On this page
- Departments (1)
-
Text (4)
-
I 6 THE NORTHERN STAR, October 28, 1S4S....
-
Ereiamr.
-
8M01AL COMMISSION. The commission for th...
-
Disastrous Fioodi ix thb Vallbv of thb S...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
The Ibish Trials For High Treason. Clonm...
Mr Meaghersay the country would be regenerated f the lass w « rds t . e said wex— ' Again I tell you I * ready . ' Your ctetnory appears to be most excellent . Now .-repeat this- [ The learned genttemsn then read the following extract from the speecn in defence of Hardy , reported in the 24 th volume oi the State Trials ] :- A mercenary informer Snows no distinction . Under such a sjste-n the obnoxious people are slaves , not oaly to the government . bur , they live at the mercy of every individual / tney ^ are at once the slaves of the whole wmmuaity , mow every part of it ; and the worst and m ^ t « nm ^ rc i fbl sen are those en vrfwee go ^ ess taer mast ^ m ^ -Stop . stop ; I cannot repeat it B you d Mr wli te & Whall cannon repeat tbat ? - ^ Jlb ^ beSS ^ U ^ -l-at , Did not Mr Meae & er speak very quicfc-washenot * duhin" gaeafcer ? He is a very nice young man . —
( Laushrrt . ) Well , I will try you again , a wm read slo " v L 20 t near so quickly as Mr Meagher snob—and when I havedoue yoa cm tellrae what 1 said ~ ( Toe Earned counsel then read toe following passage from the same volume ) :- ' But let us first exsmine in what manner this matter , such as it is , wai recorded , flepreferred to speakfrom notes , yet Iobserved him frequently looking up to the ceiling whilst he was speaking , when Iswd to him . Are you now speaking from a note ? Have you got any note of wh « you are now saying ? ' He
tiered—• Oh no . tbisisfroni-reoolleeiion . trooa bsw ai mlghtvl-reeollfcUon mixing itself with notes in a ease of hish treason . He did not even take down the words—nay , to do the man justice he did not even affect to have token the words , but only the substance , as he himself expressed it : Oh , excellent evidence ! The substance of words taken down by a spv , aad supplied , when defective , by ma memery . ' " Now , sir , repeat that ( Laughter . ) Witness Cwith a Indicrously ponied expression of countenance . ) - ! don't think there is a man in the court oould do it . ( Laughter . ) 'Spy * is not applicable to me , fee I was only dischargine ; my duty , Mr Whiteside . —Go down , sir .
Constable Geary deposed Ithat he began to write his report of the speech at night , but next morning tore up what' he had written and began again . ( The witness was here asked to repeat a sentence in the speech , but coutf not do so unless he was permitted to refer to his note . Mr Butt objected to his doing to)—I recollected the speech next morning ; there is not a day since I came to Clonmel that I have not looked at it , for I had it in my cap . ( Laughter . ) Mr Butt . —That is the nearest it pot to your head I bslieve . How often did you read it to-day ?—I would not swear how often , whether six times or twenty . Now repeat tbe passage about the fire ship if you can ; are yoa able to repeat it ?—I am ; he said , ' sink beneath the waters and riseagsin ,
showing forth the benefits of a glorious republic' Well , what was the next sentence—was it hurnh ? Yes that was it , 'hurrah for tie republic . ' —Well , can you go on any further ? No answer . —Canyon repeat the passage abrat the children f Witness ( scratching bis head ) : About the ehildteu J—Yes . Are yon able to give us that now ? No answer . —Were you drinking this morning ? No . —Were yoa drink fas on the evening yoa made the report ! I wasnot . — Dj you ever drink any ! I do . —Do you ever take . drop too much ! Oh , the first man in tha land might do that sometimes . ( Laughter . )—But are you
in the habit of doing so ? I am not—Were yoa degraded for it t No , —Were you ceasured for it * I was not—Did yoa ever lose service for it ? I did ; five years . —How often did that happen ? Only once . —Well uow , I ask yon again , can yoa give me tbe passage about the children ? No answer . —On your catb , and before God , do yoa think yoa can give o- > e sentence from the speech ? Have I not dene so already t—But on your oath , can you now repeat one ¦ entence he uttered ! lean . —Well if yen can , refeat me one sentence . ( The witness hesitated for some time , but made no answer . ) Mr BntL—Toa may go down , sir . j
Captain Longmans , of the 8 th Hussars , deposed to bavins seen barricades at KUlenante ; and stated that these obstrueSass to the progress of his troop were removed when he said he had not a warrant for the arrest of Mr O'Brien . Mr Butt—Captain Longmsre , I suppose you would be very much surprised if yoa were told you were engaged in war that morning . Captain Longmore ( laughing . )—Why , indeed I mould . Lamphier , another policeman , in his evidence , attributed to Mr Meagher words which he swore en the trial of Mr O'Brien were spoken by that gentleman md on being shown that he had done so , excused iimself by saying that he was brought so often there hat he was confused . The next witness we quote is if a different stomp : —
An old wiman named Mary Eeenan ( aid to have teen Mr Meagher ' s nurse ) was then called . When he made her appearance on the table she said—My ord , with the greatest submission , I beg leave to peak a single word . I have been bribed for the msecntXon . I have got this cloak and this cap . I ave been bribed . Clerk of the Crown . —Take the book . Witness took the book aud kissed it . She was then examined by the Attorney General -I live on the commons . I recollect the evening of ia day of the fight at the Widow ConnicSfc—Do ou know Mr Meagher ? Oh , I got a bribe , I will ly nothing . —Yoa are upon your oath ; yon are
ouud to give evidence . Look at that gentleman She prisoner ) . [ Witness buried her . face ia her ands . ] Do yon know that gentleman ? I do ot . sir . There was some commotion in the court at this art of the proceedings , and many persons in the illery laughed at the strange appearance of the old oman . and her demeanour on the table . Chief Justice " Blackburce . —The court has for ime days observed great levity immediately outside is desk ; and if these marks of approbation or disj prohation be continued , we will order the court to s cleared of those persons who are thai disturb--git
Attorney General ( to witness ) . —Yoa must turn jont . madam . Mr Butt—She has already said she does not know Ir Meagher . Attorney General . —Ob , she must answer . Loofc , y good woman , at the dock . Do yon know that atlemen ? I tould you I got a bribe for spiking , getacaa , a handkerchief , a cloak , and stockings r swearing . A constable got £ 1 , and bought them r me ?—We will talk about the . bribe by and by . > yon know that gentleman ? Yon must answer a . I do not know him . —Did yon ever s ° e him here ? I might—Were you ever in Waterford ? I is . —Did yoa know him there ? No answer . —Was at the eentleman yon saw at Waterford ? I do not ow . sir . —What acquaintance had yoa with him .
