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Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole -^ signifie "A SUIVRE". le symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc.. may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est film6 d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite. et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ;*^i .^r^^^-'r^^ f LETTEKS / FROM y- BERMUDA. By Placidia. TORONTO : CATHOLIC REGISTER PRINT. 1895. '\ ^V'V, 5'' \ . *■ 1 LETTERS TROM BERMUDA. By Placidia. "J-^^C' ' . '.^"^t-! .Jt TORONTO : CATHOLIC REGISTER PRINT. 1895. /"<;• ! ■■i / •^n^IsM^ to The following Letters, being merely of a private character, were not originally intended for publication; but containing, as they do, much that is useful and instructive, the writer has consented to their appearance in print. I^ettei^;^ fi^on\ f^ei^mudk. LETTER I. Hamilton Nov., 18 — . Dear H. — We arrived safely at Hamilton, Bermuda, after a rough and stormy passage of four days — though three days is the usual time — so you may conjecture bow grievously we both suffered from mal de mer. For two days we had a lively " cros3 sea," which rendered locomotion very inconvenient, if not impossible. The wind, tearing and blustering through the cordage, etc., added to the din, but did not improve our appetite for din- ner. Some boots and valises were having a game of leap-frog on the floor of the state-room, which at times seemed almost perpendicular. The obliging steward told us encouragingly it was "only a gale, a bit of sea on," but ♦' O what a storm of sea we passed I High mountain waves, and foaming showers, And battling winds, with savage blast." Twenty- four hours after leaving New York harbor we experienced a decided change of temperature. li had become very warm, and the roll- ing and shaking of the vessel was, to say the least of it, most unpleasant. We were informed by the captain that we were crossing the Gulf Stream, on the eastern edge of which are situated the Bermuda Islands. This *• River ofthe Ocean," of which you have often heard, is one of the wonders of the world. It issues from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexi- co, rushes with mighty power through the channel which divides Florida from the Bahamas, and procends north- ward up the coast of the United States. As we neared Bermuda it became calmer. " A beam of tranquility smiled in the west. The storms of the evening pursued us no more ; And the wave, while it weloomed the mo- ment of rest. Still heaved as remembering the ills that were o'er." Those of the passengers who could remain on deck observed, when on the eastern edge ofthe Gull Stream, large, floating masses of the Gulf weed called sarijaasum bacciferum, which was blown or drifted from the area known to navigators as t?te Sarg jssa Sea. It is said that when Christopher Columbus sailed throug this region on that mem- orable voyage which resulted in the discovery of the new world, the ap- pearance on the ocean of these im- mense masses of seaweed, intermingled with driftwood and vegetable matter, and bearing upon the surface myriads of moUusca, crustace, etc,, confirmed his hopes of the proximity of land, and restored courage and confidence to his panic-stricken crew. Another object which attracted the attention of the passengers were the flying fish, great numbers of which were observed darting from the water under the steamer's bow when she came within about 150 miles of the Islands. It was the opinion of some ancient writers that birds, like fish, were ori- 9 ginally produced from the waters ; and while looking at these singular fiabes one could almost fancy them the con- necting link between birds and fish, as the bat is between beast and bird. It is not the case, however. The flying fish has elongated, pectoral fins which, when expanded, enable the fish to rest upon the air. During its course it can fij about CO or 00 yards while the fins are moist, but when they become dry the fish falls into its natural ele- ment, again to renew the motive power. Perhaps you have never met with Tom Moore's poem " To the Flying Fish," written by hin? during his American tour in 1803. I shall give an extract from this beautiful poem, which indicates the genuine religious feeling in the heart of our greatest Irish poet : TO THE FLYINO FISH. When I have seen thy snow-white wing From the blue wave at evening spring, And show those scales of silvery white So gayly to thd eye of light, As if thy frame were form'd to rise And live amid the glorious skies ; O, it has made me proudly feel How like thy wings' impatient zeal Is the pure soul, that rests not, pent Within this world's gross element, But takes tne wing that God has given, And rises into light and heaven 1 But when I see that wing, so bright. Grow languid with a moment's flight, Attempt the paths of air in vain. And sink into the waves again ; Alas ! the flattering pride is o'er. Like thee, a while, the soul may soar, But erring man must blush to think. Like thee, again, the soul may sink. Our vessel being in sight of land we had to wait for a pilot, as it would be quite impossible for any vessel to effect an entrance safely without the aid of one of those useful personages. The Bermuda pilots, usually raulat- toes, are a clever, daring set of fellows, with " eyes like hawk's and nerves of stee!," and who, having followed the profession from boyhood, are experts. The outer reefs which surround Bermuda are extremely dangerous ; many a fine vessel has been dashed to pieces against them. These reefs are really a belt of submerged rooks about ten miles from the shore, coated with a sort of stony sea weed of a dark red color called nullipores, etc., twisted serpulae, ma- rine anniledes, inhabiting hard calca- reous tubes; also various eieoies of coral, which look like a brown bu.^h until passed through the process of cleaning. Our vessel entered the " narrows," which is, despite its name, the widest and deep st channel, having a depth of 7 or 8 fathoms at low water. Our pilot took us, sometimes slowly along the shore, again out straight. Then cautiously twisting and turning. Gently we stole before the whispering wind That kiHsed ok either side our timid sails, Breathing our welcome to these vernal vales ; Each wooded island shed so soft a green That the enamoured keel with whispering play Throuah liquid herbage seemed to steal its way. Thus, until we reached Hamilton harbor and landed safely. " Bright rose the morning, every wave was still. When the first perfume of a cedar hill Sweetly awaked us, and with smiling charms The fairy harbor woo'd us to its arms." " Never did weiry bark more gently glide Or rest its anchor in a lovelier tide." Adieu, Flacioia. it!3' Siiakin^ on tnc iiiiTipisu poot Preclusive drops, let all their moisture flow In large effus'.on o'er the freshened world." 6 The water slieda are constructed for the purpose of catching rain-water. I suppose as a water- ehed is the lugh- est ground in a country from which rivers or streams descend, the name is suitable to the artificial ones formed m Bermuda. The inhabitants of these islands are obliged absolutely to de- pend on the rain as a beverage, and tor everything in which fresh water is necessary. "When the blackening clouds in sprink- ling showers Distil from the high summits down, the Runririckling ; with the fertile moisture The orchards smile ; joyous the gardeners see , Their thriving plants, and bless the heav,- enly dew." There are no natural wells or lakes in Bermuda. Being thus circum- stanced the people have everywhere made large tanks to contain rain- water, which is clear as crystal and most delicious to drink. The roofs of all houses, watersheds, &c., are kept constantly coated with lime. The tanks and cisterns are prepared to preserve water pure and fresh for two or three months in case a drought should occur. A drought is, happi'y, rare in Bermuda ; bat if that co-itin- gency be not provided for, it would be a serious matter for the Bermadians. They could sing dolefully -.ith the "Ancient Marirer" : " Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink ; Water, water evervwhc^re, And not a drop to drink." That might be the very inconve- nient situation of the inhabitants— an awkward pi'edicament for the Temper- ance people. The Teetotallers would have to drink ale or wine, unless they had a stock ot Temperance drinks ready for use. They must " Use a little wine for their often infirmities ;" or they might say with the poet : " Drink to me only with thine eyes, And I'll p'odge thee with mine ; Or leave a kiss but in the nup, And I'll not look for wine." is a temperance pledge That surely. The following lines express Ber- mudian sentiments concerning ram : " When the clouds have poured their rain, Sweeter smell the flowers ; Brightest shine Hpaven's starry tram In Earth's sunless hours. How beautiful is the rain.l After the dust and heat, In the broad and fiery street. In the close and narrow lane How beautiful is the rain I To the dry graps snd drier grain How welcome is the rain 1 Most of the menial labor is per- formed by the colored people, the ma- jority of whom are mulattoes of every shade, from ebony and walnut to cream color. They are a simi.le- minded, civil people, usually neatly dressed, and smihng. " They laugh and sing and dance away the time, ^, . ,. „ >, Gay as the birds and happy as their clirae. The drives about Hamilton are very pleasant. You bowl along those white stone roads, which are smooth and free from dust, over a constant siiceeasion of hill and da'e, always un- dulating and always winding. Scen- ery new and beautiful greets you at every turn. You pass through hmg avenues of oleander trees thickly in- terlaced, being planted close together to shield gardens and orchards from the high winds. Here and there are lovely gardens filled with tropical plants and flowers, and inside stand the handsome white mansions of the owners, surrounded by green verandahs. The latter are a aeceasity in thia semi-tropical climate. Occasionally a brilliant blue green color flashes like a jewel as tlie road turns towards either side, and we get a glimpse of the ocean. It is stated that, with the exception of the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, none can compare with those around Bermuda for color and transparency. One may see below the surface of the water twenty-feet on a calm day. The rocks with their growth of coral are plainly vibible, and seem to those in tfie boats to be quite near the surface. "Along the margin many a shining dome White as the palace of a Lapland gnome Brightened the wave." I will conclude with an echo of Gary's wish : " Here could I wish, so fate allowed, No longer toiling through the crowd, Mine ago this calm content to taste. With ocean breath mine own to waste." Adieu. Placidia. •J^»- LETTER IV. , Hamilton, December 18 — . Last week we made an excursion to the Lighthouse — one of the " Lions " of Bermuda. This commanding struc- ture, which possesses one of the most powerful lights to be seen in any part of the world, is situate >n the summit of Gibb's Hill, the highest point of land in the western portion of the Bt^rmudas. The light itself stands 802 feet above the sea level. It appears every 54 seconds ; and the lens being dioptric and exceedingly powerful, with bright polished mirrors, tlie Hash is a very brilliant one, and can be easily seen 30 miles off. The tower, which is of cast iron, was constructed in London, and sent out in plates, tlie last of which was ynt into place October 9, 1845. The light was first shown May 1, 184G. At the lower portion of the tower stability is given by concrete filled in 22 feet high, where the first floor is. Above this there are seven rooms, 12 feet high, supported by a central revolving column, which is hollow. It serves fur the revolving machinery of Lho light. From centre of light tn top of vane is 17 feet. The tower is 181 ffot in height, being 24 feet in diamei^; at the base and 14 at the top. The cost, exclusive of the light, machinery, etc., was £5,500, about $27,500, paid by the Imperial Government, on the understanding that the colony would furnish funds for lighting, repairing, etc., which amount to about £500 per annum, inclusive of keepers^ salaries. We went up the steep steps and were admitted to the gallery by the keeper. The finest view of the Ber- mudas can be obtained from this gallery. It is a bird's eye view of the group ; nothing is left out We looked down from this great elevation at the cluster of islets below, set, as it were, in a plane of azure tinted with emerald.. Far away N. E. we see the foaming breakers on sunken rocks, and the North Rock shows its dark pinnacles above the seething waters. Turning to the west the long line of breakers attract tlie eye, showing how futile must be the efforts of any craft to enter within this fearful boundary without the aid of the dexterous pilot, whose practised eye alone can discern lU iiariuwuu unatiuti liiiungn uMt boiling surf. How many noble ships, before this light was shown, struck these outer shoals and sank beneath 8 the waves. How many poor souls have perished without leaving a record of their fate, history fails to tell. But this we know, that even since the light was established not a winter season passe3 without one or more total wrecks of sailing or fishing vessels and many narrow escapes from a similar doom. " To-night there is a storm at Bea, I hear the breakers roar ; There comes across the gra89y lea The thunder of the shore. And pity burns within my soul For those upon the deep ; Kind Saviour, Christ, do Thou control The waved and bid them sleep 1 Alas ! a schooner on our shore. By stormy billows tossed. Wont down amid the tempest's roar, And every soul was lost 1 Ah me I the wind blows loud to-night ; ^ Christ save poor souls at sea ! ' Burn brightly every beacon light Wherever ships may be !" North, south, east and west the scene is bounded alone by the distant horizon. We note the dangerous coral r«efs marked by a fringe of feathery, foamy waves, which sur- round these reefs, as if caressing the spot they love. " The world's r- sea ; my life's a ship that's manned With labouring thoughts, and steered by reason's hand " " Let not the water floods overflow me, neither let the deeps swallow me up." — Psalm lxii. What insignificant beings we are ! How small a place we inhabit on this wild waste of waters I We are filled with awe, almost with terror, when the rolling seas, unimpeded in their course for hundreds of miles, thunder againnt the shore and cause the whole building to vibrate from its founda- tions. " Such thou art ; stupendous ocean, image of Eternity ; over time itself victorious ; what must thy Crea- tor be I" " Great Ocean, strongest of Creation's sons, Unconquerable, unreposed, untired, Thit rolled the wild, profomd, eternal bass In Nature's anthem, and made music such As pleased the Ear of God," Type of the Infinite, I look away Over thy billows, and I cannot stay My thought upon a renting place, or make A shore beyond a vision, where they break ; But on my spirit stretches, till it's pain To tliink ; then rests and then puts forth again. Thou holdst me by a spell ; and on thy beach I feel all soul; and thoughts unmeasured reach, Far back beyond all date. And oh! how old Thou «rt to me For countless years Thou hast rolled Before an ear did hear thee. Thou didst mourn. Prophet of sorrows, o'er a race unborn." Truly this is one of tlie fairest and grandest of Nature's scene^". The sight is a sermon in itself. The troubled waters breaking on reefs be- low spem to portray the turmoil of life, the harassing cares and sorrows of this world ; while the faint, far-off line which melts into the hazy sky and marks the uncertain limit of the distant horizon reminds us of the boundless, endless shore of Eternity. " Fternity, that boundless race Which Time himself can never run. Swift as he flies with an unwearied pace. Which, when ten thousand thousand years are done. Is still the same and still to be begun." Adieu. Placidia. 9 LETTER V. Hamilton, December, 18—. Dear P.— This ia a day like a hand- some shrew — beautiful in appearance, fresh and finely tinted, but most vix- enish, with its " brazen, burning sun and graceless wind " ; so we shall visit the Public Building, and spend the day in the Library, instead of driving about. There are not many fine buildings in Hamilton. Trinity Ohurch is one of the handsomest, and occupies a commanding site above the lower town. It is Anglican, and is called a High Church. I am not alluding to its elevated position, but to its doc- trine ; and if high means Heaven- ward, I trust its motto will be " Excelsior " till it arrives at the summit of that Rook on which Christ built His Church, secure against the warfare and the wiles of Satan. Near by, on the same range of hills, stands the Sessions House, in which are the House of Assembly and the Court House. This was built in 1822. Below the hill on which the Session House stands is the Public Building, erected in 1839. In this important building are the Custom House, Colo- nial Otfices, Public Library, Council Chamber, etc. Upstairs there are some caseb containing Natural History specimens, curiosities, etc. Tbe old- fashioned Grandfather's Clock in the hall regulates the Bermudian hours. And from its station in the hall This ancient time-piece says to ail : •'Forever, never ; never, forever," The large Barometer denotes the atmospheric variations, usual y show ing from 60 to 70 degrees in winter. Thearea which surrounds the Pub'ic Building is tastefully ornamented with trees, plauts, nowers and shtubs. A fine cedar tree, now fourteen feet high, was planted by H.R.H. Prince Alfred (Duke of Edinburgh), then serving as midshipman in the flagship Nile, in 1862. This is called " Prince Alfred's tree." A majestic granite obelisk, with an inscription on it stating that it was erected in graceful remembrance of Sir William Reid in 1861, is also an attractive object in the grounds. This Governor was the most energetic, active and popular of all the rulers who ever held office in Bermuda. He established the Model Farm, insti- tuted the Public Library, improved Mount Langton, and carried out various other works beneficial to Ber- muda. Sir W. Reid also wrote a well known book— '« Reid on Storms" — most useful to navigators. The Public Library is well stocked with excellent works of literature, many of a high class, and also with magazines and many old books, quite curiosities in themselves. I was much entertained with the perusal of some old copies of the Bermuda Gazette, the first newspaper published in the islands. It was established in Jan- uary, 1780. The news, though slightly stale, is interesting — advertisements of various sales of coloured men, boys and girls, at auction, an account of a hurricane which uprooted trees and levelled houses ; and a description of the earthquake of 1801, the state of the crops ; new potatoes for sale in February and March; also tomatoes, strawberries and Loquat plums. The issues of the Gazette for the years from 1781 to 1810, however, were of absorb- ing interest to me. Each one relates, in a succinct manner, the weekly news of the troubles existing in France and m Ireland. The Gazette, quoting from an Irish paper concerning a speech which Grattan delivered in the House of Commons, says " the torrent of Grattan's eloquence completely swept away all • Flood-marks,' without leav- ing a vestige." 10 This jesl had roferenco to the fol* lowing Parliamentary report : " The Irish bill of rights having been passed, mainly through the splendid eloquence and m& oe, and the mysterious linx t:M;:«:udcuug the trans- cendent and vrieomiirohensible attri- i-._j.-_ -* T\-;i : J.1- I iu; iJUiiUu UI i>UiLy *V«w£i I2UUii«Ii uj''XXipQ«bIiiCS and affections, should be considered as the most glorious event that ever happened, and the most worthy of be- ing reverently and joyously com- memorated, is a proposition which must commend itself to the heart and reason of every one of His followers — by thooe Christians especially who are true followers of Jesus, who aspire to walk in His footsteps, and hope to share in the ineffable benefits which His sufferings and death have secured to mankind. •' Knowing that you were not re- deemed with corruptible things as gold and silver, but with the Precious Blood of Christ, as of a Lamb unspotted and undefiled." (I Peter, i. 18.) " Bright and blessed is the time S )rrowB end and joys begin. While the bells with mprry chime Ring the Day of F • • in .' But the happy tide to hi ' With a sigh or w'* ;• ,', '-.ur ; Hei((ho, I hardly k;.GW — Christmas com>^s but once a year !" It is sad to think that these verses express the real sentiments of many at Christmas. This is a utilitarian age, and Mammon is tbe God of modern times, to which the worldly pay homage. Even the devout have been influenced to some extent by the spirit which ij 1 _-i:~: *u:„.r. ^^.,^^^A indeed, but yet a thing apart. At Christmastide, however, the heart of mankind seems tu pulsate with joy and IT self, was nam- ed skin of this srved in the oh-dog'i honeit me M we draw in eye will mark Ighter when wa Placidia, oyously oom- )eition which the heart and •is followers — cially who are who aspire to and hope to )enefits which I have secured were not re- things as gold Precious Blood unspotted and . 18.) I the tima B begio, iprry chime T):y in .' hai! 3. t'MV i V — i once a year !" it these verses 3nis of many at utilitarian age, jod of modern Jly pay homage. 9een influenced e spirit which ing apart. At r, the heart of ite wiibjoy and goodwill, and the story of Our Saviour's birth and life taked on a more endear- ing aspect, ditfusing the genial glov )f devotion through Christian souls. The feaat of Mudona aod Child, Of Mary with Babe on her arm ; Nor frutt and auow, nor ataaon mild Can make or mar ita oharm. Dear God 1 "/hat a gift la thii I Winh Joaui our i^by Brother ; HIh I'athrr iu Huaven uur Father ia, ^nd Miry our own aweet Mother I Praiae to Thee, Jetua, Mary. Joieph, Ood'8 Holy Family 1 Piaiae, oh praite, the Sinless Mother ; Praise to that household's gentle Master be, Aod with the Child whom we call Brother, Weep for joy of that dear earthly Trinity By which all blessings oome, all ^ifts art> given. Come Christians all, aweet anthems weaving ; Come )ounK and old, come gay and grieving ; Oomu praise with me, praioiDg and believing God's Family, God'e Holy Family 1 — Fabkb, A hother'h thoughts at oubistmas. " O Maiden Mother, in those blessed days. When bending o'er tht) cradle whence thy Child Looked upward to thine own sweet faoe and smiled. Thy soul delighted on His charma to gaze. And lost itself in wunder and in praise That His great love had from the Heavens beguiled A God incarnate to this world defiled, To make atonement for our wicked ways. Mary, our human race thou hast to such degree Ennobled in our Maker's eye, that He dia creature's child hath not disdained to be." " He who created me rested in my taber- nacle." (Eooles. xxiv.) "Hail, full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art thou amongst women." " Thou art a Mother of whom none but G id was worthy to be the Son, because He made thee for himself. Thou art all fair, my Love, and there is not a spot or stain in thee." (Cant. i. 7.) " When the Litile Flower bloomed in Bethlehem at midnight, and the strains of angelic music flowed in waves of celestial harmony over the earth, saying, ' Peace on Earth to men of goodwill :' when Mary held in her arms her new-born Babo, the Flower which had blossomed of her virginal blood, when She adored Him as the Eternal God, what a holy joy was hers." " When Mary gBi!:«»d at that lovely Face and kissed those jweet B»by lips, with what love she offers tj the Eternal Father that which is «qual to Himself as a propitiation fur her fellow- creatures." Virgo ante partum, Virgo in partu, Virgo postpartum, Ora pro nobis. The following extract is from a poem which I found here ; it will form a link in the chain of reflections on this holy season : " Turn now, where stood the spotless Vir- gin : sweet Her szurt. eye, aod fair her golden ringlets ; But changeful as the hues of infancy Her faoe. As on her son, her God, she g»2ed, Fix'd was her look — earnest and breathless ; now Suffused her glowing cheek ; now, changed to pale ; Fist, rouad her lip a smile celestial play'd, Then, fast, fast rain'd the tears. Who can interpret ? Perhaps some thought maternal crois'd her heart, That mused on days long past, when on her breast He helpless lay, and of His infant smile ; Or on those nights of terror, when, from worse Than wolves, she hasted with her Babe to Egypt." — The Judgment, J. A. Hillhous^, The time draws near the birth of Christ, The moon is hid, the night is still. The Christmas bel s from hill to hill Answer each other in the mist. Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky ; Ring out old shapes of foul disease ; Ring out the narrowing lust of Gold, Ring out the thousand wars of old ; Ring in the thousand years of peace ; Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring happy bells, across the snow ; Tne year is going, let him go ; Ring out the false, ring in the true. Ring out the want, the care, the sin, The faithless coldness of the mind ; Ring out the feud of rich and poor, Ring in redress to all mankind Ring out a slowly dying cause, And ancient forms of party strife ; Ring in the nobler modes uf life, With sweeter manners, purer laws. 18 Ring in the valiant man and free. The eager heart, the kindlier hand ; Ring out the darknees of the land ; Ring in the Christ that is to be. The churches here are all beautiful- ly decorated with natural flowers and ferns, entwined around pillars and hung in festoons and wreaths, iue fonts are embosomed in flowers. The little CathoHc Chapel to which we wended our way was also prettily orna- mented, especially the Altar and the Shrines, with natural flowers, ihe little church is very pretty. It is of the white stone of the Island, and built upon a small rock, in which steps are cut leading to the entrance. As Mark Twain said, "There is just enough of whispering breeze, fragrance of flowers, and sense of repose," {peace, I should say) " to raise one's thoughts Heavenward." The Chaplain of the Forces attends this church. There being only one Priest (the Catholics are not numerous enough to pay one on the Island) he has to fulfil thb duties of Parish Priest not only to Hamilton but St. George Island, on which the Barracks and Forts are. He also attends the Docks where the Royal Navy dwells in Ireland Isle, The Rev. Father can only say two Masses on Sunday, and therefore each place is, in its turn, left without Mass. The first time we went to Mass it was to us a novel and pleasing sight. The chapel was nearly full of soldiers and officers in scarlet uniforms, which brightened the scene. Two stalwart young soldiers in snowy surphces served Mass with devout and military precision. There was a large gong which was sounded at tne Sanctus, the Elevation, etc.; deep toned and solemn, it seemed like the boom of a distant cannon. The solemn sound of the gorg, and the military Mass, started a train of thought in my mind. The boom of cannon— " The death shot hissing from afar ; ^^ The ahock, the shout, the groan of War. How sad to think those fine young fellows, full of life and hope, may one day be " food for powder." I felc sor- ry for them «' Dost thou know the fate of soldiers? Thoy'te but Ambition's tools to cut a way To her unlawful enda ; and when they re worn, . ., Hacked, hewn with constant service, thrown To rust in peace and rot in hospitak " This is their destiny. I wondered if they ever reflected upon it, especial- ly during the time of the Holy Sacri- fice, and offered fervent prayers lor mercy in the hour of trial and danger to both soul and body. " Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, Uttered or unexpressed ; The motion of a hidden fire That trembles in the breast. 'Tis not the whole of life to live : Nor all of death to die." •• Spirit of Light and Life ! when the battle rears Her fiery brow and her terrific spears ; When red-mouthed cannon to the clouds up roar, , . l j • And gasping thousands matte their beds in gore ; r u • While in the bellowina bosom of the air Roll the dread notes of anajuish and despair ; Unseen Thou walkest upon the tmoking plain , , . , 4. And hearest each prayer of dying mongst the slain." "We have made a covenant with death ; and with Hell we are at agree- ment." (Isaias, xviii.) " War, and the great in arms shall poets sing, , . , . Havoc and tears and spoils and triumphing ; The morning march that flashes glorious in the sun : , , . j •' The feast of vultures when the day is done, And the stranjie tale of many slain for one. Empires and kings, how oft have temples rung Ai • 1 4. » With impious thankgiving the Almighty s Bcorn ' How oft above their altars have been hnng rr ,u:„~ th"*- nansnd «■>>« BOOd aud WlSO to mourn Triumphant wronjr. Battle of B*tt.le born. And sorrow that to fruitless sorrow clung ! Adieu. PiACiDiA. 