The O'Connell Letters. Part XVIII

Irish Jesuit Province

The O'Connell Letters. Part XVIIIAuthor(s): Daniel O'ConnellSource: The Irish Monthly, Vol. 12, No. 130 (Apr., 1884), pp. 213-216Published by: Irish Jesuit ProvinceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20497125 .

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O'Connell Papers. 2 13

The last of the books to which we can at present call attention is of far higher ability than most of those that we have mentioned. The subjects are so sacred and the treatment so thoughtful that we fear the two previous works of which this is the complement-" The Divine Sequence," and "The Eternal Years "-are familiar to only a few among our readers. These will expect deep thought and eloquent expression inl "The Divine Ideal" (James Duffy & Sons, Dublin and London), and they will not be disappointed. F. M. accepts with enthusiasm the Scotist view of the relations between the Creation and the Incarnation, which also commended itself to the beautiful mind of Frederick William Faber; and with this theological system for basis essays to elucidate the position of Mary the Mother of God as the linik oetween the old and the new dispensation, between the natural and the divine.

THE O'CONNELL LETTERS.

PART XVIII.

WE have before explained why so few of the Liberator's own letters are found among his papers. We go back to an early date in his career to give some of these few, though they are almost too sacred a revelation of his affectionate nature.

"ENNIS, 'K5th Miarch, 1812.

"MY DEAREST MARY,

"I was a little impertinent in my letter of yesterday, and the reason was, because I found myself decidedly in more business than any other individual here, and 80, heart, avenged myself upon you, whiclh was poor spite; I, however now forgive you, darling, because you pro mise me so faithfully to take care of yourself and grow fat in my absence.

" Seriously, love, I am quite in a temper to indulge vanity, but in nothing more so than in you and my sweet, sweet babes. Darling, you have no idea of the time I take in thinking of you and them, andl in doating upon both; kiss them a thousand times for their father, and tell them that he will not be happy until he has his three little girls on his knees and his three boys looking at them there.

" The business here is over, completely over. I was concerned in every record, not left out even of one. And I was the only counsel so circumstanced. I am apt to think I shall not be able to leave this to

morrow. Between Chamber business and a Popish Aggregate it is



214 O'Connell Papers.

likely that I shall be detained till Saturday, but on that I mean to write to you from Limerick.

" Will you take care and keep Cobbett for me safely? If you in trust this commission to anybody else, you may depend on it that some of the numbers will be missed. Call on Mr. Hay, love, and tell him from me that the members of the Board in this county are very anxious to get copies of the petition in order to proceed for sig,natures.

"Believe me, darling love, with the sincerest affection, "Your tender and doatingly fond

"t DANIEL O'CONNELL. "Tell each and every of my babes how I love them. Ask John if

he ever intends to get a tooth."

"DAIRRINANE,

" 18th Sept., 1812. "6 o'clock in the morning.

"MY D&RLING MARY,

"Do not you be angry with me for staying so long in this country. Indeed, heart, it is iiot pleasure alone which keeps mue, but I really have business, too. If I were to consult my first and chiefest pleasure, it would be with my own sweet Alary and her darling babes; but I will confess that I never had, in her absence, so pleasant a time in Iveragh, notwithstanding the melancholy cast on the country by the death of my ever lamented friend, poor Hayes, who is mole regretted than you have any notion of. We have had great amusement. I am never in bed at sunrise; and the weather is so delightful that every day we either shoot, fish, or hunt. This would please you, too, my

Mary, if in the meantime I was not keeping you at Mlallow. I can hardly bear the idea of your thinking of going tip to Dublin before me, and do venture to entreat of you not to think maore of it. Darling, you would be at expense in Dublin as well as in Mallow, and one short week would give us the happiness of travelling together. I, however, leave you to act in this, as in every other respect, completely at your own discretion. Whatever you determine on will certainly please me, yet I could wish you would not determine conclusively till you hear again from me. No news here; all perfectly well.

A thousand tender remembrances to our sweet, sweet children. " Ever, dearest heart's darling,

" Your doatingly fond "DANIEL O'CONNELL."

