1866.] A LONELY EXILE. 243 And in a letter dated some ten days later, addressed to the husband of the last correspondent, I find the following: You write me politics, and tell me I do not believe in the "future of humanity," and that this is the reason why I am not a Yankee. Poor humanity! If it depends for its future upon the Yankees, it is going to have a damned bad time. Yes, I believe in the future of humanity, and that its future will be just like its past, that is, pretty mean. There are several letters to his daughters during this time. The following passage is taken from a letter to his daughter Minnie : The day before yesterday I visited Mont Parnasse, and placed there a laurustinus in flower, growing in a pot. John Martin had sent me by post that morning a sprig of shamrock, which I also deposited. Poor daughter! I sometimes wish I was under the But there is no immediate chance of that. My health is perfect; no asthma-no nothing. same stone. About the middle of May he gives this further account of himself in a letter to his sister Matilda : : As for me, I am supporting my exile as well as I can; but that is not saying much. In fact, I hate this place; but, no doubt, I would hate any other place still more. It is true that I am pretty well accustomed to exiles and imprisonments, and all sorts of martyrdoms. But it seems to me that one does not love that sort of thing the more for having been familiar with it. I visit a little in the evenings, especially the worthy Bayers; also the Connollys, and one or two southern American families, in which we abuse the Yankees with great sincerity. Then I smoke and drink-more than enough-and write with something like regularity to the New York Daily News; but this last is a job I detest, according to that singular disposition of the human creature, whereby he generally hates the only work which he can really do. About the end of March, Mr. Stephens arrived in Paris, He had been living in Dublin since his escape from Richmond prison. According to Mitchel's account, he travelled from Dublin to the North of Ireland, then across to Scotland, and then through the length of England, without any disguise whatever. Stephens's arrival made some little. sensation in Paris. Every one was familiar with the story of his escape. Photographers waited on him to solicit sittings, and the weekly papers had likenesses of the C.O.I.R. Mitchel introduced Stephens to several leading journalists-M. Marie-Martin, of the Constitutionnel, M. Malespine, of the Opinion Nationale, and others. Stephens stayed in Paris about a month, and then went to New York. His arrival there did not have the effect of healing the split. Stephens was put in command of the section. from which Mitchel received his instructions; but this only seemed to have the effect of making the hostility between the two sections more bitter than ever. Finally, Mitchel resolved to resign his position of financial agent. On the 22nd of June he wrote Stephens a letter, a copy of which I find amongst Mitchel's papers :— If any money is now on its way to me from New York, of course I will take care to have it forwarded to its destination; but after this reaches you, I beg that you will not have any more sent through me. This is the less necessary, as E. O’L— is here, and tells me he is to continue here as long as you desire it. Take this letter, therefore, as announcing my resignation of the position of agent in Paris. I need assign no reason further than that I have now lost all hope of being enabled to communicate with the French Government, and that I do not think it right to continue, with a considerable salary, to merely receive and pay over sums of money, which can be as well attended to without me. I think, at the same time, that your organization, both in Ireland and in America, ought to be kept up, and will soon be more important than ever. England is certainly going to be involved in the war; but, unfortunately, it will be on the same side with France. Still, a good opportunity may arise; and then I trust it may be found that the organization in Ireland is as strong as you think it is. 1866.] A HOLIDAY IN NORMANDY. 245 The rest of the letter is concerned with financial matters. The war here referred to was either the war between the German powers and Denmark, or that between Prussia and Austria, which immediately followed. In the early summer of 1866 Mitchel went for a trip into Normandy. This was his vacation. He visited several of the old Norman towns; but his principal object was to see Falaise, with its wonderful castle-the birthplace of the Conqueror of England. He was much interested by the old castle-one of the finest in France; and in the marketplace of Falaise he stopped to admire an equestrian statue in bronze of “the glorious bastard, pointing Englandwards." But for the details of this brief tour, I must, as on former occasions of a similar kind, refer the reader to the "Journal Continuation." Immediately before this trip to Normandy, he had moved