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returned to Ireland and was nominated by his brother, the Duke of Leinster, for the borough of Athy.

He seemed to find the next few years of his life tame and insipid, and turned to love as a diversion, the first object of his passion being Lady Catherine Mead, second daughter of the Earl of Clanwilliam. But another beauty effaced the effect of her charms after a while, and this excitable and somewhat fickle young man fell in love with a new fair one. His suit in this case was unsuccessful, and his disappointment is said to have influenced his career in later years. As a change from this romantic love-making he travelled, visiting Gibraltar, Lisbon, Cadiz, Granada, Madrid, etc. In June 1788 he returned to America, and joined the 54th regiment, then quartered at St. John's. Here he amused himself in an "active careless" way as the following extracts from his letters home shew.

"I have been out hunting and like it very much-it makes me un peu sauvage to be sure."

"I shall cross rivers and lakes, of which one has no idea in England."

"You may guess how eager I am to try if I like the woods in winter as well as in summer. I believe I shall never again be prevailed on to live in a house. Three of the coldest nights we have had yet, I slept in the woods with only one blanket, and was just as comfortable as in a room."

"I am to set out in two days for Canada. We make altogether a party of five-Tony, two woodmen, the officer and myself. Think of starting in February with four feet of snow on the ground!"

In 1790 Lord Edward returned to England, leaving finally the country where some say he became imbued with those fatal republican principles which afterwards led him to rebellion, ruin, and death, though I think it is more probable that it was in France he became inflamed with a craze for anarchy, for it was not until 1792 that he avowed decided republican principles. When France declared herself a republic, "Lord Edward, unwilling to lose such a spectacle of moral and political excitement hastened over to Puis without communicating his intentions even to the duchess."

"And to that fatal visit," says Maxwell, "his subsequent mis

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fortunes may be traced, through his wild and hasty attachment, to French principles."

In the postscript of a letter written to his mother from Paris, October 13th 1792, he says:

"Let me know if I can do anything for you here. Direct:
"Le Citoyen Edouard Fitzgerald,

"Hotel de White, au Passage des Petits,

"Près du Palais Royal."

After that his friends were possibly not much surprised when it was announced in the papers of Paris and London that at a meeting at White's Hotel, after several toasts had been proposed and drunk, "Sir Robert Smith and Lord E. Fitzgerald renounced their titles; and a toast proposed by the former was drunk The speedy abolition of all hereditary titles and feudal distinctions'."

"I dine to-day with Madame de Sillery." This simple sentence was pregnant with events for the writer who penned it sɔ carelessly. Madame de Sillery (the famous Comtesse de Genlis) was the mother of Pamela, the illegitimate daughter of Louis Philippe Egalité, Duke of Orleans, the lady Lord Edward married.

The Comtesse had returned only a few days before from England, where she had been living in retirement with her pupil, Mademoiselle d'Orleans and Pamela, who was then supposed to be her adopted daughter, and Lord Edward's eagerness to see the latter had been excited by having heard her beauty and wit praised in an extravagant fashion, by other young men of the period. Two or three evenings before he wrote that letter to his mother, he had seen through the loge grillée next him, at one of the Parisian theatres a lovely face, which made a deep impression on him from the likeness it bore to a lady recently dead for whom he had entertained a warm regard, and on inquiry he found she was closely related to Madame de Genlis, whose acquaintance he had always refused to make, having a dislike to all learned ladies. The daughter's beauty vanquished any scruples he entertained against her mother, a friendship commenced, dating almost from that night when he had first seen her, and soon ripened into love

The young Irishman was sincere and disinterested, the young lady was attracted by his good looks and pleasant manners, and about three weeks after, Mademoiselle Sims, as Madame de Genlis called her daughter, became Lady Fitzgerald. The marriage was solemnised at Tournay, and the following is Madame's own account of it:

"Nous arrivames à Tournay dans les première jours de Décembre de cette même année, 1792. Trois semains après jeus le bonheur de marier ma fille d'adoption, l'angélique Paméla, à Lord Edouard Fitzgerald, fu milieu de tant d'infortunes et d'injustices, le ciel voulut recompenser par cet heureux événement la meillure action de ma vie, celle d'avoir protégé l'innocence sans appui d'avoir élevé, adopté l'enfant incomparable que la Providence jettoit dans mes bras, enfin d'avoir dévelopé son esprit, sa raison, et les vertus qui la rendent aujourd'hui le modèle des épouses et des mères de son age."

