The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-10 00:00:00

THE IRISH BRIGADE.

Under this heading the Nation publishes what it
terms a " highly important letter" from Major
Myles O'Reilly, having reference to " the present
position and the future prospects of the Irish Bat-
talion." I make the subjoined extracts from the
communication indicated :

" On arriving at Leghorn with the men I had
accompanied from Spoleto, I was there detained a
few days by the illness of my wife, who had accom-
panied me, and compelled to proceed directly to
Marseilles instead of continuing my route to Genoa.
From Marseilles I at once proceeded to Rome to
report myself and my soldiers to the Minister of
the Holy Father, and await his orders for their dis-
posal. The officers were with few exceptions, bound
by parole not to serve against the Piedmontese
for terms varying according to the capitulation.
The men were free to join the ranks at once ; at the
same time there was grave reason to apprehend
that under the existing circumstances the Pontifical
Government—its finances exhausted on the one
hand, and its authority, on the other, exercised
over a very small territory, where foreign interven-
tion at once crippled its action and rendered mili-
tary defence useless, a large force might be rather
a burden than an advantage to the Holy Father. I
therefore laid the matter before the Cardinal Secre-
tary of State, Cardinal Antonelli, and the Pro-
Minister of Arms, Monsignor De Merode, assuring
them, on the part of the Irish troops that while they
did not wish to draw pay a day longer than they
could be of service to the Holy Father, they were
ready freely to imperil their lives, when needful,
for the cause they deemed it an honour to serve ;
and that should the Holy Father in future time need
defenders, they and I would be ready and eager to
serve under his standard.

" From the Cardinal Secretary of State, who
laidthe matter before His Holiness, and the Minis-
ter of Arms, I received the answer, That under
existing circumstances the Government of His
Holiness considered it undesirable to retain a
large body of forces, and that, therefore, the men
of the Battalion of St. Patrick would be released
from their engagement, and sent home at the ex-
pence of the Pontifical Government, the officers to
retain their honorary rank. Finally, I was honoured
with an audience of the Holy Father, who re-
peated the same instructions, desired me to convey
to the officers and men his Apostolic benediction,
his thanks for their services, and expressed a wish
that as soon as the restoration of the possessions of
the Church should make it incumbent on him to
provide for their defence, he might have a body of
chosen Irishmen in his service. I assured him
that there would be no difficulty at any time in
having a select body of such men. To the Minister
of Arms, when his Excellency spoke to me on the
subject, I repeated the same assurance, mentioning
at the same time, that in consequence of the ill-
advised attempts which had bepn made to dena-
tionalise the Battalion of St. Patrick by the intru-
sion of foreign officers, and especially of Swiss
sergeantsof indifferent character, and which I had
successfully ,resisted, I felt it my duty to tell his
Excellency that any attempt to obtain Irish sol-
diers without a distinct and formal understanding
on this head could end only in failure. He assured
me he would correspond with me on the subject
when the occasion would arise.
" The Battalion of St. Patrick is, therefore, for
the present ' disembodied'—a sufficient number of
officers remaining to constitute a numerous staff
whenever it may again be called into activity.
"As to its re-embodiment, the time and circum-
stances, as appears from what has been stated,
depend on those representing the Government of
the Holy See. Meanwhile, as a nucleus for future
re-organisation, a depot exists in Rome, where
30 men and non-commissioned officers have been
allowed to return, and with the view of being in-
creased to a company, should the Pontifical Govern-
ment desire it.

" Thus, through the knowledge these men will
have acquired of the Italian language, and the in-
ternal economy of the service, will be obviated in
advance every pretext for the introduction of
foreigners to the future Battalion of St. Patrick.
The following are the official documents indicated
in the foregoing

66 6 MEMORANDUM.

" ' Rome Oct. 6, 1860.
" ' Under existing circumstances, which render it
undesirable for the Pontifical Government to retain
the number of troops hitherto employed, the Go-
vernment of his Holiness thanks the officers and
men of the battalion of St. Patrick for their past
services, and releases them from their engagement,
with the following conditions :
_"4l. The officers who hold definitive cdinmissions
ths'; In their honorary rank, and shall be recalled to
,erv.
They „hwil3 when the battalion is reconstituted.
and be rael receive pay for the month of October,
are freed fi4bursed the losses of war. The soldiers
home at 4,_lxitheir engagements, and shall be sent
a ,Ziet,yense of the Pontifical Government.'
44 OF THE MINISTER OF ARMS.
( i I At the niorient . 'lB6O.
which, in consequence of
the present Sad statell
oT, affairs, the brave soldiers
of the Battalion of
St, roatrick, who had hastened
hither for the defence f
States of the Holy
Church, are about to leave thee
Pontifical army, the
undersigned Minister of Ar
g ameextperiences the live-
liest satisfaction in bein
, aoneaxpress to those
soldiers his entire satisfaction
conduct.lstowing on
expected from them the highest praise for their
" 'Nothing more could be
them.
showerugia,
The Battalion of St. Patrick, at Spoleto, :31
at Castelfidardo, and in Ancona, has
in which honour,
the
power of faith united to the seatiment or
in the treacherous and unequal contest,
small number of brave soldiers resisted to the lasta
an entire army of sacrilegious invaders.
" ' May this recollection never parish from their
hearts. God, who defends his Church, will defend
what they have done.
"' It is not Irishmen who require to be reminded
that we must suffer and persevere in the good fight.
1' ' XAVIER DE MERODE, Minister of Arms.'

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