Chapter VIII: Part 8

I thought that less was said by his recent friends about his interest
in Ireland and her cause than deserves to be known. And on that point
I can testify from acquaintance with him that few things were nearer
or dearer to him than the land of his ancestors. His pen and voice
were ever ready to work in the cause of Ireland, and I have no doubt
that his personal fortunes, in the ordinary commercial sense, suffered
from the persistence with which, all through life, he continued to
bring to the attention of an indifferent public the wrongs inflicted
on the people of the island. It was, however, a labor of love with
him, and his zeal in the cause continued to the end. He had no
confidence in secret societies effecting any great good in Irish
politics; but he gave hearty support to the Land League in Parnell’s
day. He was a delegate to the famous Land League convention of 1886 in
Chicago, and was urged by friends to let them propose him for
President of the American branch of the Society. He has been heard to
say that he was indebted to the Land League for the experience which
enabled him in later years to feel at home on his feet while engaged
in public speaking on other subjects.

His regard for Ireland could not have been stronger had he been a
native of the land, and it was evidently inherited. Years ago he heard
a friend humming “As Slow Our Ship Her Foamy Track,” and said that
when his father was leaving Ireland a group gathered about him on the
deck of the ship as he sung that song, and before it was finished they
were all in tears.

Although usually slow to anger, he was liable to be moved on hearing
the creditable deeds of plain Irishmen ascribed, as they are so often,
to the “Scotch-Irish,”—a designation which he detested, employed as it
usually is to detract from Ireland the reflected honor to which she is
entitled from the worthy fame of her children.

If the nature and scope of the work which you have in hand permits of
eulogy, it would be impossible to speak too highly of O’Connor’s
character. In both public and private life he was the soul of honor.
His talents were of the first order and always exerted toward good
ends. His integrity was unbounding. Like Gay his “manners were gentle,
his affections mild.” In a word he was a really great and uncommonly
good citizen, a true and noble man. One of his favorite poets was
Goldsmith and I cannot better end this too brief sketch than with what
the author of “The Deserted Village” said of Reynolds:—

To tell you my mind.
He has not left a greater or better behind.

Very truly yours,
EDMOND REDMOND.

Mr. O’Connor was the author of many poems, and in 1895 the Putnams brought out a little volume of his modestly entitled “Poems.” Many of the shorter poems in the book are characterized by delicate fancy and graceful rhyming; such poems as “Her Hands,” “Water Lilies,” and the “Wine Song.” He favored these smaller, slighter children of his fancy. He thought the best poem he ever wrote was “The Cavalier Sword,” and next in order he placed “The Fount of Castaly.” In our opinion “Her Hands” is the sweetest and most graceful of them all, and we print it herewith:

HER HANDS.

Sometimes I sit and try to trace
In memory’s records dim and faint,
The features of my mother’s face,
With the calm look of gentle grace
That marked our house’s quiet saint.

The innocence of her blue eyes,
The winning smile about her lips,
Child-simple and yet woman-wise,
Her shining hair, her modest guise,
All come in turn; each fades and slips.

I try to fix them, but in vain;
They waver, and yet will not fuse,
Howe’er imagination strain,
To form the face that it would feign—
Till on a sudden, as I muse

There comes a thought of her dear hands,
All wrinkled, tanned and labor-worn—
And there the simple woman stands,
To meet her duty’s hard demands,
Among the children she has borne.

No work nor written word remains,
Nor picture worthy to approve;
But read in knotted joints and veins,
And tendons strong, and honest stains,
The tale of service and of love.

O hands of ministry, that wrought
In constant care, through weal and woe,
Nor rest by crib or coffin caught,
This pang is mine—I never thought
To kiss your fingers long ago.

CHIEF EGAN’S WAR RECORD WRITTEN FOR STATE ARCHIVES

FROM PROVIDENCE JOURNAL.

David Irwin of San Francisco, an Irishman, formerly First Lieutenant of Company F, Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, who served under Gen. Charles R. Brayton, a guest and speaker at the dedication of the Society of the Sullivan Memorial December 16, 1908, has recently written a sketch of his service in the Army, and while compiling the story ran across several notes of incidents in Army life which directly concern Chief of Police Patrick Egan, of Providence, R. I.