• acquaintance . —Were you at all acquainted with n ? When tea years old I was . I bad no acaintance with him . only to see him , —Do yon reeol-< t seeing any gentleman about Sullivan ' s house , ar the oommons , before Friday evening ? There re a great many gentlemen . —Were you renewing yold acquaintance with Mrs there ? I do not ow whether I was or not I do not remem * . — Did jou see that gentleman npon that mag at the commons ? I do not know , aw several eentiemsu . — Come 'wohto , yon i « t answer . I am not able to answer you . — d you see that gentleman , and were you speaking aim ? No . I hare not a bit of memory , sir . — n nave not a bit of memory 1 No , sir . I am a > r lone widow , nuking my way through the rid .
Jhief Justice . —Mr Attorney General , will yon ss her any mora ? Lttorney General—No , my lord . Yon may go vn , madam . dary Eeenan rolled her cloak about her , and adted her cap , and then went rapidly off the table , eriug her face in her cloak , as if unwilling even look at Mr Meagher . Ir Whiteside in opening the defence said : —In i case ( he said ) , it now becomes my duty to address on the part of my client , the prisoner at the bar . tall not be guilty of the silly affectation of asking as Court and judges to dismiss from your minds it you may have heard of the proceedings in this »—on the contrary , I do not desire that yon should
; et all that you know and most necessarily hare i of the trials which have taken place at this nn « nnate commission . Had my client beCH tried Grit , had he been tried in any happier portion of this tire , I aver his acquittal would have been certain the Attorney General , with consummate art , has rved tbis case for the last . The previous trials 3 paved the way for the conviction of tha prisoner , my learned friend , flashed with his past successes kept the case of Thomas Francis Meagher for the " ing scene of the commission : Gentlemen of tbe , you heard the Attorney General ' s statement . t statement was clear , and inoae o r two respects , remarkable . He told you Mr Meagher was in-3 d for levying of war against the Queen , and he her told yon—I wrote down tha sentence as he e it—that it wasnot necessary for him to preve Meagher was present at the lewine of war . for
he would be equally guilty if ha ware seated in iarlour ( I presume ia Dublin ) while all the transins spoken of were taking place in your county , if the Attorney General be right and succeed in incing the court that his view of the law be corand if the court succeeds in convincing yoa that gat to ba adopted , of coarse my client must be icted . But if . on the eontrary . thecasaof my client lard and ba tried with . reference ^ everything he lone—with reference to his conduct and all his ns—then his acquittal ia certain . Now . thedifyin my way is to have him tried according to < rinciple « of common reuse aad common justice is fundamental rule of our law , that one man is j be affected by the declarations , speeches , and ict of another , unless that other is to ' euect almost alf—that ts to say , so identified in onenarnosA ne object that the identical purpose stated ia % J taient to affect Mr Meagher , my c & nt , with
The Ibish Trials For High Treason. Clonm...
anything whicb has been said , or spoken by another , unless on such grounds , is simply to deny the first principles of justice , and to violate the law yon are to administer . ~ The learned gentleman after stating the offence of which Mr Meagher wavaccused , and giving a luminous exposition of ths law with reference to it , proceeded to give an outline of his client ' s political career and opinions : —About four years ago Mr Meagher left the college in which he was educated—a place at which some of the most distinguished men at the bar , and one or two on the beach , were educated before him . He came over to this country at the time Mr O'Connell was holding what were called the monster meetings . He attended several of those meetings , held for the purpose of obtaining a repeal of the anion , bat he did not speak . He became
personally known to Mr O'Connell , and was admired by that distinguished person for his talents . One vice , he admitted , hisclient had—that any opinion he ever entertained he as openly avowed and consistently adhere ! to ; and if he thought a particular question was bottomed on principle and justice , he adhered to his opinion , whoever those might ba who held a contrary one . In almost the outset of his life be got into one difficulty . In May , 1845 , upon the occasion of the bill being brought in by Sir R . Peel to establish provincial colleges in this country , there was a discussion at the Repeal Association on the value of those associations . Mr Meagher held the opinion that a mixed religious education was the beat mode in order to abate religious rancour , and to combine the youth of the country in sentiments of union and affection :
he spoke in advocacy of that plan , and instantly he was assailed and branded aa an infidel . A storm buret upon him which he believed Mr O'Connell rather directed , and Mr Meagher for some time was obliged to withdraw . Iu February , 1846 , however , he became an active member of the Repeal Association , and upon bo occasion did he shrink from avowing sentiments of generous nationality , in strains of rather rustic eloquence . His theory , right or wrong , was this , and in it he ( Mr Whiteside ) entirely agreed with him , aud thought he had done a lasting benefit to his country , by asserting that without the entire and complete union of all classes of persons it would be impossible to accomplish the object he had in view . When the Whigs came into office he was found in a prominent position , and one thing
occurred which brought him into odium . A proposition was mooted whether Repealers should hold places or not Mr Meagher was of opinion that they should not , and that it would destroy the object of the party ; and in truth he thought the Whigs most dangerous to his project , because agitation was carried on « a means of getting places , and ne farther , aud no good was done to the country . His opinion met with violent opposition that led to a schism , and resulted in the Confederation . There was a proposition to oppose Mr Sheil at Dungarvan . and Mr Meagher espoused that cauoe , but he was deemed an impracticable person , uttering extravagant opinions that oould never be put in practice . After , that , what were called the notorious peace resolutions were introduced , and an argument was got up against
physical force and for moral resistance . He refused to agree to that doctrine , that iu no event should a nation resort to armed resistance . It was by the assertion of the doctrine which Mr Meagher supported that the Queen held her throne . In January , 1847 . the Confederation was formed , aud MrMeagher on several occasions candidly expressed his feelings , uttering sentiments which were all in favour of the legitimate rights of property , of the preservation of the various orders ot the state , but advocating ; no doubt with ardent expressions , that course which he thought wonld recover and restore , what he had been taught to believe was the good old constitution of Ireland . In February there came a question as to the organisation of clubs , and the great question of Repealers holding places was again discussed . At
a later period Mr Meagher attended a meeting in Belfast , and at that meeting he disclaimed the idea of any ascendancy of any class in the country- The next transaction he figured in was at Galway , in supporting Mr O'Flaherty against the Attorney General , though not from any personal disrespect to his learned friend . Mr Meagher afterwards became a candidate for Waterford , bnt was not returned ; that was on the 14 th of March , and on the 15 th he uttered that very speech in which , as the Attorney General conceived , he had established something guilty against him . What did they think of the principle of a case which relied upon speeches in March to explain acta dene in July ! It was % most unconstitutional style of argument . It was mens trousto take speeches made at a given time , and
which might then be seditious only , and to strain them into treason four or five months afterwards , and to make them evidence of a crime which , at the time they were delivered , they did not establish and could not prove . He objected to take old stale speeches , connecting them with others , and mixing them up into a jumble , snd then saying , ' This proves high treason . ' That was the bad doctrine of cumulative treason , which he thought was driven out of our courts of law . He was surprised that the Attorney General could refer to the speeches of Mr Meagher , and say that his enthusiastic declamation about the Republic of France waa evidence of treason . Hisclient spake with warmth , but the best men he ever knew had talked in their youth in the same manner , and he would not give a rush for
any young man through whose brain an idea never passed of restoring the departed glories of Greece or Rome . A jury would not convict him on this speech of sedition , and yet the jury were now called on to take his life for it . The Attorney General said he had an idea in his mind . An idea ! Such a phrase suggested the worst days before the old Revolution . And because the prisoner entertained ' an idea' about the independence of his country , he was to be accused on the authority of speeches delivered months before . Attempts like these had been crammed into indictments in England , aud speeches , songs , and ribald verses poured into the ears of jurors until they were rick , but all to no good ; in every ease the juries acquitted the accused . The learned gentleman read another speech of Mr Meagher , in which he spoke of the necessity of procuring repeal , and if that were
denied , of essaying for independence . The Attorney General prosecuted him—snd he waa sorry he had failed—for sedition , but a common jury did not believe him guilty ; and now he was tried before a jury characterised , it was said , by firmness and determination , for high treason . Lst them beware that they did not earn a character for firmness and determination at the expense of humanity and justice Mr Whiteside proceeded at great length to comment with singular power and ability on the evidence adduced by the crown , and especially on the various speeches attributed to his client , and the letters written by him , and put in evidence against him ; and having closed the documentary part of the case at nearly seven o ' clock , requested the ' court would adjourn , as he felt much exhausted . The court granted tbe request .
