Chapter II: Part 2

1899. Aug. 29. This evening, subsequent to the Council meeting, dinner
was partaken of at the Aquidneck by some 25 gentlemen
including members of the Society and prominent
citizens of Newport who had been invited to be
present. The post-prandial exercises were presided
over by Hon. Charles E. Gorman of Providence, R. I.
Hon. Patrick J. Boyle, mayor of Newport, R. I.,
delivered an address of welcome, as a member of the
Society and as mayor of the city. The paper of the
evening was by Thomas Hamilton Murray,
secretary-general of the Society, on “The Battle of
Rhode Island, 1778.” Addresses were made by Hon. John
C. Linehan, treasurer-general of the Society; by Rev.
L. J. Deady of Newport, R. I.; by Dennis H. Tierney
of Waterbury, Conn.; by P. J. McCarthy of Providence,
R. I., and by J. Stacy Brown, city solicitor of
Newport. An original letter written by Gen. John
Sullivan in 1778, was read and exhibited.

1899. Sept. 9. In answer to an inquiry on behalf of the Society, the
United States navy department replies, giving
information as to the percentage of completion
attained by the torpedo boats _Blakely_ and _O’Brien_
and the torpedo boat destroyers _Barry_ and
_Macdonough_.

1899. Oct. 2. J. F. Hayes, M. D., the Society’s state vice-president
for Connecticut, is reëlected to the Waterbury,
Conn., board of education.

1899. October. Reitz, secretary of state for the Transvaal, announces
the appointment of Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York
city, as commissioner extraordinary to represent the
Transvaal’s interests in the United States. General
O’Beirne is our Society’s state vice president for
New York.

1899. Oct. 7. Fifteenth meeting of the Council of the Society is held
in Boston, Mass. President-General Gargan occupies
the chair. There are also present Messrs. Linehan,
Smith, Murray and Roche. It is voted to invite Sir
Thomas Lipton, owner of the yacht _Shamrock_, to be a
guest of the Society on such date as may suit his
convenience. A letter is received from Hon. John D.
Crimmins, New York city, proposing Hon. Thomas H.
Carter, United States senator from Montana, and
Thomas J. Cummins, of New York city, for membership
in the Society. Both gentlemen are admitted.

1899. Oct. 11. Sir Thomas Lipton, owner of the yacht _Shamrock_,
challenger for the America’s cup, writes to
Secretary-General Murray, cordially acknowledging the
invitation to be a guest of the Society. Sir Thomas’s
letter is dated “Steam Yacht _Erin_, Sandy Hook.” He
says: “Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to
avail myself of their [the members’] hospitality but
under the present uncertain conditions of weather it
is doubtful when the contest will be finished, which
renders it impossible for me, meantime, to make any
arrangements of the nature you are good enough to
suggest.”

1899. Oct. 12. Letter received stating that James F. Brennan,
Peterborough, N. H., has recently been appointed by
the governor and council of New Hampshire to be a
member of the board of state library commissioners.
Mr. Brennan is our Society’s vice-president for New
Hampshire.

1899. Nov. 7. Hon. Patrick J. Boyle, of the Society, is elected mayor
of Newport, R. I., for the sixth consecutive time.

1899. Nov. 15. Reception and banquet at the Bellevue, Beacon street,
Boston, Mass., under the auspices of the Society.
President-General Gargan presided. Among the guests
was William Ludwig, the Irish baritone. The paper of
the evening was by Michael E. Hennessy of the Boston
_Daily Globe_, his topic being, “Men of Irish Blood
Who Have Attained Eminence in American Journalism.”

1899. Nov. 17. Letter received from Col. James Armstrong, Charleston,
S. C. Colonel Armstrong is an editor on the
Charleston _News and Courier_; harbor master of the
port. He served on the staff of Governor Wade
Hampton, and is of Irish parentage.

1899. Nov. 20. Hon. Patrick A. Collins, a member of the Society, is
nominated for mayor of Boston, Mass., by the
Democratic convention. He is an ex-member of congress
and ex-United States consul-general to London,
England.

1899. Nov. 20. President-General Gargan delivered an address before
the Charitable Irish Society in Boston, Mass., this
evening. His subject was, “Naval Heroes of the
Revolutionary War.” In the course of his address he
paid a tribute to the patriotic O’Briens of Machias,
Me., who bravely figured in that struggle.

1899. Nov. 21. Letter received from Henry E. Reed, Portland, Ore.,
state vice-president of the Society for Oregon. He
regrets that he has not been able to give more
attention to the Society, but his duties for the past
two years having taken him up and down the Pacific
coast from Alaska to the Mexican boundary, he has
been pressed for time. However, he has interested a
number of Oregon people in the Society, and requests
to be supplied with membership application blanks.

1899. Nov. 26. Dr. Stephen J. Maher of New Haven, Conn., a member of
the Society, presided at a public reception in the
Hyperion, that city, to Lord Mayor Tallon of Dublin,
and Hon. John E. Redmond, M. P. Col. John G. Healy,
another member of the Society, opened the exercises.

1899. Nov. 27. An official declaration in behalf of the Society is
issued in Boston to-night, endorsing the project to
bring the remains of John Paul Jones back to this
country from France, where he died in 1799.

1899. Nov. 28. The _News and Courier_, Charleston, S. C., contains an
editorial to-day, speaking highly of the Society and
its work.

1899. Nov. 29. Death of Edmund Phelan, a member of the Society, at his
home, 32 Adams street, Roxbury (Boston), Mass.

1899. Dec. 2. Col. James Gadsden Holmes, Charleston, S. C., presents
to the Society a copy of the “History of the Calhoun
Monument” in that city. This monument was erected in
honor of Hon. John C. Calhoun, whose father was an
Irishman by birth, and was dedicated April 26, 1887.

