lane, where about forty men were engaged in mauufacturing pikes, gunpowder, rockets, and explosive materials. Emmet's arrangements included an attack on Dublin Castle and Pigeon-house Fort, and all the details of an elaborate system of street warfare were set down on paper. The better to conceal his plans, he, under the name of Ellis, took a farm-house in Butterfield-lane, near Rathfaraham. He was untiring in his exertions, corresponding with his friends in the surrounding districts, and superintending the depots, undismayed by failures or mischances — always firm, determined, and hopeful. His printed proclamations and plans of government were conceived in a lofty and generous spirit; life and property were to be respected, religious equality upheld, constituencies were to be represented in proportion to population, in the national government he contemplated. He had not intended his rising before August, when he expected Napoleon to invade England; but an explosion in Patrick-street depot on the 16th of July hastened the development of all his plans, and he took up his abode in the Marshalsea-lane depot. "There," says Dr. Madden, "he lay at night on a mattress, surrounded by all the implements of death, devising plans, turning over in his mind all the fearful chances of the intended struggle, well knowing that his life was at the mercy of upwards of forty individuals, who had been or still were employed in the depots; yet confident of success, exaggerating its prospects, extenuating the difficulties which beset him, judging of others by himself, thinking associates honest who seemed to be so, confiding in their promises, and animated, or rather inflamed, by a burning sense of the wrongs of his country, and enthusiastic in his devotion to what he considered its rightful cause." 331 He now fixed upon Saturday 23rd July for carrying his schemes into execution. The morning of that day found him and his companions divided in their plans. Consultations were held at the depot in Thomas-street, at Long's in Crow-street, and Allen's in College-green. The Wicklow men under Dwyer had not come in; the Kildare men came in, but dispersed at five in the afternoon through some misunderstanding; a contingent of 250 from Wexford were at hand, but without definite orders; so it was with a large body assembled at the Broadstone. "There is one grand point," remarked Emmet, "no leading Catholic is committed — we are all Protestants, and their cause will not be compromised." At length, about nine in the evening, when Emmet was confused, heart-sick, and desperate, a report was brought that the military were in motion against them. "If that be the case, we may as well die in the street as cooped up here," he remarked, and putting on a uniform, he distributed arms, sent up a rocket to call in the country contingents, and at the head of about one hundred men sallied out of Marshalsea-lane into Thomas-street, and directed his steps towards the Castle, crying, as he drew his sword, "Come on, my boys." The stragglers in the rear soon perpetrated acts of pillage and assassination — Lord Kilwarden, a humane and popular judge (hastening to a Privy Council at the Castle), was dragged out of his coach and murdered. News of these proceedings reached Emmet, and he hastened back in horror; but the mob were beyond control, and conscious at last that all was over, he hastened out to Rathfarnham. There was some desultory fighting in Thomas-street and on the Coombe, where Colonel Browne and several soldiers were killed. In less than an hour the rout of Emmet's party was complete. Troops were now poured into Dublin, within a few hours martial-law was proclaimed, and the executions and the reign of terror that followed 1798 recommenced. Meanwhile his friend Russell had as completely failed in his efforts to rouse an insurrection in the north of Ireland. Emmet and a few companions remained at Butterfield-lane for nearly two days; and then, hearing that the house was to be searched, fled to the mountains. The father of their servant Anne Devlin procured horses, and accompanied them. A few days afterwards, Anne Devlin went up to the mountains with letters, and found Emmet and his friends sitting
outside a cabin still in their uniforms, as they had been unable to procure other clothes. In all probability he might have escaped to France, had he not insisted upon returning with Anne Devlin for the purpose of taking leave of Sarah Curran, daughter of John Philpot Curran, to whom he was engaged. He concealed himself at the house of a Mrs. Palmer, at Harold's-cross, and while there drew up a paper for transmission to Government, in the hope that it would stop the prosecutions and executions. His hiding-place was not discovered until 25th August, when he was arrested by Major Sirr, about seven o'clock in the evening. We are yet unacquainted with the name of his betrayer — to whom £1,000 was paid over on 1st November ensuing. Emmet was at once taken to the Castle, and thence removed to Kilmainham. Vigorous but ineffectual
