AN IRISH JOURNALIST'S REMINISCENCES OF '48.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 28, 10 April 1891, Page 19

AN IRISH JOURNALIST'S REMINISCENCES OF '48.

Mr W. H. Ru-skll, who ha 9 already written in the columns of the limes much of the more important and dramatic history of the last fjriy years, is preparing a book of R'miuiscences. says the AntiJacobin Some of the MS., wa have seen, and, what is more, aie permitted to make in cxtrac, here and there, from what will prove one of i he m -st interesting a^d valuable works of its kind that has (iiipe-iied for many a joar. A couple of these extiaots follow :—: —

On the 20th September (1848) I left Dublia for Clonmel. The State Trials (never ending, still beginning, these State Trials) of the chiefs of the confederates in " the Ri&mg " which subsided in the Widow Corin.iek's cabbage-gardens, were to opea the next day. Tne Titties had sent over aa my si nior Mr Nicholla, of the Chancery bar, » precise, sufl, dry, but kiDtl-he.irted man, whose short visit to Ireland filed him with anger— row against the people, now against the priests, anon against the Government (he was not quite sure which were to blame) f r the misery ho beheld. We had lodgings in the house cf a respi ctable cmler naoied Holmes id Dublin-streer f and Delane, who had been on a visit to Bcrnal Osborne at Newtowu Anner, canoe into (Jlonmel to bee us on his way to London. He we fl impressed with tbv gravity of the situation. " It's useless Ulning of the oyalty or dis oyalty of the people ! They are all against us | They do i.ot like cur laws, our ways, or anythn.g that is ours 1 Bit the Government and landowners, supported by the police and the army, can alwpys deal with insurrection, and thr jury to-morrow will be quite safv." It was a very remarkable ECeno next morning, We made our way wuh difficulty through a dense crowd to the c )urt, oui-e, which was guarded by a large boiy of police with fixed bay one f. Ilorse, foot, and artilli ry were close at hand in readiness to support them. We passed between a line of police 10 onr places, rtseivei) by the High Sheriff. The court was crowded from floor to ceiling ; on the bench, arrayed in their scarlet and ermine robes and in flowing wigs, were the four judges — the Chief Justice, Mr Justice

Blackburn, Mr Justice Crampton, Mr Justice Perrin — who were sent down under a Special Commission to try the prisoners. There wu a great " bar " retained for the Crown on the one side and for the prisoners on the other. The proceedings began with the skirmishing between counsel which usually precedes the joint battle, ample room for the display of the ingenuity aod finesse which are supposed to characterise the Irish bar . . . . There were dramatic scenes and moving incidents from day to day. I may be under the impressions formed at a time when I was what is called emotions if 1 now express the opinion that on no occasion in hny court of law was there a more brilliant illustration of learning, argument, passion, and wit than that by which counsel for the prisoners, in the long course of this trial, moved the audience, if they failed to convince the jury or to divert the attention of Ihe judges from the essential issues before them. From the gallery at times burst forth wailing cries or suppressed groaos as the witnesses forced link after link of the chain which bound the accused to tbeir fate. The dignity of the Court was exemplary, and it was with difficulty we could believe our eyes, or rather our ears, when one night, after dinner, to which we were invited by the judges, we heard Mr Justice Blackburn trolling an Irish melody with exquisite pathos in a rich, mellow voice. I found that my colleague Nicholls was by degrees touched with something like a sympathy for some of the prismers. "Smith O'Brien," he said, " after ill conducts himself like a gentleman, ard that M'Manns iB a fine honeßt fellow. I pity him I I dare cay if one knew Meagher he would turn out to be a plensant agreeable man, full of enthusiasm and poetry, but he is without judgment." The end oame at last.