Mr. Irwin has forwarded the information to General Brayton, in order that it may be preserved in the archives of the State. In his letter Mr. Irwin says: “Being a native of the Emerald Isle, I claim the right to make a little Irish bull by saying that when I enlisted at Providence the only man I knew in my regiment was a boy fifteen years old. The day that I made up my mind to be one of the ’200,000 more’ called for by President Lincoln, I went into the workshop where this boy was learning the shoe trade and said to him, ‘Patsy, I am going to enlist. Don’t you want to go?’

“He looked up with a smile on his face and replied: ‘Yes, if you will.’

“‘All right,’ I said, ‘come along. I’m going.’

“I can imagine I see him now getting up from his bench, taking off his apron, throwing it down and putting on his coat.

“Away we went to the recruiting office and signed the roll, he giving his age as seventeen, which no one doubted. He was tall for his years.

“I had hoped we would be placed in the same company, that I might be near him and keep an eye on him, for I felt somewhat responsible for taking him away from his widowed mother, but fate or fortunes of war willed it otherwise. I was assigned to Company G and he to Company C, which was afterward mounted as a light battery. However, he soon proved to be well able to take care of himself, except, perhaps, on one occasion.

“That was soon after the Port Royal, S. C., expedition,” Mr. Irwin explains, “of which our regiment was a part, sailed from Hampton Roads late in October, 1861, the land forces, consisting of about 12,500 men, being under Gen. Thomas W. Sherman, and a fleet of seventeen warships and thirty transports and supply vessels, commanded by Commodore Samuel F. DuPont.

“About a week before sailing our regiment embarked on an old steamship, which had been used for carrying cotton from New Orleans to New York. Patsy’s company happened to be assigned to the poorest quarters on the ship—the lower hold. The accommodations for 1,000 men were none too good, consequently, we had more or less sickness on board.

“Hearing one day that Patsy was ill, I went in search of him, and found him in a dark, poorly ventilated hole. He was a very sick boy. I took him up to my company’s quarters and put him into a berth near the hatchway, where he got better air, and, with a little care—the best we could give him under the circumstances, as we were then off Cape Hatteras and having very stormy weather—he soon recovered and in a few days he was himself again.

“It may not be out of place to relate here a little incident which took place one night during the height of the storm. About midnight the rain was coming down in sheets, the sea running high and the wind blowing a gale, when, in an instant, over went the old ship on her beam’s end. This caused quite a commotion among the boys—we were all called ‘boys’ then—some of whom rushed to the hatchway to get on deck, but were prevailed upon to remain below. One of the foremost of them, ‘Jim’ Burns, a countryman of mine, dropped on his knees on the stairs and commenced praying like a good fellow. The others quieted down and paid all due respect to Jim and his prayers. In a few minutes the ship righted again, and in a short time the worst of the storm was over.

“Next day things looked a little brighter and some of the boys thought they might have a little fun at Jim’s expense. Being First Sergeant of the company, they suggested that I appoint Jim Chaplain of the company, seeing he had made such a good prayer the night before. When I told him of their wishes, he looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and replied:

“‘No you don’t appoint me Chaplain. Let them go to the ‘divil,’ and do their own prayin’.’

“After losing four of our supply vessels during the storm, we arrived at our destination on the morning of November 7, 1861, and witnessed the same day the bombardment and capture by the Navy of Fort Walker on Hilton Head, and Fort Beauregard on Bay Point, S. C. We landed on the ‘sacred soil’ late in the afternoon, our regiment taking possession of the abandoned rebel fortifications.

“I saw but little of Patsy after this. Active operations were soon commenced, our regiment was broken up and the companies scattered over the islands and swamps about Charleston and Savannah, where they took a prominent part in the following: Siege and surrender of Fort Pulaski, Ga., from January 1 to April 15, 1862; battle of Secessionville, James Island, near Charleston, June 16, 1862; battle of Pocotaligo, S. C., on the Charleston and Savannah Railroad, October 21, 1862; capture of Morris Island and Fort Wagner, and in the bombardment and memorable siege of Fort Sumter, 1863, and many other smaller engagements.

“In the spring of 1863 I met his captain (Brayton), who had been a Lieutenant in my company and afterward Colonel of the regiment, and asked him how ‘Patrick Egan’—that was the boy’s name—‘was getting along.’

“He answered, ‘Egan is getting along all right. He is one of my best boys. I have just made him a corporal.’