A burst of clapping of hands and stamping of feet followed the close of the speech , and lasted a fsw seconds . The High Sheriff ( to the police } . —Take any one into custody you see applauding at once . The delinquents were , however , concealed beneath the shades of night in the gallery and the court , and not one of the enthusiasts was caught to be made an example of ; Oa Friday morning Mr Whiteside resumed his address for the defence . After a brief recapitulation of what he had advanced on the previous day , he entered info a minute analysis of the evidence and character of the witness Dobbin . He first peinted out the discrepancies in his evidence , and then the additions made to it since his former examination
which alone would expose him to suspicion . He denounced his whole story , and condemned the officers efthe crown for not attempting to sustain it by any corroboration . The means were within their power ; even witnesses had been placed upon the table who could have corroborated portions of his story had it been true , and yet the Attorney-General had not dared to examine them on those paints . Dobbin ' s history , as extracted on cross-examination , was next handled with great effect ; and Mr Whiteside closed this part of the case by asserting that on Dobbin's evidence the whole case hinged , and no twelve men iu their senses could place the slightest confidence in his testimony . The speeches , as reported by the police , were next commented upon , and the speaker condemned in strong language the employment of
illiterate men in such duties as are likely to impair their efficiency , and bring them into great con tempt . He went rapidly through the remaining evidence , concluding aa follows : —Who Is the prisoner whose acquittal I demand in the name of justice ? You see him scarcely entered on the race of life , with every prospect of a happy and a bright career , ardent in feeling , of generous aspirations , gifted with impassioned eloquence , and urged on by a vehement lave of country ; His indiscretions have been free from meanness , selfi-ihness . hyprocriBy , or falsehoed but still they have been indiscretions . His desire to restore a local parliament may be visionarv . but it ; B
natural , and springs from the noblest feeling which can warm Or animate the heart of man . I do not say he was right . I declare emphatically my belief that upon such shreds of evidence as you have heard if tried in England , his acquittal would be certain Discriminate between guilt aud innocence . The proceedings at this commission , tbe condition of eur country , the many prejudices pressing upon the prisoner , are all with honourable miads so many add tS ! ffi ^ rt , ? rt «^ Hwi to the proof of words-words , nothing but words-to 2 * L 3 £ : ¥ *&* ^ d I tell you the honest verdict
oi wuuihu win ne hailed with delight by all reflect ' ffi ^ f , ?^ throlghoutthe Se Stti , ll J ratltude ' ' be 4 t « s «» . ^ "M receive the Iashngapprobation of the impartial monitor within your hearts . Posterity will remember and bless your names ; it will be said of you . that when mipanelled in a time of unparalleled excitement you « id your duty between the crown and tbe subject , and executed justice temperately , wisely , reconciling many to tbe law who had doubts of its impartiality and fairness ; that yoa woald not listen to sophistry nor convict your fellow-creature on conjecture and guess ; that yoa struck down the odious doctrine of
The Ibish Trials For High Treason. Clonm...
constructive treason , aad r estored the law . to the noble simplicity iu which it was fashioned by a free andjirtuousancestry , May that Iawr not a l * w * rf " subtleties and quirks , quibbles and constructions , but a law of broad ream-biperpetuai . mbtfSteaty ness of the people frbmj ? hqnxAt » pnng 8 ,. andmay the free anoThappy " constitution ,, defended and guarded by that law , flourish in unbroken strength and splendour uatil that dread day on which we are taught to believe this fabric of nature must be . dissolved in eternal ashes . Mr Whiteside was quite exhausted at the close of Ms address , which ended at about half . pastone . and on this occasion even surpassed his effort on behalf of O'Brien . ™
1 The evidence for the defence was then called . The first witness deposed to being a member of [ the tted Hand Club , and being acquainted with Dobbin . Me was a member before Dobbin , and swore that neither Dobbin nor any one else had ever been appointed a delegate from the club under any circumstances , and none of the club had ever been armed . Mr Kirwan , the solicitor for Mr Meagher , then deposed that he had examined th e balloting papers for the council of war , and though Dabbin had stated that Mr D . Reilly and Mr Lalor had an equality of votes , the numbers , according to the papers , werefor Mr Reilly 16 . and for Mr Lalor 10 , and this on the first ballot . . , _ , „ 1 TV , Similar evidence to that in the case of O'Donohoe , was then given , showing that Mr Mesgher , on the day of the attack at Widow M'Cormick ' s , was some miles distant and could not have been there . :
After a short adjournment , Mr Butt Mowed on thi same side aa Mr Whiteside , on whose speech , he passed a high enlogium . He necessarily passed over the same ground as on this and previous trials . His speech was very able and argumentative , and had not eonsluded at half-past seven , when he prayed the indulgence of an adjournment , which the cenrt refused , till Mr Meagher implored them to do so as an act of justice to hii counsel . On Saturday morning , Mr Butt resumed , and concluded an able speech by asking the jury to call back to their minds the speeches which bis client made in Dublin—to read carefully those splendid lessons of toleration and peace—those grand lessons of order and loyalty which he had inculcated en his
countrymen—and ask themselves whether they ought not ito obliterate from their memories the Iojib and indiscreet , ay , if they would . have it so , these seditious speeches , into which persecution and persuasion had betrayed him . Everythin g given iu evidence ou that trial was left to the jury . On them depended whether a precedent should be established that might prove fatal to tho liberties of the country . It was by the independence of jurors that their liberties were alone protected , and if the jury he addressed betrayed the high trust reposed in them that day , they would be establishing a precedent that might bs used against their own children hereafter . He would pray the
Great Being wh presided over that tribunal colore which they must all appear , to rescue hisclient from a verdict of guilty , founded upon such evidence as had been brought against him by the crown on the present trial ; and fully confiding iu the impartiality of the judges on the bench , in the hououn integrity , and determination of the jury , and in the justice and righteousness ef the case he presented to them , he felt that the high and noble qualities of his client were not to meet the traitor ' s doom ; and that then verdict would redeem him from the inventive imagination of spies and informers , and restore him to the service ef his Queen and country . The learned gentleman was applauded upon resuming his seat .
