HIBERNIAN MAGAZINE: OR, Compendium of Entertaining Knowledge. FOR MAY, 1800. Authentic Memoirs of CHARLES VEREKER, Efq. Reprefentative in Parliament for the City of Limerick, and Colonel of the Limerick City Militia:-Accompanied with a most elegant, animated, original Likeness of that Gentleman; by WHITAKER, an eminent Irish Artist. A GAIN we embrace the pleafing task of immortalizing the friends and protectors of their counry.* He who hazards his life with alaity, in behalf of the nation for which he fights, must always claim our refpect, but we must confefs our admiration, is not fo much excited by those dazzling exploits which please the populace, as by col. VEREKER'S difinterested and steady conduct in defence of the liberty and indej endence of Ireland. Every Irith heart muft glow with rapture, to find fo many patriots, and fo much virtue united in the house of commons, to oppose the enflaving of their country, and the annihilation of their legiflature, under which they have fo greatly profpered of late years. But it is not the will of a British minifter can deprive Ireland of her newly acquired rights. Shall this ifland, more favoured by nature, than any spot on the habitable globe, be for ever harraffed and degraded?No, the day is at hand, when the fhall enjoy all the benefits defigned for her by the Almighty Creator. The independence of Ireland is written in the immutable records of Heaven. In the debate of the 14th February, 1800, col. Vereker ftrongly contend0 T E. N. ed, that the majority for the union, was a paltry one, in point of numbers, and that the fenfe of the kingdom was decidedly against it.' And furely if a wife and good government wished to conciliate the affections of four millions of people, they would have fairly and ingenuoufly confulted them, on this important and awful occafion. He added;- every day, every hour he lived, convinced him it was a fa-. tal measure; and fhould he furvive the liberty of his country, he had the confolation to fay, he had opposed her mortal enemy in every ftage of his advance, that he had not deferted her in the hour of neceffity, but had clung to her to the last moment of her exifting freedom.' The fubject of this memoir, is immediately defcended, from doctor Thomas Smyth, bishop of Limerick, who died in the year 1725His lordship married Dorothy, the daughter of bifhop Burgh, by whom he had ten fons, and two daughters. Charles the fecond fon, who furvived all the reft, was brought up to the law, and married lady Hammond, fifter to Sir Thomas Prendergast of Gort. By this lady he had three fons and two daughters, one of whom married Thomas Vereker of Roxborough, in the liberties of Limerick, the father of col. Vereker, who was born in the year 1771, and after being educated, principally abroad for a military life, he entered early f into the first, or royal regiment of in- had arrived at Coloony, with an infantry, in which he ferved five years. tention of attacking and pillaging SliOn the Irish militia being embodied go. Judging it more advifeable to in 1794, he was appointed lieutenant attack them, than to wait their attack, col. of the Limerick city regiment, he marched out with 250 of the Liand on the refignation of his uncle-merick city militia, two curricle guns, John Prendergaft Smyth, he was pro- 20 of the Effex fencible infantry; 30 moted to be col. of that brave reg- yeomen infantry, and a troop of the 24th iment, the 13th of September; 1797. light dragoons. Arriving at Coloony, As every day's experience convinc- he found the enemy ready to receive es us, that a fatal destiny pursues and hith; when he ordered major Ormfby. overtakes fome men; fo a ruling Pro- to occupy a hill which covered his vidence certainly protects others, of right, his left being protected by a whom we may inftance Bonaparte, river. He then moved forward, when who after efcaping death in twenty- a fevere and close action commenced, nine battles, feared not to encounter which lafted near an hour and an half. the burning fands of Egypt, and the danger of an enemies country; and when it was imagined he was made a prifoner, at that moment he ftept on the throne in France. Shakefpeare, the immortal painter of the human heart, fays There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their lives Is bound in shallows and in mifery !' Colonel Vereker feems to have feized the opportunity, for it fell to his and his regiment's lot, to render more fervice to their country than any other regiment in Ireland. In his fituation, retreat was victory, when it was confidered that he faved Sligo from being pillaged, and retarded the progrefs of the enemy, which might have been attended with fatal confequences. It was about nine o'clock in the morning of the 5th September 1798, that capt. O'Hara, of the Liney yeomanry, reported that he had been repulfed by the advanced guard of the French, after a fmart fkirmish, in which one man was killed and another wounded. Shortly after col. Vereker learned, that a divifion of the enemy N 0 Ꭲ E. *On the 23d of August, 1798, about 1000 of the French army, commanded by gen. Humbert, landed in Killala bay, from three frigates, and a brig. This army, fo fuperior innumbers, was thrown into confufion by col. Vereker's corps. At length, the very fuperior number of the enemy enabled them to outflank col. Vereker's right divifion, which was compelled to fall back, and the enemy making a difpofition to furround him, a retreat became prudent and neceffary. He therefore fell back upon Sligo, where he had thrown up à breaft work, and determined to defend the town, had the French perfevered in their plan of attacking it. The lofs of the brave Limerick regiment was lefs than might have been expected, when it is confidered they had to contend with the entire French, and rebel army, poffeffed of nine pieces of artillery. One officer and fix rank and file were killed ;five officers and twenty two rank and file wounded. The enemy had twenty Frenchmen killed, and thirty wounded, fourteen of whom were carried into Sligo, and several of them died. The rebels muit have loft a much greater number, but it was not exactly afcertained. The officer of militia killed, was enfign Rumley, a very brave young man, and fon to the late Mr. Rumley, furveyor of Kilrush. The wounded officers were col. Vereker, lieut. col. Gough, major Ormfby, capt. Nath, enfign Lindon, and capt. Crips, fhot through the neck and jaws. Capt. Sleffor, of the royal Irish artillery, acted with great gallantry, |