“The first time I met Patsy after this was on the disastrous battlefield of Olustee, Florida, February 20, 1864. He was then a Sergeant and had charge of a section of his battery, which was temporarily attached to a four-gun Battery M of the First United States Artillery. When I was ordered to retire from the field with the remnant of the battery in which I was then serving, E, Third United States Artillery, by the late Senator Hawley, who was then Colonel of the Seventh Connecticut, and Acting Brigadier-General, we passed near to where young Egan was, with his two guns in position.

“I rode up to him and exclaimed, ‘Patsy, what are you doing here?’

“His reply was, ‘We are doing the best we can.’

“Not seeing any officers present, I then said to him, ‘You had better get out of here as soon as possible, or you and your men and guns will all be captured.’

“He limbered up, withdrew a short distance and fired a few more shots of cannister which, I have no doubt, checked, at a critical moment, the advance of the enemy.

“It was now dark, and I believe these were the last guns fired at the Battle of Olustee, where the Union troops under Gen. Truman Seymour lost 1,900 men in killed, wounded and missing, and five pieces of artillery, out of a force of about 4,500 men engaged.

“The Confederates were supposed to have about 6,000 troops, commanded by General Finnegan, and their loss was reported to be little over 900.

“This engagement seemed to be more like an ambuscade than anything else. It was so unexpected—like a thunderclap out of a clear sky. We were marching leisurely through a swampy, thickly-wooded country from early morning until 3 p. m., when we came to a clearing and found the enemy, who had been retreating for several days, posted in a very strong, well-chosen position, partly intrenched and sheltered by thick woods, while we were exposed to their deadly fire in the open field, which accounts for the great difference in the losses.

“We retired in good order during the night and next day to Jacksonville, forty miles distant, with but little trouble from the ‘Johnnies.’ Here young Egan joined his own battery, turned over his section to the commanding officer and reported a loss of one man killed, six wounded and twelve horses killed or disabled. He was slightly wounded himself and had a horse shot under him. The battery to which his section was attached lost about thirty-five men in killed, wounded and missing and three out of their four guns.

“I will now quote an incident of camp life taken from his narrative of the Florida campaign:

“‘A few days after our arrival in Jacksonville the battery, together with Barton’s Brigade, was ordered to Palatka. Palatka is a small town seventy miles from Jacksonville, on the St. John’s River, and is, at the present time, a winter resort for invalids. It was here that the famous ‘cow incident’ took place, and ‘Who killed the cow?’ afterward became a by-word in the brigade, especially when Colonel Barton was within hearing distance.

“‘It came about in this way: When we occupied Palatka, the only white person in the village was an old lady, who had a fine residence, and Colonel Barton, the commander of the brigade, made his headquarters there. This woman had a very nice cow, the only one in the village, and Barton was dependent upon her for milk.

“‘During the day the cow would feed in the dooryards and on the lawns, and sometimes she would come around to where Battery C was camped. One day some of the boys thought what a nice steak and liver they could get from the cow, and, at the same time, get square with Barton, he not being a favorite with the boys. They thought they might kill two birds with one stone by getting the steak and liver, and, at the same time, cut off Barton’s milk supply. So the next day, when the cow came along, one of the boys drove her into a back-yard near the camp, and, in a short time, that cow was a thing of the past.

“‘Steaks and liver were cut out for those who had done the work and for their friends, and the rest of the meat was sent to the cook house, where all had nice beef stew. Everything was all right until milking-time, when the cow failed to show up. Then the fun began. Men were sent out from headquarters and also from the Provost Marshal’s office to try to find the cow and to make inquiries.

“‘Of course, the men of Battery C knew nothing about her. But they were eventually suspected, for the next morning the Provost Marshal came to our quarters asking all sorts of questions. Some of the boys, including your humble servant, knew nothing about it and were sorry for the Colonel. The following morning Colonel Barton sent for the non-commissioned officers and told us that he was satisfied that the last seen of the cow was near Battery C’s camp. He also said that all he wanted was the name of the man who killed the cow, and that some of the non-commissioned officers must know something about it. He then asked each one the name of the man who killed the cow, but each denied all knowledge of it.

“‘Well, someone must have given the whole thing away, for the next day Captain James had the “assembly” blown and the company fell in. He then called the names of nine men, comprising one Sergeant, one Corporal, and seven privates. The Sergeant and Corporal were reduced to the ranks, and, with the other seven, were confined in the guard house, put on a diet of bread and water, and made a “spread eagle” of until someone should tell who killed the cow.

