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385
Highly Important Contemporary Account of 1798 Rebellion
‘.. the most unaccountable one that ever stained the Page of History.’
Manuscript:
Thoughts on the Present State
of Ireland, July 15th 1798,
12pp 4to (loose),
written in a strong and very legible hand,
not signed, but relates a very personal view
by someone who was very well informed.
It treats in detail the background of the
rebellion, ‘
... But the moment Ireland set
up for Herself and became nominally an
Independent Kingdom .. The Catholic Religion,
being professed by 7 Tenths of her inhabitants
became from the number of its Professors, the
natural Established Religion of this Country -
and Great Britain seemed sensible, of this Truth,
by agreeing to the Repeal of all the Popery Laws
and by putting the Catholics in every respect
upon the same footing as the Protestants,
except being elected to serve in Parliament, and
to enjoy certain emoluments and Confidence
of Offices. These were likewise supposed to
be stipulated for, in a Treaty made with the
Catholic Body in London, in April 1792, with
the English Ministry. That Treaty being broken
thro, in the Summer of that year, by the Irish
Administration, who all the World knows is at
all times, created by, and dependant upon, the
English one. This lay’d the foundation of the
present & Civil War... .”
It goes on to describe England’s plight
with France & in the Colonies
,
‘The Southern Catholics still however continue to show Loyalty and good will to the Kings Troops employed to repel the
Invasion of Dec. 1796 - Trusting that this Loyalty, unequivocally shewn on this trying occasion must put the seal on their Emancipation...’
... when the Prince
of Wales’s offer to come to Ireland to complete it [Emancipation] ‘was overruled by one voice only in the British Cabinet, from that time the Inferior Catholic
Clergy, joined the United Irishmen...’
‘
The Northern Republicans at all Times...? to Monarchy, seeing the successes of their Brother Republicans in France, and the Exasperated and determined
Spirit of the Irish Catholics...
It deals with the Irish Directory, Whig Club, Orange Clubs, and Finally,
‘
I do not think myself able to prescribe a remedy, but the contrary Conduct of
conciliation, Humanity, affability, and good temper seem likely to succeed better with the Irish, who are a warm hearted, friendly but a strong headed People
-...’
As a m/ss, w.a.f.
* A hitherto unrecorded account of the first importance. (1)
€1750 - 2500
386
Emmet’s Dublin Rebellion, July 1803
Manuscripts:
Three substantial manuscript documents, marked
“Private,” and titled
Copies of Statements and Papers respecting the
Insurrection in Dublin on the 23rd of July 1803
,
1.
“Extracted from a statement made to the Lord Lieutenant of the
Transactions in Dublin on the 23rd July 1803.”
26pp foolscap, & dated
August 25th 1802.
2.
“The investigation of the circumstances attending the Insurrection
which lately took place in Dublin ...”
50pp. foolscap.
3.
“Account of the Insurrection in Dublin of the 23rd July, 1803, and of
the circumstances of which it was preceded, prepared from the Evidence
on the late State Trials, from the secret Examination of several of the
accomplices, and from various secret Documents, particularly from
intercepted Letters, and from papers found in the possession of several of
the Conspirators.”
SignedW.W. 5th Dec. 1803, 42pp. foolscap.
All written in a clear court hand. The documents deal in great detail
with principal characters, identifying numbers of troops, numbers of
rebels, identifying locations, amounts of weapons, prisoners etc. Now
contained in a spring-back file. As a m/ss., w.a.f.
* Highly important contemporary accounts, containing information
not found elsewhere. (1)
€1500 - 2000
387
Republican Pamphlets: Macardle (D.)
Tragedies of Kerry 1922 - 1923,
8vo 1937;
Daly (Martin)
Memories of the Dead,
D. (Powell Press) n.d.;
Cavanagh (Maeve)
A Voice of Insurgency,
D. 1916;
Mc Grath (W.)
A
Cork Felon,
(The Life and Death of Brian Dillon), 8vo D. 1952;
Childers
(E.)
Military Rule in Ireland,
D. 1920;
Austin Stack 1880 - 1929,
D. n.d.; &
1 other, all orig. ptd. wrappers, all scarce. (7)
€120 - 170
385
386