1899. Dec. 7. Henry Stoddard Ruggles of Wakefield, Mass., calls the
Society’s attention to a work recently published by
the Massachusetts chapter, Daughters of the American
Revolution. It is entitled, “Honor Roll of
Massachusetts Patriots, Heretofore Unknown; being a
List of Men and Women who Loaned Money to the Federal
Government, 1777–1779.” Among the names in this list
are Daniel McCarthy, Dennis Tracy, Patrick Wade and
Daniel Ryan.

1899. Dec. 12. Hon. Jeremiah Crowley, of the Society, is reëlected
mayor of Lowell, Mass.

1899. Dec. 13. Thomas Carroll of Peabody, Mass., a member of the
Society, delivers an historical address at the
twenty-fifth anniversary celebration of St. John’s
Catholic parish in Peabody.

1899. Dec. 19. Thomas F. O’Malley, Somerville, Mass., a member of the
Society, delivers an historical lecture on “The
Colonial Irish” before the St. Peter’s Catholic
Association, Cambridge, Mass.

1899. Dec. 30. The _Boston Pilot_ of this date contains an article
from Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass., of the Society, on
“The Irish Brigade of Rochambeau’s Army,” giving an
account of its services in behalf of American
independence.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1899.

THE ANNUAL MEETING.

The annual meeting of the Society for 1899 was held on Thursday evening, Jan. 19, at Sherry’s, Forty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, New York city. Gen. James R. O’Beirne, the Society’s state vice-president for New York, presided, and Thomas Hamilton Murray of Woonsocket, R. I., was secretary.

A letter was received from President-General Moseley, Washington, D. C., in which he expressed regret at his inability to be present. The notice for the meeting was as follows:

THE AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

NOTICE OF MEETING AND BANQUET.

DEAR SIR: You are hereby notified that the annual meeting and
banquet of the American-Irish Historical Society will be held at
Sherry’s, Forty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, New York city, on
Thursday evening, Jan. 19, 1899.

The business session will be called to order at 6:30 o’clock. Gen.
James R. O’Beirne, our state vice-president for New York, will
preside. Officers will be chosen for the ensuing year, the annual
reports presented and such other business transacted as may properly
come before the meeting.

The banquet will take place at 8 o’clock. Tickets for the same will
be three dollars each. They are now ready, and may be obtained of
the secretary-general, whose address is given below.

The post-prandial exercises will include addresses by the following
members of the Society:

The Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York; the Hon. Morgan
J. O’Brien, a justice of the New York supreme court; the Hon.
William McAdoo, recently assistant secretary of the navy; the Hon.
John C. Linehan, state insurance commissioner of New Hampshire; the
Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York city; the Hon. Thomas J. Gargan,
Boston, Mass.; the Rev. John J. McCoy, Roman Catholic rector,
Chicopee, Mass.; the Rev. Cyrus T. Brady, Protestant Episcopal
archdeacon of Pennsylvania; James Jeffrey Roche, LL. D., editor of
the _Boston Pilot_; Mr. John P. Holland, inventor of the submarine
torpedo boat; Mr. Joseph Smith, secretary of the police commission,
Lowell, Mass., and Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., LL. D., a grand nephew
of the Irish patriot, Robert Emmet.

The occasion will be of great interest, and it is hoped that at
least five hundred members and friends will be present at the
banquet. Each member is at liberty to bring with him as many
personal guests as he chooses. A large attendance is desired.

It is necessary to know as soon as possible how many will attend the
banquet, in order that proper arrangements can be made with the
hotel people. To this end, therefore, kindly notify the
secretary-general if you intend to be present.

Fraternally,
EDWARD A. MOSELEY,
_President-General_.

THOMAS HAMILTON MURRAY,
_Secretary-General_.
Secretary’s address: 77 Main street, Woonsocket, R. I.

Upon the business session being called to order, the ticket placed in nomination by the Council of the Society was presented for action.

It was unanimously accepted, adopted and declared the Society’s choice for the ensuing year. The personnel of the ticket is set forth on pages 9, 10 and 11 of this volume.

Many new members were proposed and elected to the Society.

The annual report of the secretary-general, Thomas Hamilton Murray, was presented. It was as follows:

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL’S REPORT.

The American-Irish Historical society has become a permanent
institution. We are now entering the third year of our existence.
Success has attended our efforts from the start, and the future is
bright with prospect for continued good work.

The society already has a membership of close to 1,000, and the
material will compare favorably with that of any historical
organization in this country. Among our members are representatives
of the Society of Colonial Wars, the Society of the Cincinnati, the
Sons of the Revolution, the Military Order of Foreign Wars, the
United States Medal of Honor Legion, the Society of Tammany, the
Bunker Hill Monument society, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion
and several other patriotic bodies.

We have also in our membership representatives of literary and
educational organizations such as the Papyrus club of Boston, the
Twentieth Century club of that city, the American Oriental society,
the New England Historic-Genealogical society, the Royal Society of
Northern Antiquarians, Denmark, and the Archæological Institute of
America. Relative to the great American universities, we number in
our ranks alumni of Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Boston, Johns Hopkins,
Bowdoin, Brown, Notre Dame, the University of Vermont, the
University of Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia. The
Catholic University at the national capital is represented on our
roll by its rector, its vice-rector and three of the faculty.

We have among our associates descendants of David O’Killia
(O’Kelly), the Irishman who located on Cape Cod, Mass., as early as
1657; of Barnabas Palmer, an Irishman, born in 1725, who was present
at the capture of Louisburg, and of Gen. Stephen Molyan of the
American Revolution. Three great societies composed mainly of men of
Irish lineage are likewise represented in our organization. I refer
to the Charitable Irish Society of Boston, founded in 1737; the
Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Philadelphia, and the Friendly Sons
of St. Patrick of New York city.