“‘Morning and evening they were asked who killed the cow, but they denied they knew who did it. This was carried on for three days, when someone put up a job with the pickets, and on the afternoon of the third day they began firing, the long roll was sounded and the prisoners were released to man the guns. No Johnnies appeared, it being a bluff to get the men released. They could not be punished again for the same offence, so thus ended the cow incident, but Colonel Barton never found out who killed the cow.

“‘In justice to Colonel Barton, who has joined the “Grand Army above,” I wish to say that I knew him very well and served under him for nearly a year, and found him to be a nice gentleman, a strict disciplinarian, a good and a brave officer. I will also state that I have good reason for believing that Comrade Egan took no part in “cutting off the Colonel’s milk supply” and that the old lady was compensated for the loss of the cow.’

“In April, 1864, his battery was ordered to Fort Monroe, Va., where it joined General Butler’s Army of the James and participated in all the battles, sieges and operations around Petersburg and Richmond from May 4 to the close of the war, having fought for the Union in four of the seceding States—South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia. He was honorably discharged when in sight of the steeples of Richmond, October, 1864. At the close of the war his old battery was the first volunteer battery to enter that long-coveted and hard-fought-for city—Richmond. To Capt. Martin S. James of this battery was assigned the honor of dismantling the fortifications around this famous stronghold and capital of the Confederacy.

“When next we met, August, 1904, at the National Encampment, G. A. R., in Boston, Mass., I could hardly believe he was the same boy I last saw—more than forty years before—on the battlefield of Olustee. He was then (1904) a fine specimen of manhood; stood six feet, one and one half inches, and weighed 240 pounds.”

W. J. O’HAGAN, ESQ.,

Of Charleston, S. C.

Vice-President of the Society for South Carolina.
]

THE SOCIETY OF THE FRIENDLY SONS OF ST. PATRICK IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK.

BY JOHN J. LENEHAN.

The Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in the City of New York was instituted on March 17, 1784. It had its origin among Irish officers connected with the armies of the American Revolution. On November 25, 1783, the last British soldier departed from the shores of Manhattan, the British flag which had been nailed to the flagpole of Fort George was hauled down, the American flag was run up in its place, and the Continental Army entered the city. It was led by George Washington, then an adopted member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Philadelphia. At his side rode the Governor, General George Clinton, the son of an Irishman; and the advance battalion was commanded by General Henry Knox, also the son of an Irishman, and a member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Philadelphia.

In the environment produced by these conditions, in the atmosphere of liberty and Constitutional government that followed the advent of the American army into its final possession of New York City, was born the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Daniel McCormick was its founder and its president for many years. The objects of the Society were to assist poor and distressed natives, and descendants of natives, of Ireland, and promote friendly, social feelings among its members.

With these laudable purposes, on March 17, 1784, the first St. Patrick’s Day following the evacuation of New York by the British, the Society inaugurated its festive functions at “Cape’s Tavern.” In the _New York Packet and Advertiser_ of Thursday, March 18, 1784, the following appears:

Yesterday, being the anniversary of St. Patrick, his patriotic sons
met at Cape’s Tavern, where they gave an elegant entertainment to his
Excellency the Governor, Lieut.-Governor, Chancellor and a number of
other respectable gentlemen of this State. The day and evening were
spent in festivity and mirth, and a number of suitable toasts were
drunk upon this joyful occasion. The greatest unanimity and
conviviality pervaded this numerous and jovial company, and perhaps
this great Saint was never honoured with a concourse of more generous
and truly patriotic sons than this assembly afforded.

Thus commenced (in the words of Curran), “those happy meetings when the swelling heart conceived and communicated the pure and generous purpose, the innocent enjoyment of social mirth expanded into the nobler warmth of social virtue, and the horizon of the board became enlarged into the horizon of man.” Almost uninterruptedly since quarterly and anniversary meetings of the Society have been held. Many of the leading men of the City and State are enrolled among its members, and the records of the Society from the beginning contain names prominent in the early history of the Republic. Social and friendly intercourse was promoted and maintained among the natives of Ireland and their kinsmen and descendants. Numbers of deserving, but less fortunate fellow-countrymen, were relieved by the bounty of the Society, implements and materials for domestic manufacture were furnished to the industrious poor. The needy were assisted with money, medicine, clothing and fuel, the destitute were provided with homes and, when necessary, were furnished with sufficient funds to enable them to return to their native land.

