MEMOIRS OF MOLT.

THE reader who has been taken by the somewhat pompous phrase oaf " General of the Irish Rebels," will be disappointed in these volumes. H 01.T was neither more nor less than a partisan leader, who, perforce, joined the insurgents after his house had been

'bursted over his head, and his life pursued through the malice of an Orange squireen, acting under the convenient instru- mentality of martial law. In the irregular mountain warfare he

carried on against the Government troops and the provisions of the country-people, his activity, courage, and local knowledge, ren- dered him so far formidable that he was enabled to surrender on terms, when the hopelessness of the curio; and the approach of

winter had dispersed his followers. After being made a kind of caged lion in Dublin, he was deported to New South Wales as a "state prisoner ; " where, notwithstanding several political charges brought against him at various times, he contrived to amass some money, with which and a free pardon he returned in 1814 to Dublin, where lie died in 1826.

The autobiography of such a man, can of course throw no new light on the history of the remote or immediate causes which led to the rebellion. With the real originators HOLT never hail any communication ; ausl even with the active chiefs his intercour,e was short, slight, and made at an unfavourable time. When his followers had swelled to upwards of 1,000 men,

he led them to the main body under Roca's, the hero of Vinegar Hill. This man seems to have been incapable of military command,

equally incapable of controlling the band of desperadoes he bad about him as officers; and when HoLT joined the thirteen thousand insurgent., they were a disorganized mob, without arms, disci- pline, or docility, upon whom attack or delay would be equally fatal. After some days passed in those quarrels which take place where "every man fancies himself as good as his officers," and that mismanagement which must always occur where there is no bead, the approach of a small detachment of troops was an- nounced. Rocrut in a fit of fear gave up the command to HoLT; who contrived to draw the advanced guard into an ambush, and repulse thorn with loss. After this vietoi y, " General HOLT " dis- creetly resigned his command, and withdrew with his own followers to his mountain warfare. In this he occasionally dis- played considerable skill: and the narrative of his exploits, though naked and superficial, is not without a certain kind of matter-of-fact interest. But the value of the work, if the author could be depended on, consists in the incidental light which it throws upon the dreadful state of society in Ireland,

the manner in which numbers of the peasantry were forced into the rebellion, and the way in which a large part of the insurgent army was raised. According to HOLT, reli- gion h.d little or nothing, and politics nothing at all to do with

the insurrection, further than hatred towards some partisan op- pressors can be called politics. Huta himself was a Protestant and a respectable small farmer : he had filled several provincial appointments, and distinguished himself by the arrest of several notorious robbers; but he had also (so lie says) exposed a Ma- gistrate for wrongfully withholding money for road-making. This the Olangernan never forgave. %Viten the rebellion broke out, he got another personal enemy of HoLT's to swear lie was an United Irishman. This information in those days of martial law suf- ficed; and the Squire proceeded with a party of India& to the "rebel's" house, plundered it of all that was worth carrying away, turned his wife and family out of doors, and burnt down ricks as well as buildings. Thousands of others were in a similar situation. Deprived of their all, hunted for their lives, and threatened with death by hunger if they remained solitary and could even escape their enemies, they went off to the nearest rebel army, or flocked together in the most inaccessible spots of their district,and,choosing a leader, turned rebels in self-defence. His picture of the armies; thus raised is equally important ; and would seem to show, that the Irish peasantry can never, by themselves, be really formidable—from their want of forethought—the readi- ness with which they yield to the instant impression, what- ever it be—their addiction to "love and the bottle," whi.h be- tray their purposes—the selfish treachery which infests the ranks, their own unreliability, and their distrust of others. HoLT complains bitterly of his want of power to present crime and cruelty—of the impossibility of enforcing discipline, or keeping his plans secret, or carrying into execution any bold design. Drinking, of course, is prevalent in all armies where discipline is relaxed ; but the 'insurgents could not be restrained when the enemy was advancing, and HOLT once bad five hundred men

bayonetted whilst lying about dead drunk. Treachery, too, was constantly at work against him ; and what was still worse, sus- picion of their commander grew up in the minds of his followers on the slightest occasion. This plea was rather a favourite one with Howe. To use a term befitting the man and the subject, he tipped his Protestantism and the consequent impossibility of absolution for himself, with some effect on different occasions. It was a bar to the inquiries of all right-minded persons.