We have with us, too, many people who are prominent in law,
medicine, and journalism, and many who have attained eminence on the
bench, in science and art, and in mercantile pursuits. With this
composition, the American-Irish Historical society can legitimately
claim to be well equipped in personnel for the work it has in view.

In the war with Spain, just closed, our Society was well
represented, and one of our members perished in battle before
Santiago de Cuba. Of the Society there fought on Cuban soil:
Theodore Roosevelt of the Rough Riders; Capt. John Drum of the Tenth
U. S. Infantry, Major W. H. Donovan of the Ninth Massachusetts, and
Sergt. E. F. O’Sullivan, also of the Ninth.

Gen. M. C. Butler of the Cuban Evacuation Commission is of us, while
in the Sixty-ninth New York we are also represented.

Since our last annual meeting seven members have died. They were:
Dr. Joseph H. Fay, Fall River, Mass.; Mr. Andrew Athy, Worcester,
Mass.; Mr. John R. Alley, Boston, Mass.; City Marshal John E.
Conner, Chicopee, Mass.; Rev. Philip Grace, D. D., Newport, R. I.;
Capt. John Drum, U. S. A., and Capt. John M. Tobin, Washington, D.
C.

Captain Drum, of the Tenth U. S. Infantry, was killed in battle near
Santiago, Cuba, July 2, 1898. A braver soldier never lived. His
obsequies took place in Boston, our Society contributing an
appropriate floral offering. Captain Tobin died in December, last,
at Knoxville, Tenn. Up to within a short time before his death he
had been assistant quartermaster, First Brigade, Second Division,
First Army Corps. During the Civil War he served gallantly in the
Ninth Massachusetts regiment, particularly distinguishing himself at
Malvern Hill, and being wounded at the Wilderness.

In June, last, the Society observed its first field day, the
exercises taking place at historic Newcastle, N. H. The occasion
proved of great interest to all participating. The place for the
field day event this year has not yet been selected.

Since our last annual meeting a gathering under the auspices of our
Rhode Island members has been held in Providence. It was presided
over by Dennis H. Sheahan, recently clerk of the General Assembly of
Rhode Island, and was an unlimited success. Among the guests were
President Andrews of Brown University, Prof. Alonzo Williams of that
institution, and other prominent gentlemen.

The Society is to be congratulated upon the issuance of its first
bound volume of Proceedings. The edition numbered 1,100 copies and
has been distributed among the members, while copies have also been
sent to public libraries, colleges, and historical societies. Of the
pamphlet, “Irish Schoolmasters in the American Colonies,” 2,000
copies were issued and disposed of in like manner. The pamphlet on
“The Scotch-Irish Shibboleth” numbered 1,500 copies.

The Society has on hand and is constantly accumulating much valuable
material relating to the Irish chapter in American history. We are
hampered to some extent, however, by the absence of a publication
fund. I hope that sooner or later methods will be devised and steps
taken to provide for this deficiency. At present the only income the
Society has is from the membership fees. The prompt payment of these
when due, therefore, becomes a matter of no little importance.

Largely owing to the representations of our friends at Washington,
the secretary of the navy has selected the names of three American
naval officers of Irish blood for three of the new torpedo craft.
These names are O’Brien, Barry and Macdonough. The first is to be
applied to the torpedo boat now building at Elizabethport, N. J.,
and the two others to torpedo-boat destroyers. The _Macdonough_ is
now under construction at Weymouth, Mass. The _O’Brien_ is to be
launched at Elizabethport probably the coming May.[1] I would
suggest that the occasion and the place be appropriate for our field
day celebration this year.

I cannot close without calling the attention of the society to the
continued good offices of Gen. James R. O’Beirne and Hon. John D.
Crimmins, both of New York. This year, as last, these gentlemen have
been indefatigable in arranging for our annual meeting here, and
have spared no effort to make the occasion a thoroughly successful
one. Mr. Francis C. Travers, Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet and other
gentlemen residing in New York have also shown much active interest,
and deserve the gratitude of the society.

The report of the secretary-general, thus presented, was accepted and adopted.

Hon. John C. Linehan, of Concord, N. H., submitted his report for the year. It showed the following aggregates:

RECEIPTS.

Balance on hand as per last report $672.96
Three life membership fees at $50 150.00
615 annual membership fees 1,845.00
From dinner tickets at Providence, R. I. 80.00
From dinner tickets at New York city 160.00
————————
$2,907.96

EXPENDITURES.

Various (as set forth in detail) $2,389.36
—————————
Balance on hand $518.60

An auditing committee, consisting of Secretary-General Murray, James Jeffrey Roche of Boston and Joseph Smith of Lowell, Mass., reported having examined the books and vouchers of the treasurer-general, and found the same correct.

The treasurer-general’s report was thereupon unanimously accepted and adopted.

The importance of raising a fund to forward the work of the Society, especially in the matter of publications, was discussed, Judge Wauhope Lynn of New York city and other gentlemen talking to the question. The matter was finally referred to the Council for action. The business meeting then adjourned.

THE ANNUAL BANQUET.

Upon the adjournment of the business meeting, the company formed in line and proceeded to the annual banquet. Gen. James R. O’Beirne of New York city presided.

Back of the presiding officer’s chair were displayed an American and an Irish flag. An orchestra was stationed in the balcony.

Grace was said by Rev. Joshua P. Bodfish of Canton, Mass.