The design of the badge worn by members of the Society, and which appears on the cover of this book, is a _facsimile_ of the “reverse” of the medal worn by the members of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in Philadelphia in 1771. The following in reference to that medal is from _Haverty’s American Almanac_:

Each member was required to furnish himself with a gold medal of the
value of three guineas, agreeably to the following description: On the
right, HIBERNIA; on the left, AMERICA; in the center, LIBERTY joining
the hands of HIBERNIA and AMERICA, represented by the usual figures of
a female supported by a harp, for HIBERNIA; an Indian with his quiver
on his back and his bow slung, for AMERICA; underneath, UNITE. On the
reverse, ST. PATRICK tramping on a snake, a cross in his hand, dressed
in pontificalibus, the motto, “HIER.”

These devices, designed some years before the Revolution, were
certainly ominous, if not prophetic. The Goddess of LIBERTY joining
the hands of HIBERNIA and AMERICA, with the superscription “UNITE,”
was sufficiently significant, considering that the effect of that
union powerfully promoted the subsequent dismemberment of the British
Empire and the liberty and independence of America. The motto, HIER,
or, without the aspirate, IER, in the Celtic language signifies
“West,” and from it came the name of the country, Ere, Erin, or
Ireland, and Ierna, aspirated Hibernia. But the word HIER had in it a
duplicate and equivocal signification, peculiarly appropriate as the
motto of a society whose object was to “_Unite_” in fellowship the
sons of the _little_ isle of the “_West_” with those of the _great_
continent of the “West.” This medal the members were obliged to wear
at the meeting of the Society under the penalty of 7s. 6d. for neglect
to do so on St. Patrick’s day, and 5s. on the days of the quarterly
meetings.[2]

Footnote 2:

The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Philadelphia was founded in 1771.
George Washington, adopted a member December 17, 1781, dined with the
Society on St. Patrick’s Day, 1782, and characterized it as “_a
society distinguished for the firm adherence of its members to the
glorious cause in which we are embarked_.” Other members were Generals
Moylan, Shee, Wayne, Knox, Butler, Irvine, Hand; Commodore Barry, John
Mease, who crossed the Delaware with General Washington on the
memorable night of December 25, 1776, and surprised the Hessians; and
his brother, Matthew, who commanded the quarter deck guns under Paul
Jones in the _Bonhomme Richard’s_ fight with the _Serapis_.

On June 17, 1780, twenty-seven of its members subscribed 103,500
pounds sterling to furnish provisions for the army, Robert Morris and
Blair McClenachan each subscribing 10,000 pounds. William Constable,
another member, an aid of Lafayette and partner of Robert Morris, was
one of the founders of the New York Society.—_Hood’s Friendly Sons of
St. Patrick_, 43–49 (Phila., 1844); _Crimmins’ Early Celebrations of
St. Patrick’s Day_, 215 (N. Y., 1902).

The original records of the Society from 1784 to 1835, except the Treasurer’s Book from 1804, were lost by fire in August, 1835, being at that time in possession of the Secretary, whose place of business was destroyed.

The Society has been true to the principles on which it was founded. It has helped the needy and distressed, and has been the means of cementing lifelong friendships among its members and among those who participated in its festivities. From the Society grew the Irish Emigrant Society and the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank. Uniting to the charitable and humane the friendly and social feelings, it seeks to keep ever vigorous the love of Ireland and of the Irish character. It celebrates the festival of St. Patrick as a national and immemorial custom, to commemorate the glory of Ireland, to drop a tear upon her sorrows and to express a hope for her regeneration. It has entertained illustrious and distinguished guests at its banquets. Among those of recent years may be mentioned President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905, and president-elect William H. Taft in 1908. A notable dinner was given on May 29, 1902, to the French Governmental Mission attending the Rochambeau Monument ceremonies, in acknowledgement of which the Republic of France presented to the Society a magnificent Sèvres vase, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Among the Society’s members have been many of the great merchants, business and professional men of the city. To pass over the living, on its rolls appear the names of Alexander Macomb, Hugh Gaine, William Constable, Dominick Lynch, DeWitt Clinton, John Caldwell, Thomas Addis Emmet, Robert J. Dillon, Joseph Stuart, Richard Bell, William Kelly, Joseph P. Kernochan, John Haggerty, Ogden Haggerty, William Sampson, David J. Graham, Charles O’Conor, James T. Brady, John R. Brady, Dr. Robert Hogan, Dr. William James MacNeven, Very Rev. Dr. John Power, Thomas W. Clerke, Daniel Devlin, Henry L. Hoguet, Eugene Kelly, Joseph J. O’Donohue, Richard O’Gorman, John Savage, Jeremiah Devlin, William Whiteside, Thomas Barbour, Hugh J. Hastings, Thomas Francis Meagher, James R. Cuming, Charles P. Daly, Frederick Smyth, William R. Grace, William L. Brown, Peter McDonnell, C. C. Shayne, Frank T. Fitzgerald, George C. Barrett, Samuel Sloan, James S. Coleman, John Crane, Vincent P. Travers, John Stewart, Daniel O’Day and Hugh Kelly. Grover Cleveland was an honorary member.