M. de Chartres, afterwards King of France, was one of the witnesses of the ceremony, and the marriage contract contained some celebrated names: Ferdinand Joseph Dorez, Louis Philippe Egalité,* Silvestre Mèrys, James Fitzgerald, Duke of Leinster, and "Amelie" Lennox, his duchess, amongst others. Pamela was described as "Citoïenne Anne Caroline Stéphanie Sims, agé de dix-neuf ans environ, demeurante à Paris, connue en France sous le nomme de Paméla, native de Fogodans l'Isle de Terre-Neuve, fille de Guillaume de Brixey et de Mary Sims, assistées de la citoïenne Stéphanie Félicité Ducrest Brulart Sillery, connue en dix-sept cent quatre vingt-six sous le nom de Comtesse de Genlis, autorisée par les deux dépositions passées par devant honorable Guillaume Comte de Mansfield, pair du royaume et grand justicier d'Angleterre, toutes deux en date du vingt-cinq Janvier dixsept cent quatre-vingt-six, d'autre part.”

About this time Lord Edward and two or three other officers owing to the publicity given to their festivities at White's Hotel, etc., were dismissed the army, "without any further inquiry, and, so far, no doubt, unjustly and oppressively."

He arrived, with his girl-bride, in London 2nd January, 1793, and wrote the following letter to his mother in response to

* Philippe Egalité was guillotined in 1793 by the revolutionists, whose partisan and supporter he had been.

one from her ratifying her sanction and approval of his marriage, on the same day.

"DEAREST MOTHER,

"Thank you a thousand times for your letter; you never obliged me so much, or made me so happy. I cannot tell you how strongly my little wife feels it; she has sent your letter to Mme. Sillere, whom I knew it would delight. She is to be pitied, for she dotes on Pamela, who returns it most sincerely, What she feels is the only drawback on my happiness. You must love her she wants to be loved. We shall dine with you the day after to-morrow. We shall not be able to get from the Custom-house time enough to see you to-morrow. Love to all. Tell Oglivie how much I am obliged to him,

"Yours, dearest mother,

"E. F."

with the

The newly-married couple stayed three weeks Duchess of Leinster, and then went on to Dublin, the session of Parliament having commenced the 1st January.

In an Irish newspaper, date 26th January, 1793, was announced:

Yesterday morning, arrived the Princess Royal, Captain Brown, from Parkgate, with the Right Honourable Lord Edward Fitzgerald, his lady and suite, and several other persons of quality."

Lord Edward, it would appear, plunged at once into politics after his return to Dublin, and by his headstrong impetuosity got himself into trouble with the government on more than one occasion, all his sympathies being given to his countrymen in the national struggle they were then engaged in.

The government wished to confound the old-established volunteer corps with the new military system emanating from the "United Irishmen," who were organizing armed bands of the people, and endeavoured to suppress them, and on the 31st of January 1794, after an address in Parliament against them, Lord Edward started up, and with great energy of manner exclaimed, "Sir, I give my most hearty disapprobation to this address, for I do think that the Lord Lieutenant and the majority of this House are the worst subjects the King has." This was followed by cries

of " to the bar," and "take down his words," while the House was cleared, and endeavours made to induce the refractory member to apologise. According to Moore, however, "he re-asserted his former obnoxious opinion, saying, 'I am accused of having declared that I think the Lord Lieutenent and the majority of this House the worst subjects the King has '-I said so, 'tis true, and I am sorry for it." The House rejected this explanation as "unsatisfactory and insufficient," and the next day he was called to the bar, but does not seem to have apologised even then, and a week later he again bearded the government.

He varied these attacks on the administrators of affairs with writing affectionate letters to his mother, to whom he seems to have been much attached, and gardening. Here are extracts from some of them:

"Pam is going on as well as possible, strong, healthy, and in good spirits. We drive and walk every day. She never thinks of what is to come, I believe, or if she does, it is with great courage; in short, I never saw her, I think, in such good spirits. Seeing her thus makes me so, and I feel happy and look forward with good hope. I must take care of the little young plant that is coming, which will give me great pleasure, I hope."

In the autumn of 1794 his first child was born.

"Dublin, October 20th, 1794.

"The dear wife and baby go on as well as possible. I. think I need not tell you how happy I am; it is a dear little thing, and very pretty now, though at first it was quite the contrary.

"Nothing is so delightful as to see it in its dear mother's arms, with her sweet, pale, delicate face, and the pretty looks she gives it.

"By the bye, dearest mother, I suppose you won't have any objection to be its godmother, though I own I feel scrupulous, as you were so kind to her about her lying-in clothes; and I do hate taking your poor guineas for such foolish nonsense; but still, I like, as there are such things, that it should be you. Charles Fox and Leinster are to be the godfathers. Pray ask Charles Fox if he has any objection.

"My dear wife goes on charmingly, and the little boy thriving. He has Pamela's chin, the eyes blue, but not like either of ours.

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