o
release Italy from an Austrian prison, when she herself was so hard
put to it to keep Ireland in an English jail. Writing to her Prime
Minister on July 25th, 1848, Her Majesty said:--

"The Queen must tell Lord John (Russell) what she has repeatedly told
Lord Palmerston, but without apparent effect, that the establishment
of an entente cordiale with the French Republic, for the purpose
of driving the Austrians out of their dominions in Italy would be a
disgrace to this country. That the French would attach the greatest
importance to it and gain the greatest advantage from it, there can
be no doubt of. But how will England appear before the world at the
moment she is struggling for her supremacy in Ireland?..." and on Oct.
10th following Her Majesty wrote to her uncle, the first King of
the Belgians (who owed his new minted crown to the Belgian people
depriving the Dutch Sovereign of his "lawful possessions") in the
following memorable words:

"Really it is quite immoral, with Ireland quivering in our grasp,
and ready to throw off her allegiance at any moment, for us to force
Austria to give up her lawful possessions. What shall we say if
Canada, Malta, etc., begin to trouble us? It hurts me terribly." (Page
237, Queen Victoria's letters, published by order of His Majesty, King
Edward VII.)

It hurt Ireland much more terribly, that failure to throw off the
hand that held her "quivering in our grasp," so soon to stretch her
"a corpse upon the dissecting table."

Ireland has failed to win her freedom, not so much because she has
failed to shed her blood, but because her situation in the world
is just that unique situation I have sought to depict. Belonging to
Europe, she has not been of Europe; and England with a persistency
that would be admirable were it not so criminal in intention and
effect, has bent all her efforts, all her vigour, an unswerving
policy, and a pitiless sword to extend the limits of exclusion. To
approach Ireland at all since the first English Sovereign laid hands
upon it was "quite immoral." When Frederick of Hohenstaufen (so long
ago as that!) sent his secretary (an Irishman) to Ireland we read that
Henry III of England declared "it hurt him terribly," and ordered all
the goings out and comings in of the returned Irish-German statesman
to be closely watched.

The dire offence of Hugh O'Neill to Elizabeth was far less his
rebellion than his "practises" with Spain. At every cessation of
arms