The Bench which his great mind, and various learning would have honored, has been deprived by his expatiation of the best citizen and the most upright judge, if we are to appreciate a man's future conduct by the current virtues of his life. But the seat of justice was not accessible to a person so much Irish, he could neither fawn on English clerks, nor court their con fidence by abusing his misrepresented country. In short he wanted that Anglo Irish character as much as he did the ignorance and effrontery that are the best qualifications. in a degenerate age and under a tottering sta.e. Mr. Emmett has taken refuge in the American states, where his character is not misrepresented, nor his talents undervalued. Robert the third son, the subject of these pages, was born about the year 1779, and at a very early time of life placed in Trinity College Dub. lin, where his unfolding character for good temper, extraordinary taste and intense application, left him no rival in the whole Seminary, ancient learning which bears so many examples of patriotism, and so many lessons that teach a love of our country, inspired him with all the great sentiments of the Heroe's of former Republies. In the University he sought the society of young men who entertained the same elevated notions, and similarity of thinking. Europe at this period was seen struggling with the minions of kings and despots. The great events which regenerated France exhibited, were beheld in Ireland with all the respect which they merited. Young Emmett and his College companions were soon distinguished for Anti Anglo opinions, and in 1798. He was expelled the Uni versity with several other young men accused of entertaining a taste for French politics. The interval between the time of his expulsion, and that which caused his death was spent in his father's house in literary pursuits. Some time in the beginning of the year 1803 his ardent and impetuous mind, impatient at what he conceived to be the degraded condition of his country, contemplated the possibility of throwing off the English government, and erecting in its place an Irish republic. We regret to say, (because his country has lost one of her best children,) that his judgment, did not keep pace with his rapid fancy, great mind and honest thinking. He was surrounded with a croud of men, most of whom, had no merit but the assumption of such character as they know he admired, and none of them had any property. Idle and fashionable, they listened with raptures at his lessons on liberty, they appear this day to have been as deficient in principle, as they were incapable of advising. They lived at his table, and were literally covered with his clothes. They had not spirit to check the impassioned zeal he constantly exhi bited, lest his judgment being awakened would quell the enthusiasm that ruled him, and an abandonment of his plans, would precede their dismissal. Prudence was skilfully drowned in the noisy approbation of men, who could not exist but on the continuation of delusion. No one honest man appeared to interrupt the unthinking precipitation, that his arduous ima gination pointed for the future glory of his country. No man ventured to show to his recollection, the inevitable ruin, that would would attend a handful of young men, with no resources, but their leader's property, with no arms, but about ten thousand pikes, thirty or forty bad musquets, and an hundred weight of gunpowder, as an adequate physical force, and sufficient munitions of war, to be applied to taking possession of one of the most populous cities in Europe, from a garrison of ten thousand men. After allowing him to be mislead, by fictitious enumerations of men, who were never consulted, and of military stores that were not existing, they added the character of the pander to the coward, they were seen throwing into the streets on the fatal night the expensive uniforms, which his money purchased, and seeking their safety by flight at the arduous moment when their more intrepid and humble associates were on the point of carrying the castle by a coup-de-main. It was on the perilous moment these wretches Red, a pause ensued, a minute was lost, and in vain the intrepid youth attempted to rally his intimidated followers, after some ineffectual struggles, they submitted to the misfortunes which their credulity lead them into. They fled and the field remained in the hands of their antagonists; abandoned by his officers, if we may call such cowards by such honorable appellation. The misled and infatuated youth strayed in different directions and hiding places, afraid to involve his friends or kindred in his misfortunes, he studiously avoided all who could assist him, and the refuge they might give him. He was at length betrayed and executed. He met death with becoming fortitude, and with the most exemplary attention to religion His trial, was attended with some singular and affecting circumstances that displayed his innocent mind, as much to his advantage as they attached odium to his prosecutors. To set off the enormity attempted to be affixed to his conduct and motives, his