brought into parliament; and took steps, which proved only too successful, for the break up of the organization by which the movement was conducted.  And then, when Frederick Lucas was dead, and Mr. Duffy had gone into exile, and the patriot priests were debarred from taking part in politics, and Messrs. John Sadlier and William Keogh were bought over by bribes of place and pay, the government appeared to think that Irish patriotism had fought in its last ditch, and received its final defeat.

But they were mistaken.  The old cause that had survived so many disasters was not dead yet.  While the efforts of the Tenant Righters in Ireland were being foiled, and their party was being scattered, a couple of Irishmen, temporarily resident in Paris, fugitive because of their connexion with the events of ’48, were laying the foundations of a movement more profoundly dangerous to England, than any of those with which she had grappled since the days of Wolfe Tone and Lord Edward Fitzgerald.  Those men were John O’Mahony and James Stephens.

Since then their names have been much heard of, and the organization of which they were the originators has played an important part in Irish history.  But at the period of which we are now writing, the general public knew nothing of O’Mahony or of Stephens beyond the fact that they were alleged to have taken some part in the recent insurrectionary demonstrations.  Stephens, who was then a very young lad, had been present at the Ballingarry attack, and had been severely wounded by the fire of the police.  He managed to crawl away from the spot to a ditch side, where he was lost sight of.  A report of his death was put into circulation, and a loyal journal published in Kilkenny—­the native town of the young rebel, who in this instance played his first trick on the government—­referred to his supposed decease in terms which showed that the rule de mortuis nil nisi bonum found acceptance with the editor.  The following are the words of the obituary notice which appeared in the Kilkenny Moderator on or about the 19th of August, 1848:—­

“Poor James Stephens, who followed Smith O’Brien to the field, has died of the wound which he received at Ballingarry whilst acting as aide-de-camp to the insurgent leader.  Mr. Stephens was a very amiable, and apart from politics, most inoffensive young man, possessed of a great deal of talent, and we believe he was a most excellent son and brother.  His untimely and melancholy fate will be much regretted by a numerous circle of friends.”

It is said that his family very prudently fostered this delusion by going into mourning for the loss of young James—­the suggestion of which clever ruse probably came from the dear boy himself.  A short time afterwards he managed to escape, disguised as a lady’s maid, to France.  As one may gather from the paragraph above quoted, the family were much respected in the locality.  Mr. Stephens,