HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
ef treason and of massacre, elevate 
himself above the tribe of modern 
legislators, and look to posterity 
- for that palm which his better ge- 
nius had wrested from Penn, and 
Mounier, and Sieyes.—But who 
shall attempt to paint the enthusi- 
astic reveries of this devoted young 
man,who for objects chimerical and 
‘impracticable, such as his were, had 
quitted his station in.life, to asso- 
ciate with the vilest of the vile—to 
court danger, degradation, death ? 
Some papers found in a desk, 
which he had-usedin this ferlorn 
residence, and which wereseized on ° 
the suppression of the insurrection, 
give that insight into his peculiar 
cast of character, which .we have 
despaired of doiag: one of, them, 
the contents of which we shall here 
adduce, in corroboration of our 
opinions repecting this unhappy 
wretch, and which appears, to. be 
the careless effusion of an unoccu- 
pied moment, contains the foliowing 
rhapsody: ‘‘1 have little time: to 
*“ Jook at the thousand difficulties 
“ which still lie between me. and 
the completion of my wishes; 
** that these difficulties will disap- 
pear, I have ardent, and I trust 
* yational hopes; but if it is not to 
*° be ‘the’ case, I thank God for 
having giitted me with a sanguine 
** disposition, To that disposition 
I run from reflection, and if my 
hopes are without foundation; if 
a precipice is opening under my 
feet, from which duty will not 
suffer me to run batk-—I am grate- 
ful for that sanguine disposition 
© which leads me to the brink, and 
throws mé down, while my eyes 
* are still raised to the vision of 
* happiness that my fancy tormed 
“é a haa 
* in the beavens! 
“ 
303 
‘We have already stated that the, 
23d of July was fixed upon by thisen- 
thusiast to form the eraof Irish liber- 
ty--on this day the capture of the 
castle of Dublin, and the subversion 
of the government and constitution 
of Ireland, were to take place. ‘The 
date was determined by its coinci- 
dence with Saturday, when the re-, 
sort of people from all parts of the 
country would be less liable to no- 
tice, upon the general, business of 
the markets: it was also that on 
which the streets would naturally 
be filled with labourers and handy- 
craitsmen, after tueir dismissal from 
work, and having been paid. theis 
weekly stipend, by. tueir employers. 
Another circuinstance too would 
serye to cloak the extraordinary as~ 
semblage of people, or bustle of 
active preparation, om that particu; 
lar day. It was the eve of the tes~ 
tival of St.James,on which occasion 
an ancient custom prevailed among 
the common ranks, of collecting 
in great numbers, in a considerable 
suburb of Dublin,.for the purpose 
vf vepairing to the church-yard de; 
dicated to that saint, and. there 
dressing the burial places of their 
deceased relatives with flowers and 
other decorations, the evening being 
alterwards devoted, to merriment. 
[t docs not appear that the posic 
tive determination toact wascommuy 
nicated to the insurgeits until the | 
very previous day; even some whd 
were considered the most resolute; 
and most to be depended on, were 
not admitted. earlier into this great 
resolve. The failure of the former 
colispiracy was attributed to a mir 
nuteness of preparation — the actors 
in it were too eager to convince the, 
entire public, that they were then- 
sclyes the fittest persons to govern, 
and 