Chief Justice to the prisoner : Now is your time tossy anything to the court and jury if yon desire it . Mr Meagher . —No , my lord , I do not wish to say anything ; I am perfectly satisfied with the . manner in which my counsel have defended me . The Solicitor General rose and reviewed the law of high treason aa applicable to the present case , and admitted that the speeches delivered by Mr Meagher were not treason , but they were used on the part of the crown to show tha intention of Mr Meagher when he addressed the populace of Carrick the night
before the insurrectionary movement , and his appearance in Killenaule , holding with ten others , a council of war . Tlrey were to say whether they oould draw any other conclusion from this , than that he accompanied armed bodies marching through Ballingarry —wai contributing his aid—using that gift of eloquence which God gave him ( and which every man should regret had not been differently employed ) to excite the misjudging population to acts of rebellion , which had unfortunately placed their lives in jeopardy .
After going over the evidence , he concluded by leaving its value to the jury , confident they would give a just and impartial verdict . Lord Chief Justice Blaokburne then summed up , during which he re id the evidence of Dobbin verbatim , and told the jury that they must be tbe sole judges of his veracity . The jury retired , acd at a quarter to eight returned into court with a verdict of' Guilty'against T . F . Meagher , strongly recommending him to mercy , on account of his youth , aud for other reasons . On Monday the untried political prisoners were brought up . The attorneys of the prisoners , it is understood , exerted all their persuasive powers to induce them to plead guilty , but many of ' the boys' repudiated such a pusillanimous aud inglorious proceeding , insisting on their right to share the fortunes of * the gentlemen , ' aud to try chance for a verdict , and the success of those efforts may be seen below .
The prison van arrived at the Courthouse with the usual guard of police at half-past ninee ' cleck , but it was three-quarters past ten before the Judges took their seats on the bench . The court was very full , the galleries being crowded by a number of grand jurors , their families , and of officers of the regiments in garrison . The Solicitor General ( who ia left to conduct the Crown cases in the absence of the Attorney General , who went up to Dublin on Saturday evening ) applied to the Court that James Orchard , Denis Tyne , and Patrick O'Dranell should be brought to the bar to plead to the indictment . The prisoners were brought forward accordingly . Orchard has the appearance of a country blacksmith in reduced circumstances , P . T / neof a farm labourer , and Patrick O'lhnnell looked like a respectable farmer . The Clerk of the Crown having read over the indictment , each of the prisoners pleaded 'Not guilty . '
Mr O'Callsghau tendered the same plea as in the case of the former prisoners with respect to the list of witnesses , < fco ., not having been delivered to each ten days before trial , in order to . establish their rights in case of ulterior proceedings . The pleas baring been received , the prisoners were removed , and another batch placed at the bar . They were all ill-dressed , half-starved men , with the air of miserable rustic mechanics and artificers , except Stack , who is an enormous peasant , with a bold and determined bearing . They consisted of William Peart , Thomas Finsne , J . Brennan , J . Preston , and the last named . Each pleaded' Not guilty , ' and were removed as soon as similar pleas hid been handed in on behalf of each of them .
SENTENCE ON THK CONVICTED PBISOSEBS . The Solicitor General—I have now to apply to your lordships that T . B . M'Manus , Patrick O'Donohoe , and Thomas Francis Meagher may be brought to the bar to receive the judgment of the court . The three prisoners advanced to the centre of the dock ; they were attired . with evident attention to their appearance . Each of them comported himself with a resolute air . M'Manus seemed aa self-composed as he was on bis trial . O'Donohoe looked pale , butcolleoted ; while Ms igher had a little osten tatious display in his attitude . The Clerk of the Crown ( having read the indictment ) said—What have you , Terence Bellew M'Manus , now to say why sentence of death should not be passed upon you ?
M'Manus ( who , at the utterance of the first word , paused for a moment , then proceeded in a firm voice , and with that composure and propriety of manner which had characterised his demeanour daring his trial)—My lords , I trust I am enough of a Christian and of a man to understand the awful responsibility ef the question whicb has been put . to me . Standing upon this my native soil , —standing in an Irish court of justice , and before the Irish nation , I had much to say why sentence of death should not be passed npon me , and why the sentence of the law should not be passed against me ; but upon entering into this court I placed my life , and , what is of more importance tome , my honour , in the hands of two advocates , and if I had a thousand lives and ten thousand
honours , I should have been content to place them all under the watchful and glorious genius of the one , and under the patient zeal and devotion of the other . I am , therefore , content on this point , and have nothing to say with regard to it . I hare this to say , which no advocate , however anxious and devoted he may be , can , say for me—I have this to say—that whatever part I may have taken in my struggle for my country ' s independence—whatever part Ihave acted in my short career , I stand before your lordships now with a free heart and light conscience , ready to abide the issue of JO" sentenoe . And now , my lords , iu this , which may be the fittest time forme to put tbis sentiment on record , I say , that standing in this dock , and about to ascend the seaffold , it mav be to-morrow-it may be now , it may be
never—whatever the result may be , I wish to pnt this on record , that in no part of my conduct , -in no part of the proceedings I have taken , have I been actuated by animosity towards Englishmen , for among them I have spent some of the happiest days of my life , aud of the most prosperous , and in no part Whioh I have taken was I actuated by enmity towards Englishmen individually , whatever . 1 may have felt of the injustice of English rule in this island . Therefore , I have only to say , it is not for having leVed England less , but for having loved Ireland more that I now stand before you , ( Murmurs of applause in the gallery . ) O'Donohoe , on being asked by the Clerk of tha Crown what he had to say , spoke as follows : —I beg to say that the Attorney General aud the Solicitor General have conducted the case against me fairly
The Ibish Trials For High Treason. Clonm...