19 LETTER IX. Hamilton^ January, 18 — . Dear I heard that this winter in Canada and the United States is extremely cold, very stormy, and much snow has fallen. I suppose this sort of thi^ig describes it : Lashing rains, scourging winds, numbing frosts, glaring snows, narrow-searching fogs— on all those instruments Winter plays his terrible marches and solemn fugues - Que voulez-vom ? Voila ! The climate of America has at least the merit of variety. , While our Autumns and Springs display for a short period now and then a decent gentleness of be- haviour, which makes the tender alle- gories of these seasons seem not alto- gether ironical, the times between them are generally mere bratal exhi- tions of unreasonable temperature. Just after the gentle month of June there comes a rush of tropical savage Powers as relentless as an ancient Saracen invasion. While Autumn is painting all sorts of affectionate re- membrances on our hills and valleys, and turning the trees crimson with her kisses, there comes a horde of invaders from about the North Pole as ruthless as Huns or as a tribe of hostile Indians, slaying and scalping all the creations of Summer, like bar- barians as they are. Our land is a perfect war-path of contending North and South without sufficient defences of seas and mountains, entirely unpro- tected and open to both forces. However, I will defend our Ameri- can climate, as every country has its faults and none are perfect. Here is an old poem which ma'ies a fair apology for Canada's capricious climate : THE INDIAN SUMMER. " What is there saddening in the Autumn leaves ? Have they that ' green aad yellow mel- ancholy ' That the sweet poet spake of ? Had he seen Owr variegated woods, when first the frost Turns into beauty of October's charms — When the dread fever quits us — when the storms Of the wild Equinox, with all its wet, Has left the land, as the first deluge . left it, With a bright bow of many colors hung Upon the forest tops — be had not sigh'd. The moon stays longest for the hunter now ; The trees cast down their fruitage, and the blithe And busy squirrel hoards his Winter store ; Wnile man enjoys the breeze that sweeps along The b'ight blue sky above him, and that bends Magnificently all the forest's pride, Or whispers through the evergreeens, and asks, ' What is there saddening in the Autumn leaves ?' " " Season of mists, and mellow fruitfulness I Close bosom friend of the maturing Sun ; Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch'd eaves run To hend with apples the mess cottage trees And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core." However, the beauty of Autumn is a sad beauty, when Nature, after bring- ing forth her flowers and fruits, dons her russet robe. The fairest flowers have withered, the last rose of Sum- mer has vanished, the green leaves have changed into red yellow — all is emblematic of decay and death — Tout jxisse. Dieu est immuable. ' Tears, iile tears, I know not what they mean — Tears from the depth of some divine despair Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes In looking on the happy Autumn fields And thinking of the days that are no more." Our winters are quite a contrast to those of Bermuda. Only last week we accepted an invitation from Lady (the Admiral's wife), to a garden party at Admiralty House. Then, " No tears dimmed the sweet looks 20 that Nature wears." The day was beautiful. Many young ladies, prettily attired in light dresses and straw hats, were playing lawn tennis with the officers. Some of the latter had taken off their jackets. " The sun above was brightly shining," and the ther- mometer at 70o. We strolled about 'the grounds, which are the prettiest iu Bermuda — a perfect bit of landscape gardening done by the hand of Nature. In some places Art, imitating Nature's handiwork.has beautified and improved the grounds. One spot, enclosed with a light open fence, is planted with every kind of known fern, and is very lovely. There is also a great variety of tall and stately trees, which afford a pleasant shade. Many strange tropical plants and flowers are in e^ high state of cultivation. The beauty of Nature sinks deep into one's heart and dehghts the soul. I felt inclined to say with the poet : "Liager, geatle Time ; liager, o radiant grace of bright to- day ; Let not the hour's chime call thee away ; Linger, ! liager still with fond delay." " Thou art, God, the life and light Of all the wondrous world we see — Its glow bv day, its smile by night Are but reflections caught from Thee," Moore. The drives around Hamilton are wouderfully beautiful. We sometimes meet with a growth of cedar trees, which abound as the "forest primeval " Our wonder and admiration is excited by the beautiful tropical trees and varieties of plants which meet the eye at every glance. Banana trees, some in blossom (what a marvellous blos- som !) papaws, cocoanut trees, coral or ivory trees, bamboo trees, fiddle- wood trees, grape fruit trees, whose fruit ia similar to grapes in appear- ance but has only a single stone, the Calabash, the broad leaved plantains, the tall, stately cabbage-palm, and the graceful palmetto theMetia Azedaiach, Pride of India, the handsomest tree on the island, and the Loquat plum, which ripens in February. There is also a rose tree to be seen which grows as large as our apple-trees and bears roses which are pink in the morning and become white at night. Tamarinds also grow here. I must not forget the rocky walls where be road has been excavated, and all the rugged ledges decorated by Nature with maiden-hair iern. In every crevice or cranny where there is a square inch of earth a bunch of this delicate fern is growing. We saw an Indian-rubber tree in Par la Ville which shaded a .space of 70 leet around it ; also a splendid mahogany tree and some locust trees, the beans of which St. John ate with wild honey. If I had to eat them I would hke a good deal of honey, for the beans are very bitter. I must tell you about the " Five Sisters ;" don't think they are five " old maids." Though they are aged yet tliey are in the prime of beauty. Five tall Cabbage- Palws growing m front of a private residence.are so called , and are classed among the curiosities of the island. This remarkable tree is a native of the West India Islands, and grows on the mountains, where it rears its stately head above the sur- rounding forest trees. The trunk is quite smooth and round, without either branches or shoots. Just at the top grows a curious bunch of feathery foliage, which, from its slight resem- blance to a cabbage, gives the tree the name it bears. Bermuda is also full of caverns and ponds, inlets and caves. ••GiV vatery grottos, that seem like fairy baths or niimio wtlle. Small excavations on the rocky shore Riuhly embossed with ferns and choicest shells. As if her trinkets Nature chose to hide Where nought invaded but the flo«v ing tide." «' The course of Nature is the art of God." 21 There ia a pleasure in the pathless woods ; There is a rapture in the lonely shore ; There is society where none intrudes. By the deep sea, and music its roar ; I love not friends the less, hut nature more Prom these our interviews, in which I steal From all I may be, or have been before, To mingle with the Universe, and feel What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal. While walking about in the opfin air, night insensibly and gradually fell upon US. The richness and variety of colours which appeared in the western parts of Heaven was enchanting. In proportion as they faded away, the Evening Star and several other stars and planets appeared, one afteranother, tdl the whole tirmament was in a glow. The lovely dark blue of the ether was heightened and enlivened by the fine weatlier and the season of the year. The Galaxy appeared in its most beautiful white. Then the full moon rose in that clouded majesty of which Milton writes, and opened to our eyes a new picture of nature dif- ferent but quite as beautiful in its softer lights and shades, as that which the sun had before displayed to us. " Heaven's ebon vault, Studded with stars beautifully bright, Throus[h which the moon's unclouded gran- deur rolls. Seemed like a canopy which love has spread To curtain the sleeping world." While surveying the moon walking in her brightness amongst the constel- lations, I thought of David's reflections on the same beauties of nature ; " When I consider the heavens the work of Thy hand.s, the moon and stars which Thou hast created, what is man that Thou art mindful of him, and the Son of man that Thou regard- est him!" When I consider that infinite host of stars, or to speak philosophically, of suns, which were then shining upon me with their innumerable sets of planets, or perhaps worlds, and reflect that many others exist which can only be seen by the aid of powerful telea- oopes, I could not help thinking on what little, insignificant beings we are amidst the immensity of Almighty God's works. Hughens, a great astronomer of the seventeenth century, in one of his writings states as his belief that there are myriads of stars whose light has not yet travelled down to us from their first creation. Hughens made the first pendulum clock ever made. In 1G73 he pubhsh- ed the " Horologium Oscillatorium," in which are found the first Theorems on Central Forces and Force. Centrifugal Man ! All nature is but Art unknown to thee, All chance direction which thou canst not see, All discord harmony not understood, All partial evil, universal good." But we must consider that the uni- verse is the work of infinite power, prompted by infinite goodness, with an infinite space to move and revolve in ; how, then, can our minds set bounds to it. I looked upon myeelf with a sort of humble fear, a terror of being overlooked in this immensity of nature. But faith teaches us that God is omniscient and omnipresent ; and that, in short, as the ancient philosophers believed, God is a Being whose centre is everywhere and His cir- cumference, now/iere. Faith consoling- ly teaches us that He cannot be indif- ferent to any of His creatures ; and those who will not feel Him in His love, they will be sure to feel Him in His displeasure — for though infinitely powerful and infinitely merciful. He is infinitely just. " U is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Li.vlne enemy." 1 thunder. oocasion- m imagin* (liers are battle to in defence quired to e y war : thoy blaze." arma — the vay ! which when li other clay heaped aad foe — in one our mill- 3d such a irded him '^bstantial mess and is happy, bis mono- on these 10 is he wish to be ? ith wrought fho depend! friends ; >minand, 1 to the same a of aim." 3 are not my MSS. to you. i'LAGIDlA. 27 LETTER XII. Hamilton, January, 18 — . Dbab ^Last week we were at a very pleasant afternon party at Mount Langton, the Governor's Residence. Government House is a handsome edifice built of white stone, now very large from the numerous additions which have been made to it by its successive occupants There was some lawn-tennis, a little dancing and a good deal of promenading through the beautiful and extensive grounds. A military band provided music for the company, and ice cream and straw- berries, cake, etc., were served on the wide verandahs. Government House is situated on an elevated ridge of land, and commands a fine view of the sea coast all along the north shore of the island from St. George's to Ireland Isle. Prom the grounds we could see the town of Hamilton, Pembroke Marsh, the waters of the Great Sound, studded with islands of every size, and, by the aid of a marine glass, the hills of Port Royal, with the Lighthouse crowning the summit of the highest, blending softly with the rose-tinted '•'ruds into me blue haze of the dintant '^lie demesne of Government h .' contains about 70 acres. Tine "n which are to be found many jstmg specimens of foreign trees, surubs and plants, stretches out on the southern side of the hill below the house, the descent to which is precipitous, but rendered pleasanter by a series of steps from successive terraces constructed by Governor Reid for the purpose of preventing the surface soil from being swept away by heavy rains. On these terraces are planted trees and shrubs of many varieties, now all growing well. It was here that Lady Turner planted the first weeping- willow ever seen in the island ; the species is now very common. Governor Reid planted the India rubber trees which stand near the steps leading down to the garden. The wurapee and htchen trees were also planted by him. There are a number of large silk cotton trees in the garden. There is also a pretty conservatory, which contains numerous specimens of rare and delicate tropical plants. Being near Hungary Bay on our way home we drove over to one of the curiosities of Bermuda— the mangrove swamp there. A strange sight it is ; the mangroves with their unwhole- some leaves and slimy roots, the cradles of young alligators and sharks. These trees grow thickly together, the trunks as tall as oleanders, but the branches turn down and take root in the soil, looking like large serpents twisting and turning up and down. The top branches are covered with leaves. The seeds vpgetate amongst the branches, while still adhering to the foot stalk. Moore thus describes it in hia fanciful and poetic style : •• They tell ua of an Indian tree. Which howBo'er the sun and sky May tempt its bouaha to wander free And ahoot and bloaaom wide and high, Far better lovea to bend ita arma Downward again to that dear earth From which the life that fills and warma Ita grateful being first had birth." Fortunately the denizens of the Bermudian mangrove swamps are not the dangerous creatures usually found in like localities in the tropics — croco- diles, alligators and serpents. The crocodiles of Egypt usually are thirty feet long and are frightfully ferocious. They are, like alligators, a species of lizard, though Milton writes thus of the crocodile of the East : " The river-horae, the scaly crocodile. Amphibious between both sea and land." The alligator, which is indigenous to America, attains the length of eighteen feet. America is most fruit- 28 II !' i!t I": ful in crocodiles and possesses more species than Asia and Africa put together. Spenser gives us the following pen portrait of a crocodile after dinner taking a siesta : " Inside the fruitful iihore of muddy Nile, Upon a sunny bank outstretched lay, In monatrouB length, a mighty crocodile That, crammed with guiltless b'ood and greedy prey Of wretched people traveling that way. Thought all things less than his distainful pride." Herodotus, the father of historj', says that as the crocodile lives chiefly in the river and amongst rushes it has the inside of its mouth constantly covered wtth leeches; and although all birds and beasts avoid it, there is one tiny bird called the Tedula, " The least of thousands which on ' earth abide," and which goes into the croco- dile's mouth and eats the leeches. This benefits the crocodile, who takes care not to hurt his tiny friend. Moore also mentions " The puny bird that dares with teasing hunj Within the orocodile'a stretched jaws to come," and feed within the mouth of the " Autocrat of all the Rushes." Herodotus speaks of crocodiles as fighting with dolphins at the mouth of the Nile river, but in those latter days none are ever seen below. Mineyeh. A traveller from that place tells the following story of a crocodile hunt : " A prize was offered for the first man who detected a crocodile. After watch- ing for two days at length the cry of Timaeach ! timseaoh ! was heard from half a dozen claimants of the proffered prize. They pointed eagerly l^ a point of sand on - which were strewn ap- parently some logs of trees. It was a covey of crocodiles / Our intended victims might have prided themselves on their superior nonchalance ; a^d indeed as I approached them there seemed to be a sneer on their ghastly mouths and in their winking eyes. Slowly they rose one by one and waddled to the water— all but one ; he lay still till I was within a hundred yards of him ; then slowly rising on his fin like le^ he lumbered towards the river, lookmg askance at me with an expression of contempt that seemed to say he can do no harm, but we may as well have a swim. I took aim at the throat of the supercilious brute. 1 could hear the thud of the bullet as it plunged into the scaly leather of his neck ; his waddle became a plunge ; tho waves closed over him ; as I reached the brink of the shore there was blood upon the water, and he rose for a mo- ment to the surface, • A hundred piastres for the timseaoh I' shouted I, and half a dozen Arabs plunged into the stream ; but he was gone, alas I 1 never saw him again. ' To shoot at crows and crocodiles is powder flung away.' I realized the truth of the adage. It is very difficult to obtain a crocodile by shooting it. The Arabs make an ambush in the sands where they resort, and take aim when within a few yards of them. A sad incident occurred near Kench ; a crocodile watched an old woman who was draw- ing water, encircled her with his tail, brushed her into the water, then seizing her by the waist, held her under the water as long as she continued to struggle. When lifeless he swam with the body to the opposite bank, where he was seen devouring her as an otter might feed upon a salmon. Perhaps the wretch was shedding tears over her, crocodile tears I CrocodUi lachi/nme. But the long arm of Justice reached the assassin. The Arabs shot him soon afterwards.'' : , "A gtofy should, to please, at least seem ' true, , Be apropos, well told, concise, and new," 29 am soon Do you think mine has these qualities, Z ^^' V^^ ooploui utories oftentiinea begun. *iOd withoat audieuoe.and an never done." The king of the crocodiles is said to reside in Denderah, and the queen some forty miles higher up the river. Ihis separatio a menm et thoro of the royal pair does not appear to have any injurious effect on the interests of the grim community ; there was scarcely a sunny bank between those regal residences whereon a crowd of croco- diles was not to be seen, hatching eggs or plots against passengers. The parent crocodile deposits her eggs to the number of from 80 to 100 in the sand, which is a sort of foundling hospital for her race. •• I cannot tell how the truth may be ; I say the tale aa 'twaa said to me." " Men say the times ar- itrange— 'tis true, Cause many strange things hap to be ; Len It not then aeem strange to you That here one strange thing more you see." One thing more, and stranger still, I have to tell about crocodiles. Ovid says : "The mtraiU of croco- diles are excellent to take freckles or spots from the face and to whiten the skm." As Pharos, an island jn the mouth of the Nile, abounded in croco- diles the poet advises those who are swarthy and freckled to use the ''Pliarian Wash." What an elegant, charming cosmetic! recommended and offered to fashionable beauties in the days of Ovid, who was 43 years old at the birth of Christ. Voila I ''The Pharian Wash, soid by all perfumers, dcr «• If swarth to the Pharian Var- nish fly."- Ovid, Art of Love, III. (d.C. 2.) Crocodiles are not an interesting or a pleasing subject, but they are a fact, and we might at some time meet with one (but at a safe distance I trust). If you ever should be chased by a crocodile on land 1 will give you a •' pointer" thereon. Turn round and round m a long circle. In scientific terms I shall explain why. The vertebras of the neck bear upon each other by means of small false ribs, which render lateral motion difficult. Crocodiles, therefore, change their direction not without trouble, and they may be easily avoided by doubling and escaping while they are in the laborious operation of turning round. They have no true clavicles, but their coracoid apophyses are attached to the sternum, as in all the other Saurians. After this useful and lucid information If you ever meet a Saurian face to face Alone in a lonely place you must remember that he cannot turn quickly, and that is your only chance of escape. The monotony of Bermuda life is not varied by experiences such as the following, which sometimes occurs in the West Indian Islands, viz. : One of the olive branches of the house crying out, •• Papa, there is a crocodile on the lawn," or a rattle-snake coiled up in sis- sy's bed ; or perhaps a centipede crawl- ing up the wall in the summer house. But here in Bermuda there are no cruel crocodiles and no alarming alli- gators to seize the too inquisitive explorer by the leg without warning, or boa constrictors to entwine his* person with their hideous folds. There are only the harmless crabs which chmo the trees. We cannot here gaze upon the playful gambols of the young alhgator basking in the sun or playing hide and seek with infant crocodiles, or, in the happy innocence of childhood, learning from a tender mother to catch any rash being or unwary animal which ventures too near their playground, thus assisting her in providing dinner for the "table d'hote," at which festive board croco- diles and fl\\\an.inra ...f the 4,600 rtreas 3,000 Sir Samuel )n the valor soldiers. their bosoms onid be strc • tie sarf-beaten eir blood and be harvest of there were le army, bat tly outnum- !owever, the d in Parlia- )f Waterloo I the army Q. rish soldiers the defence eninsula of ir life blood, d the ooc- 1, but were iinished for Even when Revolution kted to some e permitted r in safety, deprived of izens. The tny similar olio private ordered by ^testant ser- I sent to the 87 black hole. He then wrote a respect- m ®^POStuiation to his commandinK oftcer. For having dared to do this hi was tried by court martial and sen- tenced to receive 999 lashes / The bar- barous sentence was in the act of execution when he was oflfered the choice of exchange into a condemned {convict) regiment, which he giadlv ac- cepted. ^ ^ OConnell brought another instance of this kind before the Catholic Com- mittee on the 3 St December, ]810. iHe following is an extract of his speech from tlie Dublin Evening Post of that date: "I conceive we are called upon by every social feeling as Catholics and Irishmen to drag the bigoted delinquents, whatever may be their exalted rank in life, not only be- fore an enhghtened public, but before a tourt of Criminal Jurisdiction The tacts, as reported to me, are as follows : A Roman CathoUc soldier in the Mihtia, for no other offence than for attending chapel to discharge those religious duties which he. in common with all mankind, owed to his God has been sentenced to be transported FOR LiFBl and has actuaily, tike a criminal, a common convict, proceeded fi ^°«7-*^*f passage into exile as the Isle of Wight. ''Though I have tola most bitter truths, I have told them without bitterness ; deem not my zeal factious or mis timed." I will give you the Duke of Welling- ton's speech here, as it seems an appropriate place for it. Perhaps you have never read it. The Duke of Wellington, m 1828, addressing the Uouse of Lords in favour of Catholic ii-mancipation, which measure was t len before the House, said : «• It is more than half the troops entrusted to my command were Irish Catholics • and we must admit that without Ca' thoho blood and Catholic valor no victory could have been obtained. If on the eve of a battle, I had thus addressed my Catholic troops: 'You will know that England, our country, either so suspects your loyalty or so detests your religion that she has not the ranks or give you the rights of her cit zens ; if on that account you deem It an act of lujubtice on her part to require you to shed your blood in her defence you are at liberty to withdraw ' 1 am quite sure, my lords, they would whPn ^h f u^"'^ ^^''y '' *'^« tour when the Irishman best knows his duty, and is mo,^t determined to per- form It. But if they had deserted, the remamder of the troops could not have crowned the . ritish arms «ith victory Whenever I meet one of the brave Irishmen of my command, and see him degraded below the lowest menial and proclaimed unfit to enter within the pale of the Constitution I feel almost ashamed of the honors which have h-en lavished upon me - Apropos of Lord Wellington's speech there IS an anecdote of Shiel the Eloquent, who replied to an un- wise onslaught by Lord Lyndhurst against the Iri.h nation. Shiel asked Where was Arthur, Duke of Wel- 1°/5T' 2^^®°, ,'^®^® ^o^ds were ut- tered ? Breathlessly he should have started up to disclaim them. ' The battles, sieges, fortunes that he passed ought to have come back upon him.' •' f„,?i^//'°°^ ^""^^ j"«"y P^a^ses the xaitufui and courageous soldiers who "By torch and trumpet fast arrayed. An?f!l°".!"-*!"--"T ^" battle-blade, 10 join the dreadful revelry. Then shook the hills with thunder riven Then rushed the steeds to battle drivw. ' And louder than the bolts of heaven ' *ar flashed the red artillery. 38 The burating ahell, the gateway wrenohed asnnder, The rattlins; musketry, the orashing blade, Aod ever and anon, in tones of thonder, The diapason of the cfijanonade. Is it, Man 1 with each discordant voioes, With such acoarsed instruments aa these, Thou drownest Nature's sweet and kindly Yoioes, And jarrest the celestial harmonies." Adieu. Placidia. CHAPIER X\.i i ' It Hamilton, February, 18 — . Deab 1 v;8it daily the Pub- lic Library, give a glance at the barometer and thermomet r, and spend a couple of hou s reading the old journals and magaz'nes, " tracking the footprints of Time, the tomb- builder through the scenes where, dark, stern, pitiless, he holds his dread car«>3r." Having mad^ copious notes from these mouldy records of bygone days I will tell you of some sad and stirring events of the last Century — 'he history of the oppres sion of Ireland by a sister country, the only parallel to which is Eussia's tyranny over Poland. This oft told tale seems so much more touching in those ancient journals. I shall com- mence with Tom Moore's appointment to Bermuda and residence there. In 1803 Moore made his tour to Am'^rica, during which time he com- posed some exquisite poetry. In 1804 Muore came to Bermuda, having been appointed Registrar of the Court of Vice-Admiralty. This remote and secluded island was simply a place of exile to the talentei author of " Lalla Kookh," the genial and versatile pcet whj was accustomed to the gay society and the busy world of England's metropolis. After endur ng for some months this banishment from his home and country, this separation I U« 1 1J J, __j .1. a i: in lonely Bermuda that "Dolce far niente " which he perhaps expected, the poet procured a deputy to attend to the duties of his office and returned hom'?. While in Bermuda, alluding to the very slow and inefficient mail Eervice of that period, Moore used to say, with the Cockney aoc-ent, that he was an exile of hearin' as well as an •• exile of Erin." A noted authoress, writing of Thomas Moo e's poetry, says: "His charmed numbers flow on like the free current of a melodious stream, whose associdtions are with tHe sunbeams and the shadows, the leafy bough, the song of the for st birds, the dew upon the flowery bank, and all things sweet and genial and delightful, whose influ- ence is around us i i our happiest moments, and whose essienoe is the wealth thit les hoarded in the trea- sures of nature." — Mrs. Ellis. The following quotation is given to illustrate le justness of this criticism, though i think Moore has written many sweeter verses than this. How- ever, " LalU Rookh " is undoubtedly his finest poem : "I saw fr >m the beach, when the morning was shining, A bark o'er the waters move gloriously on; I came where the sun o'er that beach was deoliniDf;, The bark was still there bat the waters were gone." Mooie was decidedly one of the greatest poets of nis time, the golden age of poe y. If he had been an iiiDglisLuian iiisicftd of uo Irish Catho- lic what a difference it would have made in his fortunes ! If we compare the honors heaped on Tennyson w\th the treatment accorded Moore we 89 ordant voioei, nenta aa theae, let and kindly armoniea." PlacidiA. la, alluding Bcient mail ore used to mt, that he well as aD writing of says : '• His like the free earn, whose I sanbeams bough, the le dew upon dings sweet vhose mflu- It happiest moe is the n the trea- Uis. is given to is criticism, las written his. How- mdoubtedly the morning ve glorioualy at beach was it the waters ine of the the golden d been an ■„! _1 A^ Al _ rmu v/aiiio- pould have we compare jiyson w\th Moore we natarally feel astonished, but when we consider the circumstances our wonder ceases. It is in the nature of man to hate those whom he has injured, and "qualis rex, talis grex" (hke king, like court). The iutolerance of George III. towards Catholics is well known, and it is sa'd that Moore deeply ofifended the Eegent, afterwards George IV., by some of the humorous and saiirical poams in which he cr'tio zed the faults and follies cf that prince. In one of these, the •• Insurrection of the Papers," occurs the follow\ng amusing verse : " Me*:hought the Prince, in whialcTed i-tate, Before me at hio breakfast sate ; On one aide lay unread petitiono, On t'oth<)r hints from five phyaioiano ; Her^ tradesman's bills — i fiScial p pers. Notes from my Larty, drams for vap rs. There plans of saddles, tea and toast, Death warrants and the Morning P at." Several other poems are anything but flattering to the first gentleman of Europe ; of these the following is a typical verse : " Some monarohs take roundabout ways into note, Wbile his (the Prince) short cut to fame is the cut of his ooit ; Philip's son thought the world too small for his soul. But our Regent's found room in a laced button -hole." Tom Moore once said of George IV , when Prince of Wales : " I am sure that the powder in His Royal Highness' hair is much more settle I than anything in his head or in his heart " Lord Byron also satirized George IV. as " Fum" in "Don Juan," Canto XL: " Where's Brummel ? Dished. Where's Long Pole Wellpslev ? Dicldlfd. Where's Whitbread? Romily ? Where's Geor e the III. ? Where is bis will ? (That'a not so soon 2JJI-J V And where is " FiiM " the Fourth, our "royal bird?" Gone down, it seems, to Scotland, to be fiddled Unto by Sawney's violin, we have heard. 'Caw me, Caw thee'— for six montha had been hatching This scene of royal itch and loyal ssratoh- ing." Fuaa IS a Chinese fabled oreature, a combination of goose, stag and snake, with the beak of a cock, described as a mixture of folly, cowardice, malice and conceit. The foUowi g epitaph was written on Frederick Louis, the father of George III., who was killed by a cr cket ball in 1760 : " He ^'as alive, and is dead But. us it is only Fred, Why, there's no more to bo said." Lord Byron wrote some of the most stinging political ballads of the day against the Government and its corrupt methods. It took a grea. deal of bribery to pass the Act of Union. Endeavor was made to buy up the Irish Parliament, money was lavishly paid the poorer members, titles offered the more wealthy and a general pro- mise made that Catholic Emancipation would soon be granted. To so many was the bribery effective that the Irish Parliament divided on the question, standing 105 members for and 106 against the Act. Lord Byron thus assails with caustic irony one of the bribed, Lord Fingali, on whom had been conferred the Order of St. Patrick: •• Will thy yard of blue ribbon poor Fingali recall The fetters from millions of Catholio limbs Or hast it not bound thee the fastest of all The slaves who now hnil their Betrayer with h>mn8." Wilham Pitt opealy advocated bribery, and used to say " Everg man has his price." I will give you some extracts from Moore's verses regarding the Act of Union between England and Ireland, which was passed in 1800, and which 13 SO mueu vautnod lately by Uistei' Unionists in connectirn with the agitation for Irish Home Rule. To explain Moore's bitterness against the Act of Union and the relation it bears 40 to Home Rale I must enter on a brief disquisition concerning that subject. Perhaps you have forgotten the cir- cumstances attending the passing of the Act of Union, for they seem almost lost sight of at the present day. In my next I shall give you an outline of it. Moore thus lashes those traitors to their country who accepted bribes : •' Not bolder truths of sacred Freedom hung Prom Sidney's pen or burned on Fox's tongue Than upstart Whigs produce each market ' night While yet their consoienoe as their purse is light." *^ • • • • » " But bees on flowers alighting oease their hum, So settling upon places, Whigs grow dumb, And though most base is he, who 'neath the shade ) Of Freedom's ensign plies corruption's trade, Yet, yet, I own 90 venerably dear, Are Freedom's grave old anthems to my ear, That I eojoy them, though by traitors sung. And reverence Scripture even from Satan's tongue." This is addressed to Pitt : " Yes, my dear friend, wert thou but near me now To see how Spring lights up E in's brow ; Couldst thou but see what verdure paints the sod, Which none but tyrants and their slaves have trod ; And didst thou know the spirit, kind and brave, That warns the soul of each insulted slave. Thy heart would burn— yes. even thy Pittite heart Would burn to think that such a bloominff Eart * e world's garden, rijh in nature's charms And filled with social souls and vigorous arms, Should be the victim of that canting crew So smooth, so godly— yet so devilish too ; Who, armed at once with prayer books and with whips. Blood on their hands and Scripture on their lips, Tyrants by creed and torturers by tex*, Make this life Hell in honor of the next." crowd Prefer- burning to be Here are a few pasquinades of tliat period, hundreds of which were pub- lished replete with sarcasm : "And the jingling of tie guinea helps the hurt that Houour feels And ihe nations dMe parents were The Lord knows who I" *' Unnumbered suppliAnts ment's gate, A thirst for wealth and great." The following verses show how patriotically Moore defied the party in power : ' ' To place and power all public spirit tends, In place and power all public spirit ends ; Like hardy phnte, that love the air and sky. When out 'twill thrive— but taken in 'twill die." * • * » • " V^^' ^''* *^°8*° •"'^ *hu8 began his apes. Thus devils, whea first raised, take pleas- ing shapes ; But 0, poor Ireland ! if -.evenge be sweet, For centuries of wronsr, for dark decpit. For withering insuft- for the Union thrown Into thy bitter cup, when that alone Of slavery's draught w-inting— if for this Revenge be sweet, thou hast that Demon's bliss ; For sure 'tis more than Hell's revenge to see That England trusts the men who've ruined thee." • * « » , " These hacked and tainted tools, so foully fit For the grand artisan of mischief, Pitt." It was Tennyson's happier lot to flourish under the reign of the gentle Royal Lady whose v rtues now adorn the British crown — Viotoria. " May she rule us long And leave to us rulers of her blood As noble, till the latest day ! May children of our children say, '^She wrought her per pie lasting good, iier court was purp, her life »erene, God gave her peace ; her land reposed ; A thouaed claims to reverence closed In her as Mother, Wife and Queen." Vive la Reine. Plaoidia. 