father's name was used, to draw an invidious parallel injurious to the son. His appeal to the memory of his parent on the spot was affect ing and interesting, in the following words he answered the unfair observations. "If the transitory scenes of this world are visible to the illustrious dead, dear shade of my father, look down on your suffering son, and see has he, for one moment of his short life, deviated from those moral and patriot duties, which you so early taught him, and for which he now so willingly dies." man To the disgrace of the bar, to the duties of hospitality, a appeared who formerly lived, by the bounty of the prisoner's father, out of his place, and beyond the duties of his office, to stand up, and in a studied speech of considerable length attacked the unprotected youth, in the severest tone of legal and political asperity; so unnecessary was this effusion of artificial loyalty and such was the atrocity of this violation of former friendships, and early intimacy, that the conduct of the man, has been spoken of, in terms of the liveliest abhorrence, by persons of every party in the two countries, To give a livelier idea, of the character of this lawyer, he used the utmost powers of legal eloquence and an appropriate affection of horror at the imputed criminality of the silent prisoner, and detailed the consequences that would affect ali all social order, were such opinions allowed to have any countenance from the mildness of the laws, or the inistaken lemity, which is often exercised by the authority vested in the sacred person of majesty. With all this bombast and loyalty, a crouded court seemed not to consider the orator as a man of the highest moral character; whatever their political, principles might be notwithstanding, but, how they would be affected, as parents, guardians and men, were they to know, that this pleader who so strenuously demanded the life of the prisoner, was the tutor of that prisoner and actually taught him, those very political lessons, and them democratic and Anti Anglo doctrines, which formed so prominent a part of the accusation, and, at the table of Doctor Emmett the prisoner's hospitable father?! EPITAP H. On a well-known unfortunate young city in the most silent neglect. The present government very prudently postponed its celebration, until the fate of Spain is decided; it would appear indecent and impolitic if the British press were to record the triumphs and riots of protestant mobs over their catholic countrymen, in the capital of Ireland, at a time when the British armies were employed vindicating the religion and liberties of catholic Spain. The illiterate and ignorant part of the Dutch zealots, who are better known as orangemen, betrayed very uneasy symptoms of displeasure at the insult offered to the memory of their hero, a few of the most distinguished of our corporation orators were observed enjoying with singular satisfaction a dozen of their most sanguinary followers, steal from their hiding places, to the base of the statue, where they knocked down some poor women, who they suspected were not admirers of the fallen house of Nassau. A party of the Police dispersed the ruffians, and order was restored. It reflects some honor on the noble Duke the representative of majesty that in his administration a repetition of anniversary murders and rapacity are prevented. In the capital, public decency has been kept in view. In Mountrath things did not appear as sanguinary as on former days, though the orange banditti of the surrounding neighbourhood, appeared armed and accoutred, with flags flying, and other symbols of terror, to the alarm of the dejected catholics, the day concluded without much bloodshed. As the parish priest of Mountrath had fallen by their hands, in July last, they had not the opportunity of murdering him again: so, that they, are guiltless of priest killing much against against their consent on one festival in their lives. The remembrance of William and his Wife is dying away even in this country very quickly, within the last four years. It has got a tolerable quietus under our present illustrious Chief Governor. In the meridian of William's power, when seated on the throne of the Stuarts he had little apprehensions, that his memory should sink into so much contempt, that another Stuart, though his blood may want the legitimate purity, prescribed by the usages of the law, and the church, would avenge the honour of his ancestors. We hope if the illustrious dead can witness any of the frivolous transactions of humanity that the de parted shade of James, will feel gratified at the conduct of his royal brothers descendant, towards the brazen remains of a man who expelled, a father in law and an uncle from the throne of his ancestors opinion. The following important document we have exclusively received, and hasten to lay it before our readers. it must excite the highest degree of interest in the Catholic mind to have this early opportunity of having the opinion of the Holy See, on the meditated project of giving the King a Veto, in the appointment of our Bishops. Rome, September, 