into new lodgings-186, Rue Rivoli. From these new quarters he writes to his sister Mary early in June: : I have quitted Rue Lacépède altogether, and have a little room here, looking into a court-very quiet, and very convenient. I will certainly stay here so long as I may be in Paris. But how long or how short that may be, I know not. No letter yet from Richmond announcing that the wedding has taken place, though I suppose it has by this time. As to myself, I am quite well, as usual. Am writing very regularly for the New York Daily News. Have given up the sort of agency I had for the Fenians, but have assigned no reason, and do not wish to assign any.. I am glad to hear some news of the Dillons. J. B. must have a handsome opinion by this time of his parliamentary policy. I wish he would drop it. A seat in that concern is certainly no honour to him; and inasmuch as he is not a place-hunter, or a thief, it will be no profit either. The marriage here referred to was the marriage of his son James, which took place some time in the month of May, 1866. Notwithstanding the intention expressed in this letter, Mitchel did not, in fact, remain long at the Rue Rivoli. He found that the sewerage arrangements there were very bad. After being made very ill by foul air, he once more moved back to his old quarters in the Rue Lacépède. The war between Prussia and Austria, in the summer of 1866, took up much of his attention for a time. But the war was soon over; and besides, it did not at any time seem likely that England would be involved. A European war, in which England was not concerned, was for Mitchel the tragedy of Hamlet with the part of Hamlet left out. Early in September, John Martin and Father Kenyon came to Paris to see Mitchel. Once more, and for the last time in their lives, the three friends, John Mitchel, John Martin, and John Kenyon, were all together. Mitchel lingers over the visit in the "Journal." He had a presentiment that it was the last time the three would be together. They had many things to talk about, and they often sat up together late into the night. Indeed, on one or two occasions, Father John absolutely declined to go to bed at all. In Mitchel's account of this time, he tells us of a visit which he and Father Kenyon paid to the Irish College. Mitchel and his friend were on their way homeward one day when Father Kenyon suddenly said, “I am going to call on Dr. Lynch, the President of the Irish College. Come along with me." Mitchel had always heard of Dr. Lynch as a very prudent and cautious man, one who would probably regard him (John Mitchel) as a revolutionary and dangerous character. He therefore tried to excuse himself. But Father John, as was usually the case with him, would hear of no excuse. Mitchel had to go. The door of the college was opened for them by a big Tipperary man, who "spoke French like an angel," and who "smiled cordially" 1866.] A SCENE AT THE IRISH COLLEGE. 247 as soon as he learned who the visitors were. Dr. Lynch received them with the utmost courtesy. He chatted for some time, and then showed them over the college. But it was as they were leaving that the scene occurred on account of which mainly I repeat the story here. As they passed through the hall, the professors and students were crowded together on either side, and cheer after cheer went up as Mitchel walked through—“ such cheers as that quiet quarter had not often heard, ringing through the peaceful region of Ste. Geneviève, and causing the sergents de ville in distant streets to prick up their ears." Upon this incident, Mitchel has some comments to make : It The scene was, under all the circumstances, a strange and touching one. Most of these fine young fellows had been yet unborn when I left my country in 1848; they could have known me only by the tradition of their various counties, and by such publications of mine as they might meet with. It strikes me that if they cheer me so warmly, they cannot be very earnestly loyal to the British empire; and next year, or the year after, most of these will be curates in towns and country parishes all over Ireland. is the young blood that flows each year through the veins of the Church, and the blood thereof is the life thereof. What is his Eminence Cardinal Cullen going to do about it? How will he ever make the young priests, educated in this Irish College, good, faithful West Britons? And Maynooth, I hear, is no better, that is, no worse! Will he excommunicate them and damn all their souls ? If I have recounted the very honourable, personal compliment to myself, it is not from vanity (though proud I was); it is to draw this moral that Cardinal Cullen will have a tough job in carrying out his contract with the enemy of his country. As Father John and I passed out together, and along the short Rue des Irlandais, tears sprang in his eyes, and for a minute he was silent. Then, "God bless the boys!" he said; "God bless the boys, anyhow; they're always right." Within twenty years from the time this scene took |