41 LETTER XVil. iken in 'twill Hamilton, March 8, 18—. Dear My last letter was con- oerning the history of Ireland in Thomas Moore's time, and you desire to hear more about that period of suf- fering, those ages of tears and blood. Do you know what Voltaire says about the qualities which are indispensable to historians? Not that Voltairo is an authority ; for I suppose, as he did not believe in God, he did not believe in the truth and honour of mankind. He says : " Quand on 6orit I'histoire, on ne doit etre d'aucun pays, et it faut se depouilier de tout esprit de parti." But that is more easily said than done. I mast defer my bit of histoiy till next time I write, as we have been visited by a terrific storm such as sometimes swoops down upon those sea girt isles and holds high carnival there, without " let or hindrance." I must tell you about this storm, ani^. shall use Shakespeare's words, which describe it well : *'I have seen tempests whea the aoolding wind* Have riven the knotty oaks, and I have seen The ambitious Ocean sweh and rage and foam To be exalted with the threatheaing clouds ; But never till to night, never till now, Did I go through a tempest dropping fire." All these months old Winter has been masquerading in the garb of Autumn, aping the mildness of the lamb and the gentleness of the dove ; but, as if enraged at his enforced exit, the old tyrant casts off the mask and appears in his true character. " Surly Winter, passing to the north, calls to his ruffian blasts and they obey." " As yet the trembling year is unconfirmed. And Winter oft at eve resumes the breeze, ChilU the paie morn, an<1 bids his driving sleets Deform the day delightless ; so that scarce The bittern knows his time with bill in- gulphed To shake the sounding marsh ; or from the shore The plovers when to scatter o'er the heath. And sing their wild notes to the listening waste." And " Spring still lingers in the lap of Winter." Oh fief Spring. On the 1st of March we had a grand performance by the elements, which kept us awake nearly all night. " The winds that now began to blow with boisterous sweep to swell the brooding terrors of the storm." It was a fear- fully stormy night; but though the wind was ao fierce, the air was pleas- ant and not at all cold. *' There is a voice in every viewless wind." " The wind has a language I would I oonld learn 1 Sometimes 'tis soothing, and sometimes 'tis stern ; Sometimes it comes like a low, sweet song, And all things grow calm as the sound floats aloDflf." Awake all night listening to the voices of the Tempest I composed a programme, which, when you have read, you may say, as Dryden said of f'lecknoe, that " I, in prose and verse, am owned without dispute, Through all the realms of nonsense absolute." Voila. Geand Conokbt By The Elements, At Hamilton, March 1st, 18 — . Under the patronage of his Majesty King Boreas and his Court, King Neptune and Queen Amphitrite. Pro- teus and the Sirens Thetya and Calliope taking part. I must describe it in verse, for " Poetry is the shorthand of thought," and who does not love poetry ? George Herbert says : ** Jo. VGtoS uisy Quu uiiQ WuO & idroiiOU Qieii, And turn delight into a saorifioe." " Well Boundin"; verses are t^a charms we use Heroic thoughts i>:—" Murmurs of the Ocean "—by the Prima Donna 0/ Neptune's Theatre. " Sleet 1 and Hail I and Thunder 1 And ye winda that rave, ' Till the aanda thereunder Tinge the auUen wave. • Winda that like a demon Howl with horrid note Round the toiling aeaman In hia toaaing boat." Song— Quartette— by tlie Qlee Club of ^^p. tune's Court. " What are the wild wavea aaying ?" Solo by Thetys the Siren. " Oh the Summer night Haa a amile of light, And ahe ' ita on a aapphire throne ; Whilat the aweet winds load her With garlanda of odour. From the bud to the rose o'er-flown ? But the Autumn night Haa a piercing sight. And a atep both strong and free ; And a voice for wonder, Like the wrath of the thunder When he ahouta to the stormy aea 1 And the Winter night la all cold and white, And he singeth a song of pain, Till the wild-bee hummeth. And the warm Spring cometh, When he dies in a dream of rain !" By the Baritone of King Boreas' Vocal Society. In winter when the dismal rain Came down in slanting lines, •^H^. ^•n duet, then the full chorus, swellr i into grand harmony, ended the entertainment. Amid the chill and gloom of this laggard Spring it was cheering to hear their merry warble. " The blackbird whistlea irom the thorny brake ; The mellow bull-finch answers from the grove ; Nor are the linnets, o'er the flowering furze Poured out profusely, silent ; joined to these Numerous songsters, in the freshening shade Of new- sprung leaves, their modulations mix Mellifluous ; while the love-bird breathes A melancholy mnrmnr through the whole." After which we welcomed with plea- sure the advent of the rain-bow : -- xnac gracious DQiQg uiade up 01 tears and light." " What skilful limner e'er would choose To paint the rainbow's varied hues. Unless to mortal it were given To dip his brush in dyes of Heaven." 5r 44 " Look npon the rainbow and pralM Him that made it; very beautiful it ia in the M I bnghtneea thereof ; it oompamea the heavena jj 1 about with a glorious olrole, and the handa of the Moet High have bended it."— (Ecolea., ohap. xliii.) " Triumphal aroh. that filla the aky When atorme prepare to part, I aak not proud rhiloaophy To tell me what thou art." And* now oomea " Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep." in 01 thou beat oomforterof the aaddeat heart When fortune'a apite aaaaila— oome, gentle Sleep ; Thou know eat in aoft forgetfulneaa to steep The eyes which aorrow'a taught to watoh and weep. This is enough of poetry and non- sense (not that poetry is nonsense, however). "Fare thee well. May the elements be kind to thoe and make thy spirits full of comfort." I have received your welcome let* ters — Thoae winged poatilliona that can fly From the Antarotio to the Arotio aky. Seneca says in his Epic (4) : " It is by the benefit of letters that absent friends are brought together." *' Kind meaaagea that paaa from land to land. In which we feel the preaanre of a hand." As you are so anxious to hear more about Irish Home Bule and the Act of Union, &o., I shall Beoord for you thia tale of pain, The history of a modern Gain, From age to age in tear-atained ptge. But as • Brevity is the soul of wit," I will be brief, for , " Brevity ia very good Whether we are, or are not underatood." Placidia. LETTER XVIII. Hamilton, March, 18—. Dear As yon have requested me to give you some aformation concern ing the «• Act of Union," which Tom Mjore wrote so bitterly against, and its connection with the Home Rule measure of the present day ; and "Since 'tia your command, what you ao well Are pleased to hear, I'll not refuse to tell," I will endeavor to give you some information about the state of things at that eventful period. A vieuxcomp- tes nouvelles disputes. Irish Home Rulo has been for years prominently before the British Parlia- ment^ and will continue to be agitated till that measure of justice is con- "---Etr^j, uni vtixs SViiiUSi lull IiGlu bu6 6V6S of the hereditary legislators of Great Britain, or till those hereditary legis- lators are themselves deposed from their high estate as rulers of that country— cast down from the tyrant might and insolence of power which mocks the name of freedom. " Thou art a lord, and nothing but a lord." Pope thus warns the Peers : "If by your father's worth your own vou rate, Count me those only who were good and great. Go 1 if your ancient but ignoble blood Has crept through scoundrels ever since the fined ; Go 1 and pretend your family is young. Nor own your fathers have been fools ao long. What can ennobla aott, or slaves, or cowards ? Alas 1 NOT ALL THE BLOOD OP ALL THE Ho WARDS." I will commence by reminding you briefly of the fact that for over 2uo years millions of English and Irish Roman Oatholics were by the Penal Laws of England kept in a state of welcome let< that oan fly e Arotio aky. io (4) : " It is I that absent her." from Und to e of a hand." to hear more nd the Aot of paltt. iin, lined pige. soul of wit," >t understood." Placidia. tiers of that Q the tyrant power which am. in but a lord." Peers : your own you were good and tile blood I ever since the is young, been fools so or slavee, or > OF ALL THE minding you br over 2UU h and Irish ly the Penal in a state of 4ft slavery, victims of causeless injustice, aUenH in their native land for the crime of worshipping God according to their conscience. From the reign of Eliza- beth (J658) to 1778 the cruel Penal Laws were in force against Catholics, The American War and Declaration of Independence by the United States caosed, in 1778, through political exigencies some relaxation of the Penal Code. In 1782 the Independ- ence of the Irish Parliament was asserted, and for early 20 years after- wards the progress and improvement of Ireland was rapid beyond example ; but indeed there was plenty of room for improvement. This well being and pecuniary success of Ireland was in England viewed with jealous eyes, and soon sfilfish legislation checked the tide of prosperity and reduced the country to misery. Driven to desper- ation the Irish, both Protestants and Catholics, as " United Irishmen," re- belled in 17i)8, but were put down and severely punished. The Act of Union was then passed in 1800, *• What is Revolution ? You enquire What you might know were but the people wise, What your son's sons must know some day in England. If the few govern only for the few." Lord -Clare stated in Parliament (1798) of Ireland between the years 1782 and 1798 : " No Nation on the globe ever advanced in cultivation, in commerce, in agriculture, in manufac- ures, as rapidly in the same period." Though the majority of the Irish House of Commons were men who had no Irish interests whatever, and though Ireland was a Catholic coun- try, the nation was not represented. Not a Catholic could raise his voice in that aasAmhIv. 'Plio Taat A/.f noa««;i m Charles the Second's time (1673) debarred Catholics from all offices, mihtary and civil, und still con- tinued in force ; and as no Catho- lic could sit in Parliament, most oppressive and insulting laws against them were passed by that Irish PaJia- ment. However, there were many noble, generous souls, Protestants like Grattan, who toiled with unceasing energy to promote their country's welfare ; and those patriots thought little of any personal sacrifice which might obtain some increase of liberty, some happier condition of life for their countrymen in the future. " When a patriot falls, must he faP. in th« battle Where the oiinnon's loud roar is his only death rattle t There's a warfare where none but the uior- ally brave Stand nobly and firmly their country to save. 'Tis the war of opinion where few oan bs found On the mountain of principle guarding the ground ; With vigilant eyes ever watching the foes Who are prowling around them and aiming their blows." To give you an idea of what a fear- ful state Ireland was in during the time when, in Parliament, the Aot of Union was under discussion, I shall quote Daniel O'Connell's statement before the Repeal Association, April, 1840 : " All the time the Act of Union was under discussion the Habeas Corpus Act was suspended ; no man could call one hour's liberty his own. Courts-martial had unlimited power, and threatened all with death who dared to resist the spoliation of their birthright." Many poor oreal'-res were hanged or shot or stabbed (bayoneted) simply for wearing green, whether it was worn on purpose or accidentally. It is stated that there was more sUixciing, misery asu wrong innicted on innocent persons in Irish prisons during the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act than in twenty years in Paris within the walls of the Bastile. I 46 " what a wretched country aa thia was never seca, For they're hanging men and women for the wearing of the green. No more St. Patrick's day we'll keep, hb odour can't be seen, For there is a bloody law against the wearing of the green." I quote the following resolution to show you the state of public feeling anent the Act of Union. At a public meeting convened for the purpose of protesting against the Union, at the Ro>ciI,Exchange, Dublin, Jan., 1800, the following resolution was passed. This is one of a series of similar reso- lutions, all of which indicate the state of public feeling throughout Ireland ^garding the Act of Union : " Resolved— That we are of opinion that the proposed incorporate union of the legislature of Great Britain and Ireland is in fact an extinction of the Uberty of this country, which would be reduced to the abject condition of a province surrendered to the mercy of the ministers and legislators of another country, to be bount: by their absolute will and taxed at their pleasure by laws in the making of which this country would have no efficient parti- cipation whatever ; and that we believe that this deadly attack upoa the nation will be the great call of nature, of country and posterity upon Irishmen of all classes and persuasions to every constitutional and legal resistance; and that we sacredly pledge ourselves to persevere in obedience to that call as long as we have life." (Signed; J. Bbyan, Secretary. Here is a historian's statement : " It is easy to understand that the subversion of a resident independent parliament, especially when forced upon the people, would cause intense dissatisfaction. The Act of Union Ttraa V\tkaeir\A w«.. i. i.1 1 -_ .•. tional appeal to the electors, which precluded the freedom of assent, and prevented the Act of Uuion from being a fair compact between nations."— Dr. C. COOTES. Fox, the powerful rival of Pitt, con sidered the Act of Union illegal, and expressed strong views as to the strength of the people, and stated that the "English Parliament had no moral right to make a Uniou between the two countries without the sanction of the people ' The following is an extract from a letter of Mr. Fox, who was opposed to Pitt's policy, written on January 19, 1790 : " If it were only for the state of representation in their House of Commons I should object to the Union ; but when you add the state of the country, it is the most mon- strous proposition that evtr was made. I have a full conviction that it is com- pletely impossible, and if I were to allow myself a leaning to any extreme, it would be that of Federalism."— Foxs Correspondence, vol. iv. Hon. Mr. Gladstone, in a speech on St. Patrick's night in 1887, stated that: "The whole Liberal party of England were strongly opposed to the Parliamentary Union between Eng- land and Ireland. Not only those who acted with Mr. Fox, but Mr. Fox, down to the last hour of his life, was a dissentient person towards that most premature and unhappy plan." This scheme of Union was assailed bravely by the sarcastic art and nervous oratory of Sheridan, by the chastened and dignified eloquence of Gray, the acuteness of I ierney, and the casuistry of Lawrence. After the passing of the Act of Union for a couple of years Ireland seemed to be stunned by a heavy and unexpected blow, but when she re- covered herself her first act was to protest against the blow and the man- ner in which the blow was given. Public meetings were held, and the repeal of the Act of Union was de- manded as essential for the country's ations."— Db. il of Pitt, oon n illegal, and i as to the id stated that : had no moral between the le sanction of ctraot from a as opposed to January 19, for the state eir House of )jeot to the idd the state ) most mon- rtr was made, liat it is oom- if I were to any extreme, deralism." — iv. i a speech on 1887, stated ral party of >po8ed to the itween Eng- only those but Mr. Fox, his life, was :ds that most »lan." Wds assailed bic art and dan, by the eloquence of I ierney, and • the Act of ears Ireland i heavy and ben she re- act was to od the man- s given, eld, and the lion was de- 26 country's 47 welfare and prosperity. Daniel O'Con- n )11, at one meeting, made this state- ment in an eloquent speech : " The Union was a manifest injustice, ana it continues to be unjust to this day ; it was a crime, and must still be crim- inal, unless it shall be ludicrously pretended that crime like wine, im- proves by old age, and that time mollifies injustice into innocence " Dublin Post, March 26th, 1808. This is certainly forcible and em- phatic language. A voice from the honorei^ dead, it points out the neoes sity of Home Bule for Ireland now as it was then. A very largely attended mass meeting to advocate Repeal of the Union was held in I&IO and from that time a constant organized agita- tion for the people's rights has been itept up led by the patriots and lovers of justice in Ireland, and assisted by those of other countries who practice the precept of our Lord : " Do unto others as you would they should do unto you." Bat those men of high oondltion That rule afifairs of State, Their purpose is ambition. Their practice only hate. It is now the last decade of the cen- tury since that Act of Union was passed which deprived Ireland of the power of making laws for herself, and left her helpless a(i the mercy of a country alien in religion and in race. The Irish people have never ceased their endeavour to obtain an Irish Parliament — in other words. Home Bule. But even now a change is at band. God grant superior spirits to guide its course, to steer the Ark of Human Liberty through the stormy waves of turbulent bigotry into a haven of prosperity and peace. The time shall soon come when the poor Irish can say, in the words of Solomon : *' For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone ; the flowers appear on the earth ; the time of the singing of birds has come, nd the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land." Ireland shall no longer be the " Niobe of nations." and. as Gladstone said, " England shall no longer have her Poland." " The shades of the martyrs, looking out from the Past, Shall see what they died for accomplished at last." " It often falls in course of common life. That * Right ' long time is overborne of • Wrong,' Through avarice, or power, or guile, or strife. That weakens her and makes her foes too strong ; But Justice, though her doom she do pro- long. Yet at the last will her own cause right." — Spbnbbb. " Often do the spirits of great events Stride on before the events ixnd in to-day already walks to-morrow." "And coming events cast their shadows before," Dieu vous garde. Plaoidia. i>i i$ LETTER XIX. D.*« ^^^'^^o^' March. 18- and Local Government Boards, and f TT A ~TZ TT^ . ^*^® y°" *° account the obstructions and expense entailed A? , ^°^ ^"'°" between England by all these slow processes, the drain, and Ireland in my last, letter, now I age remains still as it was fortv years will ask : do you know what Home ago. - ' Kule means? It is simply giving the Now it is evident that Home rule Irish people the privilege of managing would sett e all these grievances their own affairs. At present an Irish Canada has Home Rule. Our vounc county can't build a railroad without country had a fight for it • but our iiavmg to go through ah the trouble neighbour, the American Eagle warn- and red^tapeism of having the matter ed off the vultures of the " Fami/y brought before the English Parliament Compact" who were trying to devour n.rL*^^..u?°'^"* ^\ J'^** ^""^y-. If ^]'^ '»"•* ^y "nj"8t laws, ruinous taxa- Cork or Dublin or Belfast wanted to ha^'e electricity Jighti.ig their streets they would have to get a bill through the English Pa: lament. Some years ago the Dublin Improve ment Act was passed, which allows morehbertyto the <'orporation. En passant, let us remark that the passing of this Bill entailed a heavy expendi- ture, but it has removed some of the tion, etc., and though the rebellion in a military sense was a failure, and though some valuable lives were sacri- ficed in the struggle for Responsible Government, Canada was victorious at last. WHAT IS HOME KULE? If r understand it correctly it is that no power save the masses of Ireland have authority to make laws for the greatest obstac.ee to needra T^p" o'vT- anJLl kSl'° iTrthaUb/" *" tTe'"folIowrnL''"Tr "' "^""f "^"^ which hrbe"n n t fl't/'Z mproving the water eappl, of the" ?ul and h™y u' « tia?^ '" httle town. The sum estimated for of Ireland sha have ,t ?,„"'"' f 106,000 ; the sum they had to spend villanous in its origin, the resnItTf Evr„o;t: drainage of Dnhhn Sli^ ^ Z^Zt^^iC rom east to west, is merely an open all the internal improvements of fchA sewer, into which all the main sewers nation i^iprovements of the pour their foul contents ; and the odour is highly detrimental to the health of the city, especially in warm weather.^ For fully ^ forty years a "cheins ijas been on foot to carry out Australia has Home Rule ; so has New Zealand ; and in America every State in the Union has Home Rule'. The soi--disant Unionists pretend that if Home Rule be conceded the Catho- » ^ • J • ^tMi^i-j uui) 11 nume ixuie oe conceded r.lifi nneho tions of Government Commissioners not show any precedent tor such a 49 Boards, and lense entailed Bs, the drainr 18 forty years b Home rule grievances. Our young it ; but our Eagle, warn- be " Family »g to devour uinous taxa- I rebellion in failure, and s were sacri- Responsible 8 victorious !tly it is that of Ireland laws for the at the cause ed by the 1 the blood ure, beauti- the people the power — a system le result of and anti- epart from it an Irish ontrol and nstabularyi i3, over the Q, and over mts of the le ; so has srlca every ome Rule, "etend that the Catbo- I majority, b they can- tor such a hypoll eaia. When the edict of Nantes was revoked in the eighth month of James the Second's reign, and the rebellious Huguenots were driven from France, where did they go? They went to Ireland and claimed her well- known hospitality ; the Catholic King, "James the Second, treated them kindly, and established them in Ulster. Concerning this matter I find the fol- lowing extract from the pen of a noted writer, in a work entitled " Ireland, the Cradle of European Literature," by the Rev. I. B. Findlay, LL.D. : " Among the settlements made by the Huguenots in Ireland, one was at Lisburn, County Antrim, where they commenced the linen trade, to which they had been brought up. It has ever since been successfully carried on by their descendants in that town and Ulster generally. This flourishing trade is the result of wise forethought on the part of James and his govern- ment. In 1685 these Hnguenots were given a patent for conducting the linen manufacture aceording to the customs of their own country, and the Pastor whom they had brought with them received an annual grant of £60. Nicholas de Tacherois Crommelin, Esq , of Carradore Castle, is an im- mediate descendant of Monsieur Louis Crommelin, to whom the patent was granted by the British Government." When the German Protestants had to leave the Rhine region they went to Ireland and settled in Limerick. Really the only objection to Home Rule is the objection of the bigot. Why sho'ild the people of Dublin have to go to the London Parliament to get an Act passed to light their streets or to drain their city ? The people are as competent as we in Canada are to transact their own affairs. As I mentioned Landlordism above, from English statistics we learn that 900 landlords own 16,- 000,000 acres of land in Ireland ; and that $80,000,000 is annually taken out of the country by those landowners, and most of it spent out of it also. It is not strange that Ire- land is poor. If $80,000,000 were taken out of our young Dominion every year what would Canada be in ten years ? Yet statistics, which can- not lie, show that since Queen Victoria ascended the throne of England $2,150,000,000, or twelve times the national debt of the United States, has been taken out of Ireland. '* Now some cold-hearted men a k : What has Ireland to complain of? Not that hundreds of her noblec^ sors had died upon the scaffold for the stainless cause of their bleeding country. Not that the track of the emigrant ship from the Green Isle to America was strewn with the whitened bones of thousands of victims of English land- lordism. Not that the land that rightfully belonged to the Irish people has been four times confiscated. Not that while one century ago one million of her people were engaged in indus- trial pursuits there are now only 87,000." In my last letter and in another one I have compared Ireland to Niobe, quoting Lord Byron's words about Pagan Rome. It does not fully apply to Erin, as st>ny despair has not made her its prey As you are fami- liar with the legend I need not repeat it here. I think, however, that the beautiful piece of sculpture which was in the gallery of the Grand Duke of Tuscany at Florence in 1841 might be regarded as an illustration of Ireland's sorrows. This superb masterpiece was formerly in the temple of Apollo Sosianus at Rome. The execution of this interesting monument of Greek art is by some attributed to So3pas, while others believe it to be the pro- duction ot Praxiteles. Pliny says that either of the two was the author of it. This group consists of a series of 60 figures of both aexes in all the disorder and agony of pain and terror ; while the figure of Niobe, of colossal dimen- sions compared with the other figures, clasping her youngest daughter fondly to her bosom forma the centre. The hapless Niobe, in the most affecting attitude of supplication, with an ex- pression of deep grief, her eyes turned upward, implores the Gods to spare her offspring. The myth of Niobe is very pretty as explained by Volcker and others m a physical sense. According to these writers, the name Niobe signifies youth or newness. She is the daughter of the Flourishing One (Tantalus), wife of the Sun (Amphion), and the mother of the Green One (Chloris). Niobe, then, is the young, fruitful, verdant Earth, the bride of the Sun, beneath whose fecundating beams she pours forth vegetation with lavish profusion. But the revolution of the year is de- noted by Apollo and Diana (other forms of the sun and moon), changing to winter, withers up and destroys her progeny. She weeps and stiffens to stone (the frosts and torrents of win- ter) ; but (Chloris) the Oreen One re- mains, and Spring clothes the earth anew with its verdure. So may it be with poor Treland. " Now is the Winter of her discon- tent." May it soon turn to glorious Summer. "Erin, O Erin, thus bright through the tears Of a lonp night of bondage thy spirit appears. The nations hr.vs fallen and thou are atill young ; Thy sun is bat rising when others are set; And though slavery's cloud o'er thy morn iug hath hung, The full noon of freedonn shall beam round thee yet. Erin, O Erin, though in the shade, Thy star will shine out when the proudest shall fade. Unohilled by the rain and unwak'd by the wind, The lily lies sleeping through Winter's cold hour. Till Spring light touch her fetters unbind. And daylight and liberty bless the young flower. Thus. Erin, Eri^:, thy Winter is past, And the hope that lived through it shall blossom at last."— J/oore. PLAcmu. LETTEE XX. Dea.'i Hamilton, March, 18 — . As you have requested I will continue with the arguments in favor of Home Rule, and tell you what I have read on that subject. Hon. Mr. Gladstone stated in one of his speeches that England cannot be properly governed on account of Ire- land, or rather the " Irish Question." He said : •' There are perhaps thirty or forty questions of great public im- portance, manv nf fViom nf vaaf. miKli'n importance, perfectly ripe for discus- sion, all of them demanding solution, all of them having large bodies, and intelligent bodies, of men pushing them forward ; and no doubt it is a disagree able duty to perform, to say or to have performed on you, to be told : It is all nonsense ; " Ireland blocks the way." Mr. Gladstone illustrates his mean- ing by comparing it to a railway acci- dent which has encumbered the line with a wreck of carriages and goods, perhaps of passengers ; then the next train comes up and it cannot move, and uran a -auiccii fcittiiiB acuuiuuiaie Eu to- gether ; then the passengers are impa- tient, and some say : "I cannot wait ; you must drive on." The engmeer les the earth poor Treland. f her disoon- to glorioua it through the age thy spirit i thou are still hen others are o'er thy morn )ni shall beam e shade, in the proudest 1 unwak'd by ough Winter's fetters unbind, rty bless the inter is past, I rough it shall oore, Placidu. ushing them is a dis^agree lyor to have >ld : It is all cs the way." s his mean- •ailway acci- red the line and goods, len the next )t move, and jiate all to- rs are impa- annot wait ; le engmeer 51 would, if a sensible man, say : " Are you fool enough not to know that there is but one thing to do, and that is tj CLEAR THE LINE." Ireland is the wreck that blocks the way. Hon. VI r. Gladstone makes mention in a letter in the Nineteeth Century Magazine some years ago. of the fact that the House of Lords resisted effectually the efforts of a Conservative Government in 1845 to mitigate thope frightful evils and shocking misery dis- closed by the Devon Commission of investigating ; that three million of Irishmen and their unfortunate families dragged out a miserale existence at the standard of livmg just barely above starvation point. " Barely" is an ex- pressive word, for the creatures were half clad as well as half fed. Speaking of American assistance in the period of the famme, Mr. Glad- stone says : " May there not seem to be, in the outcry against present American subscriptions, even some taint of ingratitude ? When and how did they begin ? They began, I be- lieve, certamly they began to attract notice, in and after the Famine of 1847. They were directed to three ends ; and what ends ? First towards saving the people from death by starva- tion. Secondly towards saving the people from eviction, and paying the rents of the landlords, at a time when England reprobated indeed the evio tions, but did not amend, nay, as we have seen, aggrav ted the law. And, tuirdly, tUey vent to carrying forward a gigantic work of emigration ; a mournful remedy indeed for a people who intensely love their soil, but yet a real remedy, so far that it has power- fully served to obviate the recurrence of famine, to slacken the intolerable pressure of the demand for the occupa- tion of land, and to raise the wages of labor and the standar.l of living above starvation point ; above that point at which, according to the report of the Devon Commission, as interpreted by the Conservative Government of the day, three millions of Irishmen habit- ually dragged on their equivocal exist- ence in this vale of tears. Surely it is not for us either to exaggerate the evil of subscriptions abroad for the cure of mischiefs at home, or to pro- voke a hostile review of the causes which first induced America to direct a stream of wealth fed from her own resources upon Ireland. " Can the Imperial Parliament claim the credit of habitual good intention towards Ireland? Has its intention when good been well informed as well as good ? Presuming the intention of Parliament to be always good, and al- ways well informed, does the Imperial Parliament, under the established con- ditioios of Its working, offer a satis- factory provision for dealing with the internal affairs of Ireland ? ****** « " For what period, then, and under what limitations, can we firmly predi- cate a good intention of England, and latterly of the Imperial Parliament, to- wards Ireland ? Not in the first four of the seven centuries through which the connection has lasted ; for in those centuries of cruelty or neglect Mr. O'Connell has demonstrated, not by assertion but by citations from author ity, that the policy, so far as there was a policy, was in the main a policy by no means ot mere subjugation but actually of extirpation, for the Irish race inhabiting the island. Not for the fifth of the seven centuries ; it was the century of confiscations. Not for the sixth down to 1782 ; it was the century of the penal laws. All these decency forbids us to defend ; and we consign them to condemnation, and wash our hands of such proceedings. " There is no question now about the years following 1782 ; for they are the years which the Irish bless. But who will dare to assert that the inten- 62 i'M tion of England and of the Parliament WP" good