Many a letter passed between Mrs. O'Connell and her illustrious husband between the date of the foregoing and that of the next we find among " The O'Connell Papers." With some misgiving we give it almost in full, though, perhaps, betraying too much of the tender

ness of this big heart:



O'Connell Papers. 215

15th August, 1824. "MY DARLING LOVE,

" It is an age since I heard from you, and I am so long without

writing to you that I feel quite lonely and melancholy. But do not blame me, darling. I have been almost constantly on the wing. I

got-to Waterford -on Tuesday, about five, and was dragged by the people from the new bridge at Waterford to my lodgings, about half a mile, along the finest quay imaginable. The next day the record came on; my client was defeated, but ought not. The Chief Justice

was astonished at the verdict, but it was occasioned altogether by the Orange feeling which prevents Catholics from getting justice. My client was a Catholic, and not a single Catholic was left on the jury. I never was miore disgusted by the vileness of the bigotry which crushes the Catholics in every stage and situation in life. I got a great dinner on Wednesday. The company was respectable and very numerous. I oiid not get to bed till near two in the morning. I was up again at or rather before six, and travelled that day, Thur8day, to Killarney, 104 miles, but I was not there until near three in the morning. I was obliged to be up again at six or soon after, and came here on Friday morniing before the court sat. Butler's fishery case was postponed for mie, and we succeeded in it gallantly. Butler is very grateful; ancd so, darling, he ought. I found Ellen much reco vered. I went through a good deal of fatigue, but I never was better in health or spirits, boasting of you and my girls and my boys, not foigetting mny mtiwsreaut. Darlig, give them all my tenderest love, and tell yourself, if you can, how I love you, my own, own Mary. I go this day to James's to dine and sleep, having taken my place for Cork to-morrow. I must get to Cork a full day before the assizes commence. They will certainly last a fuuR fortnight. I then, dearest, take my trip to Iveragh. You can afford to let me go to Iveragh this year. I trust, sweetest, this winter will agree with you, and my own, own girls: they little know how their father raves of them! It is that, darling, hterally-my sweet, sweet Nell, my darling, darling

Kate, and my dearest Betsey. " Spring Rice has been here on the Grand Jury. He would have

a public compliment paid to him if I had not interfered. I am quite dissatisfied with him and his politics. Darling, I will, please God, write to you regularly from Cork, and will expect frequent letters from you. Get all general post letters sent to me by altering the directions.

"c Believe me, heart's darling love, "'Yours, with the utmost tenderness and truth,

" DANIEL O'Con0n."

The last of these connubial letters that we shall give is dated two



2 1 6 O'Conne1i Papers.

years later from the thick of the famous Waterford election, which broke,the power of the Beresfords for ever.

" DROMANA, "i I9th June, 1826.

"MY OWN SWEET LOVE, " Here I am at this lovely spot. I believe it is that which

Lady Morgan makes the scene of many of the incidents in ' Florence M'Carthy.' It is really a beautiful situation. As to yesterday, first, I wrote to you from Waterford, and enclosed a cheque for ?35; next, sweetest, we heard an early Mass at Waterford, and then started for Dungarvan. We breakfasted at Kilmacthomas, a town belonging to the Beresfords; but the people belong to us. They came out to meet us with green boughs, and such shouting you can have no idea of. I harangued them from the window of the inn, and we had a good deal of laughing at the bloody Beresfords. Judoe what the popular feeling must be when in this, a Beresford town, every man their tenant, we had such a reception. A few miles farther on, we found a chapel with a congregation assembled before Mass. The Priest made me come out, and 1 addressed his flock, ibeing my second speech. The freeholders here were the tenants of a Mr. Palliser, who is on the adverse interulst but almost all of them will vote for us. We then proceeded to Kilgar van on the coast. There are here about four hundred voters, belonging ta the Duke of Devonshire. His agents have acted a most treacherous part by us, and our committee at Waterford were afraid openly to attack the voters lest the Duke should complain of our violating what he calls hiis neutrality. But I deemed all that sheer nonsense, and to work we went. We had a most tremendous meeting. We harangued the people from a platform erected by the walls of a new chapel. I never could form a notion of the great effect of popular declamation before yesterday. The clergy of the town most zealously assisted us. We have, I believe, completely triumphed, and I at present am convinced we shall poll to the last man of these voters. We then hlxd a public dinner, and great speecking. We broke up about nine, and Wyse and I came here with Mr. Stuart in his carriage. We arrived about half after ten, and are going this day to Lismore on another mission. We return here to dinner. To-morrow we leave here for Waterford, by half past four.

" I cannot tell you what a sweet spot this is. The tide rises to a considerable distance beyond this, and gives this noble river a more ma jestic appearance. Darling, I must give up poetic ideas, and tell you in plain prose that I do most tenderly doat on you and your children. Believe me-and you do believe me, darling-to be, with the sincerest tenderness,

"Yours, and yours only, "C DANIEL O'CONNrL."



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The O'Connell Letters. Part XVIII