The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-09-15
IRISH GRAVES I'M ENGLAND.
BY MICHAEL MAoDONAGH.
'I ts RI &
PAMELA.

" i Z i. D.
None OF my readers will, am sure,
quarrel with the description Of the last
resting place Of Pamela, the wife OF Lord
Edward Fitzgerald, as an Irish grave.
Pamela, it is true, was not Irish in her
birth, she was French, but she became
The true, devoted, and aiiored wife Of one
Of the twin heroes in Irish revolutionary
movements (neei}less to sag that Robert
E1nu1et is the other)-while she herself
ana Sarah Curran are enshrined III the
hearts Of the Irish people, and will be
for ever regarded with deep affection for
the great sacrifices they endured in the
struggle for Irish liberty.
WHO was Pamela?-where was she
born?--who were her parents?-sre
questions which cannot now be answered,
AID never will, probably, be answered
satisfactorily. She was brought up by
Madame dc Geniis. woman famous IN
Frsnch literature and history, and was
regarded SIS her illegitzmate child, while
her paternity was ascribed to the Duke
d'[Jr;eanB. Lord Edward Fitzgerald
seeua Il, Lave .o3ked upon Pamela az
auon, or at least an the daughter OF
Madame de Genlis. Thomas Moore, IN
his biography Of the Irish patriot, ac-
eepts The same conclusion, and almost
every subsequent writer on the subject
has followed suit. The first to hazard a
doubt in sne matter WAS Mr.. John Roche,
OF Cork, who published his ''keminie-
eences Of an Octogenarian" some years
agc. Mr. j, r. Leonard, of Paris, the
weil~Anown and veteran Irish literateu2,
suhBeq uently made special study OF
the question, and on that account has
opinion that tie accepted notion of the
origin 7f Pamela ia erroneous is deserv"
ing Of great weight. The theory Mr..
Leonard advanced is shat Pamela WAS aa
aaoptei1 child Of Madame de Genls, sn3
as Madame has not left in her writings
the slightest hint towards un1ayelling
the mystery That hangs round the origin
OF the chilG--thcugh ol the other hand
she nevar protested against the child be-
ing described as her da1ghter-he Cob
lectures Shat Madame had q mystery to
conceal, but not, he says, one of French
origin. every day in The life OF Madame
ae Gonlis,'' writes Mr.. Leonard, scan be
tyaced, and she had 600 many enemies to
allow the birth Of a child to remain up-
known The opinion Ct Mr.. Leonard
has einc3 its PRONUNCIATION received
strong confirmation FROM several sources.
While at Carton, Maynootll, on visit &c
TIE Duke OF Iseinnier, in 1880, he was
sold by The Duke that Louis Philippe,
King Of France, son OF the Duke
d'Orleena (the reputed payent Of PamelaIl
assured his father shat the report that
Pamela was daughter Of Madame de
Aanlis was false. Louie Philippe and
his sister, PRINCESS adelaide, were edu-
GAtSu DY lNl2uGuas GE %IeAA1n.
,rho weight of authorities are against
the ASSUMPTION that Pamela was a
daughter Of Madame de Genlis.
During the visit OF Madame &c Genlis
ans her pupils to England described BY
Louis Philippe, Pamela became engaged
90 marry Richaya .BrinsZey Sheridan,
then widower. The party was staying
at Shariaan's house when Lord Edward
Fitzgerald visited it, bat though ne had
heard the beauty Of Pamela loadly sung
by ali In did not cayee to see her then, as
be should eiso have 70 meet Madame de
jieulis, which he said-suoh wns his nor
ror of meeting ladies Of leasning--would
be SO great On infection that the INTRO
ductiou TO Pamela would not at all COM
psnsate for it, Lord Edward went to
Paris in 1892. So filed was he with the
revolutionary spirit with which France
was glowing at the time that at public
dinner he renowned his titles, pro-
claimed himself Tie Citoyen Edward
Fitzgerald, - and proposed as toast "the
sneedy abolition Of all hereditary titles
and feudal distinctions. For this ne was
dismissed from the British Army. In
December Of that year he met Pamela.
They we're married shortly afterwards
at Toursay, Louis Philippe being one OF
the witnesses, and in the announcement
of tha event which Madame de Genlls
uent to the newspapers Pamela was de-
scribed as Mdlle Sims. Pamela at tho
tine was in her eighteenth year,
Lord Edward Fitzgerald and Panels
went to Ireland soon after their marriage.
They lived ct pretty place called
"Fyescati" in county Kildare, and their
iife seems to have been most happy.
writing Of Pamela, [ have OF course
more to do with the domestic life of Lord
Edward than with his political career,
and / don't think 1 can do better than
1r,ntta fror, n number of letters he wrote