even from the Legislative U.iion onwards ? At that period we cast aside the virtual pledges given to thf Roman Catholioa as ruthlessly aa the English of William the Third's time broke the Treaty of Limerick ; and, when the Union bad fatally weak- ened the personal ties between land- lord and tenant by drawing the peers and gentry of Ireland to London, we broke up by the Act of 1816 the old traditions of the country, transformed the old in the interest of the landlords, and to succeed the centuries of extir- pation, of confiscation and of penalty, we ushered in the century of evictions. To the mass of the Irish people it would have been a less terrible and smaller grievance to re enact the penal laws. " From the time when our repre- sentiitive system was remodelled by the Beform Act, a new spirit, an im proved intention, became visible and operative in Irish government. The time of Drummond and the Viceroys over him has still a place in the affectionate recollections of the country. " In support of the contention that, since the first Reform Act, good inten- tion has in some form prevailed, it may be pointed out that a large party at least in this country have for the most part been ready to extend equal laws and franchises to Ireland ; that at times, and especially in the legisla- tion of 1846 and in the Devon Com- mission, a kindly spirit guided the action of a Conservative Government ; and that at a later time great ex- ceptional changes were introduced into Irish laws for Church and land with a real desire to show to Ireland that she could obtain from British justice and intelligence all the good which she could have from a Parlia- ment of her own. * * * * :<5 * ^t " But was it with a good intention that the House of Lords resisted eflfect- ually th«^ effort of a Conservative Gov- ernment in 1846 to mitigate the frightful evila disclosed by the Devon Commission ? '* It is more material to ask whether this good intention was well informed. Now we cannot affirm that the Parha- ments before 1829 were well informed, wnich suffered the question of Roman Catholic disabihtios to fester, until the only choice remaining was between concession and civil war. But after 1829? The Parliament of 1847, which passed the Encumbered Estates Act, had an undoubtedly good inten- tion, the intention of introducing capital into Ireland. But its want of information and care was so gross, that we now look back with astonish- ment upon a measure which, in a country where the improvements had almost universally been made by the tenants, so'd those improvements over their beads to the incoming purchasers, and paid the price to men who had not the smallest moral title to receive it. I go farther and touch what con- cerns myself. Was the Parliament, or was the Government, of 1880 well informed, when, guided by local ofdcialism, it deemed the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act to be the proper cure for the agrarian disorders of Ireland ? "But in truth the diflSculty lies much deeper. We are treating, be it remembered, of the local concerns of Ireland, which, aa distinct from Im- perial concerns, hold a position quite different from any that belongs to those of Scotland or of Wales. •' The vast business of this Empire is not worked as ■ :*e the affairs of a shop, factory, or farm. There, and in hu- man life generally, the day suffices for tho work of the day. and the agents for the acts to be done. But in the case before us, no effort has availed to transact the business within the mim 53 lervative Gov- miti^dte the by the Devon ask whether veil informed, lat the Parha- «rell informed, on of Boman ster, until the was between r. But after nt of 1847, bpred Estates 7 good inten- introducing it its want of ^as so gross, ith astonish- which, in a tvements had made by the vements over ig purchasers, en who had tie to receive sh what con- Parliament, of 1880 well id by local e suspension ict to be the. ian disorders liflSculty lies reating, be it i concerns of ot from Im- )Osition quite ongs to those bis Empire is lirs of a shop, , and in hu- ly suffices for i the agents But in the has availed I within the time, or to make the agency equfil to the work. And all this congestion is further complicated by the primary conditions of party government, which mcessantly mix with the merits of of each case a cross discussion, as to the effect it may have in bringing ad ministration to a standstill by over- throwmg the Government of the day. Under these circumstances the best government never can do its dutv. but only a small part of its duty. Among the particulars of State affairs, the struggle for life is incessant, and ends m the survival of the strongest. Not the strongest in fitness or in merit, but the strongest in the sum of hetero geneous considerations, gathered out of the world-wide relations of the Em pire, and the intricate working of Par- liamentary forces, which, when taken together, best compound and represent the public interest in dealing with what must be dealt with, and in post- poning what only may. In questions organic and constitutional, Ireland has bad more than her share. But in that regular provision for the wants of the people which is the business of civilized government, she has had, and can have, little part. Her weak- ness is aggravated by the fact that the representatives of her people are and while the present methods last must be, almost entirely excluded from that enhanced influence on affaire, which is conferred by official life. Ireland will always be the weakest ; and not only the weakest, but the sorest. I speak in this manner as one who has seen what he describes. I affirm that it does and must happen that a Cabi- net has to compromise the good of Ireland, in matters strictly her own, for considerations essentially non-Irish. Practical and primary interests of Ire xand are hcs aside or postponed, from special as well as general difficulties : sometimes the necessity of party, some- times the crotchet of a clique, whether Liberal or Conservative, sometimes the needful contact between the official corps and those who represent the Irish people, sometimes the unpalata- ble fact that a large proportion of the available time of Parliament has al- ready been consumed in her name: consumed, that is, in' a vain attempt to govern her without taking heed of that one Irish want, wish, thought, and aspiration, which lies at the root of every other. "I submit, then, that the good in- tention of Parliament towadrs Ireland, even if undeniable, has often been equivocal, has in essential matters been fatally ill informed ; and that the ma- chinery of our Imperial Legislature has been shown by our present expe- rience to be ill adapted for the despatch of purely Irish concerns. " There are 103 members nominally from Ireland — there are 101 members who represent the people of Ireland, or as to the two members from Dublin University it w ;ld be a farce to speak of them as representing Ireland (cheers). Well with that 101, as you know better thau I do, 85 are the number who demanded a local govern- ment for Ireland. As to what Ireland wishes therefore there is no doubt whataver. The wish is reasonable, gentlemen— in my opinion it is entirely reasonable, and by local government for Ireland, although there is no offi- cial or technical definition of it, yet it is perfectly understood what we mean. We mean a real effective government in affairs properly and exclusively Irish, subject to the unquestionable supremacy of the Imperial Parliament, In her demand so defined I believe Irelac \ entirely concurs, and has not sough J to extend her wishes beyond those limits." These calm, deliberate words of a great statesman point out clearly the vital necessity, as regards England and Ireland, for Home Eule— that is, a i', ti '■<■ ' } i I'l : ' ii i i'i Mi :!■■ 54 local parliament by which the Irish can manage their own local affairs, as we in Canada do, and as the other British colonies have done successfully for many years. I will give some other reasons, equally cogent from another point of view. In my next. Adieu. FiiAciDiA. LETTER XXI. Hamilton, March, 18 — Dear Here are more arguments in favor of Home Bule. A French traveller writes about Ireland as fol- lows. What he says is undeniable : " A conquered country subjected to special laws, Ireland is ruled by func- tionaries who have only one object in view, to please the Central Adminis- tration, and to prove to theii chiefs that everything is for the best in the best of worlds. The landlords as a body do noi live in Ireland, and all they care about is to get as much rent as possible, that they may go and ex pend it in England, at Paris and Vien- na, or lose it at Monaco. They have killed the goose which laid the golden eggs. The farmers, through their Parliamentary representatives, have vainly called upon the Government to come to their assistance in an effectual manner. A slight improvement in their situation was brought about bv the Bills of 1870, 1881 and 1885, but the remedy has not been wholly effi- cacious, for the rents iSxed judicially are still too high, as is admitted by the Land Commissioners. It was in order to put an eud once for all to this diffi- culty that Mr. Gladstone elaborated his two measures for the purchase of the land and for granting Home Rule. "With the same object Mr. Parnell pro- posed his Bill allowing the tenants to deposit 50 per cent, ot their renc until it was legally decided what amount they should pay. These three mea- sures were rejected and the farmers were compelled to haVe recourse to that Plan of Campaign, which has caused so much irritation to the land- lords. No one, of course, has the right to take the law into his own hands except for self-defence. The Irish de- clare that at the present moment, owing to the ill-will of the landlords and the incapacity of the Government, they are simply acting on the defensive (en etat de legitime defense. * 4K # # # # # " Either the rents must be reduced or the tenants must become the owners of the soil which they cultivate. The old saying of M. Yautour to his lodger, that a person who cannot pay bis rent should have a house of his own, applies with truth to Ireland. " Then, the Irish demand the liber- tv to manage their own affairs, a right which is enjoyed by the English and the Scotch. The latter, it is true, have not a National Parliament, but they have their own civil and crim- inal laws, a national administration, Scotch Judges, and, above all, the landlords are Scotch, like the farmers and peasants. There is a community of race and religion between the two classes which is wanting in Ireland. Moreover, at Westminster, the Scotch have to some extent a Parliament of their own, for whenever a purely Scotch question is discussed, the Eng- lish members, par un sentiment de re- serve qui est entre dans les maurs parliamentaries, carefully abstain from speaking, and confine themselves to voting according to the vie ivs of the Scotch majority. On the other hand when any Irish question crops up everybody was his aay, and the prinoi- 65 ill give some cogent from I my next. FliACIDIA. a to the land- has the right is own hands The Irish de- ent moment, the landlords Government, the defensive )t be reduced ne the owners Itivate. The to his lodger, it pay bis rent 3 own, applies and the liber- .ffairs, a right English and r, it is true, rliament, but 'i\ and orim- ministration, 30ve all, the ) the farmers a community ireen the two 3; in Ireland, r, the Scotch 'arliament of rer a purely sed, the Eng- ifiment de re- s les maurs abstain from bemselves to vieivs of the B other hand )n crops up id the princi- pal anxiety seems to be who shall speak the strongest. In Ireland itself the entire civil and judicial adminis- tration is in the handd of the landlords and the English, from the Lord Lieut- enant down to the junior resident magistrate. It would almost seem as if the English Government hxd tried to divide the two classes of which the country is composed, and to excite them against each other. If an Irish- man flhould get into trouble for drink- ing too much, before whom will he be taken ? Before hie landlord or the letter's agent. If he is charged with a more serious offence he is tried be- fore a iury of Protestants. The judges tbemselves belong to the landlord class, and so it is from the top to the bottom of the judicial ladder. " The same system with regard to public works, to education, and to county administration. The municipal councils only are elected by the people, and what is the consequence ? Every- where they are Nationalist. They are, however, deprived of all real power, and the Lord Mayor of Dubhn even is not allowed to give a single order to the police of the town whose reputed administrator he is. In de- manding Home Rule the Irish really only demand the right to manage their own affairs. The great objection of the English to Home Rule is that if Ireland obtains autonomy she will use it to bring about a complete sepa- tion between ihe two countries. To that the Irish triumphantly reply that owing to her geographical situation Ireland cannot separate herself from England, that it is essential to the prosperity of Ireland that she shall maintain the most cordial relations with England, that the only available outlet for Irish productions is and always will bo Engiaiiu, and that finally the Irish have not that aversion to the English so generally attributed to them, what they detest being the absurd and cruel government of their sountry by an administration which has neither sympathy nor community of idea, or interests with the Irish people. • How should w^ gain by separation ?' ask the Irish. • We should be obliged to form an army, to create a navy, we who have not suffi- cient to keep ourselves as it is, and who in population are only the size of London. Is it likely that we should be such fools? We know our own interests, and it is our greatest interest to be on good terms with England. When the day comee that we have our National Government like Canada and the Australian colonies, England will have no more faithful friends than us. England has never had any better servants than the Irish either in the civil administration or the army ; no Irish officer in the service of England has ever failed in his duty; no Irish soldier fighting in the ranks of the English army has ever turned his back to the enemy. The English know and recognize this. What other guarantee do they wish us to give ?' So speak the Irish, whose loyalty is as proverbial as their honesty; but apart from these sentiments it is clear that they have nothing to gain by separation. Undoubtedly at the pre- sent time Ireland, discontented and irrita ed by the injustice and bad treatment to which she has been sub- jected, would be a danger to England in the event of war with any power. But Ireland autonomous and free would be to England a loyal and faithful friend. As it has been in the past so it will be in the future. As Lord Aberdeen observed the other day at Glasgow the first act of the Irish Parliament was to vote men and money to England at a time when she was engaged in a Contineutai war. What better proof could be afforded of the loyal dispositions of Ireland towards England." i^fl 111 56 \''''- m Oui, Monsieur ; vous avdz raiaon— est la verity. In 1807 the incorporation of the Canadian provinces into one Dominion took place. Each of the provinces has Its own separate padiament for ita own domestic aflFairs, certain matters of winch have to be referred to the Dominion Parliament. v\ hat a bless- ing It would have been for Ireland if this principle had been acted upon when the Union was forced upon that country. Another illustration of this matter is that, after the battle of Sadowa, Austrian statesmen opened their eyes to the necessity of givins? to Hungary that free Constitutisn which has made that country content and prosperous, and a point of .t en^th instead of weakness to the Austrhin profat by these lessons. "Itj8 the Lind that Freemen tiil 1 hat .ober-suited Freedom ohoie- Ihe land where, girt with friends and foe. A Man may .pealc the thing he will?" ' Adieu. Plaoidia. 'i^m* LETTER XXir. Hamilton, March, 18— Dear As you have re^d so many arguments in favour of Home Rule we will look into the claims of those who object to It, and who call themselves Ulster Unionists"— those who, with stupid effrontery, presume to dictate to the whole country, stultifying them- aelves by becoming tools of the • • Lords." Ulstentes claim that " their " pro- vince is distinguished for education for sexual purity, for prosperity and wealth. That not one of these state- ments IS well founded is proved, with the help of official statistics, by Mr. J. G. Colclough, in the Contemporary Memew. As regards the housing of her people. Mr. Colclough shows that Ulster IS behind Leinster, and only on a par with Munster with respect to the percentage of first class houses: behind both Leinster and Munster as to second class ; while she has a larger proportion of third claps dwellings than the two provinces just named. iihe IS ahead of the other provinces in only the small percentage of the lowest or fourth-class tenements. If all tha Irish counties are set down in the order of their first-class house accom- modations, it will be found that six counties outside of Ulster head the list, upon the whole, it is indisputable that the people of Ulster are less comfort- aby housed than those of Leinster and Munster. With a view to ascertain the dis- tribution of agricultural wealth, Mr. Colclough examines the official statis- tics on which the rates or local taxes are based, and demonstrates that, while the ratable value of Leinster is AT. ? J®^ ^^^^ °^ population, and that of Munster is $14.87i, the ratable value of Ulster is only $13.84. If the provinces are disregarded, and the thirty-two counties of Ireland are ar- ranged in the order )f their rating per head of population, Meath will be observed to head the list, while Down, tbe fart-t Ulster county, comes in only the thirteenth place. The valuation of the city of Dublin is a dollar more per head of the population than IS that of Belfast. But surely »t will be said Ulster must be superior to the other provinces in respect of the incomes derived from "iiu't ^"^°' ^^S"' 13 a misconception ot the facts. If we consider the amount of income returned from trade, per bead of population, we find it to be in 67 smen opened y of givinflf to itutisn which content and ' of -t eii{,'th the Austrian England wilj n liil, ohofle — iends aod fo«». le will." Plaoidu. lead the Hat. putable that 588 comfort- of Leinster tin the dis- vealth, Mr. ficial statis- local taxe8 rates that, Leinster i8 ilation, and I the ratable .84. If the li and the ind are ar- leir rating !ath will be hile Down, 168 in only s valuation 3 a dollar population But surely must be ovinces in rived from BOiiception be amount trade, per it to be in Leinster $62 44 ; in Monster $84.- 62^, while in Ulster it is only |,80.68. Thus, as regards inoomes from trade, as well as agricultural wealth, the ut- most that can be said for Ulster is that it is more prosperous than Con- naught. Let us glance now at the diffusion of education. The official returns show that the proportion of inhabitants who can read and write is in Leinster 74.6 ; in Munster 71 7 ; while in Ulster is 70.7. These gentlemen and their friends in the uorth-east corner of Ulster form, Mr. Chamberlain tells us, the educat- ed and intelligent portion of the people of Ireland. Tue population ot Belfast is 42,000 less than that of Dublin, but it shows 700 more •• illiterates, " strangely. The population of Derry is more than a uhirdlesy than Limerick. It has nearly twice as many " illiter- ates. " The " loyal minority, " we are told, are a people par excellence, a people of •• quiet and orderly lives. " The ratio of illegitimate births in 1685 in Ulster was 4.8 per cent., in Leins- ter it was only 2.8 per cent., in Muns- ter 2.2 per cent., and in Connaught 0.9 per cent. A further analysis re- veals that the blackest county in Ire- land is that in which Mr. Chamberlain made his tour, Antrim, 6-8 per cent., then comes Armagh, 5.0 per cent., Londond. ry, 4.8 per cent., Down, 4.5 per cent., Tyrone, 4.0 per cent. — the five counties in which the Orange members find their seats. These figures do not prove that the Orange- men art) morally a " superior " people. " The proportion of illegitimate chil- dren,' wrote Sir John Forbes, ** coin- cides almost exactly with the relative proportion of the two religions in each province of Ireland, being large where the Protestant element is large, and small where it is small." It seems, then, that as a matter of incontrovertible figures, Ulster is neither richer, better educated, nor more moral than the rest of Ireland. As to the further assertion that Ulster is Protestant and Unionist, a few words will suffice. Of her total population 46 per cent, are Catholics, and in five out of the nine counties Catholics are in the majority. HERE ABB ntiemen and state of beg- iest sufferers gentleman of ) desperation, 3ed the des- up the Par powder. He accomplices, e principal. cot nn hv a °The Catho- disavowed it le fully. Yet 61 it was made the pretence for enacting new and severe penal laws against them. This is what is popularly known as the Gunpowder Plot. Here are some of the I'enal laws made by the English Government to force the new religion on the English and Irish. Some of them are still on the Statute Books, though a dead letter : 1. No Catholic could settle a joint- ure on his wife unless she was a Pro- testant. 2. Jf the wife of a Catholic declared herself a Protestant by the law, she could force her husband to give her a separate maintenance and also the ouptody of her children. 8, If a son of a Catholic at any age declared himself a Protestant he be- came absolutely entitled to the owner- ship of the estate— peculiar Christian- ity when the wife and sons are en- couraged to rebel against the husband and father — Laws framed by Th :!: oantiog crew, S » smooth, 80 godly— yet so devilish too ; Who, armed at onoe with prayer-books and witb whips, Blood on their hands and soriptare on their lips, Tyrants by creed and torturers by text. Make this life Heil in honor of the next." — MOOBB. No Catholic eould vote or hold any oflSce or ovpn attain remunerative work. I will quote Spenser again, as the poet belonged to the age of pvnal laws : " What war so cruel, what siege so sore As that which strong temptation doth apply Against the Fort of reason evermore. To bring the soul into captivity." It is easy to point out, looking back- wards, the reason why so many Irish Catholic names are at the present day owned by ultra Protestants. The voice of the serpent and the 80 pieces of silver have done their work well amongst the O'Briens, O'Reillys and McCarthys, &c. 4. Any fc c Justices of the Peace could without further trial banish a man for life if he refused to attend the Protestant service. 5. Any two Justices of the Peace could call any man over 16 years, old before them ; and if he listened to the voice of his conscience, " that oracle of God," and refused to abjure the Catholic religion, they oould bestow his property on the next of kin, if a Protestant. "The conscience, that sole monarchy in man Owing allegiance to no earthly prince ; Made by the edicts of creation free ; An individual sovereignty, that none Created might unpunished bind or touch ; Unbound, save by the Eternal laws of God, And unamenable to all below." LETTER XXIV. Hamilton, March, 18— Deab Friend— I have tried to give you an idea of the Penal laws so cruelly enforced in the 16th century, though that infamous code almost surpassed the eloquence of Burke to describe it. '• It had," Burke says, " a vicious perfection. It was a com- plete system, full of coherence and consistency, well digested and well disposed in all its parts. It was a machine of wise and elaborate contriv- ance and as well fitted for the oppres- sion, impoverishment and the debase- ment of a people, and the debasement in them of human nature itself, as ever proceeded from the perverted ingenuity of man." This code prevented the accumula- tion of property and punished industry 62 as a crime. This code enforced ignor- ance by statute law and punished as a felony any effort to acquire knowledge, and yet the descendants of the parties who inflicted this " Code " are actually in the habit of reproaching the Irish with wilful ignorance and wilful squalid poverty. "During the reign of Elizabeth, Grey (the Deputy) used such inhuman, unrelenting brutality, whereupon the Queen was assured that soon there would be but Httle left for Her Majesty to reign over but ashes and carcasses !" So says Rev. Dr. Leland, Protestant historian, Book IV., Chap. II. This was the consummation of the subjuga- tion of the Irish after 400 years of war, famine &c. "Cities he sacked, and realmi (thit whilom flowered In hoQor, glory and rule above the rest) Heoverwhelmed and all their fame devoured. Consumed, destroyed, wasted and never ceased Till he their W'alth, their name and all oppressed. Famine and fire he held, and there withal He razed towns acd threw down towers and all." It seems strange that the poet Spenser should have suggested this cruel plan for the subjugation of Ire- land. He recommended that 20 days be given the Irish to submit ; after which time the army marched on Ireland destroying and burning all before them, creating a famine and ensuring pestilence. But let me give the words of the gentle Edmund, the writer of " The Fairie Queen." " The end will (L assure m*)e) bee very short, for, altho' they should not all beeslaine by the soldiers yet thus being kept from manurance, and their cattle from running abroad to feed, by this hard restraint they would soone consume themselves and devour one another I" shed states, VI., 427 : " As they (the army) went, they drove the whole country before them into the Ventrie. They took all the cattle in the country, 8,000 kine besides horses, garrons, sheep and goats, and all such people as they met were put to the sword and the rest were left to die of famine— fpr want of victuals." They wasted and foraged the waole country, so that the poor people were driven to devour dogs, horses, carrion, &c. But I will quote Spenser again : " Not- withstanding that the same was a most rich and plentiful country, full of come and cattel, yet ere one yeare and a half they were brought to such wretchedness as that any stony heart would rue the same. Out of every corner of the woods and glynns tbey came creeping forth upon their bauds, for their legs would not bear them ; they looked like anatomies of death. They spake like ghosts crying out of their graves .... A most pop- ulous and plentiful country suddentli left voyde of man or beast or corne. (Spenser's State of Ireland, p. 166 ) Sir John Davies said : " The people were brayed as in a mortar with fam- ine, pestilence, pillage and the sword, and submitted themselves at last to the English government." In 1G12 the Statute II., James L, Chap, v., was enacted. The Irish being now subjugated this Statute " abolished all distinctions of race be tween English and Irish," with the intent, as the statute expressed it, " That there might be an utter oblivion of all differences and disaords betwixt them." When the Penal laws against Cath- olics were enforced, the Statute was ignored. The distinction of race was lost, Irish and English who were Catholics were obliged thenceforth to endure oppression and spoliation under the name of rebels and malcontents because they would not '= deny Christ before men" and abandon the faith of their forefathers, the faith of St. Patrick. 63 the cattle in lesides horses, , and all such re put to the 3 left to die of luals." They raole country, vere driven to ion, &c. But gain : " Not- same was a country, full ere one yeare ught to such y stony heart )ut of every 1 glynns tbey 1 their haudd, bear them ; ies of death, crying out of A most pop- try suddentli ast or come, ind, p. 165 ) " The people ar with fam- id the sword, I at last to the I., James L, , The Irish this Statute is of race be I," with the expressed it, itter oblivion ords betwixt igainst Cath- Statuti was of race was ti who were lenceforth to iliation under malcontents ' deny Christ I the faith of 'aith of St. Thon fftir Religion wast deasgned Datioaa dtttighter of the skies, To warm and cheer the human mind And make men happy, good and wise. To point where sits in Live arraytd Attendent to each snppliant call The God of Univenal aid— The God, the Father of oa all." From 1688 the great principles of Parliamentary power is dated. Public liberty was protected from any possible abuse of the royal Prerogative especially with regard to pecuniary matters. William III. complained that he was kmg of Holland but only Stadtholder of England. Ireland, hoviever, did not share in the so-called " Bill of rights," a mw- nomer in one point, as religious intol- erance was established by Law and the Sovereign was obliged to swear to mamtain the Protestant religion. Ee- ligious dissensions were fostered by English rulers for the benefit of Eng- lish rule. Ireland had no bill of rights ; none of those statutes which were considered bulwarks of public liberty were copied into Irish statute books. But the great principles of civil and religious liberty, immortalized in the eloquence of Grattan, were written in latter days in characters of fire on the Irish heart by the burning words of the great O'Connell. The following are a small part of Catholic grievances of that period: " All Catholics disqualified from voting. Catholic peers could not sit in the House of Lords. A Catholic could not hold office. Catholic priests or Bishops were considered as traitors and banished or hanged, drawn and quartered. Any one harbouring a priest or assisting at Catholic worship were treated in a similar manner or crashed under weights to death, as in the case of Mrs. Clitheroe." Shortly after the treaty of Limerick, 1695, this law was again enacted that Catholic peers and ^gentlemen could not sit in Parliament. To their credit be it said that seven Augliean Bishops and six peers entered a strong protest against this unjust statute. The law was dead against Catholics btaining land in any way. If a Cathc bought land, or was left it by will, given it at all, any Protestant coult. ke it from him and enjoy it himst . A Catholic might lease a farm for 81 years and if by labour and industry he improved it so as to yield a profit equal io one- third of the rent, any Protestant might by law evict him and take the land away and use it for the residue of the lease. If a Catholic had a horse worth even £100 ($600) or more, any Protestant tendering him £5 could take the horse and keep it. If a Ca- tholic, having a valuable horse, con- cealed it to keep it, he was liable to be imprisoned for three months and to pay a fine three times the value of the horse. If a Catholic taught school he iuld be banished or hanged as a felon. It was a crime for a Catholic to have his children taught to read in Ireland, and it was also made penal to seek education abroad. To the parent the penalty was £100 fine, and to the child loss of inheritance, &c. Any reproach on Irish ignorance comes with an ill grace from those whose ancestors did their best to render the Irish people a nation of ignorant agaves. In 1703 ii; was enacted that no Cath- olic could be guardian to, or haye the custody or tuition of any orphan or child under the age of 21 years, and that the guardianship, when a Catholic was entitled to it, should be disposed of by the Chancellor to the nearest Protestant relation of the child, or some other Protestant, who was required to bring up the child in the Protestant religion. An offence against this law was punished bv a fine nf £500. Catholics were not permitted to be guardians to their own children until the Act was passed in 1782 which per- mitted that. 64 \4 The wise Suliy, regarding the cease- less fermentations of the French, is said to have given this mot to posterity : •• People do not revolt from fickleness or the mere de- sire of change ; revolts are produced by the impatience of intolerable suf- fering." The iron hand of despotism, which presumed to point out the way to Heaven and crushed all who did not follow that law-appointed road, weighed heavily upon Ireland for sev- eral centuries. Looking back at the establishment of the Anglican Church, which gave the death blow to liberty of conscience ; at the penal laws, which inflicted such suffering on a helpless people ; at the violation of the articles of Mellifont in the reign of James I.; at the cold-blooded atrocities of Crom- well and his puritans, by whom, ac- cording to Sir William Petty, over 80,000 Irish men, women and chil- dren were shipped to Virginia and the West Indies and sold as slaves to the planters. I vill mention incidentally that those of the poor peasantry who sur- vived the " process of collecting " (tear- ing them from their families, separat- ing husbands from wives, childien from parents and plighted lovers parted forever) were embarked in transports to these islands, and in six years out of eighty thousand only twenty individuals were living / " Murder most foul as in the best it is." •• If orlmeB like these hereafter are forgiven, J udaa and Cromwell both may go to Heaven. The latter laid aohamea for death, to alaagh- ter turned hia heart, And fitted murder to the rules of Art." Over three hundred priests with their Bishops were executed for exer- cising their ecclesiastical functions during the five years of the protector- ate) ; and at the robbery and spoliation of the Irish nobility and landed pro- prietors by '• Praise God bare bones," and his Parliament, we turn with abhorrence from this gloomy record of terrors and fanaticism, bespattered with the blood and tears of the Irish, to behold the annihilation of their transient hopes by the violation of the treaty of Limerick in the reign of William III. The blind and furious bigot i-y which prevailed at this period may be exemplified by the following circumstance :— A few days following the treaty of Limerick— which was signed on Oct. 3rd, 1696— Dopping, Protestant Bishop of Meath, preached before the Lords Justices on the crime of keeping faith with Papists/ " What damned error, but some sober brow Will bless \t and approve it with a text." All Protestant ministers however, were not so devoid of honour and sense as this Dopping. One con- scientious minister had the courage to preach a sermon in contradiction to Bishop Dopping ; others also pleaded, but in vain. " 'Tis with our judgments, as our watches : none Are j'jst alike, yet each believes his own." Yours, Placidia LETTER Hamilton, 18 — In my last letter on the XXV. Deab - ^ ._„ _„.