On October Bth, the jury came into Court with a verdict of "Guilty" against Williim Smith O'Brien for high treason and lor levying war against the Qieen, with a recommendation to the merciful consideration of the Crown. He heard the words unmoved, with his arms folded, his head thrown back, and a ecornf ul.smule upon his lips. He listened to the ju 'ge with the utmost calmness, and wheu called upon to say why sentence of death should not be passed upon him, he spoke in measured accents, declaring that he had done what was right as he believed, and that he had nothing to repent but his failure. On the 9th he was brought op and placed in the dock to receive the sentence of the Court, which was, " that you, William Smith O'Brien, be drawn on a hurdle to the place < f execution, end banged by the neck until you be dead ; tha' you then shall be disemb iweled, and your body divided into four quarters, to be disposed of as her Majesty should direct." It was said at the time that his composure was due to an assurance the night before that he would not be executed, but I do not believe tbac he was influenced in his di riant atniude by the knowledge that he would only be condemned to exile for life. M'Manus, who was next pu l on his 'ml, a man of action, no orator or phrasemonger. Cfn>'uctpd himself whh p'tf ct iropi.ety. A resolute revolution!"', ho had r^n^uncod acompHence 1 , ana placed his life on the hazard of the die in that miserable rising. Even the judges (I say even, because they were bound to lo k at the great gravity of the ofEenc ■) were moved by the hon-'hty and earnestness of the man. He wis found gui'ty on the 12ih. After him, on the 15 h, came O'Donoghue, then Meagt.cr, on the 21ft . each t > hi- found guil'y and be sentenced to a traitoi'e doom, on trie 23rd of October.

The Special Commission having done their woik, rose and adjourned to December.

A delightful visit to Knocklofty, Lord Djmughmore'd charming seat, in a beautiful parlc surrouoded by picturesqu» Finery, closed my sojourn at Clonon-]. llt ft tor* town on the day after the rising of the Court, carrying with me as a souvenir a book m which Bmith O'Brien, Mesgher. M'.Mmus, and O'Donoghuesignul trieir names " in remembrance," and very sad and distressed I was at the file c f the c e miserable men. The scene now chmgid to Dublin — the play was the same. On October 26 h I attended the Court of Q leen's Bench to hear a long argument on a la-v point iv demurrer raised by his counstl for C. G* van Duffy. There I siw iv th 3 dock arraigned a 9 a traitorous felon the man who tias since been a minister of the Crown, the Premier of V/j'ona, and a Knight of St. Michael and St. George, and who holds, I behave, ihe bameoplrio s — th-ir expression a hule dulcified, perhaps — which he propounded, and the d .ctrines, which he taught in the Nation. Were f irtunate thaa his confederates, he escaped the mesht s of the law and dt feattd the Government in. two prosecutions aga nst him fir treason felony. These s ttiugs lasted for several weeks. The ju Igf s now and iheu grave judgment against the Crown, and as the Crown lawyers w re bound to justify thetr opinions, each adverse judgment was a bas-h for a n^w phase of legal action. There was an incident one day which illustrtted the composure an 1 readiness of Judge BUckburn, though words could scarcely give au idea of his dignity in 'Jourt. lie had just risen at the cose of a long argument when a redheaded man got up in the body of the Court and exclaimed, in a loud voice, " My Lord I My Lord I" Blackburn turned f.nd asked severely, " Who are you, sir ? ' '• My Loid, my name is J. O'Brien ; I am an at'orney of this honouiabli- Court." The Judge exchanged a word with the officer below him. " Proceed. Mr. O'Brien. What have you to say ?" " My Lord, I am requested by several respectable citizens of Dublin to ask your Lords'rip when

Ibis honourable Court means to give judgment in the case of Smith O'Brien and others versus the Qaeen in error." Blackburn looked at the attorney, hemmed, and then with great solemnity, pausing on every word, said : " Mr. O'Brien 1 Tell the respectable citizens of Dublin who requested yon to put that question to ib.9 Court that yon did put it to the Court, and that the Court gave you no reply." His LorJship retired, and Mr. O'Brien collapsed.