gallant and unspotted spirits of
Fitzgerald,* of Crosbie,! of Coigley,^ of Orr,§ of
* Lord Edward, captured on the 19th May, 1798, as before
mentioned, p. 81, died in Newgate, on the 4th June following,
of the wounds he received in his struggle with Captain Ryan.
f Sir Edward Crosbie, Bart., hanged at Carlow, on the 5th
June, 1798; and his head spiked on the gaol.
X Or Quigley, arrested with Mr. Arthur O'Connor, 28 th
February 1798, at Margate, on the point of embarking for
France, to negociate for the invasion of Ireland; tried at Maid-
stone, and hanged and beheaded on Penneden Heath, 7 th June
following, and buried under the gallows.
§ Hanged at Carrickfergus, 14th October, 1797. Some spii'it-
stirring verses, entitled the "Wake of William Orr," by Dr.
Drennan, which originally appeared in the Press newspaper, may
be found reprinted in a Collection of the Ballad Poetry of Ireland,
published by Duffy, Dublin, 1845.
SIR JOHN warren's ACTION. Ill
Harvey ;* your blood, shed for the sacred cause of
liberty, shall cement the independence of Ireland ; it
circulates in the veins of all your countrymen, and the
United Republicans swear to punish your assassins.
(Signed) Hardy."
An improbable anecdote is related in " Tone's
Memoirs " of the manner in which Tone was recog-
nised, or, according to the colouring given to the
transaction, betrayed by Sir George Hill. This anec-
dote appears to have no better authority, for its
foundation, than paragraphs in the Courier newspaper
of the 7th, 9th, and 17th of November, 1798, which
paragraphs, when the then almost republican politics
of that print are considered, any dispassionate reader
would discredit. But (if it were necessary to vindicate
a loyal subject, and a magistrate, from the charge of
doing his public duty without reference to his private
feelings) what sets this story at rest, or at least deprives
it of its sting, is a private letter from Lord Castlereagh,
which the Editor has seen, dated ten days before the
arrival of the Hoche in Lough Swilly. In this his
lordship (then Secretary of State) says : — " I congra-
tulate England no less on the capture of the Hoche,
^ * A higlily respectable Protestant gentleman who headed the
rebels in the county of "Wexford. Upon the royal army obtaining
possession of Wexford, 21st June 1798, lie escaped to one of the
Saltee Islands, off the coast of that county, and was taken there;
brought to Wexford, tried by court-martial, on the 26th June,
1798, and hanged on the following day.
112 SIR JOHN warren's ACTION.
than I do Ireland on the value of her cargo. The
arch-traitor Tone is himself a very capital prize." It
is therefore evident that the Irish government were
perfectly aware that Tone was on board the Hoche,
and consequently their prisoner before the arrival of
that ship in port.
Tone was transmitted to Dublin, where he was
tried by court-martial, and having nothing to offer in
palliation of his treason, except the vindication of it,
was sentenced to death. He appeared at his trial in
French uniform, and on hearing the sentence requested
to be shot, as a soldier holding a commission in the
French service under the name of Smith, which request
was of course refused. On the evening previous to
the day fixed for his execution he was found to have
wounded himself in the throat so desperately that he
could not be moved without the probability of dying
before he reached the scaffold, and after lingering in
this state for a week, he died in prison, on the 19tli of
November, a martyr in the cause of rebellion.
The private journals of Tone, published by his son,
and which have been before mentioned and quoted
from, prove that he was, like most rebels, an ambitious
and a disappointed man. It is evident that he pos-
sessed nothing more than ordinary talent, with extra-
ordinary vanity. And it may not be incurious, as a
moral lesson, to prove this assertion from his own con-
fessions. On the 24th of February, 1796, when in
Paris intriguing for the invasion of Ireland, he writes,
"I believe that wiser men, if they would speak the
SIR JOHN warren's ACTION. 113
truth, would feel elevated in my situation ; hunted
from my own country as a traitor, living obscurely in
America as an exile, and received in^ France by the
Executive Directory almost as an ambassador. Well,
murder will out. I am as vain as the devil." Vol. ii,
p. 30. On the loth of August following, Tone writes,
"Put on my regimentals for the first time."