„, „„ „„„ means used to subdue Ireland we left itiUiisicr, tne garden of Ireland, in a state of desolation, without " horn or corn or rooftree upstanding "—men, women and children dead, massacred mdiscriminately. Dr. Leland says: "By reason of the continual perse- cuting of the rebels, who oould have uo breath or rest to relieve themselves, but were always by one garrison or another pursued, and by reason of the harvest was taken from them, and the aath, to •Uagh- le* of Art." priests with 11 ted for exer- ial functions ihe protector- ind spoliation 3 landed pro- bare bones," 3 turn with oom)' record I, bespattered of the Irish, ion of their elation of the the reign of and furious It this period ihe following »ys following —which was 6 — Dopping, th, preached on the crime taf me sober brow . with a text." 3rs however, honour and One con- le courage to ;radiction to ilso pleaded, onr watohes : B8 hisowD," Placidia 66 )land says : nual perse- oould have themselves, garrison or sason of the em, and the whole country spoiled and preyed, the poor people, who only lived on their labor and fed by their miloh oows, were so distressed that they would follow after their goods and offer them- selves to be slain rather than suffer the famine wherewith they were now pinched." (Leland, Book IV.) Sir Waltsr Ealeigh got 40,000 acres of the Desmond confiscation for ser- vices worthy of Nana Bahib. The poet Spenser was also given many acres of forfeited lands as a reward for assistance and advice—" to make an end of the Irish race, sooner than could be otherwise hoped for, that they should not be permitted to till their land or pasture their cattle next season"— and thereupon he felt as- sured " they would quickly consume themselves and devour one another." How cruel of the gentle Edmund ! but then these people were " mere Irish," you know. V T-*^® ^^'J^neas of thU pobt's vices has Jicli{)8ed the glimmering rays of his frail virtue ; His cruelties, like l.irds ( f prey, have plucked All saeds of nobleness from his false heart." Now I will relate how Ulster was made Protestant. James I. and his government proclaimed Hugh O'Neill and Tyrconneil traitors, forcing them to fly the country. James confiscated not only their property but six coun- ties in Ulster— in fact the whole popu lation was dispossessed. The fruitful plains of Armagh, the lovely pastoral glem sheltered by the hills of Donegal, the grassy meadow-lands watered by the noble lakes and rivers of Fer- managh passed from the race which had lived on them and owned them since before the Christian era. The alluvial lands were given English and OOntnn favrkfifao an/1 nn..li~~«~ mi.- — ...,„_, mivi pai tiiiaiiB. i riij poor peasants were driven out of the tnbal lands to the hills or bogs. The " plantators," says Mr. Froude, got all the land worth having. The barren mountains and trackless morass were left the natives of Irish blood. _ The Rev. George Hill, Presby- terian minister, who wrote a careful "'^ory of these matters, states: '• That the confiscation, which con- sisted of the entire counties of Armagh, Tyrone, Donegal, Fermanagh and €avan, covered about four million of acres. According to Mr. Hill, " the native landlords and tenants were all dispossed, the native gentry getting shreds of freebold in the worst and most barren districts of the six counties, and the native tenants being permitted to hold small patches under the mili- tary officers or the English church bisbops, who got share of the plunder. The counties of Down, Antrim and Monaghan had been previously con- fiscated, and were not included in this plantation." The remnant of the na- tive race were obliged to wander about with their kine in search of a meagre subsistence on the the barren hills and bogs, &o., pining in misery and dis- content. They could not forget that ••The fertile plain, the softened vale, Were once the birthright of the Gael." If the unfortunate oppressed, plun- dered creatures had made some futile efforts •• to spoil the spoiler and from the robber rend his prey," we could not blame them. " There are extenu- ating circumstances in their favor," as a Judge might say. By enforcing the Penal Jaws the whole of Ulster was confiscated un- justly. The people robbed of their landR and homes by the laws, the natives were executed on the scaffold or slaugh- tered with the sword. The miserable remnant was driven to the fastnesses of remote mountains or to the bogs. Scotch adventurers were planted in Ulster and the country given over to them. King James I. also gave only to the Protestants the right to elect representatives to parliament, depriv- 66 jCii ing Catholics of t'jeir just right to re- presentation, and greatly enlarged the powers and functions of the Court of Wards founded by Henry VII. James ordered that the children of Catholics and Protestants and Dissenters should be all educated in the Protestant re ligion, as the law did not permit a Catholic to be guardian to any child, even to his own children. This was a most successful stroke of State policy, a coup d etat, as I will show you. The Court of Wards spoliated the properties of the Catholic minors and perverted their religion. The famous or infamous Turkish militia (the Yeni T.scheri or Janizaries) were Christian Orphans trained to be Mus sulmen by the Sultan. Y/e know how cruel those Janizaries proved them- selves towards Christians — tigers in human form. Their ferocity was un- paralleled. They had to be disbanded in 1826. Education, it is well understood, in nine cases out of ten triumphs over natural instincts, and is stronger tLan inherited tendencies ; therefore, the most cruel, remorseless enemies and persecutors of the Catholic Celt were, and are still, those British Janizaties — the O'Briens, the McCarthys, the O'Riellys.the Kennedys and so forth — who became more English than the English themselves, all members and partisans of the Established Church. British Janizaries they were indeed. The head of the O'Brien family, cre- ated Lord Inchiquin, was renowned for his extraordinary cruelty and hatred of the Irish Catholics. Whitelock states Inchiquin committed great de- struction about Dublin and Drogheda, burning and driving away cattle and hanging all he met with. " Inchiquin marched into t-ieCounty Oi iipperary ; and hearing that many priests and gentry about Cashel had retired with some of their goods into the Cathedral of Cashel, he stormed it, and being entered, put 3,000 of them to the sword, taking tha priests from the altar and killing thera." (Ludlow's Memories, val. i., p. 106.) Even a Janizary might be ashamed of some acts of thisO Brieo, which I have not space to mention ; but Whitelock and Ludlow have ** damned him to everlasting fame." But we have Canadian Janizaries amongst us in this nineteenth century, descendants of the cruel O.Brien, the proseletyzed McCarthys, the Riellys, Kennedys, Burkes, &o. Knowing full well the efifect of I'rotestant teaching, aided by the falsified histories and mendacious statements of Hume, Milton, and others of later period, concerning the Catholic religion, and history concocted to palliate and excuse the cruelties perpetrated en the unfortunate Irish, those Irisli Cana- dian Janizaries, though not permitted the pleasure of slaughtering Catholics in cold blood, or amusing tliemselves, as Cromwells soldiers did, by tossing Irish babes on the points of spears, try to kill their souls, which is worse, for it is written : •• Fear not those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." They persecute the Catholics by every legal means in their power by refusing to them equal rights— the right to educate their children in their own schools and in their own faith, by opposing separate schools. The penal laws refused to Catholics the right to educate their children, except as Protestants. What a resemblance there is here I The spirit of their anti- Catholic forefathers seems to animate these Canadian Janissaries who own Irish Catholic nf uros. History re- peats itself. As sratesmen, as legis- lators, as civic dignitaries, mayors, aldfrmen, <^ ibeir object, like their barbarous ancestors, is not the good of the common <.vealth, but warfare with Catholics, p 'secution of them and calumnies agahHi them. r.;,-B-*.«';!%"^?j.;V!LM«i,iLV';i.,^i(ii^^,V.>j^!,.^,,i,H. i-W4fr!3tf^a.^Wwwimfipw 67 put 3,000 of ing thd priests tilling thera." al. ]., p. 106.^ lit be ashamed Brieo, which I ueution ; but bare " damned ian Janizaries ieenth century, :'l O.Brien, the . the Riellys, Knowing full itant teaching, histories and 8 of Hume, later period, ms to animate tries who own . History re- imen, as legis- aries, mayors, •ject, like their not the good , bat warfare ition of them ihem. The shallow, bigoted, contemptible souls of those whose watchword is "Abolish Separate Schools," their battle cry : " Down with Catholic hospitals and institutions," with Sa- tanic cunning some of these Canadian Janisaries of the Sect Pharisee declare that the giving ot Sectabian Gbants is against their principles I No doubt of that. The persecuting spirit of their forefathers his enveloped them like a mantle, and their principles are the same as those propounded in the protest ot the Anglican Bishops drawn up by the noted Archbishop Ussher in the reign of Charles I. People who talk of Popish or Romish bigotry ought to read it. The protest is as follows : •' Tiie Religion of the Papists is super- stitious and idolatrous, their faith and doctrines erroneous and heretical, their church in respect of both Apostolical ; to give them therefore a to/era/ion, or to consent that they may freely exercise their religion, or profess their faith and doctrine, is a grievous nn." (Ed- inburgh Review, Article, MiUon.)' These are the principles of our modern Canadian Janizaries, which they would carry out if they only had the power. They can say with Richard III., *• And thus I clothe my naked viilany With odd old ends, stolen forth of Holy Writ, And seem a Saiot when moat I play the Devil." I have heard that a ca^e m point has occurred lately in Toronto. A Penal law was passed by the City Council ; some who, like Burns' Holy Will'e, posed as pillars of the Temple, but when unmasked wpre simply bood- lers and bigots, moved that " no City patients be sent in future to the Catho- lic Hospital." The boodlers passed the motion. The Hospiiitti oi St. John the Divine was placed under the ban because the gentle sisterhood (though Protestant) are called Nuns, yet these noble ladies have given their time and their talents to mitigate suffering, tending the sick, and sooth oi Ireland that no landed property oould have remained in the possession of Gatho- lios, only that individual Protestants were a great deal more honest and just than the laws. Of course as Ca- tholics were in a majority of at least seven to one over Protestants, inter- marriages took place, and circum- stances occurred in which Protestants often found it to their interest to hold property for Oatholios to prevent its " being seized by others. Some valuable property in Kerry was held in this way for several generations. " The Freeman familj^ of Castleoor (Protestants) were trustees for a large number of Catholic gentry in the County of Cork without interested motives. In Kerry an honorable and kind man, a Protestant named Hugh Falvey, acted as trustee for many Catholic proprietors there. In Dublin there was a Protestant in very humble circumstances who was trustee for several Catholic gentlemen, and who discharged his trust with perfect in- tegrity." (O'NrU Daunt's Personal Beoollections.) But th& law provided for that also. Clause 10 : Any Protestant suspecting any other Protestant of holding pro- perty in trust for any Cathol?'^ might file a bill against the suspected trustee and take the property from him. Clause 14 : Any Catholic gentleman who became a Protestant could at once take his father's property from him, &c., &c. "All are not just beoauBe they do no wrong ; But he who will not wrong me when he may. He is the truly just. T praise not those -T *--''-" -*•«-* ^"'^^J --• '.""S" ^....... ftv-V ; But him whose oonsoienoe spurns at secret fraud, When he migbt plunder and defy surprise. Hia be the praise, who, looking down with scorn On the false judgment of the partial herd, (Jonaultshi* own clear heart and boldly dares To BE, not to be thought, an honett man." In a former letter I gave you an anecdote which I found in an ancient Bermuda journal (the Gazette) con- cerning Grattan and Flood, relating bow ' ili ) BLormof Grattan's eloquence swept away all blood mark$ without leaving a vestige." Here is an anec- dote of O'Connell, recorded in an old paper : During the parliamentary career of the Libenitor, the following motion was brought up at one time in the House of Commons. Moved by Mr. Thomas Massey (a great bigot) and seconded by Albert Chueit, that the word Muss being too Popish, as part of the word Christmas, shall be discontinued and that the festival sha*l hereafter be called Christ tide, th(t be- ing a more Saxon appellation and more fitting for the modern oimes." Daniel Connell rose to reply. He said : " I beg leave to nail the honor- able member's attention to the fact that his own name is deplorably popish. I would therefore suggest that to be consistent, the honorable gentleman should now and henceforth eliminate from his name ' Mass,' the syllable tbatoffends him in the word ' Christ- mas,' and substitute the Saxon ' Tide,' thus transforming • Th mas Massey' into ' Thomas Tidey.' " Mr. Massev's motion never reached a vote. Apropos of Daniel O'Connell, he proved a grand exception with regard to the system of bribery of that period, for the office of Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer was offered to him and also that of Master of the Bells ; but O'Connell refused both firmly stating that Ireland conld nof sn.irf? liim. Flood made a mistake fuial to Lis in- fluence ; after an opposition of fifteen years he accepted office with the Executive on which he had so long partial berd, nd boldly darea honett man." gave you an in an anoient Gazette) con- ood, relating kn's eloquence mrkt without re 18 an aneo- )rded in an )arliamentary the fcllowing t one time in 1. Moved by great bigot) Cbueit, that Popish, as uas, shall be feRtival sha'l tide, thft be- lion and more es." to reply. He [] the honor- to the fact rably popish. b that to be 3 gentleman th eliminate the syllable 3rd ' Ohrist- taxon ' Tide,' nas Massey' ever reached 'Gonnell, he with regard r that period, ief Baron of d to him and ? Bells ; but rmly stating ar\a-m Viim •I "•' ,dX to his in- on of fifteen e with the lad so long 71 made war. He may have thought to serve his country better by that change, but for seven years the greatest orator of the Ang'o-Irish race was tongue-tic(^ and useleae. In 1781 he resigned and went agtt I into opposition. O'Connell used to relate a good story about Mr. Myers, a Catholic gentleman of Boscommon, who owned a large property there. This gent'^^- man was at one time threatened that a " Bill of Discovery " would bu filed against him— that is, that one of the enactments ol the penal laws would be put in force against Mr. Myers as a Catholic ; that he, being a Catholic, could be ejected by a Protestant, who could legally claim his estate. Mr. Myers, fearing to lose his property, posted off to Dublin in haste, visited the Protestant Archbishop, and in- formed him that he wished to be re- ceived into the State Chui ;b Alter questioning him on the subject, the Archbishop found that Mr. Myers knew nothing about the Protestant religion, and said he must receive some instruction. The Rector of Castlerea was appointed to be the in- structor. The Rector was a great friend and boon companion of Mr. My- ers, so they dmed together every day for nearly a week, when the spiritual instruction and spirituous consolation were pleasantly mixed, and on the appointed day Mr. Myers made his abjuration of Pf ery in presence of the Archbishop. In order to celebrate the happy event, the Prelate inv'ted Myers and several zealous Protestants to dinner. When the cloth was re- moved his Grace thus address'^d the convert : " Mr. Myers, you have this day been received into the true Prot- estant church ; for this you should thank God. Will you be so kind aa to state for the edification of the c n- pany the grounds upon which you hav e cast aside Popery and embraced the Church of England." " Faith, ray Lord," replied Myers, '• I can easily do that. The grounds of my conversion to the Protestant re- ligion are two thousand five hundred acres of the best grounds in the County Boscommon I ' The Archbishop's answer is not re- corded, but he must have felt ashamed of the execrable laws which made such duplicity iiecessary to prevent a man's being reduced to beggary. The doctrine of •* Toleration" as we hold it, the doctrine of the right of every man to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, was unknown to Europe in old times. It was a lesson to be taught, taught slowly and to unwilling listeners, but it was taught m the end. Not by personal violence and persecution can the conscience of man by swayed. Not in this way did Christianity come out of the Catacombs. Not in this way did the grain of mustard seed grow an 1 spread oui its branches. Not in th. way was C ristianity made to triumph over the stiong old Paganism of the Boman Empire ; and when that Em- pire, which had driven the Popes of of four centuries like " things of evil" underground, fell beneath the greatness of its task, the Throne of the Fisher- man stood in the very palace nf the Caesars. That city, watered wi the blood of Martyrs, became the world- capital of the Papacy. I^aoidia. •f«fe^i- 72 LETTER XXVIII, il,^; jfct[Sf Hamilton, 18 — Deab As we have been visiting some plao«B of interest in these Islands since I wrote last, I must tiasten to finish the subject of the Irish troubles connected with the Act of Union passed in the time of Tom Moore, the poet (and which indirectly caused his exile to Bermuda), and the agitation for Home Rule at the present day. I shall endeavor to conclud 3 my episodes of Irish history in the next letter if possible. You have requested me to tell you about the siege of Lim- erick. D Arcy MoGee's History will give a " full, true and particular ac- count" of the Siege and the Treaty. I need only say a few wprds on that point of history, but I shall give you some information which is not gener- ally known. Patrick Sarsfield, after- wards Lord Lucan, took the leadership ; he was a trained soldier, having served with credit in the English army, and he was also a generous patriot. William III. had got possession of Dublin, and after the battle of the Boyne James II. fled to France. The Irish army, under Sarsfield, stood gallantly at bay ; the Irish fought with courage and un- swerving loyalty for their lawful King, James IL, and maintained themselves for 12 months in Muuster and Con- naught against the skilled soldiers and Generals, William and Ginkle, till they were able to make an honourable capitulation at Limerick. The Irish foot, ill- armed, ill-clothed and undis- ciplined, held their ground for a long time against veteran troops selected from half of the armies of Europe. The story told of the 12 months siege is a story of bravery, heroism and de- votion, embracing all classes and both sexes of the besieged. "Honor and Glory were given to cherish. Cherish theot then, though all else should decay ; I«nd marks arc th«M that are n«T«r to perish, SUra that will shine on the duskiest day." On the 8rd of October the Treaty of Limerick was signed. The Irish army, 80,000 strong— the Irish nobil- ity, gentry and people capitulated with the army and Crown of Great Britain. They restored the allegiance of the Irish nation to that Crown. Never was there a more useful treaty to England than this, under the circumstances. It was a most deliberate and solemn treaty, deliberately confirmed by letters- patent from the Crown. It extinguished a sanguinary civil war. It restored the Irish nation to the dominion of England, and secured that dominion in perpetuity over one of the fairest portions of the globe. By that treaty, on the other hand, the Irish Catholic people stipulated for and obtained the pledge of the faith and honor of the English Crown for the equal protection by law for their properties and liberties with other subjeots.and in particular for " t be free and unfettered exercise of their religion," " Deserving freedom more Than those her conquerors, who leave be- hind Nothing but ruin wheresoe'er they rove. " But one circumstance of the siege you probably have never heard, an iacident which Irish annalists record with great pride, marked the close of the siege " Before the city was act ually delivered up the arrival of a long-promised expedition from France with men, monei/ and arms was an- nounced but, General Patrick Sarsfield considered his honor and the honor of his race engaged in completing the French fleet lying in Irish waters." England rejoiced, and Ireland bowed her head in the dust. f,)lA I' 1 .-h Mr« a«T«r to duakiest day." ir the Treaty . The Iriah e Irish nobil- pitulated with }reat Britain. loe of the Irish Never was y to England roumstanoes. i and solemn led by Utters- extinguished It restored dominion of bat dominion )f the fairest y that treaty, rish Catholic obtained the honor of the aal protection 9 and liberties particular for zeroise of their who leave be- r they rove. " of the siege ir heard, an lalists record the close of city was act arrival of a from France ^ms was an- rick Sarsfield the honor of npletmg the > IZ nlin M ish waters." eland bowed 78 "Hope withering fled and Mercy siffhed farewell." * " Alaa t for poor Erin— her pride haa gone by And that epirit ia broken, which never would bend, O'er the ruin her children in aeoret muit For tie treaton to love her and dMth to defend." When peace was concluded between England and Ireland the bulk of the Irish army withdrew to France with Gen. Sarsfield. William III., who had promised his continental allies to establish religiom liberty in Ireland and as he had confirmed the articles of sur- render with his own hand, struggled for a liime to preserve his honor, but at last gave way, and the House of Nassau has another blot on its escutcheon more infamous and disho- ormg even than the judicial murder of John de Barnevelt or the massacre of the Mc- Donells of Olencoe by his orders. As soon as the flower of the Irish army went to Prance William's Parliament took back the estates restored to the Irish owners and reinstated the heirs of the Oromwellian settlers. The parliament of Oromwell's settlers and Government officials in Dublin ex- cluded all Catholic members by re- quiring from them the oath of abjura- tion, in direct infringement of one of the articles of surrender, enclosed in the treaty. They then passed a law depriving all Catholics of arms and another etringent statute ordering all '* Popish archbishops, bishops, priests, monks, friars, Jesuits and regulars, 4c., to depart from the Kingdom on pain of transportation." A large ma- jority then passed a resolution not to keep the conditions of the treaty affecting the Catholics. The more spirited of the Catholic gentry from this time sought foreign service. The bigotry which shamefully repudiated the treaty of Limerick drove one hun- dred and fifty thousand Irishmen into the armies of France during three generations — brave soldiers who, under Louis le Grand and the first Napoleon, changed the history of the world at Fontenoy and Austerlitz. Hosts of these names of great Irishmen are emblazoned on the walls of Ver- sailles, among •« Let Offieiers genereuoe morts pour la France." " There ia a tear for all who die, A mourner o'er the humblest grave ; But nations swell the funeral ory. And Triumph weepa above the brave." Yours. Placidu. •J^^- LETTER XXIX. Hamilton, 18—. Deab letter with As I finished my last the record of the brave Irish soldiers who died in France, I shall continue that subject to show ycu that the disastrous policy, which drove hundreds of thousands of gallant Irishmen out of Ireland by repudiating the arti'^lsP. "f ^'iT^^I'lfk vs^s r^.aivAv the cause of America's victory over English arms. The French succours under Gen. Layfette, which at a critical moment turned the scale in favour of America, included three regiments of the Irish Brigade. The regiment of Generals Dillon, Walsh and Berwick, •• who claimed (Gen. Dillon stated) as they always had done the right to be the first to march against the Eng- li -h." I will relate a bit of it just as Dillon wrote' it : " Extrait au rapport sur lea troupea Irian- dais au service de la France. Guerre d' Amerique 1779 " Lea troupes Irlandais out toujours reclame de marcher lee premiers 74 Ills-! V ¥ if'? oontre lea Anglais o'est d' apres oe principe que le regiment nr»nrfinria aa mirrV.t- with great industry preserve their lives." {Clarendon's Life, Vol. it, p. 116). Clarendon states also that the Irish gentry were forced to give re- leases of their former property, of their rights and titles to the lands taken from them on condition of get- ting any land in this place— (page 176). The parliament declared then that Ireland was pacified. In the words of Tacitus — " Ubi solitudinem faoiunt, pacetn appellant." They had made a solitude, a devas- tation of a beautiful and fertile land and called it peace. This is the origin of the expression " Go to Hell or to Con- naught." " To Heaven or Connaught," would be more appropriate ; many a soul these blasphemous, cruel wretches sent to Heaven. " Blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matt. V.) But the Walhalla of Ice- land, or the sixth circle of the city of "Dis," to which those are con- demned who do violence to others by force or fraud (Dante's Inferno), should be a fitting abode for the fiends who framed such laws. Their poor victims might truly asseverate that, •' Hell is empty, and all the devils are here." Th9 • Curse of Cromwell" was a com mon expression in Ireland, later in and happier times used in jest. The victims of this reigu of terror, which lasted for generations in Ireland, may be counted as millions. Those whom *" by faith conquered kingdoms and wrought justice.' Of whom some had trials in mockeries and stripes moreover in chains and prisons. Others - ere stoned, cut asunder, racked and put to death with the sword. Others have wandered over the world in hunger, tnirst and naked- ness ; being in want, distressed, afflict- ed ; in deserts, in mountains and caves of the earth." — Hebrews xi. •' Mar.'s iuhumanity to man Placidia. 