Among those seated at the tables were noted the following:

Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York city. Rev. Joshua P. Bodfish, Canton, Mass. Hon. Thomas J. Gargan, Boston, Mass. Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York city. Hon. Joseph F. Daly, New York city. Hon. Thomas Dunn English, Newark, N. J. Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H. Hon. Wauhope Lynn, New York city. Hon. Franklin M. Danaher, Albany, N. Y. Hon. Thomas F. Gilroy, New York city. Hon. William McAdoo, New York city. Hon. Patrick Garvan, Hartford, Conn. Hon. James A. O’Gorman, New York city. Hon. Joseph P. Fallon, New York city. Hon. Maurice J. Power, New York city. Hon. Andrew J. White, New York city. Hon. James S. Coleman, New York city. Hon. John E. Fitzgerald, New York city. Rev. John J. McCoy, P. R., Chicopee, Mass. Rev. Thomas Smyth, Springfield, Mass. Rev. M. J. Lavelle, New York city. Rev. Richard Neagle, Malden, Mass. Rev. T. W. Wallace, New York city. Rev. Martin Murphy, Great Barrington, Mass. Rev. J. J. Howard, Worcester, Mass. Rev. John W. McMahon, D. D., Boston, Mass. Rev. Philip J. Gormley, Boston, Mass. Rev. J. T. Danahy, Newton, Mass. Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, New York city. Dr. Philip Kilroy, Springfield, Mass. Dr. Stephen J. Maher, New Haven, Conn. Dr. Farquhar Ferguson, New York city. Dr. J. F. Hayes, Waterbury, Conn. Dr. P. J. Cassidy, Norwich, Conn. Dr. T. F. Harrington, Lowell, Mass. Dr. Thomas J. Dillon, Boston, Mass. Dr. J. Duncan Emmet, New York city. Dr. C. E. Nammack, New York city. Dr. D. B. Lovell, Worcester, Mass. Dr. Francis J. Quinlan, New York city. Dr. W. M. E. Mellen, Chicopee, Mass. Dr. J. J. Morrissey, New York city. James Jeffrey Roche, Boston, Mass. Thomas Hamilton Murray, Woonsocket, R. I. Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass. Thomas B. Lawler, New York city. John T. F. Mac Donnell, Holyoke, Mass. Pierce Kent, New York city. M. A. Toland, Boston, Mass. John F. McAlevy, Pawtucket, R. I. Stephen J. Geoghegan, New York city. Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, Boston, Mass. T. A. Emmet, Jr., New York city. John Crane, New York city. Edmund Reardon, Cambridge, Mass. Col. John McManus, Providence, R. I. P. T. Barry, Chicago, Ill. Capt. Wm. J. Carlton, New York city. Thomas F. Somers, New York city. R. Walter Powell, St. Joseph, Mo. Patrick Kilroy, Springfield, Mass. Capt. E. O’Meagher Condon, New York city. Charles F. Coburn, Lowell, Mass. Dennis H. Tierney, Waterbury, Conn. John Goodwin, New York city. Michael Brennan, New York city. M. A. O’Byrne, New York city. Humphrey O’Sullivan, Lowell, Mass. Col. John G. Healy, New Haven, Conn. Daniel Donovan, Lynn, Mass. Florence G. Donovan, Brooklyn, N. Y. William Lane, Brooklyn, N. Y. John J. Rooney, New York city. Joseph I. C. Clarke, New York city. Richard Healey, Worcester, Mass. James A. Fogarty, New Haven, Conn. J. Francis Jones, New York city. R. E. Danvers, New York city. M. E. Hennessy, Boston, Mass. Francis C. Travers, New York city. Vincent P. Travers, New York city. Joseph F. Swords, New York city. Col. Henry L. Swords, New York city. John F. Doyle, New York city. Col. John F. Doyle, Jr., New York city. Alfred L. Doyle, New York city. James Curran, New York city. Michael Gavin, 2d, New York city. Thomas S. Brennan, New York city. T. St. John Gaffney, New York city. E. A. McQuade, Lowell, Mass. Edmund O’Keefe, New Bedford, Mass. William Lyman, New York city. Edward O’Flaherty, New York city. Louis V. O’Donohue, New York city. Michael J. Dowd, Lowell, Mass. Francis W. Foley, New Haven, Ct. M. J. Drummond, New York city. E. J. O’Shaughnessy, New York city. John J. Pulleyn, New York city. Patrick Gilbride, Lowell, Mass. Thomas H. Boyle, Lowell, Mass. William P. Mellon, New York city.

The following gentlemen, all of New York city, were likewise present:

Richard Deeves. John G. O’Keefe. James J. Phelan. David A. Brien. James G. Johnson. John Vincent. B. Moynahan. Mark P. Brennan. Edmund M. Brennan. Thomas F. Brennan. Joseph J. Ryan. R. M. Walters. Edward J. McGuire. John H. McCarthy. Michael E. Bannin. Thomas S. Bannin. J. P. Callahan. E. J. Farrell. John Vesey. Andrew Little. P. Gallagher. James Flynn. John D. Moore. N. J. Barrett. John O’Connell. Isaac Bell Brennan. George Coleman.

In addition to the foregoing, the following were also present. Residence is not given, but a majority are believed to be of New York city:

A. Fred Brown. Thomas R. Hall. William H. Hume. Frederick T. Hume. John Connelly. James F. Minturn. John C. McGuire. John Kirkpatrick. William J. Farrell. T. S. Danahy. C. H. Conway. John P. Kelly. Wm. H. Kelly. A. B. Carlton. J. J. Gleason. F. C. O’Reilly. J. J. Clingen. George E. Kilgore. J. DeM. Thompson. J. F. Slevin. Charles Black. Owen J. Carney. Patrick C. Meehan. Theodore Meehan. M. D. Greene. Wm. J. Fanning. John McKean. R. W. Powell. John Callaghan. Austin Finnegan. George F. Crowley. P. A. Moynahan. Arthur B. Waring. F. C. Hodgdon. Richard Dixon. T. T. Tomlinson. G. B. Warriner. Thomas F. Glynn.

Upon the cigars being lighted, Gen. James R. O’Beirne, the presiding officer, arose and in a neat speech opened the after-dinner exercises.

He first introduced Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet of New York city, who read a paper on “Irish Emigration During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries.”