" Walked about Paris to shew myself," and so on.
Before closing Tone's journals there is one observa-
tion, almost the only shrewd one to be found therein,
which deserves notice as prophetically applicable to
himself. It occurs under date of the 7th March, 1796
(vol. ii, p. 40), moralizing upon the fate of Admiral
TrogofF and the fortunes of Dumourier, he writes
thus : " If men had common sense, not to say common
honesty, they would not be traitors to their country
with such examples before their eyes."
K
114 SIR JOHN WARREK's ACTION.
SONGS REFERRING TO THE ACTION OF SIR
JOHN BORLASE WARREN'S SQUADRON
WITH THE FRENCH FLEET.
I.
THE SONG OF THEOBALD WOLF TONE.
From a manuscript copy. It is printed in the second
volume of " A Collection of Constitutional Songs."
A. Edwards, Cork, 1800, p. 28, with the following
title, " Song xxi. By an Irishman (on board the La
Hoche), one of our patriotic countrymen, who joined
our national and inveterate enemy in their late fruitless
attempt to invade this kingdom."
From France to Lough Swilly 1 came.
And that, by my soul, was a blunder ;
But I thought that my high-sounding name
Would in Ireland perform some wonder ;
I star'd, and my friends all look'd blue.
When " Sir John " and his fleet did perceive us,
For I knew, once he got us in view.
The devil himself could not save ns.
Tol de rol, rol de rol.
SIR JOHN warren's ACTION. 115
British thunder now roared in my ears,
Seemed to shake the world to its foundation ;
So I down on my knees to my prayers,*
And begg'd heav'n to preserve the "great" nation j
But all I could say 'twas in vain,
Heav'n deigned not to hear my petition.
For I'd follow'd too much of " Tom Paine,"t
"That curse" to a civilized nation.
Tol lol, &c.
The balls rattled round us like hail,
("Och" Brest, how I wish'd I'd been in it,)
Now our courage began for to fail,
And our colours were struck in a minute ;|
* A bad rhyme with worse reason. Tone was evidently one
of those philosophers "who'd rather drink than pra}'," and al-
though he terminated his career by suicide, no man, either
morally or physically speaking, can be more unfairly charged
with cowardice.
f An edition of thirty thousand copies of "Paine's Age of
Reason " was printed at Belfast, for gratuitous circulation by the
society of United Irishmen.
J Be the same more or less. In Tones 3Iemoirs the action
is asserted to have lasted six hours, and to have been maintained
by the Hoche (of 74 guns) " surrounded by four sail of-the-line
and a frigate." The London Gazette (21st October 1798), upon
which the Editor is inclined to place at least equal reliance, states
that " the action commenced at twenty minutes past seven, a.m.,
and at eleven the Hoche (of 80 guns), after a gallant defence,
struck." It also happens that there were only three English
sail'Of-the-line in the action. James, in his Naval History,
116 SIB JOHN warren's ACTION.
Then they mann'd us with tars who could fight,
There are few such in all the " great nation" ;
Had the Directory but seen the sight,
How they'd blush for their '• grand expedition."
Tol de rol, &c.
But who dare attempt to oppose
Britain's heroes upon their own ocean ?
As to striving to land on their shore,
In troth they're "beat out of the notion";
And when their envoy comes begging for peace.
Unless in a balloon they can swing him ;
In England he'll ne'er shew his face,
Till they "borrow a vessel to bring him."
Tol lol, &c.
vol. ii, p. 226, says " that about half-past eight a warm cannonade
commenced, and about half-past ten the Hoche struck"; thus
reducing the actual engagement from six to two hours, and which
statement is probably nearest to the truth, as according to the
log of the Robust (unquestionably the best authority), that ship
got alongside of the Hoche at fifty minutes past eight, and at
forty-nine minutes past ten the Hoche struck.
