nd ingenuity; every
circumstance being made to bear a character and design diametrically
opposed to truth. It concluded by stating that great exultation had
been manifested by the Ribbonmen of that parish, who, on the night
of petitioner's conviction, lit bonfires in several parts of the
neighborhood, fired shots, sounded horns, and displayed other symptoms
of great rejoicing; and hoped his excellency would, therefore, interpose
his high prerogative, and prevent petitioner from falling a sacrifice to
a conspiracy on one hand, and the resentment of a traitorous confederacy
on the other; and all this only for having conscientiously and firmly
served the government of the country.

Our readers need not be surprised at the ingenuity of this plausible
petition, for the truth is that before government supported any system
of education at all in Ireland, the old hedge school-masters were,
almost to a man, office-bearers and leaders in this detestable system.
Such men, and those who were designed for the priesthood, with here and
there an occasional poor scholar, were' uniformly the petition writers,
and, indeed, the general scribes of the little world in which they
lived. In fact, we have abundance of public evidence to satisfy us, that
persons of considerable literasy attainments have been connected with
Ribbonism in all its stages.

This fine writing, however, was unfortunately counteracted, in
consequence of the information already laid before the sheriff by no
less a personage than Rouser Redhead, who, fearing alike the treachery
and enmity of his leader, resolved thus to neutralize any disclosures he
should happen to make. But lest this might not have been sufficient to
exhibit the character of that document, the proposal of Bartle himself
to make disclosures was transmitted to the Secretary of State, by the
same post; so that both reached that gentleman, _pari passu_, to his no
small astonishment.

Had Flanagan's confederates consulted him, he would of course have
dissuaded them from sending any petition at all, or at least, only such
as he could approve of, but such is the hollowness of this bond, and
so little confidence is placed in its obligation, that when any of
its victims happen to find themselves in a predicament similar to
Flanagan's, his companions without lead such a life of terror, and
suspicion, and doubt, as it would be difficult to describe. But when,
as in Bartle's case, there exists a strong distrust