butfitriofly . and thatMnd . no fault with them , nor wi Sjf & 4 i £ « A < rf ? fllaeainst me , as far as it was sTatftoW suoha country-Sthis thejurors summoned to tryme !!& 3 r-f pr a political offence ware exolusively ^ nSKponente , and .-with , such a , panel I ; SthS tp Zli dinwmy jury to be ,, called from these who SStSS Sm ^ rejected on a former , trial . ThoSrvfi ^ llw , Si M « and Ibelieve they found a moat uk comeall bias , anM d «» vw ^ . ^^ ^ fcrtS that if I assisted Mr O'Brien whilst m t ^^ a trMSOUableaeBi gn , I was guilty of trea-«^ i , lAlSM noJ = k ! ow of his intent , and . rt S mecuilty on that direction . * ' To one
unaa j «« intention , it seems contrary to common depended on , ntont on . « s « ^ treaso £ able design SS stenc ? B whSf I am ignorant . I do . not , tawSefS ^ to ' disimse the law asyourlordsbip hSted it , but no earthly jud « e is infallible , and asthe doctrine is so startling , and is stamped with the authority of Mr Moore ' s high constitutional character , and would form n precedent dangerous to the lives and liberties of the best men I humbly re questyour lordship to reserve the point for the coastderation of the judges ; if your lordship be ut error that error will be corrected , if not it will be vwoteo tion to every one to know that tha law ' laid down here has been confirmed . It is not for me oa this ccasionnor is it fit . to defend my opinions and
ohao , ranker I will therefore only say those ooinions have been tolerant , siacere , and consistent . lam grateful to my eminent counsel , Mr Butt , for his eloquent and trulv able defence— the more so , because that defence was generously given without fee or reward , and given to his political antagonist . I cannot exore « s my admiration for the sincerity and great talent ihown by my junior counsel , Mr Francis Meaeher and his seal in my defence . I also beg to thank my solicitor ,: Mr Laffan , for the ability with whioh he conducted my case , and tbe great exertions made by him on my behalf . I thank your lordship for this patient hearing . > Mr Meagher , on being called on to say why sentence of death should not be passed upon him , spoke
as follows . —My lords , it » my intention to say a tew words only . I desire that the last act of a proceeding which has occupied so much of the public time should be of short duration ; nor have I the indelicate wish to close the dreary ceremony of a state prosecution with a vain display of words . Did I fear that hereafter , when I shall be no more , the ' country I have tried to serve would think ill of me , I might indeed avail myself of this solemn moment to vindicate my sentiments and my conduct ; but I have no such fear . The country will judge of those sentiments and that conduct in a light far different from that in which the jury by which I have been tried and convicted have received them , and by the country , the sentence which you , my lords , are about to pronounce
will be remembered only as the severe and solemn attestation of my rectitude and truth ; Whatever be the language in whioh my sentence be spoken , I know that my fate will meet with sympathy , and that my memory will be honoured . In speaking thus accuse me not , my lords , of an indecorous presumption . To the efforts I have made in the just and noble cause I ascribe no vain importance , nor do I claim for those efforts any high reward ; but it so happens , and it ever will happen so , that they who have tried to serve their country , no matter how weak their efforts may have been , are sure to receive the thanks and blessings of its people . With my countrymen Heave my memory , my sentiments , my acts , —proudly feeling that they require no
vindication from me this day ; A jury of my countrymen , it is true , have found me guilty of the crime of which I stood indicted . For this I bear net the slightest animosity or resentment towards them , influenced as they must have been by the charge of the Lord Chief Justice , perhaps they could have found no other verdict . Bat what ot this charge ? Any strong observations upon It I feel sincerely would ill befit the solemnity of this scene ¦ ;¦ : but'I would earnestly beseech of you , my lord , —you , who preside on that bench , —when , the passions and preju . dices of this hour shall have pawed away , that you will appeal to your own conscience , and ask if it were a charge as it ought to have been , impartial and indifferent between the subject and the Crown ;
My Lords , yoa may deem this language unbecoming in me , and perhaps it may seal my fate . But I am here to speak the truth whatever it may cost . I am here to regret nothing I have ever done—to retract nothing I have ever spoken—I am here to crave with no lying lips the life I consecrate to the liberty of my country . Far from it . Even here , where the thief , the libertine , and the murderer have left their footprints in the dust—here , on this spot , where the shadows of death surround me , and from which I see my early grave in an Deconsecrated soil is opened to receive me—even here , encircled by those terrors ; the hope which beckoned me en to embark upon the perilous sea upon which I have been wrecked still consoles , animates , enraptures me . No , I do not despair
of my poor old country . I do . not despair of her peace , her liberty , her glory ; For that country I can do no more than bid her hope . To lift up this isle , to make her a benefactor to humanity , instead of being what she is—the meanest beggar iu the world —to restore her ancient constitution f and her native powers—this has been my ambition ! and this ambition has been my crime . Judged by the law ef England , ! know that this crime entails on me the penalty of death , but the history of Ireland " explains this crime and justifies it . Judged by that history I am no criminal ; you ( turning and addressing Mr M'Manus ) are no criminal . You ( turning again , to Mr O'Donohoe ) are no criminal ; and we deserve no punishment . Judged by that history , the treason
of which I stand convicted loses all guilt , has been sanctified as a duty , and will be ennobled as a sacrifice . With these ' sentimentH I await the sentence of the Court . Having done what I conceive to be my duty—having spoken now , as I did on every occasion during my short ' career , what I felt to be the truth—I now bid farewell to the country of my birth , of my passion , and of my death ; the country whose misfortunes have invoked tnysympathies , whose fao tions I have sought to quell , whose intellect 1 have prompted to lofty aims , whose freedom has been my fatal dream . To that country I now offer as a pledge of the love I bore her , and as a proof of the sincerity with whioh I thought , and spoke , and struggled for
her freedom , the life of a young heart , aud with that life all the hopes , the honours , the endearments of a happy and an honourable home . Pronounce then , my Lords , the sentence the law directs , and I shall be prepared to hear it—I tnut I stall be prepared to meet its execution . I hope I shall be able , with a light heart and a clear conscience , to appear before a higher tribunal—a tribunal where a Judge of infinite goodness as well as of infinite justice will preside , and where , my Lords , many , many ofthejudg . ments of this world will be reversed . A murmur of applause ran through the Court . Many were moved by the prisoner ' s words to tears , and among them the counsel to whose care his life had been intrusted .