5th 1805. Copy of a letter from the Secretary De Propaganda Fide, to Doctor Concanen. The letter Dr. Milner vicar apostólic of the middle district of Eng land directed to you, the translation of which, by his desire you have communicated to the secretary of the congregation of Propaganda Fide, has filled the congregation with the same apprehensions manifested by that prelate in considering the time of deciding the fortunes of the catholics by parliament as the most dangerous for the purity and existence of our holy religion that has occured since the time of the reformation in that kingdom, nor is it any injustice to an heterodox government, if this very measure be suspected of having that tendency, for which reason the Vicar Apostolic and the bishops of that empire, must lay aside every idea of their own advantage or temporal interest, that their hearts, may not be weakened so far as to induce to consent to any thing that may turn out prejudicial to religion. This spirit of disinterestedness, is manifest in Dr. Milner, from the tenor of his letter, and in consequence of it, he wisely desires of the sacred congregation instructions by which he may be guided in the treaty in which he is engaged. The sacred congregation however finds all projects submitted to him, by those politicians replete with most serious difficulties. In the first place as to the project of allowing fixed pensions from the treasury to the bishops and clergy of the empire, his holiness has already expressed his sentiments on that head by means of a note directed to you from the Secretary communicated to the metropolitans on 7th August, 1801, which being and bishops of Ireland, they answered that they would chearfully surrender every temporal advantage for the preservation of religion, a copy of that note is annexed and to be sent to Dr. Miler. And And in truth by accepting such pensions the clergy will lose many other means of support which they now derive from the piety of the faithful, and those pensions would be their only support, now who does not perceive to what serious temptations the clergy would be exposed by consenting to something prejudicial to religion, at the desire of a government of a different religion, which can even without notice reduce them to beggary by withdrawing those pensions. For this and many other reasons when the national assembly of France adopted the maxim of giving pensions to the clergy, Pius VI. of holy memory condemned it in his brief of the 10th March, 1791 page 61, and seq. and when the court of London obtained possession of Corsica and made a similar proposal, the holy see opposed it, and that court gave up the project. With regard to the influence demanded by the civil power in the nomination of bishops, and the various proposals made to regulate that influence, it is to be observed that a positive nomination cannot be allowed to a heterodox government. To shew this it will be sufficient to recur to the sentiments of Pope Benedict XIV. This Pontiff in a letter addressed to the bishop of Breslaw, 15th May 1748, thus expresses himself. That in the whole ecclesiastical history there is not recorded a single example of allowing the appointment of a catholic bishop or abbot to a sovereign of another religion," adding that he would not and could not introduce an example that would scandalize the whole catholic world, and that besides the dreadful punishment inflicted on him in the next world be would render his name odious and accursed during his life, and much more so after his death. The same difficulty would arise although the rights of appointment were limited to a class of clergymen to be first approved by the bishops, as for example, where two vicars were to be appointed in each diocese or district. But besides this project (of vicars) involves the greatest difficulties on account of local circumstances for ever ab. stracting from the possible ambition of clergymen to be appointed vicars general by the bishops and Vicars Apostolic, when the candidates are selected from the la bouring clergy, even the ambitious are induced to labour for the benefits of souls. It is also clear that if in such a want of clergymen two be selected for the post of Vicar General, missionaries will become scarce indeed. The simple right of excluding or rejecting would produce fewer in conveniencies, were it properly limited, because otherwise by continually excluding a positive right might be indirectly obtained, but this is entirely new, or can the consequences of its introduction be calculated, but as all these projects are mentioned for the purpose of giving security to the government, that no obnoxious person will be promoted, it should be sufficient to recur to the experience of so many ages to assure the govern ment of the anxiety of the Holy See, not only that the persons elected should not be obnoxious but even pleasing to it. Even you, sir, can attest the great industry, activity and secresy, used by the Holy See in excluding a person some time ago who was suspected would not be pleasing to the court, although he was most strongly and powerfully |