Of these, Dr. William James MacNeven and Thomas Addis Emmet, whose names are indelibly written on the pages not only of Irish history, but on the history of New York city and State, became members of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in 1815. Facing Broadway, in the graveyard of historic St. Paul’s, are reared the columns upon which are noted their services to their native country and to their adopted land, flanking on either side the tablet which perpetuates the memory of that other great Irishman, who fell at the siege of Quebec, General Richard Montgomery.

Free from all religious and political characteristics, it is the representative Irish society in the city of New York.

In 1827 it was incorporated by the following act of the Legislature of the State of New York:

CHARTER

OF THE SOCIETY OF

THE FRIENDLY SONS OF ST. PATRICK IN THE CITY
OF NEW YORK.

“AN ACT to Incorporate the Society of the Friendly Sons of Saint
Patrick, in the City of New York. Passed February 13, 1827.

“_Whereas_, the members of a Society instituted for the relief of
indigent natives of Ireland, and their descendants, have petitioned
the Legislature for an act of incorporation, the better to enable them
to obtain the objects of their association; therefore

“1. _Be it enacted_ by the People of the State of New York,
represented in Senate and Assembly, That John Chambers, James McBride,
James Magee, Alexander Charters, John Montgomery, John Cauldwell and
Daniel McCormick, and such other persons as now are or hereafter shall
become members of the Society of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick in
the City of New York, are hereby constituted and declared a body
politic and corporate, in fact and in name, by the name of “The
Society of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick in the City of New
York,” and by that name they and their successors, during the
existence of the said corporation, shall and may have perpetual
succession; and shall in law be capable of suing and being sued,
pleading and being impleaded, answering and being answered unto,
defending and being defended, in all courts and places whatsoever; and
that they and their successors may have and use a common seal, and may
change and alter the same from time to time at their pleasure; and
also that, by their corporate name, and in their corporate capacity,
they and their successors may purchase, take, hold, use and enjoy,
sell, lease and convey any estate, real or personal, for the use and
benefit of said corporation: _Provided_, That the annual income of
such real and personal estate shall not at any time exceed the sum of
five thousand dollars.

“2. _And be it further enacted_, That the said corporation shall have
power to make such constitution, by-laws and regulations, as they
shall judge proper, for the appointment of officers, for the admission
of new members, for the government of the officers and members
thereof, for collecting annual contributions from the members towards
the funds thereof, for regulating the times and places of meeting of
the said Society, for suspending or expelling such members as shall
neglect or refuse to comply with the by-laws or regulations, and for
the managing and directing the property, affairs and concerns of said
Society: _Provided_, That such constitution, by-laws and regulations
be not inconsistent with the Laws or Constitution of this State, or of
the United States: _Provided further_, that the said corporation shall
not engage in any banking business, nor dispose of any of its funds
for any other purpose than the relief of such members of the said
Society, natives of Ireland, and children and grandchildren of natives
of Ireland, or of a member of said Society, as may become indigent and
poor.

“3. _And be it further enacted_, That the present officers of said
Society shall hold their respective offices until others shall be
chosen in their places.

“4. _And be it further enacted_, That this Act be, and hereby is
declared to be, a public act, and that the same shall be construed in
all courts and places, benignly and favourably for every beneficial
purpose therein intended, and that no misnomer of the said corporation
in any deed, gift, grant, devise or other instrument of contract or
conveyance, shall vitiate or defeat the same: _Provided_, The
Corporation shall be sufficiently described to ascertain the intention
of the parties.

“5. _And be it further enacted_, That the Legislature may at any time
hereafter amend, alter, modify or repeal this act.”