Lord Chief Justice Doherty proceeded , amid the mes ^ profoand silence , to pass sentence upon the criminals . Prisoners at the bar—Terence Bellew M ' Manus , Patrick O'Donohoe , and Thomas Francis Meagher , after deep consideration before entering into this court it was my intention , in the performance of the very painful duty which devolves upon me , not to have prolonged your stay at that bar by any length of observation . You ; and each of you , "jppear there having been convicted by the verdict of three successive juries of the crime of high treason —the crime of the greatest enormity known to our laws , I feel bound to say this , that it is the deliberate , dispassionate , and calm opinion of the Court that the verdicts which were found by those juries ,
and the verdict which was found by a former jury , could not have been other than they were . That no honest , fair , impartial , and conscientious jurors , attending strictly to their oaths , and listening to the evidence that was produced in this court in the course of these unusua ly protracted trials , could have some to any other conclusion than that whioh they have done . They have pronounced you , one and all , guilty of the crime of high treason . That crime consists in having levied war in this country within and during the last week of the mouth of July-ef having leviedwarfor treasonable purpqses-and thafcyou and each of you , more or less participated « , excited to , and prepared for , and were yenmrtve * eomeof you more , some less , actively engaged in the furtherance constitute the crime of
of that project . In order to hghtreason by the levying of war , it tsneingredient 4 u- * fko ™» . nBphnnld be proportioned to the end a Snal prospect of success . The parties who en-JaS in such transactions become responsible if they Iwe arrayed , assembled , collected , drilled , and prepared"IS who . by force , ™* ° ™™* towmU thatobject-the common object that was in . view . ItisnoU amsorry to say , to any forbearance on Jour part , that that rebellion-for such I may term ifr-which broke out in that week , was brought to a speedy conclusion . It is not due to you ; it is , under God , attributable to the fidelity and to the bravery of the police force . When I reflect on what might have been the consequences ^ if that police force , either seduced by promises or intimidated by threats whioh were made use of , had yielded to the advances
that were made to them , if they had been overwhelmed by the congregated numbers that assembled and attempted their destruction , or if they had failed in dispersing these bands of rebels who as sembled around them on the bills ,- ! think there is no fair man who , looking at and contemplating what the state of this country might have been , will not see how " rapidly a temporary success might have added to the numberof the insurgents , and how soon this country might have been deluged in blood , and given over to all tbe horrors of a civil war . It isfrom that we haveescaped by the fidelity and by the bravery of thepolice force . I am very far , God knows , from wishing to say one word at this moment that can raise er enhance tbe feelings which some of you may endure . But I cannot , in looking to what was the state of the country in the month of
The Ibish Trials For High Treason. Clonm...
May last avoid adverting ( without entering into , particulars—of .-it ) . ; -to' ^ th « t ^ authentic speech which was given in evidence upon the . last trial—eloquent'no doubt it is—but who csn avoid seeing , in the perusal of that speech , ' delivered by you , Mr . Meagher , on the 6 th of Jane ; a terrible picture of what waa at that time the state of 'this country , and the calamities which , were impend ' nj and meditated , and from which , by God ' s assistance / we have escaped . I have told you that it was my wish to'abstain from enlarging or giving any details , snd I shall do so . I shrtlmmfa & dMia' ooieFvation ; that from the commencement to the oonolugjon of this commission , which has now extended to the fifth week , there has been a perfect coincidence in
the views of every member of this bench as to the law ; and if the observations of the distinguished judge who presides here did seem to you ( and lean make every allowance for their doing so ) to press and bear severely upon you , perhaps , in a calmer moment , when you come to reflect upon it , you will see that it was from the very nature of the transactions themselves that those comments legitimately arose which appeared toyou to press with undueaererity upon you . Perhaps when you cams to refieot diepassionately you will see this in the same light , and I trust thatyoumay be more reconciled thanyou appear at present to the justice of the unhappy fate which awaits you , and whioh there is not an individual with a heart to feel who must notdceply deplsie . 1 shall
now not detain you longer . I have merely . to exhort each of you to reflect on theawfnl situation in which each of you at this moment stand , and to prepare for the dreadful fate that impends over you . We have not failed to send , as was our duty , to the Lord Lieutenant , the recommendations with which the juries in your respective cases have accompanied the verdicts that have been found against you . But you must be well aware'that it is with the Executive government , and the Executive government alone , that the fate Of those recommendations restp . And we , in the discharge of our most anxious and painful
duty , have now only to proceed to pass upon you , and npon each of you , the awful senteuce of the law , whioh is , that you Terence Bellew M'Manus , yen Patrick O'Donohoe , and you Thomas Francis Meagher , be taken hence to the place whence you came , and be thence drawn on a hurdle to the place of execution , and that each ef you be there hanged by the neck until you be dead , and that afterwards the head of each of you shall be severed from his body , and the body of each divided into four quarters , to be disposed of as her Majesty shall think fit , and may the Almighty God have mercy upon your souls .
His lordship , who raised up his hands to Heaven as he pronounced the last words oi the sentence , left the bench immediately , followed by the Lord Chief Justice Blaskburne aud Mt Justice Moore . The Governor of the gaol and his assistant removed the prisoners ; who bowed to the court as they retired down the steps of the dock , and shook hands with their friends . ; There was a dead silence in court for a short time ; then the noiae of conversation became louder and louder , and at last the persons who perhaps had wept at the address of Mr Meagher forgot their sorrow , and testified the existence of very different feelings by laughter , which sounded harshly and gratingly on the ear after the solemn words it had so recently listened to .
On the return ofthe judges , in about half an hour , The Solicitor General said , that in consequence of the lengthened sitting ofthe commission , and the painful and onerous duties which had been imposed on all concerned . in it , and from the protracted attendance ef thejurors , on mature consideration it was not his intention to ask the court to proceed with any further trials at the present sitting , but he would request their lordships to adjourn the proceedings at the commission to Tuesday , December 5 th . ILord Chief J ustice Blsckhurne , —Theniet the court be adjourned to Tuesday , December 5 th . The judges then retired , and in a few minutes tha court , whioh had been tho busy scene of such memorabie events , and for upwards of a month thronged by an anxious audience , was left to the guardianship ofthe old woman who keeps it clean , and sweeps away the cobwebs from its windows and ceiling .
I 6 The Northern Star, October 28, 1s4s....
I 6 THE NORTHERN STAR , October 28 , 1 S 4 S . to
Ereiamr.
Ereiamr .
8m01al Commission. The Commission For Th...
8 M 01 AL COMMISSION . The commission for the city and county of Dublin was opened on Saturday by Justices Torrens aud Crampton . When the grand jurors were sworn , Mr Justice Torrena addressed them . His lordship-alluded to the proceedings at the last commission in the cases of O'Daherty , Duff / , and Williams , against whom the grand jury had found , true bills for feloniously publishing seditious libels in the Nation and Tbibune newspapers . With these cases , of course , the present grand jury would have nothing to do ; but as the law officers of the Crown were engaged at the special commission in Clonmel , he could not state whether or not any new matter of importance would be sent before them by the Attorney General on his return to town . There was a case to which
he felt it his duty to allude—one whioh arose out of the late unfortunate political excitement whioh had disturbed the peace aid endangered the prosperity of the [ country—he meant the charge against Mich . Moran , John Moran , and John M'Cormick , for stabbing a police-constable while in the execution of his duty . If they ( the grand jury ) were satisfied with the evidence that would be offered in support of the charge , they would find true bills . After some further remarks , his lordship concluded , and the grand jurors retired to consider the indictments sent before them . Constable Byrne , who was stabbed in George ' sstreet , last July , by the three Confederates about to be tried for that offence , appeared in the court-house in Green-street , on crutches . It is more than { . robable he will never recover the use of his limbs .. He has been superannuated on full pay— £ 43 a-year . The Lord Lieutenant presented him with a gratuity of £ 50 ; and a private subscription , some time on foot for him , amounts to between £ 200 and £ 300 .
