The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-02-08 00:00:00

COUNTY OF GALWAY.

We have been furnished with the following very
interesting account of the state of this county, by
a corresi dent upon whose veracity and informa-
tion we can implicitly rely :—" The Ribbonmen
here are becoming more active and numerous every
day. What their object exactly is we have wot been
aide to leans, nor do we believe that it is known to
the generality of tlwinselves. We rather apprehend
that it is confided but to • few of their leaders.
They go about in considerable bodies. When they
crone to a house, the prison acting as leader sir
capraiii knocks at the dour, and calls out in English,
and with an English, or as some say, • Northern
accent, " Come forth, man of the house ;" upon
whick the owner of the house. and every other
wale inhabitant, is immediately obliged to present
himself at the door. If there be any delay, or the
least resistance, they instantly proceed to enforce
their commands, by breaking the door. They first
oblige hum to swear he does not know any of those
perboll4 by whom he is surrounded : this be may,
in most instances, safely do, for he only sees the
few immediately near Inin,who are usually strangers,
throw persons whom lie might probably recoguise
bring kept ire the rear. lie is next obliged to swear
lie will not prosecute ; and, lastly. that lie will go
to Ballinaftid upon such night as shall be appointed
for that purpose; and he is ly threatened,
should lie fail in obeying this mandate. So far they
do no mischief, provided no resistance be offered ;
and none of those who are so sworn hesitate in dis-
closing what has occurred, or in describing the na-
ture of their oaths. But from the moment they
have been at Balliirafad (which does riot mean any
particular place, bat merely siguifies the field or
hill, or other spot, appointed as the rendezvous for
that night), they are no longer communicative. It
is supposed they take other oaths there, but of what
nature his not transpired. We understand each
man is obliged to tray ten-pence into the public
fund, and those who are sworn there upon one
night, become thenceforward instruments them-
selves, and shortly afterwards proceed to swear the
ushabitanni of other districts.

"The unfortunate-peasauts manifested the greatest
abhorrence of being sworn by those misguided crea-
tures, and have recourse to every stratagem they
can devise to avoid it. Numbers sleep out behind
hedges. or remain in bogs all night in the hope of
escapilig the fatal oaths. But wheit once they are
eauro, such is the frVefrOCE with which a Con-
naught peasant regards an oath, arid such his Nero.
pulous adherence to it, that he dares nut violate it,
even when he is told that such sum oath, front its
nature and the circum►tances under which it has
been imposed, is not obligatory upon him, aud, in-
deed, even though this were not the ease, ally vio-
lation of it, in the present instance, would be at-
tended with perhaps the most fatal consequences.
Under such coicuitistances, we cannot help think-
iug the most immediate and active measures should
be adopted iu detecting those ringleaders who are
an /*lllustriously, so daringly, and so systematically
disseminating pernicious principles amongst an art-
kris. peaceable and inoffensive peasarttry."—( Free-
man', Jimrnul.)