[Laws of New York, 1827; chapter 42.]

Owing to the loss of the Society’s books in 1835, the list of its early members is necessarily incomplete, but a partial list of the earliest members is:

Member In
McCormick, Daniel 1784
Gaine, Hugh 1784
Waddell, Robert R. 1784
Constable, William 1784
Macomb, Alexander 1784
Roach, Thomas 1784
Pollock, George 1784
Hill, William 1784
Shaw, John 1784
Pollock, Carlisle 1784
Bibby, Thomas 1784
Flemming, Sampson 1784
Templeton, Oliver 1784
Bradford, M. 1787
Gibson, Dr. 1787
Smith, H. 1787
Colles, Christopher 1788
Thomson, Charles 1788
Maunsell, Gen. John 1789
Clinton, DeWitt 1790
Edgar, William 1790
McVickar, John 1790
Price, Michael 1790
Saidler, Henry 1790
Charleton, John 1790
Constable, James 1790
Stewart, Alexander 1793
Wade, William 1793
Barnewell, George 1793
Glover, John 1793
Lynch, Dominick 1793
Kelly, John 1795
Wallace, William 1804
Caldwell, John 1804
Heeney, Cornelius 1804
Parks, John 1804
Hogan, M. 1805
Searight, J. 1805
Boyle, M. 1805
Carbis, J. 1805
Reid, D. 1805
Blake, Valentine 1805
Rutledge, William 1805
Craig, W. 1805
Sullivan, J. 1805
Bailie, William 1805
Bryar, William 1805
Suffern, Thomas 1805
Shaw, W. 1805
McCarty, Charles 1805
Dickey, R. 1805
Cranston, Alex. 1805
Roth, M. 1805
Craig, S. 1805
McComb, J. W. 1805
McConnell, James 1805
Murray, J. 1805
Phelan, John 1805
Morris, Andrew 1805
Macomb, John N. 1805
Phister, Alexander 1805
McEvers, Gulian 1805
Watson, James 1805
Kemp, Dr. 1805
Jephson, William H. 1805
Chambers, James 1805
O’Connor, Capt. 1805
Keith, John 1805
Prince, Christ’er 1806
McVicker, Nathan 1812
Bailey, William 1812
Carberry, Thomas 1812
Chambers, John 1812
Craig, John 1812
Sterling, Wm. 1812
Macneven, Wm. Jas. 1815
Emmet, Thos. Addis 1815
McCarthy, Dennis 1815
Christian, Charles 1815
Woodward, John 1815
Montgomery, J. 1817
Magee, James 1817
Blood, Harris 1821
Andrews, David 1821
Nicholson, John 1821
Charters, John 1821
Kernochan, Jos. P. 1825
Laverty, Henry 1825
Moorehead, John 1825
Kyle, Wm. 1825
Gray, Andrew 1825
Muldon, Michael 1825
Charters, S. M. 1825
Alexander, Joseph 1825
Lynch, General 1825
Montgomery, J. B. 1828
Cleary, Thomas 1828
FitzGerald, R. A. 1828
Buchanan, Jas., Jr. 1828
Ingham, Charles 1828
Wilson, John 1828
James, Wm. 1828
Wright, John W. 1828
Hogan, Dr. Robert 1828
Cuming, Dr. 1828
Cassidy, Christ’r 1828
Trenor, Dr. 1830
Harvey, Jacob 1830
Bradish, Wheaton 1831
Persse, Dudley 1831
Sampson, William 1831
Dolan, John T. 1832
Eccleston, Edward 1832
Osborne, Samuel 1832
Boyd, Capt. Wm. 1832
Corbitt, George S. 1833
Fleming, John 1833
Bush, Dr. George 1833
Donaldson, Robert 1833
White, Robert 1833
White, Campbell P. 1833
Rice, Dr. G. C. 1833
Burke, Dr. 1833
McBride, James 1833
Lambert, Charles 1833
Doyle, John 1833
Tait, John, Jr. 1833
Emmet, Robert 1833
Brown, James C. 1835
Arnold, Dr. Wm. 1835
Dillon, Robert J. 1835
O’Neill, Capt. Felix 1835
Moorhead, John 1835
Usher, Luke 1835
Chambers, J. 1835
Warren, J. 1835
Montgomery, J. B., Jr. 1835
Redmond, Wm. 1835
Brown, Stewart 1835
Miller, James 1835
Foote, John 1835
Charters, Samuel 1835
Cummin, Thomas A. 1835
Wright, Dr. 1835
Charters, Alex. 1835
Millar, Jesse 1835
Maxwell, Matthew 1835
Power, Rev. John 1835
McAllister, Samuel 1835
Harden, Geo. 1835
Kane, Wm. 1835
Alley, Saul 1835
Adams, John 1835
Brown, James 1835
Gillelan, E. H. 1835
Gibson, John 1835
Ingoldsby, Felix 1835
Niblo, W. 1835
Nicholson, John 1835
Nichols, Samuel 1835
Dore, John 1835
Buchanan, James C. 1835
Graham, Bernard 1835
Matthews, James 1835
McGloin, Edward 1835
Buchanan, Robert L. 1835
Bushe, George 1835
Bryar, James 1835
Burke, Michael 1835
Burke, Myles 1835
Cullen, Edward F. 1835
Cruise, Patrick R. 1835
Connolly, E. 1835
Cluff, John 1835
Denniston, James 1835
Dunn, Bernard 1835
Daily, Patrick 1835
Doyle, Dennis H. 1835
Fox, John 1835
Graham, David, Jr., 1835
Gray, Andrew 1835
Grattan, E. 1835
Hill, John 1835
Haggerty, John 1835
Haggerty, Ogden 1835
Jackson, Daniel 1835
Jackson, George 1835
Jackson, Thomas 1835
Kyle, Jeremiah 1835
Kyle, Joseph 1835
Kelly, Robert 1835
Morrison, John 1835
Murray, Ham. 1835
McLaughlin, Peter 1835
Murphy, Thomas 1835
Mullen, John 1835
McKibben, Dr. 1835
McGrath, Daniel 1835
Niblo, John 1835
O’Brien, William 1835
O’Brien, Francis 1835
Park, David 1835
Patterson, Robert S. 1835
Powell, James W. 1835
Quinn, John 1835
Rutherford, Robert 1835
Stinson, Edey 1835
Shaw, James 1835
Shaw, William 1835
Thompson, Alex. 1835
Thompson, Alex. Jr., 1835
Usher, Robert 1835
Wilson, Joseph 1835
Ennis, Thomas 1835
Kelly, William 1835