Mr O'Brieh . —The whole body of the Catholic o ' ergy of the diocese of Ologher have signed an address praying for clemency to Mr S . O'Brien . The other Roman Catholic dioceses will adopt a similar method of moving the mercy of the executive . The established clergy of Limerick have adopted a me ' maris ! for the same object . The inhabitants ef Clonmel have held a public meeting for the purpose , and the quarter sessiOHS jury of Cavan have added their prayer for the same purpose . Lord Farnham has signed the memorial on behalf of Mr O'Brien . Clearances . —Tenant evictions in the south proceed with a most determined regularity . Not a journal is published in which we do not read of one or more of those proceedings , whioh , however legally authorised , and even though socially tbeir ultimate effect may be good , produce much present hardship /
Ou Saturday several houses were levelled in the immediate vicinity of Limerick , and preparatory notices have been served on several tenants of Lord Clare in the west of that county . All these / eveilings are effected in the presence of the police and military . Emplotmknt fob thb Poor . — The Board of Works , anxious to promote employment in the Bandon union , where so much is suffered by the poor arising from the want of it , and also laudably desirous to encourage habits of industry and energy in tbe fishermen on the coast , have made a grant of £ 550 towards the construction of a pier at Burre , in that union , on condition that the sum of £ 275 be subscribed in the district , and a like sum levied on the division . It is to be hoped that this advance will not be lost for want of promptitude or a little genetorn * liberality on the part of the proprietors .
DISTRESS AMOKOST THK HAND-IOOM WBAVBRB . A numerous meeting of delegates from the handloim weavers of Antrim and Down has been held in Belfast . 'The object of tbe meeting ( says the Banner of Ulstsr ) was to endeavour to have commanicnted through the press a general statement of the grievances to which the hand-loom weavers of the north are exposed , and thereby to enlist tbe sympathy and co-operation of the enlightened public on behalf of such legal and constitutional measures ss might be deemed necessary to avert further
threatened evils upon the trade . ' The different speakers dwelt upon the enormous reduction of wages for weaving , especially by one extensive house , bo that it became impossible for the weavers to exist upon tbe scanty pittance now allowed , Resolutions were adopted , declaring the grievances of the whole class of hand-loom weavers . ' The Lord Lieutenant left Dublin on Friday for England . The principal object of his lordship ' s visit is for the purpose of receiving from her Majesty the vacant ribbon , and being installed a Knight of the Garter .
Mb Mitchbl . —Tbe Limerick Chromclb states that it is generally rumoured , by a letter from one of the 42 nd , that Mr Mitchel has died at Bermuda . It is stated that the government have it in contemplation to augment , at an early date , the constabulary force in Ireland to 30 , 00 of all ranks . This formidable body are to be employed , in addition to present constabulary duties , in all descriptions of service for whioh the regular military are now required ; and the whole or greater part of the latter force will be withdrawn from this country unless upon extraordinary-occasions . The increased force will be placed upon a new footing , and comprise cavalry , infantry ( including a rifle corps ) , and horse and foot artillery .
. The Sbmthnob on ran Irish Pmsoiraus Cowmtjtbd . —It has been ' resolved to spare the lives of tbe convicted Irish prisoners . Tois announcement , though really important , and calculated to raise some very grave questions , will be received as a matter of course by the public , so entirely has it been anticipated , from the date of the rebellion itself , not to say earlier . —rimes .
THE BPBCIAIi COMMISSION ; According to the Cmnmbl Cbbonicxb , the entire cost of the witnesses in the recent state prosecutions for high treason , as paid by the crown , amounts to £ 1 , 500 , Dobbin , the informer , was paid £ 17 , including all his expenses up toyetterday .
j ^ * 'espeetth . emenwho refused . to . give ' evi twnee _« gainstMr O'Brien , the judges have , ruled that John 0 'Donuell , afarmerbfthe better class , "Whard Shea , a halffamished lad of about eighteen years eld , are to be imprisoned for oneyear , fromthelstofOoteber , and fined £ 10 , and iu de « fault of paying such fine that tto > be further , int . prisoned for a period of three months . ' Edmund fcigan , the other man who refused to give evidence , is m for trial , true bills for high treason haying been found against him . ¦ •• '
TBIAIi BT JURT , The following letter was received by Sjuthoote MauBewh , Esq ., of Grenane , the foreman of the jury on Mr O'Brien ' s trial : — Sir , —I received inteliigence that yoa were a Pore of the grand jury on tbe tryal of W . S . O'Brien , and that youretunwd to a verdict of guilty on the nooble and Wgh-mtnded man . But by the great name of God I swear , if he be executed aocordln to hit eeatenae , that yra may be tore of a fate similar to hit ; and also your aamaul y > avage—or brother be sure of his fate . Again I tell yon be prepwed to meet the or ' uels ded that ever was inflicted en any humane beln , If Mr O'Brien bo bung or transport . For by the Lord of Heaven aud earth , they hand that rote this will send you and your brother soul to the sohorohfn flames of perdition . Signed by your unrevenged enemy , To Mr Htnger . Genane .
ms lnncuiH siHTsuace or thb ' ibibh tbaitobs 'TUB BOBMH C . KMIgSION —C . « . DUFFr .-BEmMD DBATH OP JOHH MITCHSL , —TUB WBD UEOTENAKt'S VISIT TO lONBatr .
(¦ from our own Correspondent . ) Dublin , Oct . 24 th , 18 * 8 . Let the hangman now bs only permitted to do Ms duty , to earn Si * oron portion of the blood wages , and all will he satisfactorily over . E ? en If the Whigs should grant the lives of their victims to-morrow , it will be only cause thoy must do It , just as the ravenous jiokal hesitates to lap the blood of tbe strloken-dowa violin whilst bis master the lien growls within bis view . Were U not that the vile wretches tremble before the voice of the people , the pulleys of the Cl onmel gallows would soon be heard squeeling , and the blood of tbe noblest and bravest of men that Europe ever gave birth to , wonld be food for the carrion orow ofthe Gualtees before to . morrow ' s son-down .
Thomas Francis Meagher , Terence Bellew M'Manus , and P . O'Donohoe , received sentence of BTJTCHERT yesterday . The death of the assassin or common mur . derer was 'too good' for gallant Irishmen . The doom of-the mad dog was not eneugh fer Irish gentlementhey mutt be chopped into mince-meat , and their flash flang to the ravens and foxes of the hiUa— « if « u « M « tfce pleasure of her Majetty . ' Ob I will the ran ever set upon the last : d » y of Ireland ' s wrongs , and of the power of Ireland ' s oppressors ? Well , now , won't the Whigs rest in peace , whealre . laaa s best and bravest are « iquelchsd' for ever , aad there It not a murmur of opposition in the land t Is not that a comfort f By the time that famine and fever—aided by tbe oholeraof 1848 —have done their part It will be easy to count the Celtic oranlums . which may be left in Ireland . '
The Irish papers will give you a fine , though gloomy picture of the eloiing scene ofthe Clonmel Commljjlon , Do any think the prisoners got a fair trial t Not ten men in Ireland would venture to say tbey did . ' It was remarked at the late Dublin Commission that Judges Penuefather and Pigot performed their datyia a Christian and gentlemanly spirit . The conduct of Blaokburne and Doherty , at Clonmel , was worthy of the worst days of Jeffrey , or our own bloody Lird Nerbury . There are many here who think that ' the law will
take ft * course , ' and the convicts be hanged . I do not oredft this , however . It fs remarkable how the minds of people here change every hour . A hn days ago and a maa would incur the danger of a broken noio if he would doubt of Mr Meagher ' s acquittal ! Now our folk will have It that the sentences will be Immediately cur . tied into EXECUTION I They will not . Public opinion Is 100 strong for mercy ; and yet I think it would ba more merciful for the public to remain silent , and let braes nun die at once , rather then send them away to a penal settlement .