Hon. John C. Linehan of Concord, N. H., followed with a paper on “Some Pre-Revolutionary Irishmen,” which was well received, and proved of much value and interest.

Rev. John J. McCoy of Chicopee, Mass., read an able paper on “The Irish Element in the Second Massachusetts Volunteers in the Recent War” (with Spain).

James Jeffrey Roche, editor of _The Pilot_, Boston, Mass., entertained the company with a paper touching upon the work of the Society, and was frequently applauded.

John Jerome Rooney of New York city recited a fine poem on “The Irish Name,” and elicited the plaudits of the company.

Thomas J. Gargan of Boston, Mass., the new president-general, delivered a stirring address relative to the Society’s mission.

Joseph Smith of Lowell, Mass., made a short address, urging the establishment of a fund to assist the organization in carrying on its work. He also read a letter from Jeremiah Curtin, the author, who was then visiting Russia.

During the evening an address from Edward A. Moseley of Washington, D. C., the retiring president-general, was presented, Mr. Moseley not being able to attend in person.

Capt. E. O’Meagher Condon of New York city made a brief address, which was well received.

At intervals during the evening the company joined in singing patriotic American and Irish selections, accompanied by the orchestra.

There were also addresses by Hon. Thomas Dunn English of Newark, N. J., and Hon. William McAdoo, recently assistant secretary of the United States navy, whose remarks aroused much enthusiasm.

Letters regretting their inability to attend the gathering were received from Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York; Hon. George F. Hoar, Washington, D. C.; Hon. George Fred Williams, Boston, Mass.; E. Benjamin Andrews, superintendent of public schools, Chicago, Ill., and from other gentlemen.

Before adjourning, General O’Beirne reminded the members that Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, who had expected to be present to-night but was unable, would give the Society a reception the next afternoon (Jan. 20) at 4 o’clock. The reception would take place at the residence of the governor’s sister, Mrs. Cowles, Madison avenue. General O’Beirne requested the members to meet at the Hotel Savoy at 3:30 p.m., in order that they might proceed to the governor’s reception in a body. The company then adjourned.

GOVERNOR ROOSEVELT’S RECEPTION.

Pursuant to the agreement made at the meeting the previous evening, a large number of the members of the Society met at the Hotel Savoy, New York, on the afternoon of Jan. 20, 1899. About half an hour later they formed in line and walked to the residence of Mrs. Cowles, the governor’s sister, on Madison avenue.

They were received by Governor Roosevelt, assisted by Mrs. Cowles. Each member of the Society present was introduced by General O’Beirne, and was cordially greeted.

After all had been introduced, Governor Roosevelt made a charming little speech, expressing his pleasure at meeting the Society’s representatives. He also expressed regret at having been unable to attend the Society’s dinner last night, but official duties had prevented.

He complimented the Society on the work in which it is engaged, and said that such historical bodies are capable of a great deal of good. He paid an eloquent tribute to the soldier of Irish extraction in American military life, and recalled special instances where this element’s valor had been displayed. The governor spoke feelingly of Capt. “Bucky” O’Neill, one of the officers who had served under him in the “Rough Riders” during the war with Spain, and said that he was one of the best captains in the regiment.

Upon the conclusion of his address, the governor invited those present to partake of a lunch that had been prepared, and the invitation was cordially accepted.

After bidding adieu to the governor and his sister, many of the members accepted an invitation from Hon. John D. Crimmins and participated in a reception at the latter’s residence, 40 East 68th street, New York. It proved a most enjoyable occasion.

* * * * *

The leading addresses made, papers read, etc., at the annual meeting here follow:

ADDRESSES MADE AND PAPERS READ.

AT THE ANNUAL MEETING, THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 19, 1899.

LETTER FROM EDWARD A. MOSELEY, THE RETIRING PRESIDENT-GENERAL.

Edward A. Moseley, Washington, D. C., the retiring president-general of the Society, wrote as follows:

_To the Members of the American-Irish Historical Society_:

BROTHERS:—I regret very much that it will be impossible for me to
attend the annual meeting of our Society on the 19th instant. I have
been under medical treatment during the past ten days, and I am
still far from well, and am advised by my physician that it would be
very unwise for me to leave the city for some time to come.

It would be an exceeding pleasure to me to be with you, and to meet
so many of the distinguished gentlemen of our Society who will be
present, and who will, no doubt, illuminate with their wit and
eloquence the banquet hall at Sherry’s on the evening of the 19th. I
shall be with you in spirit, but as I cannot be there in person,
would you kindly make a few suggestions for me at the meeting.

I have received the copy of Volume I of the _Journal_. It is a
handsome volume, and a publication creditable to its editors and our
Society. My only regret is that we cannot afford to publish such
works extensively, and place one in the household of every American
who boasts of his supposed Anglo-Saxon ancestry, and especially in
the hands of our dear brethren, the “Scotch-Irish” advocates, who
take so much pains to distinguish themselves from the mere Irish
element.

In these days, when the brotherhood of man does not count for so
much as in the early days of the republic, and when some are
dividing themselves into classes and races and assuming superiority
for the so-called “Anglo-Saxon race” over all the other races of men
created by Almighty God, it seems to me that, as we do not claim to
be of the “Anglo-Saxon race,” we should not submit to the
implication contained in the term that all other peoples, including
the Irish, are inferiors in race.

It is, therefore, high time for us to reassert and emphasize our
protest against the claim that the American people belong to the
“Anglo-Saxon race,” or that any of the Caucasian peoples are in any
degree inferior in race to any other. Where differences exist it is
a question of environment. After two or three generations, no one
can perceive any radical distinctions between Americans descended
from ancestors who were Englishmen, Irishmen, Scotchmen, Welshmen,
Dutchmen, Germans, Scandinavians or of any other European
nationality.

