No account having appeared of the attack at Prosperus, 'tis presumed the following affidavit made before the RightHon. the Lord Mayor of the City of Dublin, will furnish the Reader with every particular relative thereto. The Examinant is well known to the Publisher, and favoured him with a Copy of the same for the present Narrative. The Examinant suffered much in the Rebellion, being obliged to desert his house, and property to a considerable amount, which became a prey to the Rebels.

The Examination of J.D. late of Prosperus, in the County of Kildare, who being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists, maketh Oath, and saith; That for many nights previous to the night of the 23d of May last, this Examinant and his family were very much alarmed lest they should be attacked by the Rebels commonly called United Irishmen; That Examinant thought he and his family were in some degree secure, by the arrival of detachments of the Ancient Britons and the North Cork Militia; That however Examinant still continued to be alarmed, as his house was a considerable distance from the Barracks; That Examinant saith that he was awakened about the hour of one o'clock in the forenoon, by the barking of a large dog he had, and some time after he was alarmed by the firing of some shots; Examinant saith that on looking out of his window, he perceived a great body of people armed with Pikes and Fire Arms, between whom and the Soldiers in the Barracks a constant firing was maintained; That as the balls passed by this Examinant's house, and one of them close to his head, he withdrew and let down the window; That soon after Examinant saw the Barracks on fire and heard the Soldiers exclaim, "The house is on fire; we shall be burnt up or suffocated, we can fight no longer"; That soon after Examinant saw the roof of said Barracks fall in; Examinant saith that the said Rebels (whose numbers had encreased so much as to fill the streets of Prosperous and to cover the adjacent fields) on the falling of the roof of said Barracks, gave many shouts which seemed to rend the skies, and made this Examinant and his family thrill with horror; That the said Rebels exclaimed "That the day was their own, and they would there plant the Tree of Liberty". Examinant saith that the said Rebels knocked at his door and desired to have it opened, expecting to find there a party of Soldiers who had been billited there a short time before, and Mr.Stamer, who had lodged therein when he went there to receive his rents, as part of the town of Prosperous belonged to the said Stamer; Examinant saith that the said Rebels approached his house in a large body, six of which preceded the rest mounted on some of the horses which they had taken that morning from the Ancient Britons at Prosperous; That Examinant as soon as he came out of his door was surrounded by a party of the said Rebels, who presented their Pikes at him, and who he expected from the ferocity of their looks would have instantly put him to death; that one of the said Rebels held a musket at Examinant's breast with his finger on the trigger; that another of the said Rebels who was a turf-cutter, held a drawn sword over Examinant's head, and Examinant verily believes they would have instantly put him to death, but a young man in the croud who seemed to have some influence interposed, beat down the musket which was presented at his breast and said he should not kill him; Examinant saith that he knew many of the said Rebels to whom he and his family had been very kind. That soon after the said Rebels went in quest of the said Stamer, who lodged at some distance from the said town; that having seized him the said Stamer, they led him through the street by Examinant's house, surrounded by a number of Pike-men, while a low fellow held a pistol at his head; Examinant saith that as he passed by the Examinant's house, he the said Stamer cast a melancholy farewel look at Examinant and his family, that soon after the said Rebels massacred the said Stamer; Examinant saith that soon after he went out with an intention of enquiring for his friend Mr.——an inhabitant of Prosperous, and that before Examinant had gone far he was again surrounded by the said Rebels, who he verily believes would have put him to death, but for the interference of the person who had saved him before; Examinant saith, he discovered soon after that Mr.Brewer, a respectable manufacturer of said town, who had employed many of the said Rebels, had been massacred by them, and that his body had been mangled with savage barbarity; Examinant saith that they also massacred a poor old man of the age of 70 years and upwards, who served as Serjeant in his Majesty's forces, they having considered him as an Orange-man; Examinant is convinced in his mind the only reason why the said Rebels murdered the said Serjeant was his being a protestant; Examinant saith that when the said Rebels had committed the said barbarities, they exclaimed with savage joy "where are the Heretics now? shew us the face of an Orange-man"; Examinant saith that many women, who acting with the said Rebels, used expressions of that nature, as often and as loud as the men, and that some old women who were amongst them seemed to brighten on the occasion, and to shew as much fervent joy as the youngest amongst them; That some of the said women kissed and congratulated their fathers, their husbands, or their brothers, on the victory they had gained, and exclaimed "Dublin and Naas have been taken and are in possession of our friends; down with the Heretics, and down with the Orange-men." Examinant saith that many of the wretches who had been actors in that bloody scene, had come into the town of Prosperous the preceding day, and in presence of Capt.Swayne, of the—Cork Militia, whom with a party of his Regiment that morning, viz. the 24th of May, they had massacred, and also in the presence of their Parish Priest of the name of Higgins, and declared their contrition for their past errors, and gave the strongest assurance of their loyalty, for the future—that many of the said Rebels surrendered their Pikes to the said Swayne, and as such surrender was considered as a test of their repentance, and as necessary to entitle them to written protections, numbers of them lamented that they could not obtain such protections, as they never saw nor had a Pike, and that many of them declared they would sell their Cow to purchase a Pike if they knew where it could be bought; Examinant saith that notwithstanding these declarations many of the said Rebels appeared in the ranks well armed with Pikes; Examinant saith he is convinced in his mind that the said Rebels would have plundered and burnt all the other loyal houses of Prosperous, and would have murdered the remaining Protestant inhabitants thereof, but that a party of the Ancient Britons and the Cork Militia, being a part of the detachment they had murdered that morning, unexpectedly approached the town, and that the said Rebels on their appearance, fled towards the bogs and morasses; Examinant saith he could not refrain from shedding tears at seeing such scenes of savage barbarity, and that a servant who continued faithful to him desired him not to shew any sign of concern, lest he might draw on him the anger and vengeance of the Rebels.

(A true Copy.)