76 LETTER XXX. 1 'i,: Hamilton, 18 — . My Dear Boy — You have aaked me io tell you who are the Irish peers in the House of Lords to day ? All the old families having been baoished or killed, many of the Lords are the des- cendants of men who sold their coun- try and their independence for a title. They voted for the Legislative Union between England and Ireland, and Mr. Pitt rewarded their perfidy with a title. Here is a list of some peer- ages which were created for them expressly at that period : •' The peerages of Clanmorris.DeBlacquierre, Olonmel, Ennismore, Duflferin, Castle- crote, Rossmore, Clonourry, Tyrawly, Dunalley, Wallacecourt, Norbury, of bloody fame, and several more date their existence from the Union and to the Union, O'Connell, in his epeeoh before the Corporation of Dublin, stated " that millions were spent in bribes; some got £8,000 for a vote, and no less than twenty peerages, ten Bishoprics, one chief justiceship and ten puisne judgeships, were given to men who voted for the Union.' Mr. Pox declared, "That the scheme of the Union went upon tha false pre- sumption that we could legislate better for the Irish nation than they could for themselves— a principle founded upon the most arrogant despotism and tyranny. * * * There is no maxim more true in philosopy or politics than the great moral doctrine, * Do as you would be done by.' " •• They began," said Mr. Ourran with the open and avowed sale of the peerage to any who were rich and uhameless enough to be the purchaser." In this way the Irish Parliament extinguished itself under a weight of infamy. One of these mem- bers, Hon. Mr. S'cott.LordOhief Justice, created Lord Clonmel before the Union. He was a clever but utterly unscrupu- lous politician. When ill at one time a friend said to Ourran : " Well, they say Gloumel is really going to die at last." "Do you believe it?" said Ourran. " I believe he is scoundrel enough to live or die as suits his con- venience." I only mention this Lord Clonmel to show the opportunity afforded by the laws for robbing the Catholics of Ireland, and many in high position took advantage of them, be- traying trust. Loi-d Clonmel enriched himself by a gross breach of trust, which, of course, was at that time legal. He defrauded his step daughter, Miss Roe, of the estate of Brolnaduff. Clonmel, when Mr. Scott, held this property in trust for a Roman Catholic who, by the English popery laws, was incapacitated from holding property. Walker's Hibernian Magazine for July, 1797, furnishes the key to this. [Married.] Edward Byrne of MuUin- ahaok, Esq., to Miss Roe, step daugh- ter to Earl Clonmel and niece to In this Lord opportunity robbing the lany in high i( them, be- del enriched oh of trust, ; that time )p daughter, Brolnaduff. t, held this lan Catholic ry laws, was ig property, ine for July, y to this. le of MuUin- step daugh- iece to Iot's) act as a 9. ♦' All de- . Macaulay's I volunteered 3h Catholics y would not Placidia. equally with ;d and forty ]g ! But for debt of Ire- loe been paid it if Ireland the popular have carried y and useful lad noc been ve long since )bt and been xation. But Is forced to ister's doors, effa;ara do their ang'a opinio*' ),use at leas the best Irish Ingland, and ilfiUed. The rliament has Irain of Irish itai averaged ns of po inds sterling per annum. One clause of the Union (the 7th article, 6th clause) contains the fiscal agreement or nro- mise, •• that all the Irish surplus reve- nue shall be appropriated to Irish uses exclusively." But this was violated by England, and the surplus revenue, averaging £1,000,000 sterling, is annu- ally taken away from Ireland, and nine- tenths of the soil is owned by absentees. Thus the wealth of the country, the produce is carried away and the money received for it is taken to pay absen- tee rents and taxes and to meet other drains, etc. During the famine of 1846 the strange and anomalous spectacle was seen of ships sailing into Ireland stored with provisions, sent L-om America, met by a much larger number of ships sailing out of Ireland laden with corn, butter, packed beef and cattle of the country. This famine of 1846 was caused by the potato blight. That crop, the staple food of the mass of the people, was destroyed. The shock- ing distress and loss of life by starva- tion can be traced to the terrible drain upon the country by taxation. The country was stripped so bare by the operations of the Union that this failure of the potato crop found them destitute of a reserve fund to fall back upon. Ireland has had to pay her share of a debt 16^ times greater than her own. Mr. Senior stated that, rated by ability, England is the most lightly taxed coun- try in Europe, and Ireland the most heuviiy taxed. The Right Eev. Dr T^ryle, giving evidence before a C ui.»utwae of the House of Commons. ^ tat * on oath at this period as foUowi, : " In various parts ot Ireland I knew land to be let one hundred per cent over its fai^ value. I think generally land 'm rented twenty or thirty per cent above its value." Annthfir nninf. • «< Tlio nati-aa r>iia. " r — I"— Bantry were rented out bare land des- troyed by civil war, and when the tenant had put in good working order the bouses they erected, the fences made, the t/reos planted, etc., became by a special law the property of the landlord, and the rent was raised or the tenant turned out." Dean Swift, commenting on this method of improving property, in his sarcastic style advised a sertam parson whose church was in need of repair, •• to give it to the Papists, and when they had repaired it well nnd hand- somely to take it back." Henry Grattan, who is a competent authority, describes English rule in Ireland in a sentence equally curt and expressive. He said : " It could not be worse if they (the Government) went to Hell for their principles and to Bedlam for men to administer tliem." " A single jail ia Alfred's goiden tfiga Could hiilf the nation's criminals contain ! Fair justice then, without coastraint, adored. Sold high the steady scale, but sheathed the sword ; N'o spies were paid, no special juries known ; Blest age ! but ah i Iww different from our own." Bishop Berksly's heart was moved by the distress he saw daily in Ireland, and he demanded ; •' Could any for- eigner imagine that in a country from one port of which 107,161 barrels of beef, 7,379 barrels of pork and 86,729 firkins of butter are annually exported, half the population are starving ?" The gentle Berkely (iu his time) speaks of " Landlords who are vultures with iron bowel". ' Men of this type are still numerous in Ireland at the pre- sent day. I told you in my Ir.st letter about the peer who defraut^ed his atep- ("iaughter, Miss Roe, who was a Catho- lic. This Lord Olonmel, Lord Chief Justine, and a thorough partisan of j-Uo ITli^rflinV. :v>4'y>~^~4. ;-. r>„„i: i. • hub iJtig»jci-i iuKciona m i aiiiattiCUJ), lU a private diary, since published by W. ^H*: 80 J. Pitzpatriok in " Ireland B' 'jiZ the Union," has left behind him his opinion of the gentry and of the Gov- ernment of that period. He declared that " from the restrictions on their trade and the rapaoiousness of their unfeeling landlords, thoy were among the most wretched people on earth." He says : " Toe Irish Government resembles extremely the siaio of the Hottentots in Africa. The common Irish divided, depressed, pillaged, abused as they are, are the Hotten- tots ; the English Administration are the Dutch planters; the followers of the Lord Lieutenant are the bush men or spies and swindlers ; and the wild :* beasts, lions, tigere, &c., are the Irish M-Q. 'Satrap* (Landlords)." The houses of 'I the laborers are described as being i built like birds' nests, ot clay wrought '"^ together with sticks and straw, and, like the birds' nests, needing to be renewed once a year at least. Arthur Young, who thought ill of the absentees, thought still worse of the resident proprietors in general •* The vermin of this Kingdom," he calls them, " bear very heavily on the poor people, and subject them to more mortifying situations than ever we behold in England." The French writer, Miohelet, says of Ireland : " The sad and patient Judea, who counted her years by her captivitie?, was not more rudely stricken by Asia ; but there is such a virtue in the Celtic genius, such a tenacity of life in this people, that they subsist under such outrages, and preserve their customs, their religion and their language." No wonder that foreigners, who were, of course, impartial, expressed these sentiments. I mentioned in one of my letters that Cromwell had driven out by beat of drum tne entire Catholic population of three provincoa, excepting only a few hinds necessary to hold the plough and herd the flocks of the nonqueror. Aged men and women, feeble and sickly persons, many who were pro- tected by general treaties, peers and knights (with their families) who had fought for the King — many who hf 1 received personal guarantees for per- sonal services— were driven across the Shannon to find shelter in the bogs of Connaught, and their lands divided among the soldiery. If they returned hanging without trial was their doom. " In the Down survey, by order of the Council, Ireland was surveyed, the number of acres taken and divided up amongst the soldiers for arrears of payment, tome fertile lands bringing four shillings the acre aod some sold for one penny." (Morrice's Life of Orrery.) The descendants of these soldiers, Cromwell's hirelings, are at the present day the Irish landlords, whom Bishop Berkely called " vultures with iron bowels," and Lord Clonmel " Irish Satraps, like the lions, tigers, &c., of Africa "— "Calm, thinkinp villains, whom no faith conld fix, Of crooked counjela and dark politics." — Pope. Adieu. Placidia. aignera, who al, expressed )f ray letters 1 out by beat [ic population pting only a id the plough \Q ooaqueror. , feeble and 10 were pro- )3, peers and ies) who had iny who hf 1 tees for per- en across the n the bogs of ands divided ,hey returned their doom. by order of as surveyed, 1 and divided "or arrears of nds bringing )d sorae sold ice's Life of lese soldiers, at the present vhom Bishop is with iron nmel " Irish igers, &c., of rhom no faith iurk politics." Placidia. 81 LETTER XXXn. Hamilton, 18 — Beab 1 warned you about read- ing certain histories which are com- piled by certain authors, some of my reasons for this caution being those of Dryden, who says, " We find but few historians in all ages who have been diligent enough in their search for truth ; it is their common method <-o take on trust what they distribute to the public, by which means afalsehocJ, once received from a famed writer, becomes traditional to posterity" '' Some write a narrative of wars and feats Of heroes little known and call the rant An history." Tom Moore says on that subject : •' How oft we sifiih, When histories charm, to think ih&t historiei lie ! That most are grave romances at the best, And Milton's but more clumsy than the rest. BvTory flume's seductive pajjs beguiled, We fancy Charles was juat and Strafford mild 1 Then rights are wrongs, and victories are defeats, As French or English pride the tale repeats." r must now mention another writer Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who perhaps, through carelessness or ignorance, has given a false colouring to an important fact of Irish History. Coleridge whose name is dear to all cultivated people where the English language is spoken, and whose works are read by eminent men and thoughtful English students, relates the story of the " Peep-o'-Day Boys," but reverses the circumstances, and transposes the dramatis personal. I will explain by quoting from Lord Gosford's speech. Lord Gosford, Lieutenant of the County Armagh, called together the grand Panel of the County, and exhorted them to form a committee to repress further outrages from the " Peepo'-Dav Boys " nmn peaceful Catholics. The facts are :* In 17&1 and 1792 the Scotch and Eng- lish population planted in Ulster by James I. had increased and wanted more land. Some of the native Catho- Hcs, who had got the worst part of the land at that period, by their industry had improved and made their farms valuable. It was resolved to get pos- session of them. Therefore, armed gangs calling themselves "Peep o'-Day- Boys," met together between midnight and morning and gave notice in various districts that the inhabitants " must go to Oonnaught or to Hell," by an appointed day. If they did not obey this order on the day named, the gang returned, drove out the families, perhaps in bitter cold nights, wrecked their houses and movable property, and the conspirators then divided the lands amongst themselves. There was no redress ; the Magistrates were secret members of the gang. Some resistance was made by CatholioE, who formed themselves into a rude band called •' Defenders," but the same magistiates dealt severely with them for the attempt, and before any afifec- tual check was put on these crimes, it w*. s estimated that six thousand Catho- ii'os were robbed, banished, and their property taken from them. Imagine the horrors of this cruel affair. Agad people with tottering limbs, sick par- sons not able to walk, and mothers wir,h babes a few days or hours born, torn from their homes at midnight and driven away to seek for shelter. Lord Gosford, a Protesiant who got his estate by confiscation, yet was a man of justice and humanity. He Ptaied io the assembly that : "ft is welJ known that a persecution accompanied by circumstances of ferocious erueity is now raging in this county. * * * The only crime with which the wretched _-.^. .,, vii.c iw.uicn= pciKcjuiiou are charged with is easy of proof— simply a profession of the Catholic faith. A 82 lawless banditti have constituted themselves judges of this new delin- quency. * * * It would be exceedingly painful to detail the horrors of this wicked proscription, which exceeds, in the comparative nmuber of those whom it consigns to ruin, to misery and to death, every example that ancient or modern history can supply When have we ever heard of such a story of human cruelties as this where more than half the innabitants of a populous district deprived by one foul blow of the means as well as of the fruits of their industry and driven in the night in the midst of an inclement season to seek shelter for their hapless families. * * * These horrid scenes should awaken indignation in the coldest bosom. The spirit of impartial jus- tice without which law is nothing but an instrument of tyranny has disap- peared in this county, and the supine- neaq of the Local Magistracy of Armagh has become a scandal in every corner of the Kingdom." In Cole- ridge's essay on his own times, Vol. Ill , p. 717, this story of the out- rages perpetrated in the winters of 1791 and 1792 is related with much pathos, but the dramatis persona are transposed. The unhappy Catholics who were robbed and expelled are described as the " Peep o'-Day Boys," and the Protestant persecutors the "Defenders I" The denouement is also contrary to truth. He says, " The armed bodies of Protestant Defenders soon repelled and suppressed their enemies." As I said before, the De- fenders were the Catholics, who naturally tried to save their homes and farms as any but the veriest cowards would, but the Local Magis- trates quickly suppressed the band and severely punished the members and all the poor creatures who pre- sumed to defend themselves, ''But partial spirits still aloud complain. Think themselves injured that they can- not reign, And own no liberty but where they may Without control upon their fellowg prey ." Froude also gives a fabulous account of the 'Peep-o'-Day-Boys," in his work, •• English in Ireland." " Out of the Peep o'-Day-Boys association afterwards sprang the Orange Society. This organization, the Landlords of Ulster have used for nearly a century ic guarding their class inteteats ; for though the Orange Soci- ety was founded ostensibly to retain the Catholics in subjection, it was really to avoid a revolution in which the estaten got by the sword mi^ht be lost by the sword. It is certain that the fjovernment encouraged the formation of the Orange Soc'ety and foment- ed the disi^eaeions between Protestants and Catholics to open a way for the Union." — Gavan Duffy' t Iliatory of Ireland. Then came the rising of the oppress ed people and all the horrors of 1798 and 99, with the Act of Union. " Thrown into Ireland's bitter cup When that alone of slavery's draught was wanting." Ireland lost all and gained nothing by the Union ; every promise was brok n, every pledge was violated. Pitt resigned when he found that George III. refused to allow him to redeem his pledgo of gra* ting Catholic Emancipation, but afterwards took oflfice with his pledges broken. It took 26 years of agitation to forse the concessioa of Emancipation, Let us not forget that the House of Commons three times during 29 years passed an Emancipation Bill, but that bill each of these three times uas rejected by the House of Lords. At length, as Con- nell says : " The perpetual enemy of Ireland, the British House of Lords, was defeated." Let us not forget also, that the Bill of Emancipation meant " Freedom of conscience." The history of the persecutions, the exactions by tithes and other unjust drains upon the people committed by the establish- ed church against Catholics, Presby- terians and Dissenters ii one of the t/iaCiiGSu in tiie page oi time. Capt. Thomas Russell, an officer of the British army (afterwards one of 88 lere thay may feilows prey." lous account 'in his work, >ys asaociatioa Society. This f Ulster have guarding their 8 Orange f-'ool- to retain the really to avoid tes got by the sword. It ia ocouraged the :V and foment- t'oteotants and the Uuion." •land, the oppress ■rors of 1798 nion. r cup draught was ned nothing )romise was as violated. found that How him to ;ing Cathohc wards took broken. It to forse the on, Let us af Commons rs passed an lat bill each ejected by the ,h, as OCon- 1,1 enemy of le of Lords, t forget also, action meant The history xactions by drains upon be establish- lics, Presby- one of the 16. an officer of ards one of the United Irishmen with Wolfe Tone), resigned the Commission of the Peace because, as he said, he could not en- dure to sit on a Bench where it was the custom to ascertain a man's religion before inquiring into the crime with which he was charged. "Justice was lame as well as blind amongst them." The dispute about religion and the practice of it seldom go together — *' It is not hard for one who feels no wrong, For patient duty to employ hie tongue ; Oppression makes men mad, and from their breasts All reason and all sense of duty wrests." In 1827, upon the defeat of the Catholic question in the English House of Parliament, an order was sent to the Pidgeon House to forward 5,000,000 (five million) rounds of ball cartridge to the different garrisons round the country. — {Freeman's Jour- nal, March 12, 1527). Moore com- posed this sarcastic poem (of which I give you a few verses) on the subject. He styles it A PaSTOBAL BALI.AD. By John Bull. " I have found out a gift for my Erin, A gift that will surely oonteuc her ; Sweet pledge of a love ao endearing, Five millione of bullets I've aent her. (Ireland asked for bread and England gave her a stone.) She asked me for Freedom and Right, But ill she her wants understood, Ball cartridges morning and night Is a dose that will do her more good. Now blest as thou art in thy lot, Nothing 'a wanted to make it more plea- sant But being hanged, tortured, and shot, Much oftener than thou art at present." I intended this '^tter to be the last one on the bye-gone days of Irish miseries, but I could not without making this letter too lengthy get those extracts from the dying speech of Robert Emmet, which you asked me to Bend you, into this. After that next one I shall wind up, *' Hoping to teach you while your lessons last To judge the present by the past." Yours, Placidia. LETTER XXIII. HAMHiTON, 1''—. Dear You requested me in your letter of the 19th instant to send you a copy of Emmet's speech, which I found in an old book — an Essay on Elocution, written by Samuel Kirk- ham. It is too long for my amount of space and time to write the whole of it, so I have only copied extracts bearing strongly upon the question. Amongst the classical authors and orators whose works you study by the light of the midnight lamp— viz. : Herodotus, Demosthenes, Thucidides, Plato. Seneca Pliny, Sallust and Livy, Homer, Ovid, Virgil, and others of a later date — there will scarcely be found In the College Library or in the curriculum such specimens of ora- tory as Robert Emmet's last speech ; but his burning words can never be forgotten by his countrymen till "Time itself shall be no more." " Upright he atood, with sad and earnest mien. No measured cadence heard or motion seen; He, man-like, moved and bore him in discourse. Ardent and grave and tempering atill hia force, Wh'le features augured all his tongue alleged And tones winged home each barbed shaft they edged." Moore's poem, beginning, ' • breathe not his name," was suggested by the 84 I passage in Emmet's dying speech : " Let no man write my epitaph till my country takes her place amongst the nations of the earth." " O where*! the ilave lo lowly, ooudemned to ohaina unholy, Who, oould he burst his chains at first, Woald pine beneath them slowly." Robert Emmet was a young Pro- testant gentleman of q;ood family. His ardent soul was filled with patriotism, love of his country being a passion with him. Thomas Moore, the poet, and Emmet were intimate friends and associates ; they were also students together at the same University. Some of the students, including Emmet and Edward Hudson, were members of the United Irishmen's Society. Moore, then only about 18 years of age, belonged to a Debating Society of which Emmet was the chief orator and ornament. Owing to information gained by the College authorities Lord Clare, Vico Chancellor, held a solemn visitation and exammed the students on oath concerning these societies in the College. Amongst others Moore was called before the tribunal and obliged to take the oath. After answering some questions in the negative Tom Moore at last stated " that he entered college to receive the education of a scholar and a gentle- man ; that he knew not how to com- promise these characters by informing against his college companions ; that his own speeches in the debating society had been ill-construed, when the worst that could be said of them was, if truth had been spoken, that they were patriotic ; he respectfully begged the Vice Chancellor to put himself in his place and Sfiy how he would act under such circumstances." This proved effectual with Lord Clare. Robert Emmet was indicted for High Treason as one of the leaders of tfuitcu Aiiauuimi a Duciesy. xnis gallant young man was convicted of a revolutionary attempt, an attempt to redress the wrongs and oppressions of his country basely called a rebellion. Emmet was hanged in 180.,, in the 22nd year of his age. " Rebellion 1 foul, dishonoring word. Whose wrongful blight so oft has stained The holiest oause that tongue or sword Of mortal ever lost or gained I How many a spirit born to bless Hath sunk bennath that withering name Whom but a day's, an hour's fucoess Hath wafted to eternal fame." I shall <^ive you some portions of Emmet's npeech, as it exprosscs most eloquently the sentiments of the Irish people at that period : Mr. Emmet said : " What have I to say why sentence of death should not be passed upon mt according to law ? I have nothing to say that could alter your predetermin- ation, nor that would become me to say with any view to the mitigation of that sentence which you are here to pro- nounce, and which I must abide by. * * * I have much to say why my reputation should be rescued from the load of false accusation and calumny which has bv^en heaped upon it. * * * The man dies, but his memory lives. That mine may not perish, but may live in the respect of my country. I seize upon this opportunity to vindi cate myself from some of the charges alleged against me. When my spirit shall be wafted to a more friendly port ; when my shade will have joined the bands of those martyred heroes who have shed their blood on the scaffold and in the field in defence of their country and of virtue — this is my hope : I wish that my memory and name may animate men who survive me ; while I look down with com- placency on the destruction of that perfidioits government which upholds Its domination by blasphemy of the Moat High — which displays its power over men as over the beasts of the forest — which sets man upon his 8fi attempt to preesions of a rebellion. 80, J. in the word. ft has Htaincd le or sword led I tlesa ithering name I fucoesi me." portions of rcsscs most of the Irish ^Vhat have of death upon mo I nothing to predetermin- ne me to say >tion of that ere to pro- it abide by. lay why my 3d from the id calumny n it. * * * imory lives, h, but may country. I y to vmdi bhe charges [1 my spirit endly port ; jomed the leroes who the scaffold loe of their this is my 3mory and rho survive with com- on of that jh upholds mi/ of the a its power usts of the upon his broth^ji and lifts bis hand in the name II God against the throat of his fellow- man who belitves or doubts a lit 'le more or a tittle lew than the government star ard — a ^jcvernmferit which is atuel- ed to barbarity by the < i oi the orphans and the tears cf the widows which it has made. [Here Ijord Norbury interrupted Mr. Emmet, sa ig that tuose wicked enthusiasts such m he were not equal to their wild designs.] I appeal to the immaculate and Almighty God, I swear by the throne of Heaven, before which I must shortly appear — by the bio* of the murdered patriots who hu»., gone before me — that my conduct has been through all this peril and through all my purposes governed by the convic- tions which I have uttered, and by no other view than that of their cure and the emancipation of my country from the superinhumnn oppression under which she has so long and too patiently travailled ; and I confident!" hope that, wild and chimerical as it may appear, there is still union and strength sufficient to accomplish this noblest enterprise. Of this I speak with con- fidence, of intimate knowledf and with the consolation which appertains to that knowledge. A. man ^Yho never yet raised his voice to assert a lie will not hazard his character with posterity by asserting a falsehood on a subject so important to his country, and upon an occasion like this. * * * I am charged with being an emissary of France. An emissary of France I and for what end ? It is alleged that I wished to sell the independence of my country! and for what end? A change of masters ! Was this the object of my ambitions. And is this the mode by which a tribunal of jus- tice reconciles contradictions ? No I I am no emissary. My ambition was to hold a place amongst the deliverers of my country — not in power, not in profit, but in the glory of the achieve- ment. * * * Oh, my country, had it been penonal ami. ion that influenopd me — had it been the t jul of my actions — could I not by my education and fortune, by the rank and consideration of my family, have placed myself amongst I le proudest of your oppressors V My country was my Idol. To it I sacrificed every selffah, every endearing sentiment ; and for it 1 now offer up my life. No, my Lord ; I acted as an Irish- man, determined on delivering my country from the yoke of a foreign and unrelenting; tyranny and from the more galling yoke of a domestic faction, its joint partner and perpetrator in patricidi , hose rewards are the igno- miny of existing with an exterior of splendour and a consciousness of de- pravii.y. It was the wish of my heart CO extricate my country from this doubly ri vetted despotism, and to exalt her to that proud station in the world which Providence destined her to fill." Mr. Emmet was frequently inter- rupted by the Judge, and I omit, as being too lengthy, most of the points he made against him. One point, however, is so appropriate to Norbury that I insert it here : "I, who fear not to approach the Omnipotent Judge to answer for the conduct of my whole life— am I to be appalled and falsified by a mere remnant of mortality here ? by you, too, who, if it were possible to collect all the innocent blood that you have shed in your unhallowed ministry in one cfnat reservoir, your lordship might swim in it /" [Here the Judge interrupted.] •• Be >et patient ; I am going to my cold grave ; my lamp of life is nearly extinguished ; my race is run. I have one request to make: Let no man write my epitaph. * * * When my country takes her place amongst the nations of the e&vthi then IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET {MT-3) V .<^^.^ €^ :/. % y. % % 1.0 I.I 1.25 |50 "'■S M 22 1.8 U 111.6 V] v^ ^ci^l ^. 5> -> %!> .<^ <^ 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation ^^ V 4$^ :\ \ O^ a^ ^v<^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) 872-4503 '^ .Va^ 86 and not till then, let my epitaph be written. I have ixjne." Lord Norbury was called the '• Hang- ing Judge,' Daniel O'Oonnell used to call his lordship "One of Lord Oastlereagh's unprincipled Janissaries." " O Tyburn t ooald'st thou but reason and dispute, Could'st thou but Judge as well as exeoute ; How often would'st thou change the felon's doom And truss some stern Chief Justice in his room." My next letter will be the last on the subject of Ireland and Home Rule. I shall epitomise the cause and effect of England's policy towards that un- fortunate country, and show that '■ to render humanity fit to be insulted (Burke says), it was fit that it should first be degraded." Adieu. Plaoidia. LETTER XXXIV. Hamilton, 18 — Deab As this is my last lotter on the Irish question I shall point out the effect which these wars and pertie- outions have had on that country. Some persons say that as all these iniquities and crimes are past so long ago, we should " let the dead Past bury its Dead," and forgive and forget, &c., &o. True, but history repeats itself. They are not all past. Injus- tice still exists and should be remedied. Yet the persons who give expression to these sentiments are always ready to blame the Irish, and always wonder- ing how it is that Ireland, with such great natural resources and native vigour, is constantly poor and alwaijs discontented. The answer is that the history of the Past is the master key to whatever problems are puzzling to us in the state of things at the present day. Sir John Davies relates that, " During four centuries the Irish had no protection for their property nor even for their lives ; to beat or wound a native was not punishable, or even to kill one was not a felony ; but the most wioked and mischievous custom was that called coin and livery. The English soldiers kept in Ireland had no vav, but were o^ J.ered to take man's meat, horse, meat and money from the inhabitants, so that in one night and day the whole year's labour was eaten up by soldiers. The better classes left the place, and those who had to remain became idle anJ. discontented, expect- ing only misery." " Chill peaury repreestd true courage, And froze the gtmial current of the soul. " The extortions of coin and livery have been succeeded by enormous taxation and absentee rents and the constant drains upon the poor people which I mentioned before. An emiueat Irish lawyer (John Philpot Curran) said, speaking of the Orininal Code : •'Open the statute book at; the word Ire- land, or the word penalty, 'tis equal which, for you can trace Ireland throuarh the ntatute book as you'd foU.-w a wounded man through a crowd by blood /" The policy of the penal laws was successful indeed and left its mark on Ireland ; most of the historical families liave disappeared iong ago. John Keogh, a Catholic merchant, the founder of the "Catholic Association." at a public meeting in Fishamble street theatre, Dublin, Mareh 25, 1792, made a speech in which he declared, na n. nloa • ■" lUUb 87 there was no longer any reason to fear a claim to the forfeited estates as the descendants of the ancient possessors had sunk into the dregs of the people, were laborers in the fields or porters on the quays of Dublin, or beggars in the streets,M»a6/« to read or write, prove their legitimacy or trace a pedigree." It is charged that the Irishman is thriftless and ignorant ; and he is gen- erp'ly represented, by the popular jes- tures of the day, with a face like a ba- boon or gorilla. Poor Paddy is not free from the faults that slavery and misery engender ; living in mud cabins, bare- footed and half-clad, starving on pota- toes and salt does not conduce to re- finement. The railway commission reports of laborers in Tipperary stated : ••They go through the fields and gather the wild weeds and boil them with salt and live on them, often with out even a potato to eat with them." •• The tyrant's load upon you lies— ye writhe within the dust ; Ye fill your mouths with beggar's swill ve grovel for a crust ; ' Your Lords have set their blood • stained heels upon your abject heads ; Yet they are kind— thev leave yon still their ditches for your beds !" Victor Hugo's novel, "L'homme qui Bit," reminds me of Ireland's case. The heir of a noble family, while young, was carried away by force and disfigured, to prevent his identity being discovered. A surgical operation was performed on the unfortunate to make him ap- pear to laugh or grin in a grotesque manner ; but the eyes, those mirrors of the soul, silently revealed the depth of sadness in the noble heart. £ng land has taken Ireland by force and by treachery and deformed and disfig- ured her and her people ; England's brand is on her— she is not what she was nor what she ought to be. L'bomme qui Hit, the man who laughs ; it ia with Ireland : L'homme guipleure, " The man who weeps." In the reign of Queen Anne all rights which not before had been taken from the Catholics were swept away by law. They were reduced to a con- dition closely resembling the bondage or status of the black slaves in the Southern States of America, excluded from all offices, from Parliament and from the franchise. Eduation was for- bidden. Professor Barlow M.A., Pro- fessor of History in Trinity College, in a lecture stated the following : •' One statute prohibited any papist from instructing another papist or a Protatant from mstructing a papist ; a third statute provided that no papist should be sent out of Ire and to receive instruction. If these three laws had been lapped by a fourth, order- ing for execution every papist who did not provide a first class education for his ohil- aren, the whole edifice would have been beautifully complete and symmetrical." Three eminent Catholics were per- mitted to be heard at the bar of the Commons again St these laws ; and they, with eloquence of head and heart, portrayed in all its gravity and pathos this frightful injustice to the nation, present and future. They were an- swered by the prime minister that if they suffered penalties the fault was their own ; let them all conform to the religion of the staU and there would be no penalties I " Come Premier who doubtest, so mild are thy views Whether Bibles or bullets are best for the nation ; Who leavest poor Paddy no medium to choose 'Twixt good old Rebellion and new Reforma- *'o°-" -MOORB. One more fact on education. The Penal Code had left four millions of Irish who could neither read nor write and nearly a million and a half who could read but not write. (From Par- liamentary returns, 1840.) Burke says : ^ "While^thiB restraint of foreign and ..ORisstic eduuaiioii was part of a horrible and impious system of servitude, the mem- mF 1 w ;';" m "ii-; 1 1' 1 ■ill 1; bers were well fitted to the body. To render men patient under a deprivation of all the rights of human nature everything that oould give them a hnovrledge or feeling of those rights was naturally forbidden. To render humanity fit to be irisulted, it was Jit that it should be degraded." (Edmund Burke's letters on Irish affairs. ) When the religion of thp Irish was fiercely repressed and when all Catho- lic Bishops were banished, and all religious orders, priests, &c., with them, there came from the monas- teries established on the continent a succession of priests of Irish blood or birth who were trained as soldiers of Christ. Inspired by the same heroic courage which impelled their brethren to devote their lives to the service of God amongst the hostile Indians of America, '* a courage to endure and to obey," they came in disguise to Ire- land ; they wore the dress and eat the food and suffered the privations and shared the labours of the wretched peasants, to administer the sweet con- solations of their holy religion to that pesrecuted race. Spencer, the poet, writes thus of the '• Popish priests" of his time : "They come from Spain, from Borne and Bheims by long toile and dangerous travayling hither, where they know perill of deathe awaiteth them and no reward or riches is to be found, only to draw to and minister to those people of the Church of Rome" (7 omit Spenser's invidious comparison against Protestant parsons.) — Spenser's Ireland, 254. It was a touching spectacle to see a crowd of ragged peasants on bended knees under the dripping roof of a cave, with reverence and devonon offering up the sacrifice of the Mass solemnized by a priest who served God at the constant peril of his life — " Who made the dark Gethsemaue Of Erin's fate his palace, And first before al\ others pressed To drain her bitter chalice." 