As there never was an “Anglo-Saxon” race—that being a term which
designated two German tribes—we repudiate any suggestion that
American civilization or progress is materially indebted to any
supposed Anglo-Saxon element in our composition. On the contrary, we
assert that all European nationalities have contributed to our
advancement and magnificent citizenship.

The purpose of our Society is not to attribute all our splendid
traits and achievements alone to the Irish element in our
composition. Unlike our Anglomaniac brethren, who contend that
everything great and good must be Anglo-Saxon, we merely claim
credit for a just share in the upbuilding of the nation.

I would like the learned gentlemen of our Society to enlighten the
average American, from time to time, in his local newspaper or on
the rostrum, in respect to this Anglo-Saxon fetish. This has already
been done for the American student by many distinguished
ethnologists. It is easy to give object lessons on this line by the
color of the hair and the eyes, and the shape of the skull, features
which demonstrate beyond question that men of the supposed
Anglo-Saxon type are the rare exceptions in our make-up, and are
often very far from being at the top of the scale in any respect;
while on the other hand, men of the received Celtic type compose the
overwhelming majority in this country and in the British Isles—even
in England itself, and in every part of England. They are in the
vast majority all over the world wherever the English tongue
prevails.

Many of the gentlemen of our Society can write just such admirable
papers as Mr. Bocock contributed to the _Cosmopolitan_ magazine of
this month (who confined himself, however, to instances of Irishmen
who achieved great fame). No one has done more in this direction
than our respected vice-president for the District of Columbia, Mr.
J. D. O’Connell, whose pen has ever been at the service of his
countrymen, particularly in this respect.

Whenever an Irishmen attains to fame or distinction in war,
literature, art, law, or statesmanship in the British Empire, he is
immediately claimed to be an Englishman, and, consequently, as
displaying “Anglo-Saxon” pluck and “Anglo-Saxon” intellect.

The truth is, that among all those who have achieved great
prominence in the English-speaking world, the Anglo-Saxon type is
conspicuous by its absence. Nine times in ten, when a man boasts of
“Anglo-Saxon” pluck, enterprise, ability, and progress, he himself
is not of that type of man, and nine-tenths of the incidents he
cites were brought about through the pluck, enterprise, ability and
progress which came from mixed blood.

I can only liken this misrepresentation of the truth of history to
the rattling of peas in a bladder, shaken by one of Shakespeare’s
clowns. Puncture the bladder, my friends, whenever and wherever it
is shaken. Tell the clown who calls himself an “Anglo-Saxon” that he
is an ass! and prove to him by the color of his hair, the color of
his eyes, and the shape of his skull that he is a Celt, a Milesian,
a Latin, or anything but an “Anglo-Saxon,” and that if it was ever
true that the English people were Anglo-Saxon, and that the
Anglo-Saxons were ever, at any time, the greatest people on
earth—superior to all other races—that time has so long since passed
away that no one now remembers it, and no true history chronicles
when and where they flourished.

* * * * *

But I have already trespassed too far on this line. Permit me to
wish you all, if not too late, a very happy and prosperous New Year,
and also to say to you that, as I have been twice honored by
election to the presidency of the Society—and that is, I think,
sufficient honor for any member—I beg to invoke the national rule
against a third term. Therefore, if any friend of mine should be so
indiscreet as to nominate me for that office, I request and urge you
to ask him to immediately withdraw the nomination.

Fraternally yours,
EDWARD A. MOSELEY,
_President-General_.

WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 17, 1899.

IRISH EMIGRATION DURING THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES.

BY THOMAS ADDIS EMMET, M. D., NEW YORK CITY.

Irish people were among the pioneers in this country from almost the first settlement on the Atlantic coast, and continued until the line of immigration had crossed the continent to the Pacific.

The Colonial records bear testimony that Irish people were here at an early period, and so many hamlets on the frontier were designated by distinctive Irish names that had we no other proof than these facts, we could not honestly divest ourselves of the conviction that Ireland contributed more in numbers for the development of this country than came from any other one source.

Great injustice has been done the Irish people by depriving them of credit so justly due them. This has resulted partially from ignorance, but to a greater extent it is due to an influence exerted prior to the first settlement in this country. The purpose which prompts this injustice has been maintained through English influence, and has always been wanting so much in charity to the Irish people, that we can hope to accomplish little in any effort to establish the truth so long as individuals in this country are willing to have their judgment influenced by the policy of a foreign power.

The same influence has been as actively engaged in claiming that we are English; that this country is consequently “a worthy daughter of a more worthy mother!” Yet my investigations have impressed me with the belief that of the seventy-five millions forming our present population, there are a far greater number of individuals who could be more certain of their African origin, than there are those who could prove a direct English descent.

It is not sufficient to show proof of an ancestor sailing from an English port, as all such were rated during the seventeenth century as English, without reference to their nationality. Moreover the bearing of an English name would be no more conclusive, as we shall show that a large proportion of the “Wild Irish” were compelled by law to assume English surnames, which their descendants bear at the present time.

I have no precise data bearing directly upon the earliest immigration of the Irish to this country, for none exists. On the other hand, the assertion that they were among the first settlers, and the most numerous afterwards, cannot be rejected or disproved. I will now very clearly show, as circumstantial evidence, that throughout the greater portion of the seventeenth century a dire provocation existed, and that the Catholics were driven out of Ireland by a persecution which has never been equaled. The world to-day is in ignorance of the fact, since a complete history of Ireland, and of the suffering borne by a majority of the people, has yet to be written.

Whenever an advantage was to be gained by falsifying an historical event in connection with Ireland, the English government has never hesitated, in the past, to exercise its influence for that purpose. Yet with a strange inconsistency every record in the keeping of the government bearing upon its own immediate history, is zealously preserved, notwithstanding the most damning testimony is thus furnished of corruption, double dealing and crime.

