The National Register.
London, England, 1811-12-01 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

ABANDONNIEN [' OF THE SLATE PROACUIION.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH, DUBLIN, Nov. 26.

TUE KING, AT THE PROSECUTION OF F. HUDDLLSTON,

V. THOMAS KIRWAN AND OTHLKS.
Attorney-Generul.--My Lords, with respect to the question
in the case of the N.dig against Kirwan and others, I have to
state to the Court, that although a verdict of acquittal has been
found in the case of Dr. Sheridan, yet that the law of the land
has been unanimously dt cided by the Court that the Catholic
Committee, or Convention, is an unlawful assembly. This,
then, being the settled law of the land, I cannot suffer myself,for
one moment, to believe, that the project of the Committee will
nut now be aband i will not, therefot%., press on the trials,
during the rvmainder of this Term ; and in the expectation that
it cannot be the object of the Catholics to violate the law of the
land, it is my moss anxious ltope and wish, that it may never be-
come necessary fn. me to call on another trial.
Mr. Kirwan.—My Lords, I am ready to plead, and ready for
trial!
Mr. Johnston.—Mr. Kirwan knows the. facts tin(' k notds the law,
and will not now sin ink from an immediate tiial.
The Court ordered copies of the Indictment against the tra-
versers to be delivered to them at the sitting
4 of the Court to-
morrow—whe tin y will be called onto plead.
No r E.—On this great question Sir Arthur Pigott, and tome
of the first lawyers in England and this country, with the peo-
ple of Ireland. differ with his Majesty's Attormey-General and
the Court of King's Bench ; and are unanimously of opinion,
that the Catholic Committee, as it is at present constituted, is a
Legal Alisenthly!
We congratulate the Public, that the Attornex-General has
recanted his error, respecting the loyalty of his Catholic coun-
trymen.

757

stingers, , and a poney, set out from this place tor the Fortrose
side. hey had only proceeded about third ferry Ove or six
hundred yards), when they were observed from both shores
suddenly to go down. hi this dreadful situation a number of
the untortu.ltde sufferers were for a considerable time seen from
the ramparts clinging to the wreck, which drifted in the direc-
tion of the garrison. Within twenty minutes or so after the
accident, the policy had made hia way as far as the breakers,
with a. man grasping the crupper in his left band, and exiting
the right and his feet in swimming. Both were now at times
completely buried in broken water, and the poney having at
last found hot tom with his tore-feet, seemed incapaole ot farther
exertion, while the man, by the violence of the surge, was
forced from his hold, and being quite exhausted and elh.gem-
bered with great coat, boots, &c. would have inevitably pe-
rished, had nut Mr. Ferguson, Paymaster of the 78th rel;iment,
rushed in to his assistance, and rescued him from his perilous
snuation. lie is a Mr. Henderson, from Caithness. By this
time the wreck bad drifted within 40 yards or so of the west
point of the fort, with seven or eight people on the keel, oars,
dec. ; some of them called out most piteously to those attempt-
ing to assist them front the.shore ; but at last ge.eing into a vio-
lent eddy, six or seven of them were successively washed from
their hold, and sunk to rise no more. A man an a woman still
kept by the mast, which was boating alongside the wreck ;
and, in this alhetieg situation, the man setting up most heart-
rending shrieks, they drifted down the Frith, till nearly past
the garrison, when William Skilling, a private in the 78th, swam
out with the end of a rope to make fast to the wr ..ck, but
which was unfortunately too short. Encouraged, however, by
his Commanding Officer, 'Lieutenant-Colenel M'latod, who
was on the beach using every exertion which humanity could
suggest, Skillmg proceeded to the wreck, where he endeavoured
to push the mast with those attached to it before him to the
shore, but which noble attempt was frustrated by the mast's be-
ing fast to the wreck by a rope, which he could not disengage.
In the mean time, however, a ship's boat from the pier, which,
to the imminent 'danger of the crew, bed heen got round the
point, soon came up, and succeeded in bringing the man and the
Nvoman ashore. The Illall'S name is John Angus, a sailor, and
a native of .ilurso. The woman was taken up lifeless.
1 have conversed with Mr. Henderson and with Angus ;
the account they give is, that on leaving the pier, Angus wished
to apply the rudder to the boat, but which was prevented by
the ferryman. About third ferry, the wind being very strong
against them, one of the rowers on the lee-shim becanle ex-
hausted ; when a man getting wet by some water breaking in
at tire bow, came backward to the stern, which circumstance
adding to the int Nihon of the rowers, a good deal of sea
rushed in on th-.. stern. The major pat t of them then wished to
return, and began putting the boat r.tund to leeward, which
WAS opposed by Angus, who begged of them either to put back
by the stern, or about to windward, and at the same time rushed
forward to seize an o.tr, but was prevented by his m wife la) g
fairly hold of him, at which moment a wave made over the
boat, her side being to the storm. They reelained some nu-
rtures in this alarming state, and then resolved on cleat-leg
themselves of the poney. • On this Mr. Henderson threw up the
bridle, laid hold of the crupper, and set out tor the shore. lie
bad nut proceeded many yards, whew the animal attempted to
return to the wreck ; on this lie struck it on the side ot the
head with his diseogaged hand, and succeeded in putting hint to
the direction of the garrison ; he then kicked bask, :mei saw the
people on the wreck as described. This accouut is corrobo-
rated by Angus, who adds, that a few inninites after Mr. H.
left them, a heavy sca turned the boat's keel uppermost, but
cannot tell how he gut fluid of the mast.

A MERMAID.
A young man, named John M'lsaac, orenrphine, in Kintyre,
in Scotland, made oath, on exa►uinat►on, at ..:anipbeitown,
before the Slit'. al-Substitue of Kintyre, that he saw on the after
noon of the 13th of October,vii a black rock un the sea-coast.
an animal, of the 'particulars of which, be gives a long and
curious de7ail, answering, in general, to the description com-
monly given of the supposed amphibious animal, called a mtr.
n►:ud. He states, that the upper half of it was white, and of the
shape of a human body ; the other half, towards the tail, of a
br►nrdled or reddish grey colour, apparently covered with 'scales;
but the extremity of the tail itself was of a greenish red shining
colour.; that the head was covered with long hair ; at times it
would put back the hair on both sides of its head, it would also
spread its tail like a fan; and while so extended, the tail con-
tinued in .treintilous motion, and when drawn together again, it
remained motitaile+s, and appeared to the deponent to be about
twelve or fourteen inches broad ; that the hair was long and
light br,)vi%i ; that the anl►nal was bet weld tour and five feet
long: that it had a head, ha►r, items, and bo.ly, :town to the
ilkt a human being; that the ;isms were shoe I. in propur-