will not reprimand me much for that expression.  I left the shores of my native land—­Ireland is the land of my birth, and I am proud to own it.  I am proud to say that I am an Irishman, but I am also proud and happy to state that I am an adopted citizen of the United States; and while true to the land of my birth, I can never be false to the land of my adoption.  That is not an original phrase, but it expresses the idea which I mean to convey.  Now, my lords, my learned and very able counsel, who have conducted my case with the greatest ability and zeal, and of whom I cannot speak in terms of sufficient praise, demanded for me a jury half alien.  I was refased it.  I was born in this country, and I was, while breath remained in my body, a British subject.  In God’s name—­if I may mention His holy name without sufficient reasons—­what affection should I have for England?  You cannot stamp out the instincts that are in the breast of man—­man will be man to the end of time—­the very worm you tread upon will turn upon your feet.  If I remained in this country till I descended to the grave, I would remain in obscurity and poverty.  I left Ireland, not because I disliked the country—­I love Ireland as I lovs myself—­I left Ireland for the very good and cogent reason that I could not live in Ireland.  But why could I not live here?  I must not say; that would be trespassing.  I must not mention why I was forced to leave Ireland—­why I am now placed in this dock.  Think you, my lords, that I would injure a living being—­that I would, of my own free accord, willingly touch a hair upon the head of any man?  No, my lords; far would it be from me; but that government which has left our people in misery—­

    The LORD CHIEF BARON—­I cannot allow you to trespass on
    political grievances.

COSTELLO—­I am afraid I am occupying the time of the court too much, but really a man placed in such a position as I now occupy, finds it necessary to make a few observations.  I know it savours of a great deal that is bad and foul to be mixed up with Fenian rebels, assassins, and cut-throats.  It is very bad; it is not a very good recommendation for a young man.  Even were that fact proved home to me—­that I were a Fenian—­no act of mine has ever thrown dishonour on the name.  I know not what Fenian means.  I am an Irishman, and that is all-sufficient.

The prisoner then proceeded to criticise the evidence against him at considerable length.  He declared emphatically that one of the documents sworn to be in his handwriting was not written by him.  He thus continued:—­

Your lordships are well aware that there are many contradictions in the informers’ testimony, and now here is a matter which I am going to mention for the first time.  Corydon. in his first information at Kilmainham, swears that he never knew me until he saw me at a Fenian pic-nic, and this he modifies afterwards by the remark, that any man would be allowed into these pic-nics