As an American I would gladly have laid aside all religious appellations if it had been possible otherwise to have done justice to my subject, but unfortunately, as a consequence of the prejudices of centuries, not a few people regard the “Protestant Irishman,” the “Presbyterian Irishman,” and the “Catholic Irishman” as so many distinct species of the human family. The necessity, therefore, exists in doing justice to Ireland, that all at least in relation to the Catholic portion should be made prominent, as this precludes the plea of being either English or “Scotch-Irish.”

But as regards the race, the fact is that even within the period of which we shall treat in regard to the forced emigration, there remained in Ireland but little of the pure old Celtic stock. The inhabitants of Ireland had been gradually becoming a mixed people, and were as much of an aggregation as the population of the United States is a conglomeration of all other races. Yet there is something in the Irish climate and surroundings, which, even within a generation, exercises a powerful influence in bringing the descendants of all foreigners to a type possessing much in common, and with characteristics unlike any other people.

It was not until near the close of the reign of Charles the First, that the Irish people were forced to emigrate. Therefore, I propose to begin with a brief reference to the so-called “Rebellion of 1641.”

In this movement Charles the First of England was the active spirit, and if ever a man richly deserved his fate through retributive justice, Charles rightly suffered. His inhuman treatment of the Irish people, who had been most loyal to him, would have justified his execution if no other cause existed. No historical event, which antedates the testimony of living witnesses, can be more clearly established in all its details than the history of this forced outbreak in 1641, and this can be done notwithstanding there are few instances in history which have been more distorted by falsehood.

It would not be germane to my subject to enter into detail at greater length than to establish the provocation, or necessity existing at this time, for a large emigration of the Irish people. The English government had long held for the crown an absurd claim which involved the title of every estate in Connaught. The Catholics held nine tenths of the land and they bore in numbers about the same proportion to the population. During the reign of James an effort had been made to clear off this claimed lien, and large sums of money had been paid by the owners to the English government for this purpose, with the understanding that these transactions should be made a public record.

When Charles came to the throne it was found that James had appropriated this money for his own use, and the only record existing was one in which only the title of estates held by Protestants was established.

For an additional sum Charles promised, among many other promises which he did not keep, to have the title of the estates held by the Catholics cleared of all government claims, wherever the holder could prove his right of possession. For this ostensible purpose a commission was appointed, at the head of which was the Lord Chief Justice and the chief prosecuting officer for the crown in Ireland.

It is now known that the real object of the commission was to obtain some pretext for a general confiscation of the land, and to make a plantation of Catholic Connaught, after the people had been disposed of. As a stimulus to the zeal of these officers an additional bonus of two shillings on the pound was granted from the value of each estate confiscated to the crown, when made on the plea of a defective title. The owner was generally made foreman of the jury and whenever the verdict was a “Prevarication on the evidence,” as it was termed, and not for the crown, he was fined to bankruptcy, his estate confiscated “legally,” and the jurymen were both fined and imprisoned.

But this semblance of justice proved to be too slow a process, so the country was suddenly overrun with English troops to force an extended outbreak. Additional instructions were given to exterminate, if possible, the whole Catholic population, English as well as Irish, as is clearly proved by the writings of Leland, Clarendon, Warner, Carte, and other writers, who had no sympathy for the Irish people.

The cattle and all available property were seized; persons in all stations of life were imprisoned, without having charges preferred against them, or they were wilfully murdered without provocation; the wives and daughters of the Catholic Irish were subjected to unspeakable brutality, and it was a frequent boast that no woman was spared; the well and the sick, the young and the old were indiscriminately turned adrift, their houses were burned, and all provisions and stores which could not be used by the troops were wantonly destroyed.

No less than three thousand heads of families, constituting the Catholic nobility and gentry, and the owners of the land in the west of Ireland were imprisoned, charged with treason, and their property was seized.

A new commission was now formed, consisting of judge and jurymen in English interests, yet who were sworn, it is supposed, to investigate with some pretext to honesty the charge of treason against these individuals. As a result of their labors _over one thousand indictments were drawn up by this commission in two days_, by which each individual was found guilty of treason, thus losing his life, and his property was seized for the crown! If it be assumed that this jury worked continuously each day for twelve hours, the average would be about one indictment for a little less than every minute and a half. During which time it was supposed that witnesses duly sworn were examined as to the guilt of each individual, and after due deliberation, and after giving the prisoner the benefit of all doubt, where the testimony was deemed unreliable, the verdict had been rendered.

Is it possible to conceive of a more complete travesty on justice? The prisoners knew nothing of the proceedings, and the average time for conviction of less than one minute and a half was scarcely sufficient to add the signatures necessary to give each death warrant a semblance of legality.

By this one transaction the British crown came into possession of some ten millions of acres, which was a little more than one half of all the available land in Ireland.

Between five and six hundred thousand men, women, and children were slaughtered, or died from starvation. Many thousand were sent to the West Indies, or to the American colonies, and sold as slaves. A limited number escaped to the mountains, where many died from starvation, and the remainder lived for years a life in common with the wild beasts, with a price upon their heads, and were hunted as such. The whole and entire population of this great tract of country disappeared, and was literally wiped out.

Shortly after, Cromwell overran the south and southwestern portion of Ireland which was also chiefly settled by Catholics, and they received as little mercy from his army as had been meted out to those of their creed in Connaught. When Cromwell had completed his work at least two thirds of the landed property in Ireland had been confiscated; and after the greater portion of the Catholic Irish men, women, and children had been put to the sword, or driven into exile, the whole country became resettled with his soldiers, or by persons devoted to the English interest. Over one hundred thousand young children, who had been made orphans, or who were taken from their Catholic parents, were sent to the West Indies, to Virginia, or to New England, that they might thus lose their faith, as well as all knowledge of their nationality.

