The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-08-02
Dublin AAS">A 'O"s'A~

The city of Dublin. as it stood within it's
walls in the days of the Protectorate,
Irish mile, and was built entirely on the
south side of the Lifey. That side, there
fore, only of the river was embarked by
quays, and not even that in it's entirety !;
the space occupied by the new custom
house and other buildings, to the extent of
several Thousand feet, being then mere ooze
and swamps, kept thus by the continued
overhowing of the tides.
To the north of the Liffey, however,
there was suburb, built, as time went on
and the exigencies of an ever-increasing
population required, outside the walls Of
the fortified city. It was called 4" Ostman-
town." now Germantown" and occupied
a very insignificant space between Mary's
Abbey and Church street; StOney Batter,
Grange German, and Glassmanogue, being
merely villages scattered here and there in
the open country to q considerable distance
northward. A bridge of very ancient date,
the bridge of "Dubhgh ;" also mt a later
period styled the "Old Bridge" formed the
sole means of communication Except by
boat between the city and its northern
suburb. Built upon four arches, and closed
in on the Dublin side by strong gate
house with turrets and portcullis, the Old
Bridge, like all others of similar antiquity,
was broad enough and strong enough to
form a sort of street within itself; shops
being erected upon either side, and traffic
as busy ana as eager Uuere, as III Iue more
legitimate thoroughfares of the city.
From old Bridge men passed at once into
Bridge street, EicuS Points formerly,) a
long, narrow thOrOughfare, hemmed in on
one side by the city walls, and on the other
by tolerably handsome row of houses.
cage -work fashion OF the days of Queen Eliza
beth, and rooted in with tiles and shingles.
Many of them also possessed inscriptions
which, cut deep into the wood above the
doorway, stated the name and calling of
the owner, with the addition frequently of
some pious sentiment or appropriate phrase
from Scripture. This custom seems to have
been a favorite one in Dublin and in the
more antique portions of the city there ex
listed houses, even to q very recent period
of it's history, upon which might stilDbe
read the names and occupations of the
men who more than two hundred years be-
fore had resided within their/tSalls.
On the day on which we are about to in
troduce Dublin to our readers, there had
been 4 considerable amount of stir and
hustle going on among it's inhabitants, and
more especially among those of Bridge
street. Rumors had in fact been rife since
early dawn OF an expected rising of the
rebels Gas the kings partisans were then
styled by their opponents) in the north ; and
men specialized in hope and fear, as their
secret wishes moved them, on the prOba-
bility of the report. 1t received something
"
two regiments of recently arrived English
soldiers, armed from head to heel, and
evidently ready to go into action ut II mo-
ment's notice, having been marched out of
the city and sent nOrthward. Later on in
the day moreover. it became known that
the Lord Deputy himself, Henry Cromwell,
the best of Ireland's recent rulers, accom-
panied by strong escort, was proceeding
in the same direction, and might be looked
for at any moment at the Ormond Gaze
which shut out Bridge street on the city
side, Just the 'Gate-house closed it OF
that of the old Bridge.
But if people stood at their doors and
windows to do honor to the coming of their
king deputy, there yet seemed to be another
and still stronger attraction for them at the
end of the street opposite that by which he
was expected to appear. Eyes Were cast
quite rs often, though more furtixely in the
direction of the Old Bridge as in that of the
9ruond Gate; for in the midst of other
Iumors. there had come a whisper, no one
knew how or by whom it had been first set
agoing, that person suspected OF belong
ing to the rebel party had just been arrested
ON the river, having attempted, by means
OF IA boat, to el,lde the passage of the old
Bridge, and so penetrate unchollanged into
the heart of the city.
There followed, a. a matter of course,
much secret and some anxious speculation
as to the rank and real object of the arrested
person ; but one ventured to make open
inquiry into the matter Cromwelrs brief
reign of blood had stricken men dumb with
fear To have shown the smallest interest
in persons suspected of belonging to the
rebel party, would have been but to have
drawn down suspicion on themselves; and
suspicion, in those hard times, was too
nearly akin to condemnation to be heed
lessly incurred. Instead, therefore, of going
at once to the Gate-house and ascertaining
the real facts of the case from its guardians,
people were content, while awaiting the ap-
castle, to question and conjecture among
themselves as to the rank and real business
of the arrnatad man A nnnriah of frnm-