The Romantic Life of Thomas Trenor [pp. 130-136]

OVERLAND MONTHLY
breath of relief, as the ship plowed her way
to Norway, her destination.
Returning to the course of our story, I
will again quote from Mr. Trenor's own
account of his escape from Ireland, published in the.\tftif(,(l lftflliJ(de' and before referred to —
I was arrested in the beginning of'98, and effected
my escape from Dublin castle; I got on board of a
ship of my own, and arrived in Norway, thence passed
through Zealand and Germany; I reached France
where I heard an expedition had just sailed from that
country for Ireland. I then made the best of my way
to Hamburg, and entered (as a common sailor) on
board a vessel bound for Liverpool. When I arrived
there I found that the handful of French, one thousand
and eighty-seven men, who landed in Killala, afterhaving performed prodigies of valor, were obliged to
surrender,- that the principals of their Irish adherents were hanged, and that there was a reward of
five hundred guineas offered for my apprehension. I
then fled from Liverpool to ('umberland, in the north of
England, where, partly with a friend, and partly in a
thick wood near his house, I remained four months, at
the end of which time the state prisoners then confined in the different jails in Dublin made a stipulation
with the government, that they should banish themselves for life to the United States, and that, if I
thought proper, I might surrender myself on the same
terms. I availed myself of this, and accordingly gave
myself up, in an unhappy hour. At this time Federalism (aristocracy) in this country was verging to dissolution, and the minister from the United States to
the Court of St. James was Rufus King, who being
directed (as he said) by his government, preferred a
memorial or protest against us, and easily obtained
the promise of the British government not to let us
come here without his consent. first had in writing,
permitting such emigration' There were two persons
of our partv, Henry Jackson and John Lynch, who,
through the interest of some duke or duchess (I suppose), got leave to come to America. I wrote to Mr.
King, and received an answer that as I was so highly
recommended, if I would transmit him a petition praying for leave, he would inclose it to his government,
and he made no doubt (by accompanying it with the
documents which he then held in my favour) but that
I would obtain the desired permission. This letter I
answered, telling him that I would never so solicit;
that the crime I had committed (by the bye, kit' made
use of that word) formed, in my mind. his country's
best distinction; that I would lie in jail till my locks
grew as white as the foam of the ocean, and other
such language, ill-suited to a courtly ear.
In consequence I lay in jail three long years after
this. In the meantime, the great philosopher, Thomas
Jefferson, Xas placed at the head of the government
of this country, but owing to commercial or other
reasons, King was not recalled, neither could we tell
at that distance, and shut up as we were in the tomb
of the living, but that Mr. Jefferson coincided in
our exclusion from this country; being now almost
four years in close confinement, and growing gray, indeed my affairs all deranged, my fortunes broken, my
naturally strong constitution beginning to give way, I
obtained leave to go to Portugal. I had a little before this time sold seventeen ships and brigs by auc
tion, for less than half their value; the remainder of
thirty-two, of which I was entire and part owner at
the time of my arrest, were either lost, taken, or the
captains took them off, and I never heard of them;
but now that I have time to make some woeful calculations, I find that I have lost about $120,000, more
than half of which I could have saved but for Mr.
King's prohibition!
Before bringing to a close this most exciting period of Mr. Trenor's experiences,
it would not be amiss to relate two very
characteristic anecdotes of his prison life.
His friend, IPeter Ivers, a delegate from
County Carlow, arrested also at the meeting on that fatal night of May 12th, was
always spoken of by Mr. Trenor with esteem,
brotherly affection, and all the warm enthusiasm of youth. "He was twenty-five years
old, the son of a peasant, energetic, brave
as a lion, manly, noble, generous, true to
liberty, and faithful to old Ireland." In his
trunk in the Kilmainham prison the officers
of the government found a correct copy of
Emmet's, MacNaven's, and O'Connor's examinations before secret committees of the
Irish Parliament, which the authorities
wished to suppress iG thl,(t J;fort. He was
instantly ordered to be transported to Botany bay for life, without trial or formal
sentence, and it is probable he died in exile.
Fortunately for Mr. Trenor, a friend of his,
G'eneral Arthur O'Connell, with infinite presence of mind walked into his apartment
while the officers were searching it, lifted
the music, amongst which was his (Trenor's)
copy, and began to play, thrusting at the
same time the dangerous documents into
his bosom, where they were safely concealed
until he could destroy them.
On another occasion Mr. Trenor's ingenuity in conceiving, and his skill in carrying out, plans to help his friends, who, like
himself, had fallen into the strong grasp of
the English authorities, is well described.
William Corbett, Napper Tandy, and two
or three other patriots who, it is believed,
had been given up by the dishonorable and
trafficking Senate of Hamburg to the English, were put in irons and imprisoned in
Kilmainham, during the winter of 1798-99.
(Corbett, a fine young man, about twentyfour years of age, was immured in a dark
cell, on the criminal side, low down and
damp. The confinement affected his health,
a bad cough developed, and the doctor, apprehensive that he would die, advised his
removal. He was accordingly placed with
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