During this period thousands of Irishmen were driven into exile, to enter the armies of European nations, or to emigrate and settle on the frontiers of the American colonies, as a bulwark against the Indians, for the protection of the more favored settlers on the coast.

In addition, a host of both men and women who were taken prisoners, were sold in Virginia and New England as slaves, and without respect to their former station in life.

In later years, certain writers have attempted to pervert the truth by claiming that these men and women, who were refined and educated, and who had been the owners of the confiscated lands, were convicts. But I have not been able to obtain any reliable evidence to prove that Virginia or any of the American colonies were ever made penal settlements.

The Catholics of Ireland were the only people of Europe who had at this time so great a necessity for leaving their country. It is a well established fact that during the greater part of the eighteenth century thousands of able-bodied male Catholics, in the south and western portion of Ireland, left the country at an early period of life for some European port, and very few ever returned. This is corroborated by the circumstance that the Catholic population of Ireland steadily decreased during this period, and at one time it was less than half a million of individuals scattered through the bogs and wilds of the country.

The wealthy English people invested their money freely in the early settlement of the West Indies and in Virginia, but they remained at home. The middle and lower classes, who were more likely to have emigrated to a new country, were, to a great extent, contented at home. They had no cause to leave it, as the political changes which occurred in England during the seventeenth century had a decided tendency to better their condition.

I believe that with the exception of some among the first settlers in Virginia and New England, the far greater portion of the English who did emigrate during the seventeenth and the first half of the eighteenth century, went to Bermuda, Barbadoes, Jamaica, and the other West India Islands, and did not come to this country. The American colonies were mostly settled under a grant to some proprietor or corporation, with more restrictions on business pursuits than were made by the English government for the West India Islands. Consequently the field for individual enterprise was greater on the Islands.

Those of English birth who settled on the main land did so largely in Virginia and Carolina, and as a rule their business was confined to the seaport towns. I believe that a larger proportion of the English than of any other people, when successful in business, returned in after life to their native country, or went with their families to Barbadoes or Jamaica to invest their money in sugar plantations. It is from this circumstance that these islands have always been more English in character than any American colony now within the territory of the United States.

For an Irishman without means there was no opening in any of the West India Islands but as a common laborer. In the American colonies, however, he could easily reach the frontiers, free from all restriction after he had served out the time necessary to pay for his passage, and could there establish his independence with the labor of clearing off the forest from the land selected by himself.

In consequence of the restrictions made by England to destroy Irish commerce, it is well known that for several centuries the intercourse between Ireland and different continental countries, by means of vessels engaged in smuggling, was far greater than by any communication with England, which was almost an unknown land to the west coast Irishman.

It is not possible to form even an estimate as to the numbers of Irish who went by means of these smugglers chiefly to France and Spain. We only know the fact that a steady current of impoverished Irishmen passed over to the continent year after year. We also know that a very large number served in the armies of those countries, but it is doubtful, under any circumstances, if more than a comparatively small proportion of the number could have been thus provided for. Of the remaining portion but few could have had any other means of support, and no other explanation presents itself but emigration to America from necessity, and on their arrival in a foreign vessel their nationality would have been overlooked.

The English government during the eighteenth century allowed no vessel, knowingly, to sail from Ireland direct, but it was necessary by law first to visit an English port before clearance papers could be obtained for the voyage. A record was also kept for the purpose of collecting a head tax on every individual thus leaving an English port for the colonies. I have gone carefully over this register, and to my surprise scarcely a name appears which could be identified with Ireland. Notwithstanding this fact the official register has been cited in proof that there was no emigration from Ireland but those who were sent abroad in servitude, and consequently that this country for a century, at least, was settled chiefly by English people.

But we must remember that every Irishman in Ireland within reach of English authority was at that time governed by the following law: “An act that Irishmen dwelling in the counties of, etc. ... go appareled like Englishmen and wear their beards after the English manner, swear allegiance, and take English sirnames; which sirnames shall be of one town, as Sutton, Chester, Trim, Skryne, Corke, Kinsale; or colours, as white, black, brown; or arts or sciences, as smith or carpenter; or office, as cook, butler, etc., and it is enacted that he and his issue shall use this name under pain of forfeyting of his goods yearly, etc.” As a consequence, every Irish emigrant crossing in an Irish or English vessel and from either England or Ireland, appeared in the official record as English, for the voyage did not begin according to law until cleared from an English port.

By this circumstance we prove the converse, that a large Irish emigration did reach this country by some route which was not under English control. How otherwise can we explain the presence of undoubted Irish surnames unchanged, as found in early records of the country? And on the other hand we find to-day Irishmen and their descendants in this country, bearing the names of Sutton, Chester, Kinsale, White, Black, Brown, Smith, Carpenter, Cook, Butler, etc., proving thereby that this law was enforced, by which they were deprived of their pure Irish names, and that they did not change these names after coming to this country.

Virginia was undoubtedly first settled by the English, but at an early period the Irish began to come in, bound to serve a stated term in payment for their passage money, but eventually these people became free men, settling down on the frontier, and their descendants in the next generation, as indicated by their names appearing in the records, began to take part in the affairs of the colony.

Maryland was largely settled by Irish Catholics, and Calvert himself received his title of Lord Baltimore from a place in the southwest of Ireland.

William Penn spent a portion of his life in Ireland before he received his grant in America. A number of his followers were Irish, and the most prominent person next to Penn himself was James Logan, an Irishman, who acted as governor of the province for a number of years. He was most tolerant to the Irish Catholics, who were allowed free exercise of their religion, and they received protection in this colony from the first settlement.

Many of those who first settled in New Jersey were from Ireland, and there were undoubtedly some Irish in New Amsterdam. In the Jesuit Relations it is shown that Father Jogues, who afterwards suffered the death of a martyr among the Indians of Central New York, came about 1642 from Canada to administer to some of his faith then living among the Dutch and in New Jersey.