These discrepancies afford an example of the difficulties which
an honest and careful historian has to contend with ; and the
close investigation necessary to arrive at a correct conclusion
upon any point.
SIR JOHN warren's ACTION. 117
II.
WHEN THE PADDIES OF ERIN.
Printed in the second volume of "A Collection of
Constitutional Songs," A.Edwards, Cork, 1800, p. 32,
and stated to be written "by a member of lodge 540."
Tune — " Croppies lie down."
When the paddies of Erin took a pike in each hand,
And wisely concerted reform in the land ;
Ough, and all that's before them they'd drive, to be sure,
And for conjured up grievances each had a cure.
But down, down. Croppies, &c.
What generals and captains^ my boys, did appear !
And each polished youth thought the case was quite clear ;
It was, *' By my shoul, honies, the English shall dance
To the tune of Ca Ira — for we shall join France."
Down, down, &c.
But agra, the sad change all the nabobs doth rue.
For thousands appear dressed in orange and blue ;
And oh, wirristrue, I'm told that before
Poor Teague shall be easy well have thousands more.
Down, down, &c.
lis SIR JOHN warren's ACTION.
And each manly breast that wears orange and blue,
Contains but one heart, — but, faith, that one is true ;
No wonder poor Croppies the Orange despise,
For the good and the loyal most dearly we prize.
Down, down, &c.
Troth, Paddy a vurneen, you'll never succeed,
For a scourge we shall be to your delicate breed ;
The hopes of proud France, O hone, are laid low.
And the heads of your party a voyage must go.
Down, down, &c.
FINIS.
Richards, Printer, 100, St. Martin's Lane.
FOR THE
PUBLICATION OF ANCIENT BALLADS, POETRY,
AND POPULAR LITERATURE.
ESTABLISHED 1840.
Council, 1847-8.
The Rt. Hon. LORD BRAYBROOKE, F.S.A., President.
W. HARRISON AINSWORTH, ESQ.
T. AMYOT, ESQ,. F.R.S., F.S.A.
ROBERT BELL, ESQ.
W. H. BLACK, ESQ.
BOLTON CORNEY, ESQ.
T. CROFTON CROKER, ESQ. F.S.A. ,
M.R.I.A.
J. HENRY DIXON, ESQ.
FRED. W. FAIRHOLT, ESQ. F.S.A.
J.O.HALLIWELL, ESQ. F.R.S., F.S.A.
J. S. MOORE, ESQ.
EDMUND PEEL, ESQ.
T. J. PETTIGREW, ESQ. F.R.S.,
F.S.A.
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TREAS. AND SEC.
Subscription £l per Annum.
A new work is issued on the first day of every alternate
Month, and will be delivered to the order of each Member, at
Mr. Richards's Printing Office, 100 St. Martin's Lane, where
also Subscriptions are received.
Subscriptions become due in advance on the 1st of May in
each year, and no books are considered due until the subscrip-
tion has been paid.
The Society is limited to Five Hundred Members.
Persons wishing to become Members are requested to send
their names to the Secretary, care of Mr. Richards, 100, St.
Martin's Lane, London, where all communications on the affairs
of the Society should be addressed.
New Mamhers may have the Works already printed, on payment of the
Subscription for those years. No complete Sets remain of the
Publications of the First Year.
^t ^tvcn ^ocittu.
At a General Meeting of the Percy Society, held
in the Rooms of the Royal Society of Literature, on
the 1st of May, 1847,—
The Right Hon. LoRD Braybrooke, President, in
the Chair, —
The Secretary read the Report of the Council, dated
the 1st of May, whereupon it was —
Resolved — That the Report be received and adopted, and the
thanks of the Society be given to the Council for their
services.
The Report of the Auditors, dated the 29th April,
was read by the Secretary, whereupon it was —
Resolved — That the Report of the Auditors be received and
adopted, and that the thanks of the Society be given
them for their services.