Oa Saturday the Commission was opened in Dublin , for the trial of oar various classes of offenders , including the Felons / *! . 6 . Dufly , O'Dogherty , WlUlams , and others of lets Importance . Since the attempted escape of Mr Daffy from the careful surveillance of the Newgate Argus , he has been receiving a good deal of ezlra atten . tion , insomuch that unless he had the' inviiiblering ' of tbe fairy , he could have no chance of a flitting . Indeed the most signal bad luck marked the coarse of the Con . federate chief * . I was present en the evening in July last when Daffy waa conveyed from the Police-office in Ceilege Street , to Newgate , aud I pledge myself that had an attempt at rescue been made there would not have been the slightest difficulty in effacting it . It would , Indeed , have been a' moral and bloodless' rescue , for the people
numbered several thousands around the frail car in which the prisoner was borae along—all full of hope and excitement , and ready for any task which might he set them . ' Oa ths other hand the police—numbering perhaps about forty—had no arms bat their batons , aad exhibited more rank cowardice than I ever before wit . netted in men wearing the government livery . In fact they shook and trembled like aspens in tbe October blast , and some of them were heard to implore the mob te ' let them do their duty ! ' Had the mob raised a hand Daffy would not have entered Newgate that night , nor probably . would he from that night to tail . They were thirsting for the fray , and I believe Mr Duffy himself had no objection to let ltge on , butThos . D . M'Ghessat in the car beside him , and persuaded poor Duffy to quell the people ' s fury , and go quietly and loyally Into the dreary fastness of Newgate ! He took the advice :
—M'Qhee subsequently escaped ( and I am glad of it ) , but the too-easily doped Duffy was left behind , and the barsof Newgate were not broken'for bis dellrerance , as hU friends promised . He will now quit his native land with the brand of a' convict felon' on his brow , and tbe memory of false friends and ruined hopes rankling in his too-generoue and confiding bosom , There is scarcely a doubt but that he will be convicted , He is charged with high trsaioa , and will probably receive sentence of death . Should he be acquitted on that charge , it is reported that he will be indicted for a conspiracy to escape from prison ! I do not doubt this . Months ago I said that government icomW have revenue 08 Duffo It IJ be whom they look on as tbe first originator of the revolu * tiouary school ; and no doubt , in his cum way , C . G , Duffy did more Injury to the Saxon In Ireland than any other man sines tbe days of Phelim O'Nell , or Red Hugh O'Donnsll .
It is thought that the coavicts , if pardoned , will be sent to Bermuda ! Very likely , indeed , as that * still vexed' Ialu teems to bava no grah for Iriah traitors 1 It is well kaorrn that poor John Mitchel has never enjoyed a day's good health In that island , and a report has got into tbe Iriah papers—yesterday and te-day—that one of the 42 od Highlanders writing home , stated that Mitchel had just breathed his last ! This is not improbable , poor fellow ! Thedsyhe left Newgate prison anybody wh loeked oa hii care-worn and pallid brow might well know that his very heart was breaking .
The Lord . Lieuteoant is gone to London , He bade hit temporary adieu last Friday ; , the Lord Chancellor ,-tho Archbishop of Dublin , and Sir Edward Blakeney being sworn in Lnrda Justices to act during his absence . People are racking their brains in ail directions , trying to discover his lordship's business In London at such a time as this . Some say he is gone to represent the case of the convicts in Clonmel to the Queen , and implore their pardon . The Lord-Lieutenant need net apply to Her Majesty in such a case as . he himself has the full power to save or condemn , and whatever may be the doom of the convicted rebels , his visit to JLngtend csnnot be in connexion with them . Others say he wants t ) ou * his coanexlon with us altogether ; whilst more prof t » t that he is gone to ask the government some very pertinent questions as to how they mean to deal with the rapidly approaching famine . These , however , are only mere guesses ; but people here must be guessing-, though It generally occurs ; that their predictions , like the dreams of' Rory O'Morc / oll go by contraries . '
Disastrous Fioodi Ix Thb Vallbv Of Thb S...
Disastrous Fioodi ix thb Vallbv of thb Swur amd City of Cantbrbcrt . —The late heavy rains have caused the Valley of the Stour , from Ashford to Ramcgate , to be Hooded , occasioning great loss and damage to the inhabitants . On Friday , the 21 st , about noon , the inhabitants of the west-endjof Canterbury were alarmed by a cry of the' water is rising , * and almost before they oould get their Roods removed up stairs , the lower rooms were inundated : Near . the ancient west gate the water poured over into a hew street catted , St Peter ' s Place , coneisfcing of n ; at cottages , and continued to rise for twelve hours , the only mode oi approach beingjby carts and boatsthe inconvenience and suffering to the puor inhabitant ! being very great , as few of them were provided with any stock of food or fuel , Carts were employed all day in removing the poor people and their furniture , and sundry casualties occurred . The flood'has not been known to rise to such a height for the last seventy years . The water in the Stour in the city
was raised about eight feet , consequently immersing all the lower parts of the town , The greatest blame is attached to tbe owners of the mill streams below the city , which were dammed up . As the mayor and corporation are conservators of the sewers , the public will look to them for redress . The depreciation of property is very great , as most of these small houses will become untenanted . Great blame is attributed to the authorities for not ruling the height ofthe mill dams . The valley of the Stour for forty miles was flooded from hill to hill , proaentins the appearance of a vast navigable river far exceeding the Thames or Medway . The South-Eastern Railway bridge at Chatham fell on Friday night with thegoods up-train , several trucks falling into the stream . All the bridges on the line ought to-be carefully surveyed , as the flwds have doubtless injured the foundations . Monday morning , 23 fd . — Theflojdsin Canterbury have subsided , but the marshes are all under water , and present the appearance of a vast lake .
Birds of a Feather . —Prince Metternioh and his son , Prince Richard Metternioh , and Baron Huegel , have become members of the Brighton Conservative Club .
-
-
Citation
-
Northern Star (1837-1852), Oct. 28, 1848, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_28101848/page/6/
-