88 The tithes of the established church were a heavy burden on the peasan- try. " A return laid before Parliament showed that (11) eleven Anglican bishops in less than fifty years be- queathed to their families an average of one hundred and sixty thousand pounds each (£160,000), and that in two thirds of the parishes there were no congregations and no school-houses. The parsons were more merciless creditors than even the landed gentry" '• When the Union had lasted 40 years the country laboured under a burthen of paupers, without hope of employment. One million and a half of people were existing mainly on alms, and four millions of people could neither read nor write." {Parliamen- tary Reports, 1840.) Mr. Gladstone says the Act of Union fatally weakened the personal ties be- tween landlord and tenant by drawing the peers and gentry to London (causing absenteeism) ; * * and to succeed the centuries of extirpation, confiscation and penalty, we ushered in the century of evictions. You will agree with me, I feel assured, when you understand the question that these facts plainly point to the utter incompetence of English legislation to secure prosperity or con- tent in Ireland, and the consequent need of a home parliament to take charge of Irish interests. The past and the present alike demonstrate the necessity of Home Bule for Ireland. "0 pallid serfs, whose groans and prayers have wearied Ht-aven full long, Look up ! There is a Ltw above beyond all legal wrong ; Rise up ! The answer to your prayer ehjli come tornado- borae. And ye shall hold your homesteads dear and ye shall reap the oo>d." Amen. (Miss Fanny Parnell.) It is said that the fact of the num- ber of Jews still practising their ancient faith and preserving their ancient literature is an incontrovertible 89 led church 36 peaRan- Parliament Anglican years be- ftn average / thomand id that in bhere were kool-houseg. merciless id gentry " lasted 40 1 under a it hope of and a half namly on sople could Parliamen- >t of Union al ties be- )y drawing 3 London * and to 'xtirpation, ushered in ae, I feel stand the linly point >f English ity or con- lonsequent it to take The past istrate the Ireland. and prayers e beyond all }rayer ehjil ids dear and Parnell. ) ' the num- jing their ling their trovertible proof of revealed religion as opposed to the fallacies of atheists and infidels. Why should not a similar test apply to the Irish Catholics, who have pre- served in all its purity and integrity that Faith taught by St. Patrick in 482, and which has been handed down from generation to generation. There were never any heresies amongst the Irish. In Holy Scripture it is written : " Those who instruct others unto jus- tice shall shine as stars for eternity, and they shall rule over nations." The prayers of St. Patrick for the Isle of Saints and Martyrs, in which he laboured for over sixty years, have guarded and preserved that tsith which '• Gives light in darkness, com- fort in despair." hath O'er all the world no land more true Than our dear Catholio Ireland ; Through ages of blood to the " Rock she stood, Firm and true was that sufferiDg Island. ! ne'er may the Cross which St. Patrick placed On her nobte brow decay 1 God bless the dear old Emerald Isle, The geir. of the sea 1 Cushlamcohree I Placicia. LETTER XXXV. Hamilton, March 18 — . Dear In my last letter I fin- ished my dissertation on the wrongs and suflferiuRs of Ireland. Ic is not a pleasant theme. People dislike read- ing Irish history, just as they shrink from witnessing human suflfering. The Irish, however, should study the history of their own country, as it will teach them to understand it better, to love it, and also teach them how to defend it ; and those who are not Irish should read Irish history, for they have much to unlearn. Many writers of great fame have ignorantly or wil- fully falsified or grossly misrepresented the history of Ireland and caricatured her people. Prejudice and bigotry also produce false judgments, and we have many men among us at the pre- sent day whose sole distinguishing characteristic is animosity to the religion and people of Ireland. "My friend, in those headlong days, When bigot zeal her drunken antics plays So near a precipice that men the while Look breathless on, and shudder while they smile ' On that vile, canting crew, so godly yet so devilish too." • In former days the spirit of religious intolerance was rampant and the hydra headed monster bathed itself in blood and caused desolation through- out the land ; yet Avabioe, the sin of Judas, was really the mainspring of most of the cruelties and outrages committed against the Irish race. "The lust of gold succeeds the lust of con- quest ; The lust of gold unfeeling and romorselesa ! The last corruption of degenerate Man. "Oh I cursed lust of gold I where for thy sake The fool throws up his interest in bofh worlds ; Firsi laathed in this, then damn'd in that to come." •' The privilege that rich men have in evil Is that they go unpunished to the DovU." In a rough estimate it is stated (as a strong argument in favour of Home Rule) that nearly two hundred million pounds sterling are yearly sent out of Ireland for English manufactures, &c., foundf'd on the ruin of her own. The London Times of June 26, 1845, stated the condition to which incessant plun- der had reduced the people. " The facts of Irish destitution are easily 90 told. The people have not enough to eat. Nature does her duty, the land is fertile and fruitful in an eminent degree. The Irishman is disposed to work industriously. In faob man and Nature together do produce abun- dantly. Tue island is full and over- flowing with human food. But the famished victim of a mysterious sen- tence stretches out his hands to the viands which his own industry has ■placed before his eyes, but they fly from his grasp. A perpetual decree of sic voa, nos vohis, condemns him to toil without enjoyment. Social atrophy drains off the vital juices of the nation." " Bat what avail her unexhausted stores, Her bloomiag mountaias and her sunny shores. With all the gifts that Heaven and earth impart, The smiles of nature and the charms of art, While proud Oppression in her valley reigns And Tyranny usurps her happy plains." Now we shall leave these sad and bitter memories and seek more plea- sant thoughts in Bermuda's happier isle — " This sweet Indian land. Whose air is balmy, whose ocean spreads O'er coral rocks and amber beds ; Whose rivulets are like rich brides, Lovely, with gold beneath their tides." As Lent is upon us now, and the parties are over, we are industriously occupied in gathering up and collect- ing curiosities, marine specimens, corals and walking canes ; also getting them carefully packed, as I intend to bring a large number home of all these articles, especially the walking canes of orange and dog wood, lemon and cedar. We have been lately to see the Devil's Hole, a cavernous recess filled with salt water, which has always been one of the sights of Bermuda, as it generally contains a stock of groupers and sundry other fishes plainly visible swimming about as if in an aquarium. Here is found a species of ground shark, iiuiu Its xcbircu liciuitn vci j laicij occu, and lovely angel-fish which disports itself with graceful motion, ascending and descending in the clear waters, as if proud of its splendid livery of blue, green and gold. The angel-fish is the only fish able to live in common with such fish as the ground- shark and groupers, being protected by an armour of sharp spines from the attacks of their fearful and ravenous companions. The groupers are easily recognized, as they crowd together with open mouths in hopes of a feed when the visitor arrives. Strange tales are told of the voracity of these finny monsters, of unfortunate doga slipping in, and be- ing speedily devoured, and of rash youngsters imprudently pushing the toes of their boots into the water, and having a ha^d gtn.ggle to free them- selves from the clasp of the grouper's jaws. This fish-pond has been origi- nally a cavern the roof of which fellin, how long ago no one can tell, but per haps at the time of the general sub- mergence of the group, which, it is supposed, occurred about 800 years ago. Mosquitos and ants are here all year round. Of course there are others of the Insecta. such as fleas in May, hghtning- bugd in June, etc., but during the winte only the lively mosquito, the induSbi.ious ant and the buzzingfly remain. The fly is not very trouble- some. One extremely lively young fly is buzzing round me as I sit writing, I fear it will meet an untimely fate in my cup of tea. " Busy, curiuud thirsty fly, Drink with me, and drink as I ; Freely welcome to my cup Conlds't thou sip, and sip it up. Make the most of life you may ; Life is short and wears away. Both alike arc mine and thine. Hastening quick to their decline ; Thine's a 8umm^r, mine's no more, Though repeated to threescore ! Threesoort< summerA, when they're gone, Will appear as short as one.'* iob disporta a, asoeuding %r waters, as /ery of blue, [el-fish is the 3mmon with d- shark and >y an armour attacks of companions, ^cognized, as open mouths the visitor :e told of the luonsters, of in, and be- md of rash [>ushing the 3 water, and 3 free them- le grouper's 3 been origi- which fell in, bell, but per ;eneral sub- which, it is i 300 years here all year others of the .y.hghtaing- during the losquito, the buzzingfly ery trouble- oung fly is lit writing, £ nely fate in ^8 I ; ;up. fiay ; y- Ine, cliae ; ) more, ore ! they're gone, 91 Mosquito curtains are a nacessity to protect oneself against the furi ous attacks of these small winged enemies. But the ants, however, are not to be despised, for though they respect one's person, they confiscate to their own use all kinds of food. A piece of cake Itft within their reach uncovered is jet black in five minutes with millions of ants making a feast on it. We discovered an excellent remedy which I will tell you : One teaspoonful of tartar emetic mixed with a little syrup on a saucer. You can try this antiquated recipe if you have an antipathy to their antics. The wise wee insects evince oheir disapproval of emetics by resolutely forsaking their usual haunta wherever this is placed, and also by warning all their sisters and cousins and Ants against the dis- agreeable dose. Pliny says ; '•In these beiDga so minute, and as it were Suoh nonentities, what wisdom is displayed What power, what unfathomable perfection." " 'Twas the Creator He sought in every volume open to him. Even the small leaf that holds an insect's web From which ere long a colony shall issue, with limbs and wings as perfect as the eagle's." The Book of Proverbs, iv. Chap., tells us : "Go to the Ant, thou sluggard ; considerher ways and be ^ise . " Plaoidu. LETTER XXXIV. Hamilton, March, 18 — . Dear 1 have not yet told you of a visitor— a most unwelcome visitor — that usually comes to Bermuda during the month of January or February, and brings in his train a swarm of evils, which, like Pandora with her box. he lets loose upon the island. 1 allude to the south wind which never fails to generate the warm moist atmosphere, so much disliked by the natives and by northern visitors, be- getting a clammy feeling which can be better imagined than described. If this state of weather should continue for two or three days, it would have a visible effect upon every household article that damp heat will spoil. Fresh meat putrifies ; cold cooked meats become coated with a vigorous growth of mould ; and in fact every- thing in the larder suffers. Inside the house matters are no better. The mirrors refuse to reflect the features, being coated with vapour. Boots and shoes are covered with green mould, and even articles of clothing suffer greatly. All, however, soon changes ; a suddyn coolness is felt; the excla- mation, •' Oh ! here comes the north wind," becomes general, and in a few hours all dampness vanishes and the bracing atmosphere gratifies the feel- ings of old and young. The house- wife hangs out the d ^mp clothes, that would soon mildew if left untouched ; the cook looks over the meat and hurries that which will soonest spoil into the oven ; while at the stable, the coachman examines the harnesK, which has suffered like Ihe booth and shoes. In fact almost everything has to be overhauled and renovated after the southerly vapour bath— vegetation is the only thing which benefits by the damp weather. Coughs and cold are prevalent during this season, but mostly among the native Bermudians and mullatos. However, as the changes of tempera- ture are neither sudden nor extreme, they rarely affect northern constitu- Hnna Trnpf.nnnf aItt 4.u:- ^ — -^ • s-.u-j'cijr •.•iixa jrcar wu ware only afflicted with a few days ot this 1^ 92 Ih ■ ; 1 Sh ^^H ''' 1 H 1 ^^^^^B ^^^^^^H J^^B "^ ^^^1 1 li It ^m 1 ■ li ■1 H •fffitf ASJH IB ' • ■HI 1 ■Km weather, when our Deliverer, the North Wind, appeared and /reed ua from our nUaty, miuty, moist misery. I must not omit a desoription of the oo£fee plant in blossom and its peculi arity, which I have obtained from some Cuban friends whom I met here. The most ravishing of all sights in the flower kingdom is a coffee planta- tion in full bloom. The snowy blos- soms do not steal forth in niggardly, hesitating fashion, but bursting simul- taneously from their sheaths. The fields are in a single night covered by a spotless mantle of white. This ex- hales an indescribable but exquisite fragrance. As the advent of this flowery loveliness is so sudden few persons observe it except those wbo are watching for it. It is a beauty so ephemeral that eagerly indeed, lest he lose it for ever, must it be drunk into the gazer's soul. It is a fragrance that he who would enjoy must inhale without delay, for alas ! within the space of twenty-four hours the snow- white flowers wither, the subtle odour passes away, all that delicate loveli- ness vanishes, and only a memory is left of that which was yesterday match- less in sweetness and beauty. Now, if it be your heart's desire to see a coffee plantation in full bloom you had better pitch your tent in good time beside the field and resolve to dwell therein, or demand for yourself *• A hollow tree, a crust of bread and liberty !" " You must watch and pray, for you know not the day nor the hour for noiseless falls the foot of Time that only treads on flowers," especially cofee flowers. You can moral - ize thus at leisure : " All that'8 bright must fade. The brifihteat still the fleetest ; All that's sweet was made. Bat to be lost wheu sweetest." And the tender grace of a day that is dead, will never come back to me. " Like the dew on the mQiintAiQ Like the foam on the river Like the bubble on the fountain Thou art f^ont>, and forever !" " Time rolls his ceaseless course," though he once stood still for Joshua — Unfathomable Sea, whose waves are years ; Ocean of Time, whose waters of deep woe. Are brackish with salt of human tears. Thou shoreless flood, which in thy ebb and flow Clasped the limits of mortality ! And air k of prey, yet howling on for more, Vomitest thy wrecks on its inhospitable shore ; Treacherous in calm and terrible in storm, Who shall put forth on thee, Uufathomable sea ? We are now speaking against time as they say m Parliament, and wast- ing time, as tbey do there very often. Dryden says : " I never knew the old gentleman with the scythe and hour- glass bring anything but gray hairs, thin cheeks and loss of teeth." Apropos of Old Time, some one said lately, that instead of the allegorical figure of Time as an old man with a scythe and hour-glass, he should be represented with all the modern im- provements to suit the latest style, " a patent mowing machine and a chro- nometer!" " Art is long aid Time is fleeting, And our hearts, though stout and brave, Htill like muffled drumn are beating Funeral marches to the gr^ve." Dost thoa love life, then do no^ squander time, for that is the iituff life IS made of. " See how beneath the moonbean's smile YoQ little billow heaves its breast, Aud foams and sparkles for a while, And murmuring then subsides to rest. Thus man, the sport of bliss and care. Rises on Time's eventful sea ; And having swelled a moment there Thus melts into eternity I" — Moore. Perhaps Moore was alluding to the Swells of his day, the Dudes of ours, you know. " Out upon Time ! he will leave no more Of the things to come than the things before '" Tempus omnia revelat. But, Tempus fugit, and I must say Adieu. PiiAciDiA. 93 LETTER XXXVir. Hamilton, April, 18—. The time has arrived for hundreds of exoursionists, dressed in pea-jackets and telescopes and accompanied by umbrellas and carpet-bags, to inflict themselves on the quiet denizens of these islands and disturb the calm monotony of Bermuda life. American tourists, equipped in this style, are landed by every steamer— the mala oreature, of course, wearing the pea- jaokets, the feminine '* sect " usually arrayed in water- proof cloaks and gauze veils ; they are also armed with umbrellas. March went out with his usual bluster and fuss, as if protesting against his enforced exit. " ^? stormy March haa gone at last, «7 1!*° V^r *"** °^°^^' «">'i changing akiei : We heard the rushing of the blaat That through the peaceful valley fliea." I copied the following extract from a poem. I think you will like the sentiments : WAITING FOR SPRING. •• Waiting for Spring ! The hearts of men are watching, Each for some better, brighter, fairer thing ; Each ear a distant sound most street is oatching, 4 herald of the beauty of his Spring. WiiUag for Spring ! Christiana are waitinjt ever : * Body and soul, by sin and pain bowed down. Look for the time when all these clouds shall sever, See high above the cross a flowery crown. " We have now lovely weather, not much ram, only occasional light showers. When I* The hooded clouds like friars Tell their beads in dropi of rain." Everything is blooming and flour- iamng, geraniums, lilies, roses, &o., abundant, oleanders budding, rose- trees blossoming ; all things indicate the advent of Ppring. gentle Spring, m these islands the most beautiful of all seasons. I think SheUey's sweet lines apply to the ideal Spring of Bermuda. f e "* "0 Sprina; I of hope, and love, Mid youth. and gladness, ' Wind-winged emblem I brightest, best. and fairest 1 ' Whence couest thou, when, with dark Winter's sadness The tears that fade in sunny smiles thou sharest ?" The only exciting time in Bermuda 18 when the mail steamer arrives. JLverybody turns out to view and welcome it. Nothmg so lively as a real burglary or robbery ever takes place here. They say that about hfteen years ago a house took fire ; it has made the people so very careful I There is a legend that a man (colored) was really hanged for some crime withm the last century, but that is not fully corroborated. The horses and donkeys never imagine it possible for them to run away, partaking, no doubt, of the phlegmatic temperament of their owners- The weather some • times becomes obstreperous, and once m fifty years or so the Bermndians are treated to a hurricane ; of course that IS a serious matter. A tornado is a great blow to any country— an ill wind which blows good to none. But "revenons a nos moutons," that is to our excursionists. A family often has just arrived at our boarding house, and " sat upon na ;" took im- mediate possession of the easiest chairs, and the most comfortable sofas. The olive branches thump the venerable piano at regular hours, causing it to utter howls and shrieks expressive of mortal agony. Our friendlv invA<1ot>a hi^oa «>uu *i -' " ——-•,• TTavii UXiwUi £(1I accomplished Swiss governess who speaks several languages ; they have 94 just returned from the coniinent where they have been several years traveling — " doing " France, Italy, 8 witzerland,etc. They favor us with var- ied and interesting reminiscenoes. A few of the most interesting I shall repeat as I heard them from Madame , or gleaned from her diary. They were several months in Bome and were greatly impressed by the grandeur and imposing beauty of the Etornal City. Describing their approach to Bome and entrance she writes : " The atmosphere of the Oampagna grew golden in the last rays of the setting sun, and a mist of amethyst came and went as we sped towards Bofir>e. There was a hushed solemnity amongst the passengers, no talking, no reading. Each one settled into a calm expecta- tion ; every eye turned to that point in the low horizon when the one grand central object in Bome would first appear we sat with hearts uplifted watching for St. Peter's. We feared that the sun would set and night would come upon us before we should 3ee Bome, but then we did not know now winter twilight lingers iu those regions. However, in an instant every hat was raised and every head bent as a salutation ; for before us, like a vision, suspended between heaven and earth, was indeed the dome of San Pietro ! The vision, for such only it seemed, was in a haze of golden atmosphere and its base faded into blue mist ! There was no sign of city or people, and in another in- stant San Pietro had disappeared like a vision. It was not long until quite another view was presented to us, this time of Bome, not of St. Peter's, and then through pleasant vineyards and fertile country we steamed into the grand station of the ferro via or iron way of Bome." «« I am in Rome ! Oft as the morning ray ^. Whence this excess of joy ? fallen me ? What has be- And from within a thrilling Toice replies. Thou art in Rome ! A thousand busy thoughts Rush on my mind, a thousand images ; And I spring as girt to run a race. The wealth and power of Bome in the fifteenth century is beet exhibited by a reference to the splendid architec- tural edifice of St. Peter's, erected by the piety and munificence of several Popes, and which still remains a last- ing monument of the skill of Michael Angelo and other eminent Italian architects. This unrivaled monument of art singularly bears no marks either of age or incongruity, although it was three hundred years in building and ovtr twenty different architects were engaged on it. Begun under Nicholas V. in 1450. Michael Angelo moulded the immense concavity of the dome under Paul III., though he died before it was finished by Fontana in the pontificate of Sixtus V. who reigned 1585. ••The hand that rounded Peter's dome And groined the aisles in Christian Rome Wrought in a sad sincerity." I will not essay any description of St Peter's, so many have seen it, and there are so many descriptions. I will conoludo with a few words about its size, &c. A sweeping forest of columns surrounds the outer court with the swell of an amphitheatre, and the circling colonades are aptly inscribed with the metapboric promise : *' There shall be a tabernacle, for a shadow from the heat and for a covert from storm and rain." This leads to ascending corri- dors which form an inner court four hundred feet square, and open into either end of the portico of the church under the pious invitation: "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob." To give you an idea of the enormous size of St. Peter's for example: St. Paul's in London, Eng., would not oice repliei, [lOUMnd busy 1 image! ; race. of Rome in )8t exhibited did architec- }, erected by 36 of several mains a laet- il of Michael aent Italian d monument marks either lough it was building and ihitects were ider Nicholas ;elo moulded of the dome le died before tana in the who reigned «r'i dome Christian Rome lesoription of B seen it, and loriptions. I ords about its )3t of columns with the swell the circling ibed with the ?here shall be low from the m storm and endmg corri- er court four id open into of the church ;ion: "Come mountain of )f the God of the enormons ex; 98 enclose within its vast vacuities, in- cluding its turrets and its dome, one- fourth part of the cubic square of Bt. Peter's, the corridors of which would encompass Ludgate Hill. *' What ia a ohuroh ? our honeat aexton tells, A tall buildiDt; with a apire and bellr. What ia a ohuroh? Let Tiuth and Reason apeak. They ahould reply : The faithful pure and meek From Chriatian folda, the one aeleoted raoe Of all profeaiiooa and of every place," A stracge insident occurred while our friends were in Eome, which I shall relate in my next. Flaoidu. LETTER XXXVIII. : Ob. ;., would not Hamilton, April, 18—. Dear " The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing a local habitation and a name." So I will commence with poetry. " Bleat be that graoioua power, who taught mankind, To atamp a laating image of the mind ; BeaatB may oonvey and tuneful birds may sing Their mutual feelings, in the opening spring ; But man alone has skill and powur to send, The hbabt's warm dictates to the distant friend ; 'Tia hia alone to please, instrnot, advise, In lands remote and under foreign akies." The visitors here this season are quite enraptured with Bermuda. Those who came in January and February are much benefitted by the salty air, so fresh and pure, yet so warm. The denizens of that bleak northern land, Nova Scotia, especially rejoice in coming to this pretty group of islets, begirt with white coral shores of sand and crowned with th a evergreen-scented cedar. No frost, no snow, but here is perpetual spring during our hard winter months. Balmy breezes fan the cheek, the radiant sunbeams pour down a genial warmth on the delicate, chilly invalid, and the charms of Nature gratify the eye. The transparent waters of an azure anu cniCTuld-tiii tied sea renecs the plume-like foliage of the graceful Palmetto and lovely flowers are seen blooming evrywhere. •• Who can paint like Nature ? Can ima- gination Doast Amid its gay creation, hues like hers ?" The last time I wrote to you I men- tioned a singular incident which our American friends witnessed before leaving Rome. The party were crossing a street near the Tiber, from which the round Church of St. Theodore was visible in a valley below. This church is built against the rock, which is crowned with foliage. They saw issuing from the door of San Teodoro a procession of male figures, attired in a strange fashion. From the top of the head to the ancles they were covered with a coarse hempen garment with loose sleeves, a girdle of rope round the waist, and a hood which covers head and face, but has holes for the eyes and mouth. They wore sandals of rough make. Each one carried on his shoulder a coarse sack. II Sacconi / said the guide, il Sacconi 1 Look at the Sacconi. He said : •• This is a religious confrater- nity of persons in the world, masked so that they cannot be known by any one, but amongst them are Cardinals, Bishops and Roman nobles, &c. Every Friday you will see them in the streets begging for the poor. They are called Sacconi from the sacks gc m they carry, into whioh the food and alms given to tiiem are placed. Prince Dell , who died last week, was one of them. He ordered it specially in his last wishes that the brothers of his confraternity should take him to his last renting place, that no carriages should be at his funeral, whish was to be plain and simple. In accordance, then, eight of the Sacconi, bearing upon their shoulders the ooflBn of the dead Prince covered with the coarse hempen pall of the confraternity, walked in procession with others of the order, carrying lighted torches, and conveyed the body from the beau- tiful Palazzo Dell to its tomb in Ban Lorenzo. There were no floral crowns or anchors, &o., no pomp or display, but tbe very spirit of the Cross, faith, mortification and humility were visible in that procession. The Oorso was thronged not only by the laity but by priests and religious ; tears flowed and prayers were offered for the soul of Prince Dell , the benefactor of the poor and pious ser- vant of God." Mrs. related with much enthu- siasm an account of their journey one day, climbing up to the summit of the Ara Coeli, or ladder of Heaven. They had a magnificent view ; for miles around they surveyed ancient Borne. The Ara Coeli is an almost endless flight of stairs (you would tbink so when you had climbed half way up). These stairs lead to the Church built upon the site of the ancient Ara. Where is Pagan Rome ? She lives but in the tale of other time*. Her proud pavilions are the hermit's home, And her long oolonnadea, her public walks. Now faintly echo to the pilgrim's feet Who oomea to muse in solitude, and traoe. Through the ranK moss revealed, her hon- ored dust." The next incident which they des- cribed was the visit to the Church of OQan Stefano Botundo, the largest round building in the world. Its walls are a complete picture gallery — pictures of the the most famous mar- tyrdoms during the first three ages of the Church ; amongst them are de- signs by Michael Angelo and others by Haphael. The crucifixion of Our Lord, of course, was there and the crucifixion of Sc. Peter with his head downwards, St. Paul beheaded by a sword, St. Vitales buried alive while his wife was beaten to death, St. Faustus and his companions clothed in the skins of wild beasts and torn to pieces by dogs, St. John the beloved disciple ir the cauldron of boiling oil — bis disciple St. Ignatius devoured by lions in the Coliseum, and hundreds of others. On the faces of some of the martyrs is a smile of joy— on others a look of patience and heroic fortitude. Some pictures are wonderfully beautiful in mosaic. Upon what was believed to be the spot where St. John the Evangelist's caul- dron stood, a chapel was built before the Latin gate under the first Christian emperors. It was rebuilt several times. Tertullian, Esebius, and St. Jerome and others declare the circum- stances attending this maityrJom. After being beaten with clubs and tor- tortured by order of Emperor Domitian, when nearly a century old the beloved disciple was thrown into a bath of boil- ing oil, but the horror of the spectators was turned to surprise and joy when the snowy head rose above fie boiling oil looking youthful and iresh In truth the martyr came forth from the cauldron with all his wounds and bruises healed and rejuvenated with the vigour of manhood. This prodigy struck even the dull senses of Domitian with awe, and instead of a sentence of death St. John was banished to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote his apocalypse. The favorite motto of St. John, " Diligite alter utrum," " Love ye one another," is placed in the chapel opposite the altar. 