The Sun.
London, England, 1827-05-01 00:00:00

MEMOIRS OF THEOBALD WOLFE TONE.*

It can no longer be said, with any appearance of truth,
that the " dark chain of silence" has been thrown over Ire-
land. O❑ more occasions than one it has been our pleas-
ing duty to cheer the incipient talent we had excited—to
encourage the young intellect of Ireland to still higher
efforts ; and very recently we felt ourselves justified in an-
ticipating important and happy results from its labours.
We thought it impossible for bigotry and prejudice to resist
the good of light which has within these two years been
poured upon the public mind ; and without any desire to
depreCiate our own labour, or the laboure of others—with-
out aoy wish to diminish the claims of the advocates of
Irelsrid, in and out of Parliament—without any disrespect
to they labours of the Parliamentary Committees, and the
numerous witnesses examined before them,—we must say,
that the good resulting, oe likely to result, from all these,
!sinks into insignificance when compared to the benefits
which the work before us must produce to the empire at
large, and to Ireland in particular. Beyond all question,
t is the most important publication that ever proceeded
from the press on Irish affairs. Tone, with a daring hand,
and a superior intellect, has torn into pieces the patched
veil which too long hung suspended between the English
and Irish people. To each he shows in what consists their
reepectivt strength and weakness; and we hold it impos-
sible that Ministers, after this exposé, shall dare to advise
the Monarch of these realms to refuse the claims of a
people, who are momentarily placed in the crisis of a temp-
cation, which to resist would require more than personal
attachment to the Sovereign, and which to accede to must
lead to the downfall of this mighty empire. As strenuous
friendi to the connection which subsists between these
et,untries, and as decided enemies to all revolutions effected
by bloodshed, we hail the appearance of these Memoirs and
Journals, began'? they must open the eyes of England to
the danger to which she has been exposed, and apprise the
Government of the almost ignited mine upon which they
have been unconsciously standing. Fortunately, they have
been published at a time when a concurrence of circum-
stances seems to favour Ireland. The King has just placed
at the head of Government a man, en whose liberal and
well-informed mind the obvious conclusions to the
facts contained in Tone's Journal lead will not be lost ; and
who, we trust, has honest ambition enough to ideutity his
name with the settlement of a question, upon which de-
pends the welfare of the empire, and a notoriety at once
honourable and imperishable.
These Memoirs were recently published in America, and
have just been reprinted in London. They contain the
autobiography and journal of Theobald Wolfe Tone. Both
were written while in France, negociating with the French
Government relative to an invasion of Ireland, and were in-
tended solely for the use of his own family, and one or two
friends. Events, however, have made it desirable that
the son of the author should now give them to the public ;
and we need not say, that lie has only done that which was
due to memory of his father, and the ill-fated country of
his birth.
Theoliald Wolfe Tone was born in Stafford-street, Dublin,
on the 20th of June, 1765. His grandfather was a re-
spectable farmer in the county of Kildare ; but his father
followed the busi❑ess of a coachmaker in the metropolis.
* Life of Theobald Wolfe Tone, Founder of the United
Irish Society, and Adjutant-General and Chief de Brigade
in the service of the French and Batavian Republics, 2 vols.
byo. Waohiustna -,...Gales and Seaton,.