It will readily be conjectured, that a work of this kind was not worth publishing at the present day ; but the publication being determined on, it could not have been in better hands than those of CROFTON CROKSR, who has admirably edited the work. Some- what overrating his hero, and shutting his eyes to all but the ob- vious and melodramatic points of Mister HoLT, he does not at- tempt to conceal the worthy's overweening vanity, and tendency to lie about his own exploits; and, as a check or corrective to the statements of the text, Mr. CROKER has dug up from numerous contemporary sources other versions of the deeds or other ac- counts of the characters. We have qualified these conclusions by the supposition that HOLT is to be trusted ; about which we have some doubts. Courage and fertility of resources he unquestionably possessed, with a better development of order than belongs to his country. men at large; and he might have been averse to the useless or vindictive shedding of blood : but he seems to have combined, in pretty equal proportions, Irish impudence, Irish presumption, and Irish blarney of a low kind. He had also the quality, attaching to many of his countrymen, of currying favour without much regard to personal self-respect, or In the sacrifice or at least the compromise of principle : nor must it be forgotten, that when he surrendered his own person, he left his last followers, very few and therefore faithful, to shift for themselves. Putting all these things together, we suspect that General HOLT, when he penned these Memoirs after his return from Botany Bay, might have an eye to standing well with the world as a loyal man, and to excuse his irregularities in the '98.

To support all we have said by quotation, would be desallory work for the reader ; but we will take part of his first interview with Lord Poweescouni, as a specimen of Milesian assurance and vulgar cunning.

Mr. Keigan sent in his name, adding that I was with him. ?.nrd Power court soon made his appearance ; and, with great condescension taking me by the hand, welcomed me to Powerscourt, and, in the pleasing and graceful manner of a perfect gentleman, conducted me up stairs to u spacious drawing. room. Shortly after, I was conducted to a sumptuous repast which was peepared for me. After dinner, the cloth was removed, and the table wee furnislcd with wines of the finest quality, and excellent spirits. Of the latter I was egood judge ; of the former I knew nothing, but I titre it for granted.

There was a friend of his Lordship's present, (it was Canning,) besides aut. selves. The conversation, of course, turned to.the transactions of the count:y for the last eight months. His Lordship asked me many questions ; which I a.i. swered as he demanded of me, in a manner Kuitahib to the requisition, havir.g

nothing to conceal, and no desire to enlarge open any point. After some

time spent in this manner, his Lordship Mr. Holt, consider yourself at home ; and if you wish for any thing, only express it, and it shall be sup. plied." I answered, " My Lord, I am indebted to my misfortunes for the honour I am now receiving. if it be not intruding too touch ore your Lordship's good. ness, I would wish to be allowed one favour."

" Name it," said his Lordship ; 4' if 1 can grant it, be assured it shall be don." "e Iermission to give one toast," said I.

" By all means," said his Lordship, smiling. " I expected' tromething of a much more serious character, and was prepared to grant it, if I could have done so consistently." " Your Lordship is too good to me. All my wants are supplied in your Lordship's kind friendship and interference in my behalf. 1 shall n4.4 peeve ow. grateful. My toast is, Bad luck to —.4" I prefaced my toast, because this tiger in human shape was known' to Lord Powerscourt, and was distinguished by his Lordship's notice as c "loyal man."

4" With all my heart, Mr. Holt," said his Lordship ; " you have aredoubt good reasons for your toad."

Lord Powerscourt's friends acquiesced, and the toast was drunk. My motive for giving this toast was to turn the conversation on the cause of my joro:ng in the rebellion, which I have already fully explained.

Lord Powerscourt then said, " We have drunk your toast, Mr. Holt 7, you should now let us know your reasons for giving it."

I then related the circumstances of the burning of my house by Mr. --., and the causes which drove me, most unwillingly, to take arms against my King,

my country, and my faith, and join the enemies of all. I concluded with abr. serving, that my being a Protestant prevented my leaving the rebels while oar chance remained of their being successful.

" How is that ?" demanded his Lordship, with some surprise.

I replied, " My Lord, I am' a Protestant, and, I hope, a sincere one. trust in the mercies of my God. I have been miraculously preserved on many, occasions, when the interposition of Providence alone appeared able to save me. I was a loyal man, until perjury gave my personal enemy the power of burning my house and putting myself to death. I had no alternative if I remained at home but to meet the charge of being a Unita! man. Although innocent, my enemy was my judge. The country was under martial law. I should have been tried by a prejudiced body ina court.martial; a set of men excited strongly by the fervour and fury of the times—men anxious to sacrifice me to revenge an eld grudge. I weighed the chances in my mind. Certain death and infamy

stared me in she face if I met the charge. The chance of escape was open to me by flying to the mountains: times might alter, and men's minds become

more calm, and a cool and fair investigation might be granted to Inc. I there- fore determined to fly to the rebels. They would not receive me if I did not take their oath of confederacy : they would do more, they would have murdered me if I even hesitated to take it—nay, even if I did not demand to enter into their confederacy, and bind myself to be faithful by swearing allegiance. I did so. I took the United Irishman's oath. }laving done so, I could out be freed from its obligations; • no one could absolve Me. I therefore kept it faithfully, and must and will keep it, at least those parts of it which are still binding upon me."