07 "Love ii the fulfllliDg of the law."— (Ao- matu.) " lo faith and hope the world will diatKreo, But all inaDkiod'e oonoero U charity." " Whea oooBtant faith and holy hope ahall die, One lost in certainty and one in joy, Theu thou more happy power, fair Charity! I'riumphant ■latnr I greitfst of the three ! Thy ottloe and thy rature, ttili the ume, Latting thy lamp and unooniumed thy flame, Shall stand before the boat of Heaven con feat, For ever bleiaing, and for ever bleat," Adieu. Plaoiou. *i^m- LETTER XXXIX. boed in the Hamilton, April. 18 — Deab Last week we made an excursion to Port Royal Church, a very old ohurob, about half a mile from the Lighthouse. This church has records which datt back to 1689, when the Islands were called Summers' Isles This Church of the Hills, as it is called, is situated in a retired and lonely spot overlooking the vast, wide ocean. Here we found one of nature's grandest scenes. The boiling surf dashing against the coral reefs below remind one of the cares and troubles of this world. The far cflF line melt- ing into the hazy gold tinged sky marks the limit of the distant horizon, and as we gaze around us at the limit- less expanse of ocean, our thoughts revert to eternity. •• Wh n Day, with farewell beama delays Among the opening olouda of even. And we can almost think we gaze Through golden viNtas into heaven— Those hues thtt make the Sun's decline So soft, so radiant, Lord ! are thine." Addison, writing on eternity, says : •• Eternity, thou pleasing, dreadful thought, Through what -Mriety of untried bein;^. Through whav new scenes and changes must we pass 1 The wide, the unbounded prospect lies be- fote me, But shadown, clouds and darkness rest upon it." *^ *' Eternity resting on an hour *' — Miserere Domini. In 1820 this church of Port Royal was repaired. It was solemnly conse- crated in April the same year, being dedicated to 'e. Anne by the bishop (Anglican) of Nova Scotia. We paid a short visit also to St. David's Inland, famous for its arrow- root. It overlooks Oastle Harbour, and is the southern boundary of it. There are many little bays and in- lets, in which are a great variety of pretty shells and sea weeds. We gathered quite a stock of these. We saw many sea anemones of lovely hue, like living flowers in the clear shallow water, and brightly-colored fishes in schools moving slowly about, some red gold ones, others blue and silver. We had a sail on the azure waters of Cas- tle Harbour, with just sufficient breeze to ripple the waters. The scenery is of a most picturesque character about this harbour. In the silent and medi- tative hours of evening, under the cerulean star-spangled dome of the fir- mament and surrounded by nature's loveliest scenes, we raised our hearts and uplifted our minds in admiration and gratitude to Him whose grandeur, goodness and power have placed us in the enjoyment of such beauty and gladness. How beautiful is night I A dewy freshness fills the sil nt air ; No mis« obscures, nor cloud, nor speck, nor stain Breaks the serene of Heaven. •'• ••^•- «i'--"!jr jr-.,-ii-j^i usuuu ui'/ui6 Rolls through the dark blue depths. How beautiful ia night ! 98 " Is the beginning, Lord, Thou foundeaii the Earth, and the Heavens are the work of Thy handi. Ihey shall, perish, bat Thou remainest, and they shall grow old as a gar- ment."— Ps. O. 1. Our Amerioan friends spent the evening with us, and it passed plea- santly listening to their account of their travels ; the Pantheon was the last subject of interest, and I shall repeat to you part ot the description I heard from Mrs. . The Pantheon, this magnificent building of Ancient Bome, was built and finished by Agrippa, 27 years before the birth of Christ, as a Temple for all the gcds ; hence its name, Pantheon. Honorius, the same Christian Emperor who abolished Gladiatorial exhibitions, closed the Pantheon as a place of Pagan worship 889 years after the coming of Christ, and in 608 Pope Boniface IV. obtained the r'>T)sent of Emperor Phooaa to take pobiietiion of this grand monumeat of Ancient Rorie and devote it to the worship of the True God. This Pope consecrated it under the title of Sancta Marta ad Maktyres. The interior diameter of thib magnificent building is 144 feet. The elevation of the eye of the cupola measures the same from the pavement. The portico of the Pantheon is 110 ft. long and 44 feet deep, and is supported by 16 Corinthian columns of yellow marble, perfect in architectural beauty. Each column is 36 feet long and 5 feet in diametor. The bronze doors are the s&me doors that Agrippa hung 27 years before the Christian era. This vast rotunda of stone supports a dome nearly as high as the walls. There is b strange fact in the construction of the Pantheon which I will relate : The dome is open at the top The pave- mert is therefore constructed to in- cHne gently towards the centre from all sides so as to drain off the rain dropping through the open dome into the watercourses belov. The whole interior walls are covered with precious marble of every variety and color. The frieze is entirely of porphyry. The niches in the walls which Agrippa made for heathen divinities the Church has placed statues of the Blessed Vir- gin Mary, St. Joseph and St. Stephen, the first martyr, and other saints Raphael D'Urbino, the great artist is buried in the Pantheon under the alar of the Blessed Virgin. A large, beautiful statue of Our Lady in marble stands upon the altar. This statue was sculptured by Lorenzo Lotti, the intimate friend of Raphael, for this purpose at Raphael's dyi g request. He who had painted with lovmg touch so man;; beautiful pic- tures of the Madonna wished his Itsst resting-place to be under her altar at her feet. "Virtue on herself relying. Every passion hushed to rest, Loses every pain of dying In the hope of being blest." PliACIDIA. LETTER XiTt Dkab Hamilton, April, 18 — . This month has been a is in this month that the vegetable esculents, which form the chief wealth busy f^ne in Bernuda. Strolling about of the planter, are sent off to the New the country lanes visitors perceive York market m hope^j^ gaming the many busy labourers at work, for at highest prices. Therefore, the planter this time no idleness is allowed. It and his men work from early morn to 99 era. This orts a dome 3. There is istruction of mil relate : The pave- icted to in- centre from off the rain a dome into The whole rith precious and color, f porphyry, lich Agrippa I the Ohurch 31e88ed Vir- i and St. lartyr, and Urbino, the XQ Pantheon seed Virgin. if Our Laiiy altar. This by Lorenzo of Raphael, aaeVs dyi g )aiDted with ^autiful pio- hed his Itsst her altar at ing. I to rest, ng blest." Placidia. le vegetable chief wealth f to the New 3, the planter irly morn to dewy eve, as his prosperity depends in a great measure upon the proceeds of the farm during this and the next month. It is ohctrming weather. The native birds are beginning to make their nests with much twittering and fuss, feathers and straws. The trees are expanding their fresh, green leaves ; flowers are scenting the air with delicious perfume. We notice, especially on warm days, the charming balsamic odour of the cedar ireee. Nature has put on her loveliest garb and decked every nook and corner with gems of fresh fern, delicate varieties of mosses and brightly tinted wild flowers. The visitors will miss the pleasant drives along shady lanes, our pleasant walks along the sandy coral beach, where the clear emerald waters sparkie at our feet, and the lovely scenery. " Earth. Air and Ocean, glorious three I 1 faithful Nature, dictate of the laws which govern and support the Mighty frame of universal being." We took a stroll by moonlight ene evening last week ; it was simply de- lightful. Mr. and some of his family were with us and talked about Italy's glorious nights. They said that Bermuda compared favourably with that land ot sunshine and beauty, in that point at least. The moonlight in Bermuda is truly indescribable. This is the most charming part of the day. "The mighty moon she sits above. Encircled with a zone af Jove, A zone of dim and tender light. That makes her wakeful eye more bright. Sue seems to shine with a sunny ray, And the night looks like a mellow'd day I The gracious Mistress ef the Main Hath now an undisturbed reign. And from her silent throne looks down, As upon children of her own. On the waves that lend their gentle breast In gladness for her couch of rest I I promised to relate to you the im- pressions of our friends who visited the Catacombs of Rome. They ex- pressed their surprise at the extent of this ancient subterranean labyrinth. It is not correct, however, to term the Catacombs a labyrinth, for the general plan of its galleries and passages cor- resp >od with the arrangements of the streets above. 1 1 is like a subterranean city. Visitors think the Catacombs a labyrinth, as the passages seem to branch out in every direction, and are sometimes very low and dark. There are, in all, about twenty miles of these passages. Mrs. could hardly de- scribe to us her feelings of awe when she first entered this solemn, silent place. She said •' the mind reverts to the past; one feels that they are treading on sacred ground. "Where'er we tread 'tis haunted, holy ground ; No earth of thine is lost in vulgar mould, But one vast realm of wonder spreads around." The Catacombs were the scene of the struggles of the early Christians, where they gathered to pray and hear Mass, choosing this place for the con- cealment it afforded. The Catacombs still contain the tombs and some re- mains of the martyrs. These tombs, of which there are about 6,000,000, are the most interesting feature of the Catacombs. They are out out of the rook on either side of the passages. Some of them are beautifully engraved. The Greek character chr is on the front of nearly every sepulchre, and the palm leaf, the emblem of martvr- dom, is on most of them The early Christians buried their dead as we do to-day, similar to the .Jewish practice of inhumation. Since the forefathers of Christianity took this method in putting away the bodies of the martyrs, it is the proper form of Christian burial, inferred from the Word of God to Adam, " Dust thou art and unto dust thntl ah/r/t T/tttim " vniAAilMM t-V^^ «_u_- tion of the Pagan rite, which seems to imply that death ends all. Among 100 J3' K' ■;.;! i the tombs in tbe Catacombs there are many larger and more open space?. These have been chapels and shrines, and some stiil contain the remains of Christian altars. Some of the spaces are highly ornamented, having pictures of the walls and ceilings of such scenes as Moses striking the Ruck, Daniel in the Lion's Den, and the like. St. Peter receiving the Keys of the King- dom of Heaven is cut on the front of many of the sarophagi, and the Good Shepherd, carrying tbe Lamb on his shoulders, is in many places, both on the ceilings, walls, and also the tombs, where the martyrs of truth or the poor of Christ repose, in pace, they tell us, waiting for the judgment day. Mr. enquired how it was that so many beautiful frescoes and col- umns, &c., were defaced and broken. The guide answered that the barbarous Eoman emperors who persecuted Christians tried to destroy and dese- crate tbeir most venerated sanctuaries — the chapels in which were tbe bodies of their martyrs. They also threw rubbish of all sorto into the opemugd above ground. The Pontiffs, therefore, removed the bodies of saintly martyrs to places of greater safety. Diocletian forbade the Chris- tians to assemble in the Catacombs, or even bury in them, so that he might open them to be despoiled. The Christians then, wich incredible tc'l, filled up many of the principal openings to galleries, and filled up tombs and chapels with earth to con- ceal them and to protect them from sacrilege. In fact they were so well protected that they were almost for- gotten. They were closed from the eighth to the nineteenth century, with the exception of the Citaoomb of St. Sebastian. In 1854 many discoveries of these closed up Catacombs were made, and now, after lying sealed up, buried, for a thouaand years, tbey are re-opened, and prove that the Catholic Church is the same to day as iii was 1800 years ago. The frescoes, the altars, ornaments and statues, &c., come like a new indisputable proof of the doctrines of tbe Roman Catholic Church Christians continued to be buried in the Catacombs long after the Csemrs had embraced the faith. That place, which had witnessed so much sorrow and triumph, wtfiS too dear to be forsaken. But the days of peraeou .tion having passed tbe Church has placed beneath a thousand altars the relics of her heroes, and there is a gallery in he Vatican Hned with inscriptions from the Catacombs Mrs and her family were much pleased with Italy. They hked the Italians and praised them highly. She wrote in her journal that " the industry and frugality of the Itilians are simply amazing. The life of the peasantry is hard, indeed, and if pro- visions are cheap so i::) labour, but abatemlouuness is habituBl, their so- briety is proverbial. It miy be said truly that starvation is unknown where the people drink usually water and make a hearty meal on a melon that costs a penny, bub it is wonderful that they work hard and live to ninety on such a diet. Many eat meat and drink wine (vin ordinaire) only twice a year, at Christmas and Easter. A draught of water for breakfast and a dish of bean* with some bread for dinner is infinitely preferable to • the netlier pit' of an Irish famine or an English workhouse." * * * Mrs. also spoke of the great faith of the Itr.lians, that is, the mass of the people. '• The first symptoms of their faith which struck me was a profound resignation to the will of God. ' It is the will of God,' ' God chastises us,' seemed sufficient comfort. But reli- gion has other and surer tests. Italian charity is not mere alms giving, but love of the poor, a gentleness and for- 101 y as \l \7as sscoes, ihe alues, &c., t)le proof of m Oatholio be buried after the titb. That cl so much too dear to I of peraeou jhnrch has [ altars the there is a lined with jombs amily were They lilted lem highly. that "the the Itilians I life of the and if pro- labour, but 1, their so- Qiy be said unknown iually water )n a melon Is wonderful ve to ninety i meat and mly twice a Easter. A kfast and a ) bread for ible to ' the mine or an * * Mrs. eat faith of aaass of the ams of their I a profound 3-od. ' It is lastises us,' . But reli- sts. Italian I giving, but 3S8 and for- bearance one rarely finds elsewhere. Travelers complain of the annoyances they endure from Italian beggars, in Rome especially; very few take the trouble of ascertaining that there is no city where there is so much done (or rather has been done) for the poor as in the city of Rome." The mildness of the climate and the fertility of the soil soften the hardships of poverty, and the convent gates are always open to those who want food. My next letter will be my last, and I will tell you in it about an incident which our American tourists witnessed in Spain. Before I aend this scrawl away, I seize a moment juet to say : Do not expect my loving r ext To be a sermon sans the text. Plaoujia. LETTER XLI. Hamilton, April, 18 — . Deab Since my last letter we were out paying some farewell visits. We took a carriage and drove round by Paget Sand Hills. This is a wild and lonely spot. The drifting sand has gradually increased its deposits and elevated the land over twelve feet, covering up cedar trees, &c. It has buried three or four small houses (huts). This sand has advanced over cultivated land at least eighty nine yards in thirty years. It is a singular fact that the desert of Sahara was once an inland sea. '• That pathless desert dusk with horrid shades." At the foot of these hills, along the shore, runs a charming stretch of sandy beach, on which we found, shining like a crystal gem, the •• sea- bottle," a transparent globule like a bright, greenish bottle. We brought one home, but it was dried up and spoiled next morning. They hold eight ounces of water. It is a species of seaweed, probably one of the Cau- lerpa. There were pretty little sea- kittens or cow-pilots, about the size of large froge, but in form resembling a oat. They are decorated with bril- liant stripes of green, yellow and red. We found lailijons of rice shelU here, with which flowers, bouquets, and ornaments, such as earrings, brooches, braceletb, &o., are made by the Ber- mudians. Also there were great varieties of coral, rose coral, brain corrtl, branch coral, and sea mush- rooms of coral about the shore. We drove home just as the sun was setting in a radiant glow of red gold, while rose-tinted clouds floated away all over the blue dome of heaven. " Now, in his palace of the West, Sinking to slumber, the bright Day Like a tired monarch fanned to rest, 'Mid the cool airs of evening lay ; While round his couch's golden rim. The gaudy clouds like courtiers crept, Skrugeling each other's light to dim And catch his last smile ere he slept" I intended this letter to be my last, but I find I must write one more. I quite forgot that in your last letter you requested me to tell you what I learned from our travelled friends con- cerning the famous Coliseum. This wondrous building was commenced in A.D. 72, on the site of Nero's lake and garden. Its form is eliptioal, it covers six acres in superficial area. The height of the outward wall is 167 feet. The arena in the centre mea- sures nearly 800 feet in length and 200 in breadth. The seating nlacea are arranged in tiers, beginnrng at the wall surrounding the aren»», and the 102 last row reaches the outer wall. There are four stories or tiers of seats, which would contain 100 000 specta- tors. The places for cages of wild beasts were under the arena, out of which they were brought to devour the Christian martyrs. Thousands of the early Christians were put to death in this terrible manner, as we remem- ber with shuddering horror. The gladiatorial contests continued for four centuries, till the Emperor Honorius abolished them. Trojan's games, to celebrate a victory, lasted 128 days, when 10,000 gladiators fought and many of them were killed. " I see before me now, the gladiator lie. He leans upon his hand, His manly brow consents to death, But conquers agony. , And hia drooped head sinks gradually low. » • • * • * He reek'd not for the life he lost, nor prize, But where his rude hut by the Danube lay. There were his barbarians still at play. There was their Dscian mother — he their tire, Butchered to make a Eoman holiday." I shall leave the Coliseum for a moment to ask what of our modern gladiators? Pagan Bome was cruel, but what of the gladiatorial combats where the prize ring has superseded the arena? Are not prize fights equally revolting? In pagilistic en- counters, of course, the fiits only are used, but I think even the ancient Romans would be astonished to be- hold in a Christian country in modern times such a spectacle as two fine, strorg young men (without any ill- feeling towards one another) standing up to beat, bruise, pummel and pound each other, out of all semblance to humanity, for a sum of money. The newspapers encourage the sport (.?) by taking pains to chronicle every round of the fight, who drew first blood, who got the°first fall, etc. If these con- tests are contrary to law, the glorifica- tion or publication of them {c'est le meme chose) ought to be contrary to law also. The press, '* which is the safety valve of all parties," ought to be the mentor as well as the censor of public morals. " Verhum sat sapienti." Concerning the Press. As I said before, poetry being the shorthand of thought, I shall express what 1 wish to say more readily by the following extracts : " Here should the Press the people's right maintain, Unmoved by ii fluence, unbribed by gain ; Here patriot Truth her glorious precepts draw, Pledged to Religion, Liberty and Law. But mightiest of the mighty means, On which the arm of progress leans, Man's noblest mission to advance, His woes assuage, his weal enhance, His rights enforce, his wrongs redress — Migh'-iest of mighty is the Press." Have you ever read Cowper's apos- trophe to the Press : " By thee, religion, liberty and laws, Exert their icflaence and advance their cause, By thee, worse plagues than Pnaraoh's land befell. Diffused, make earth the vestibule of Hell. Thou fountair, of which drink the good and wise, Thou ever babbling spring of endless lies, Like Eden's dread probationary tree. Knowledge of good and evil is from thee ! Did charity prevail the Press would prove A vehicle of virtue, truth aud love." Now let us return to the Coliseum, which, with silent but awful utterance, majestic in its ruin, reminds us of the 12,000 enslaved, miserable Jews who built it, and of the countless, martyred Christians who perished in its arena ? The venerable Bade tells in one of his works this strange prophecy of the Pilgrims of the eighth century : " Wh le stands the Co'iseura, Rome shall stand. When falls the CoUseum, Rome shall fall. When Rome falls, the world." 3 m (c'est le Bontrary to liflh is the ," ought to le censor of tt sapienti." I being the hall express adily by the leople's right id by gain ; iou8 precepts nd Law. eans, leans, ice, lance, redress — BS. ivper's apoa- 1 law8, dvance their 'aaraoh's land ibule of H6l1. the good and tndless lies, :y tree, I fronn thee 1 ivould prove love." le Coliseum, il utterance, ids us of the !e Jews who 98, martyred n its arena? in one of his hecy of the ury: "Whle [lome shall B OoUseum, iiome falls, 103 The Vatican was the next place visited. It is believed that this palace was built by Oonstautine the Great on the site of the gardens of Nero ; it has been much enlarged since its first erection and its present circumference is over seventy thousand feet ; it con- tains more than 12,000 apartments. The statue of Constantine stands at the foot of the 8cala Regia, or great staircage. A painting ovi r the stair case door represents Charlemagne signing the donation of the Vatican. Mrs. and her family spoke of the great public works of the ancient pagan emperors — for instance, the reservoir of Sorrento. This Piscina has lasted 1700 years, and hundreds of years more will it last. These great aqueducts, which still cross mountains and valleys, bringing pure water to the city, are still untouched by time. Eighteen hundred years ago the Cloaco of Rome was a marvel, and it is still a marvel ; still it bears to the Tiber the impurities (the sewage) of the great city. One of the marked traits of the ancient Romans is their conception of these great works. They built for eternity, or rather for all time. While feeling admiration for the genius and enter- prise which designed and erectad the wonderful structures of antiquity, can we forget the cost of these gigantic labours ? The groans of slaves, the misery of captives, whose blooi and tears bathed every stone in that extra- ordinary architecture of ancient times — the|thousandsof enslaved Jews, •• the children of those who wereslain, who did eat ashes as bread and mingled their drink with weeping." The next letter will be decidedly my last, aa we shall soon take our passage for home. Placidia. LETTER XOT. Hamilton, May, 18—. My Dear Boy— This is my last letter from Bermuda, as we expect to leave /or home next week ; so I shall take this opportunity of offering you a little wholesome advice, which, I trust, if not very sweet (as wholesome thinga seldom are), you will not find it bitter, and it may provy some benefit to your inexperience. " Ah ! who can say, however fair his view. Through what sad scenes his path may lie? Let careless youths their seeniDg joys pursue, Soon will the , . irn to scan with thouj?ht- ful eye The tUusivo past and dark futurity." All, when life is new, commenc? with feelings warm and prospects high, but time strips our illusions of their hue. You are yet within the boundary line of youth, and have been up to this time a gay and happy dweller in that cloud land of rosy mist and shapeless castles, where the future shines before the eyes of dreaming youth, vague, glorious and golden, like a landscape by Turner. You have yet to learn " the arduous strife, the eternal laws, to which the triumph of all good is given, high sacrifice and labour without pause," If when the fallow years are spent the soil is richer, if haply strength of mind grows out of vague aspirations, and purpose out of hopes, then a rich harvest crowns all. A youthful life is compared to a river by Tom Moore in his fanciful style. "Smoothly flowing through verdant vales. Goaiio river thy ouri'eut runs ; ' Sheltered safe from winter gales, Shaded cool from summer suns, 104 i Thna our youth's sweet moments glide, Fenced with flowery shelter ronad ', No rude tempest wakes the tide ; All its path is fairy ground. But ff\ir river the day will oome, When vooed by whispering groves in vain, Thou't leave those banks, thy shaded home. To mingle with the stormy main ; And thon sweet youth too soon wilt pass Into the world's unsheltered sea, Where, once thy wave hath mixed, alas ! All hope of peace is lost for thee." He Uvea long that lives well, and time misspent is Lot lived but lost. Horace tells us : " Govern your pas- sions, or otherwise they will govern you." But I say to you, "Always keep that generous boldness to defend, An innocent, or absent friend." " A task to all men God givetb, Be the work well done or ill ; Aod to every soul that liveth, A place that no one else can fill." A noted author of moral essays tells us : "If you wish success in life make Perseverance your bosom friend,. Ex- perience your wise counsellor, (Caution your elder brother, and Hope your guardian angel." — Addison. I will add: Let Wisdom, Divine Wisdom, be your guiding star. •' The fear of the Lord is tbe beginning of wisdom." " Bemember thy Creator in the days of thy youth before the time of affliction come.' Ad majorem Dei gloriam is the Oliristian's moito Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity except loving God and serving Him alone. This is the highest wisdom. Often remember the prophecy : Tbe eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear satisfied with hearing — Eccles. i. In the world we have truly but one important interest — tha^ of our salvation, that is, everything sbould be made subservient and ancillary to that great interest ; for, " What doth it profit) a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul." The mind is a field in which so sure as a man sows not wheat, so sure the devil will sow tares. As with space Nature abhors a vacuum in minds. " Sow with a generous hand. Pause not for toil or pain ; Weary not through tha heat of Summer, Weary not through the cold spring rain, But wait till the Autumn comes. For the sheaves of golden grain, Sjw, and look onward, upward. Where the sta-ry light appears — Where, in spite of the coward's djubting, Or your own heart's trembling fears. You shall reap in joy the harvest You have sown to-day in tears." An educated man stands, as it were, in tbe midst of a boundless arsenal and magazme, filled with all tbe weapons and engines which man's skill has been able to devise, and be works accordingly with the strength borrowed from all past ages. How different is his state who stands on tbe outside of that storehouse and feels that its gates must be stormed or remain for ever shut against him. — [Carlyle.) But yet — " Honour and shame from no condition rise. Act well your part, there all the honour lies." Pope says : "Worth makej the man the want of th'i fellow. The rest U all but leather and prunella." Industry is the true philosopher's stone which turns all metals to gold. Education and industry combined will render one almost impregnable to the assaults of fortune in the Baitle of Life. There must be a head to con- trive, a heart to resolve, and a hand to execute. Trusting ihat you wi 1 give these remarks a " place on the table of thy memory," and thus escape " Those ills the scholar's life assail "• Toil, envy, want, the patron and the jail." " A sacred burden is this life ye bear, Look on it, lift it, bear it solemnly, 1 vhioh so leat, 80 sure . As with vacuum in i Sumtner, spring rain, as, ain, i, ars — a djubting, ng feara, est WB." I, as it were, arsenal and the weapons 's skill has 1 he works ;th borrowed ' different is le outside of hat its gates lin for ever le.) condition rise, ehouour lies." ) want of thii pruaelU." )bi]osopher's lals to gold. )mbined will cable to the 16 Baitle of lead to con- and a hand lat you wi 1 tlaoe on the thus escape Bsail — and the jail." lis life ye bear, mnly, 105 Stand up and walk beneath it steadfastly. Fail not for sorrow, falter not for sin, But onward, upward, till the goal ye win. On to the world's great altar stairs, That slope through darkness up to Ood." There are many rainbows in your sky ; mine have vanished. " Time has laid his hand Upon my heart gently, not smiting it, But as a harper lays bis open palm Upon his harp to deaden its vibrations." " Yet we know whatever good or ill betides The rolling wheel of Fate, 'tis Ood who guides." Let us leave moralizing and turn to a brighter subject. Read this song ; if not effective, it is, at least, descrip- tive: Bebmudian Song. If you delight in sylvan ease. In orange groves and plaintain trees, With the murmur of the ocean And the music of the spheres. And the singing of wild birds, Sounding sweetly in your ears. Come to my home where rustic ways Bring tranquil nights and pleasant days. In coral oaves you hear the sound Of waters sweet on pebble ground. Where gentle winds and waters near Make music for the lonely ear ; Come to my home, which stands beside A cave where briny wavelets glide. Come to my home where rustic ways Bring tranquil nights and pleasant days. If you delieht in Summer scent. In rose and lilies' merriment. All glorified with golden gleams. That steep the soul in heavenly dreams, Where Spring her earliest visit pays, And Summer's lingering bloom delays. Come to my home where rustic ways Bring tranquil nights and pleasant days. A world of hedges, rocks and flowers. Of bushes green and blossom bowers. Of sparkling waves and sunlit skies. With heartfelt friendship's dearest ties ; From joys like these how can I roam And leave my sea-girt island home. Come to my home where rustic ways Bring tranquil nights and pleasant days. A family of tourists have been stay- ing at the hotel. The young ladies talk incessantly of Paris. There is a great contrast between these people and our American friends. We hear continually the topic of their conversa- tion thus : Mon pere And ma mere And monfrere And ma soeur All of us oui Have been over the sea. As far as Paree On a tour. Next week we expect to be at home ; " Home, sweet home. There's no place like home." HOHK. that sweet companion. Oh I what is home ? ship Of life the better part ; The happy smile of welcome on the lip Upspringing from the heart. It is the eager clasp of kindly hands, The long- remembered tone. The ready sympathy which understands All feeling by its own. The rosy cheek of little children pressed To ours in loving glee ; The presence of our dearest, and our best, No matter where we be. " Farewell to Bermuda, and long may the bloom Of the lemon and myrtle its valleys perfume, Forne'er did the wave in its element steep An island of lovelier charms. It blooms in the giant embrace of the deep, Like Hebe in Heronles' arms. The blush of its bowers is light to the eye And their melody balm to the ear. But the fiery orb of day is too near,' And the snow spirit never comes here. Farewell, dear Bermuda. I'll oft' think of these times And remember with pleasure Thy valleys of limes." •' Isles of beauty— fare thee well." Adieu, au re voir. PliAClDIA.