The Meeting then proceeded to the election of Officers
and Council, when — •
The Rt. Hon. LORD BRAYBROOKE, F.S.A.
was elected President,
W. HARRISON AINSWORTH, Esq.
THOMAS AMYOT, Esq. F.RS., F.S.A.
ROBERT BELL, Esq.
WILLIAM HENRY BLACK, Esq.
BOLTON CORNEY, Esq.
T. CROFTON CROKER, Esq., F.S.A. M.R.I.A,
J. H. DIXON, Esq.
FREDERICK WILLIAM FAIRHOLT, Esq F.S.A.
JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S., F.S A.
J. S. MOORE, Esq.
EDMUND PEEL, Esq.
T. J. PETTIGREW, Esq. F.R.S., F.S.A.
JAMES PRIOR, Esq. F.S.A.
WILLIAM SANDYS, Esq. F.S.A.
THOMAS WRIGHT, Esq. MA, F.S.A., Treasurer and Secretary.
were elected Council of the Society, and W. Chaffers,
Jun. Esq., Captain Johns, R.M., and E. R. Moran, Esq.,
were elected Auditors for the ensuing year.
The thanks of the Society were then voted to the
editors of the Publications of the past year ; to Thomas
Wright, Esq., for his services as Treasurer and Secretary;
to the Royal Society of Literature, for the use of their
Rooms for the Anniversary Meeting ; to the University
of Cambridge, for the liberal loan of two MSS. of the
Canterbury Tales of Chaucer ; and to the President, for
the warm interest which he has always taken in the
proceedings of the Society.
ANNUAL REPORT
MAY 1st, 1847.
The Council of the Percy Society rejoices that it can
again lay before the Society at large an encouraging state-
ment of its condition and finances. In no previous year
has the Society closed its labours with so large a real balance
in hand. The number of members has been encreasing,
though slowly, for the number of names added to the list
during the year exceeds that of those of whom it has been
deprived by death and other causes. Still, in pointing out
to attention how much has been done by the economical
application of the comparatively small funds at its disposal,
the Council avails itself of the opportunity of urging upon
the members individually the expediency in every point of
view of making its objects more generally known, in the hope
that, by filling up its originally prescribed number of members,
its usefulness may be proportionally increased.
The value set upon the Society's publications is apparent,
not only from the increasing prices given for them, when
they find their way into the market, but by the number of
back sets which have been taken by new members during
the past year, although the first year is already so much
exhausted that no more than five of its publications can now
be supplied.
During the past year the Council has been enabled to carry
into effect one of its proposed series of works of more standard
character in the older literature of the country, by the publi-
6
cation of the first volume of a new edition of the Canterbury
Tales of Chaucer. It is confidently expected that the second
volume will be ready for delivery on the 1st of September; and
the present condition of the society leads the Council to hope
that it will be able eventually to make this a complete edition
of all Chaucer's works, edited, with notes, from the best
manuscripts now existing. A new and carefully-revised
text of the Poems of the Earl of Surrey is also preparing
under the editorial care of Mr. Bolton Corney, and is designed
to form one of the next year's publications. The Council
has also taken into consideration a suggestion made at the
last Anniversary Meeting, on the propriety of giving the
members an index of the separate pieces contained in the
various publications of the Society since its commencement,
for the convenience of general reference ; and an index of
this description is now in preparation, the compilation of
which has been kindly undertaken by one of the members.
The publications for the last year have been —
I. A Dialogue on Wit and Folly, by John Heywood, now first
printed from the original MS. by F. W. Fairholt, F.S.A.
II. A Collection of Proverbs and Popular Sayings relating to the
Seasons, the Weather, and Agricultural Pursuits. By M. A. Denbam.
III. Popular Songs, illustrative of the French Invasions of
Ireland. Part II. Edited, with Introductions and Notes, by T.
Crofton Croker, Esq.
IV. The Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer. A new Text,
with Illustrative Notes. Edited by Thomas Wright, Esq , M.A.,
F.S.A., etc. Vol. I.
V. The most pleasant Song of Lady Bessy ; and how she married
King Henry the Seventh of the House of Lancaster. Edited by
Jas. O. Halliwell, Esq.
