that the arms were never kept in the houses, but were always concealed in various parts of the fields. We rode to some little distance, where there was a division, I cannot call it a hedge, but where the ground was a little rising as if there had been an old fort, or something of that kind, and some furze and bushes growing about it. He desired one of us to pull up a furze bush, which was done; I told him that I saw nothing there; he said, ' Pull away that sod of grass,' and there was a box, the open end of which was opposite to me. The approver had previously told me that the night before he was put into the place of confinement at Charleville, the box had contained, I think he said, ten stand of arms; this was perfectly in a dry place, sand and dry earth having been placed about it, so that the arms should not be injured by the damp. He told me that the arms were placed there every morning, after they had done what was necessary, and whenever they wanted them at night, they came for them; but he told Sir Hugh Gough and myself, previously to coming to the place, that probably we should not find the arms there, for it was a rule with them that when one of them was taken up to remove the arms.

"What quantity did you find there?—None.

"Have you ever discovered any arms in searching the houses of the peasantry?—Yes, I have, in my own part of the country.

"In what state were those arms, and what means have the peasantry taken to insure their preservation?—In a part some little distance from my own place, where it was necessary to search for arms, the generality of those taken were bad."— H. C., 1824, p. 304.

Sir Hussey Vivian, after having described an extensive search for arms made by the military in 1832, in parts of Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, King's and Queen's Counties, in which about 137 stand of arms (common fowling-pieces, blunderbusses, and pistols) were taken, is examined as follows:

"Were the arms so decidedly of the character of those plundered from private houses, as to satisfy you there was no general plan to provide themselves with arms?-My firm conviction is, that the people of Ireland are not armed to any extent whatever; and I state it for these reasons: here is the number of arms reported to have been taken from different houses during the last twelve months, and that number is very small indeed; I think, altogether, 145 stand of arms; and in different searches we have taken nearly 200, which leaves a balance in our favour, and we know to a certainty that the arms taken by those men who rob them, although at the time in the best order, when retaken have been found totally useless, and in many instances such has been the state of fowlingpieces within two or three months even: in order to conceal them, they hide them in bogs and ditches, and in the thatch of houses. In the search, there were two weapons they called pikes taken, but I am certain there have been none made, nor any attempt to arm the population; nor is it possible the people should be armed to any extent in a country where arms are only allowed to be imported by licence, and in every village of which almost there is a police party, if the officers of customs and the police do their duty. I believe these people (the nightly robbers) have been anxious to get arms for themselves to go about on their marauding system, but on that account only. I do not believe that any general system of arming an organized body of the people has been thought of; although that a system of organization in every other respect exists to the greatest possible extent, I have no doubt whatever."-H. C., 1832, No. 1372.

Mr. Singleton, speaking of the colliery district in the Queen's County :

"Do you think they have possession of any arms ?—Yes, numerous stands of the worst description; blunderbusses of a most destructive and formidable kind.

"Are those arms independent of the arms taken from persons residing in the country?-I presume those have been

taken from respectable houses in the country."-H. L., 1824, Nos. 4050-51.

Mr. Keogh, the parish priest of Abbeyleix, having stated that he had delivered eight stand of arms to Lord De Vesci, is asked,

"Were they in a serviceable state?—No, they were not; they were of no use whatever.

"None of them?-None, except a pistol, which was in very good order.

"Are there many arms in the hands of the common people now?-I do not think there are.

"Were they arms that could be traced to the persons that they had been taken from?—Yes; I knew the houses they had been taken from.

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What distance of time was there from the taking of the arms to their being returned to you?-The first arms were taken more than a year before, and the last not more than a month.

"Were they in good order when they were first taken ?— No, I believe not."—H. C., 1832, Nos. 4627-32*.

The strict regulations with regard to the sale of gunpowder in Ireland†, likewise make it difficult for the Whiteboys to use their fire-arms even when they have got them. It not unfrequently happens that their guns or pistols are loaded with the coarse powder used in blasting rocks, and that accordingly they miss fire. The most effective weapon which they use in waylaying persons doomed to destruction is stones, with which they take a deadly aim, and which are considered as

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* In 1775 a body of Whiteboys, said to be 200 in number, attacked a house in Ballyragget, in which were fifteen armed men; and they were repulsed, with considerable loss. 'It should however be observed (says Arthur Young) that they had but few arms, those in bad order, and no cartridges." Tour in Ireland, p. 77, 4to., and see above, p. 32.

+ See 4 and 5 Will. IV. c. 50.

preferable to fire-arms, because they make no noise, and consequently give no alarm. For attacking houses, however, guns are necessary; they are likewise often discharged at night, in order simply to intimidate: bonfires are sometimes also lighted on heights for the same purpose.

It may be remarked that the surrender of arms by the peasantry is one of the first and surest signs of returning tranquillity.

Mr. John Cahill, Queen's County:

"This state of your county must have been very injurious to property in general?—It was; but now peace is returned, and tranquillity is restored everywhere, so far as about twenty miles round.

"Do you think that is likely to last ?-I should think it is. All the arms have been collected; the clergyman of my parish collected one hundred and ten stand of arms; I saw sixty stand of arms myself going over to the officer commanding a division of troops within a mile of me.

“Within what period of time?—Something about between three weeks or a month past; I saw them going to be delivered up to the officer.

"Were they serviceable arms?-They were guns.

"Were they serviceable?-They were.

"Were they all of them good?-Pretty good; some bad arms; a good many blunderbusses, a good many pistols, and a good many carbines; and among the rest was a clergyman's arms, by the name of Trench.

"Do you attribute that at all to the special commission, or to the interference of the clergy?—I should think to the interference of the clergy. Doctor Doyle went through the collieries, preached there different days, and the clergymen have all exerted themselves much within the last five or six weeks. The people have declined going on legislating, as they generally have done, and have returned to their industry. I find

that a great many labourers, whom I was in the habit of employing, are cheerfully coming round to me now, whom I could not get last winter."-H. C., 1832, Nos. 7516-22.

When the Whiteboys have possessed themselves of the means of enforcing their law, they proceed to administer it in form. This is effected by serving a written notice on the party who has infringed it, commanding him to do, or forbear from, some specified act. Mr. Despard, being asked in what way the Whiteboys make themselves formidable, so as to enforce their schemes, says,

"They generally first serve the person who has land that they do not wish him to have, with a notice pasted on his door, or put in through his window, and if the person does not comply with what is in that notice, they then come, in a short time afterwards, and beat him, and sometimes there are murders committed. I have known murders take place in consequence of not obeying their orders."-H. C., 1832, No. 401.

Rev. Nicholas O'Connor :

"Do they endeavour by force and by intimidation to obtain what they wish to have done?-They generally first serve a notice, and if that is not obeyed, violence follows; this notice is accompanied generally with a picture of a coffin, or some emblem of death, and they write, that if they do not do what they require within a certain time, to prepare their coffin.

"Are not the punishments they inflict in case of disobedience to their orders of the greatest atrocity, assassination, &c. ?— Yes; generally beating, which sometimes ends in death."H. C., 1832, Nos. 3194-6.

These mandates are often written in a style resembling that of a legal notice*, and are, for the most part, signed by some imaginary name, such as Captain

*See above, p. 102.