public career may be
read in the letters which, during their various periods of long
separation, no difficulties and no dangers ever prevented him from
writing to his wife. When he made up his mind to consecrate himself to
the national cause of Ireland, and, if necessary, to die for it, he set
forth his purpose to his wife, and she never tried to dissuade him from
it. It is told of her that at one critical period of his fortunes she
concealed from him the fact that she expected to become a mother, lest
the knowledge might chill his patriotic enthusiasm or make him unhappy
in his enterprise.

Tone went out to America and got into council with the representative
of the French Republic there; then he returned to Europe, and he
entered into communication with Carnot and with Napoleon Bonaparte. To
these and to others he imparted his plans for a naval and military
expedition from France to approach the coast of Ireland, to {312} land
troops there, and to make the beginning of a great Irish rebellion,
which must distract the attention and exhaust the resources of England
and place her at the feet of all-conquering France. Tone felt certain
that if an adequate number of French troops were landed on the western
or southern shore of Ireland the whole mass of the population there
would rally to the side of the invaders, and England would have to let
Ireland go or waste herself in a hopeless struggle. Tone insisted in
all his arguments and expositions that Ireland must be free and
independent, and that no idea of conquering and annexing her must enter
into the minds of the French statesmen and soldiers. Napoleon and
Carnot approved of Tone's schemes as a whole, but Tone could not help
seeing that Napoleon cared nothing whatever about the independence or
prosperity of Ireland, and only took up with the whole scheme as a
convenient project for the embarrassment and the distraction of
England. Tone received a commission in the army of the French
Republic, and became the soul and the inspiration of the policy which
at fitful moments, when his mind was not otherwise employed, Napoleon
was inclined to carry out on the Irish shores.

[Sidenote: 1763-98--Lord Edward Fitzgerald]

Lord Edward Fitzgerald was a son of the great ducal house of Leinster.
He was born in the same year as Wolfe Tone; he was to die in the same
year. It was his evil fortune to have to fight for the cause of King
George against the uprising of the patrioti