New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-24

with STAFFORD he clearly regards the bette
no,re par excellence OF Ireland. THE charge
that Pitt at the head OF the English Govern
nent was responsible entirely for all the blood
shed is unanswerable." he asserts: after the
imprisonment Of the leaders and after the death
OF Lo,d Robert Fitzgerald. who was the only
one who could have successfully taken charge
Of any military movement, an outbreak of the
people would have been rendered impossible
had the English Government made the slightest
concession or even wished the country to re-
main at peace" The rising OF five years later.
which had as one result the execution Of the
author s granduncle. was also caused, according
to this brief for the plaintiff. ~ the chicanery
Of the British Government. whose agents duped
Emmett into making his abortive attempt to free
Ireland Indeed. Dr. Enlnet goes so far as to
claim, that the English Government plotted the
Irish patriot's judicial murder and that he was
condemned 10 death before he had ever COM
mitted overt act.
The ACCESSIBILITY Of the present publication Of
a york of this nature may seriously he ques-
toned. reopening 1t does old sores at
moment when everything points to the COM
mencemen: Of happier for ireland As
mus; be patent 10 all who have made any study
Of tho measure. the wyndham land bill is cacu-
lated TO remove in no small measure the exist
hi.nself recognizes this is evident from the post
script TO his preface. i'm which find the only
auusion TO this step in advance But. suspicious
Or the good faith OF the government he de-
cided. he tells us. to let the work go press
II must. therefore. have been in process of pub
LEGATION at the very time the land hill was being
enacted into Law. Apart from the question of
propriety. however. there is excellent rea-
for the appearance of these volumes at this
or for that matter any time. and that reason
the author has not overlooked. We quote from
him again:
With the effort being made throughout
the world. wherever the Irish people have been
scattered. To rekindle the national spirit by re-
viving knowledge of the Irish spoken
language and with the study of Irelcnds grand
history and traditions which must follow the
necessity becomes all the greater that even the
most humble effort TO teach should he accepted
for its worth contribution toward advanc-
ing the reviving interest in Irish matters.
movement which must accomplish So mucn
10 ward educating the people Of Irish blood to
respect themselves the more from the fact of
their Irish origin. and a knowledge Of the truth
to what does Justly exist 10 the credit NJ the
Irish race. will eventually com nand the respect
Of all nations.
Apart from the inevitably controversial char
acter Of the book the main criticism which can
be levelled at it is that Dr. Emmett. while indie
fatigable in his researches into Irish history.
does not appear to have taken overgreat pains
collate his facts and that there accordingly is
too much that is repettive. Anticipating this
objection. he explains that. this work is in
the nature of n compilation he preferred to
give all quotations in full rather than TO para
phrase his authorities words. Nevertheless. it
must be said that he might to advantage have
abbreviated Of his quotations and have
merely referred 10 others of the writer's whose
testimony he adi,,ces as corroborative of state
ments already emphasized by quotation.