Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: possession of every comfort and enjoyment, with a wife and six jhildren, would voluntarily engage in treason; would rashly confide his life, his fortune, and his family to this stripling of an informer, whom he never before beheld. Gentlemen, I have troubled you too long. I now conclnde, and with a firm hope, I trust my client to your hands. On the following morning, the brothers walked hand in hand to the gibbet THE UNION, December 9, 1798. Thr rebellion had been completely crashed. Its leaders had been exiled - executed The last French expedition had failed. The insurgents had all nrrendered, save a few outlying rapparees in the Wicklow mountains. The country lay palpitating under a reign of terror as suspicious and remorseless a Hobespierre's. So the time had come to moot the Union. So strong, how- ever, was the feeling against annexation to England, that the first rumour which appeared upon the subject in the newspaper press (Eveninff Post, Oct. 13, 1798) was couched in the following daring terms:—"The public ear lias been filled f Jt three days past with the report of a meditated Union ; but, although we aiinot wholly pass unnoticed a subject so much engaging the public attention, yet we do not deem ourselves authorised to treat it as an admitted fact; or by a base and coward compliance to the times, or an honest and dangerous expression of resentment, seem for a moment to accredit what, according to the established laws and constitution of this kingdom, must be high treason in the person who fchould propose it." The rumour grew, however. Soon appeared the Castle pamphlet, "Arguments for and against an Union," written by the Under-Secretary Cooke. ISushe replied in the witty brochure, "Cease your funning." Thenceforth the press teemed with pamphlets. Above a...