The concluding portion of Mr. Croker's Popular Songs
illustrative of the French Invasions of Ireland, is also ready,
6
but it will be held back a few days in order that the Titles
to the volumes and the Report of the Annual Meeting may
be delivered along with it.
During the past year, also, the following additions have
been made to the list of suggested publications.
1. Specimens of Popular English Poetry of the Fifteenth Cen-
tury, from a MS. in private hands, never before used by Literary
Antiquaries.
2. A Collection of Military Ballads, as a Companion to the Col-
lection of Naval Ballads already published by the Society.
3. Festive Songs of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, to
be edited by W. Sandys, Esq. F.S.A.
4. The Interlude of the Four Elements, to be edited by J. O.
Halliwell, Esq., F.S.A.
5. An inedited Play of Massinger, entitled " Believe as you list,"
to be edited by T. Crofton Croker, Esq. F.S.A., from the original
manuscript in his own possession.
6. A curious satirical tract of the seventeenth century, entitled
" The Man in the Moon," to be edited by J. O. Halliwell, Esq.
7. A Selection from the Roxburghe Ballads now in the British
Museum.
8. A new edition of Barclay's Eclogues.
Among other works suggested for future publication, the
following may be specified:
1. The Poems of Hoccleve. To be Edited by W. H. Black, Esq.
2. A Collection of Ballads relating to the Persecutions of the
Roman Catholics in the North of England, during the Reign of
Elizabeth.
3. A Collection of Satirical Songs and Ballads on Costume, com-
mencing with the Reign of Henry III, with Illustrative Notes, and
Introduction. By F. W. Fairholt, Esq., F.S.A.
4. An Edition of Heywood's " Dialogue contayning in effect the
number of al the Proverbes in the English Tongue compact in a
matter concerning two marriages."
5. A Collection of Ballads, in old French and English, relating
to Cocaygne. To be Edited by T. Wright, Esq.
6. A Collection of Jacobite Ballads and Fragments, many of
them hitherto unpublished. To be edited by William Jerdan, Esq.
M.R.S.L.
7. A Collection of Charms, illustrative of English superstitions
in former days. From early manuscripts.
8. " Rede me and be nott wrothe." A Satire on Cardinal Wol-
sey, by William Roy.
9. The History of the OflBce of Poet Laureate in England, with
Notices of the existence of similar oflSces in Italy and Germany.
By James J. Scott, Esq.
10. Historical Ballads, in the Scottish Dialect, relating to events
in the years 1570, 1571, and 1572; from the copies preserved in
the Library of the Society of Antiquaries, liondon. To be edited
by David Laing, Esq., F.S.A.Sc.
11. A Selection from the Poems of Taylor the Water-Poet.
10. A Continuation of the Collection of Ballads, by J. Payne
Collier, Esq., F.S.A.
The Council may be allowed to repeat the invitation made
in its former Reports, to Members of the Society and others,
to suggest new works for consideration. The Society is
obliged to all gentlemen who may contribute rare tracts or
ballads from private collections ; as well as to the different
Editors, by whose zeal and gratuitous labours they may be
ushered into the world. Li the present year it has especially
to acknowledge its obligations to the liberality of the
University of Cambridge, for the loan of, two valuable
manuscripts of " Chaucer's Canterbury Tales."
J. S. MOORE, Chairman.
THOMAS WRIGHT, Secretary.
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Griffin, Charles, Esq., Glasgow
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Haggard, W. D., Esq., F.S.A., F.R.A.S., Bullion Office
Hailstone, Edw. Esq. F.S. A., Horton Hall, Bradford, Yorkshire
Hall, C. Esq., Anstey, Blandford, Dorset
HaUiwell, J. Orchard, Esq., F.R.S., F.S.A., Avenue Lodge,
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Halpin, Rev. W. J., Dublin
Hannah, Rev. John, Coombe, Woodstock
Hare, the Rev. Archdeacon
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Harness, Rev. W.,M,A., 3, Hyde Park-terr., Kensington Gore
Harrison, W., Esq., Douglas, Isle of Man
Harrison, W. Esq , Manchester
Hartley, George, Esq., Settle, Yorkshire
Harvey, James, Esq., 72, Old Broad-street
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Heseltine, Samuel, Esq., Stock Exchange
Hewitt, Thomas, Esq.
Heywood, James, Esq., F.R.S., F.S.A., Acresfield, Manchester
Hill, Henry, Esq., Athenasum Club
Hillard, G. S. Esq.
Hitchcock, Robert, Esq., Four Courts, Dublin
Holding, James, Esq.
HoUond, Robert, Esq., M.P., 63, Portland-place
Hohne, Edward, Esq., M.D., Manchester
Hope, Alexander J. B., Esq., Connaught-place
Home, C, Esq., Clapham Common
Hosmer, Z., Esq., Boston, U.S.
Host, Esq., Copenhagen
Hunter, Rev. Joseph, F.S A., Torrington-square
Hume, Rev. A., LL.D., Collegiate Institution, Liverpool
Hull Subscription Library
Hunt, Edward, Esq.
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PEKCY SOCIETY. 13 i
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Ingraham, E. D., Esq., Philadelphia, U.S.
Imperial Library, Vienna 1
Irving, David, Esq., LL.D., Edinburgh
Islington Literary Institution
Jackson, Rev. S., M.A.. Ipswich
Jackson, Henry, Esq., Sheffield
Jerdan, William, Esq., M.R.S.L., 2, Kilburn Priory
Jermyn, James, Esq., Reydon, Suflblk
Johns, Capt. Rd., R.M,, 13, Bowater-crescent, Woolwich
Jones, Joseph, Esq., Holden, Manchester ;
Keats, Edwin, Esq. j
Keller, Dr. Adalbert, Librarian of the University of Tubingen i
Kerr, John, Esq., Glasgow j
Kerr, Robert Malcolm, Esq. ]
Kidston, Robert A., Esq., Glasgow i
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Kinloch, R. G., Esq., Edinburgh i
King's College Library, London |
Laing, David, Esq., F.S.A.E., Edinbui-gh \
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Law, W. Esq., 37, Monkwell-street ,
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Lillingston, A. Esq. ]
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Livermore, George, Esq., New York j
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London (City of) Literary and Scientific Institution i
London Library, St. James's- square *
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14 MEMBEES OF THE
Manchee, Thomas J., Esq., Bristol
Manchester AthensBum Library
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Moore, J. S., Esq., 1, Loudon-place, Brixton
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Snaith, F. Esq , M.D.
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Stevenson, Rev. William, Leith J
Stewart, Duncan, Esq., Edinburgh i
Stokes, George, Esq., Cheltenham '
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Thornton, Rev. F. V., Bisham Vicarage, Great Marlow j
Tomlins, T. E., Esq., 2, Barnard's Inn
Trinity College Library, Dublin |
Turnbull, W. B. D. D., Esq., Edinburgh i
Turner, R. S., Esq., 31, Haymarket
Turner, Francis, Esq., 9, Queen -street, Westminster ]
Utterson, Edward Vernon, Esq., F.S.A., Ryde, Isle of Wight j
Valle, Frederick, Esq., Haymarket |
Van de Weyer, his Excellency M. Silvain, Portland-place
Vines, W., Esq., F.S.A., Leathersellers' Hall, St. Helen's
Place, Bishopsgate-street
Walton, Charles, Esq.
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Wansey, WiUiam, Esq., F.S.A., 30, Ely-place, Holborn j
Warne, Charles, Esq., Blandford
Warner, Patrick, Esq. '.
Warren de Tabley, the Rt. Hon. Lord ]
Welford, Charles, Esq., New York, U.S. ]
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Wreford, Rev. J. Reynell, F.S.A., Bristol ^ :j
Wright, Thomas, Esq., M.A., F.S.A., &c., 18, Gilbert-street, J
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