COMPLETE ROLL OF MEMBERSHIP MARCH 17, 1835.

Arnold, Dr. William
Alley, Saul
Adams, John
Brown, James C.
Brown, Stewart
Bradish, Wheaton
Brown, James
Buchanan, James C.
Buchanan, Robert L.
Bushe, George
Bryar, James
Burke, Michael
Burke, Myles
Caldwell, John
Corbitt, George S.
Chambers, J.
Charters, Alex.
Charters, Samuel
Cassidy, Christopher
Cullen, Edward F.
Cruise, Patrick R.
Connolly, E.
Cluff, John
Cummin, Thomas A.
Dillon, Robert J.
Dore, John
Denniston, James
Dunn, Bernard
Donaldson, Robert
Doyle, John
Daily, Patrick
Doyle, Dennis H.
Eccleston, Edward (Second Vice-President)
Emmet, Robert
Ennis, Thomas
Foote, John
Fox, John
Gibson, John
Graham, Bernard
Gillelan, E. H.
Graham, David, Jr.
Gray, Andrew
Grattan, E.
Harvey, Jacob
Hogan, Dr. Robert
Harden, Geo.
Hill, John
Heeney, Cornelius
Haggerty, John
Haggerty, Ogden
Ingoldsby, Felix
Jackson, Daniel
James, William
Jackson, George
Jackson, Thomas
Kernochan, Joseph P.
Kane, Wm.
Kelly, John
Kyle, Jeremiah
Kyle, William
Kyle, Joseph
Kelly, Robert
Kelly, William
Lambert, Chas. (Almoner)
Laverty, Henry
Magee, James
Moorhead, John
Montgomery, J. B., Jr.
Miller, James
Millar, Jesse
Maxwell, Matthew
Matthews, James
Morrison, John
Matthews, James, Jr.
Murray, Ham.
Montgomery, James
Murphy, Thomas
Mullen, John
Macneven, Wm. James
McBride, James
McGloin, Edward
McLaughlin, Peter
McAllister, Samuel
McKibben, Dr.
McGrath, Daniel
McBride, George
Niblo, William
Nicholson, John
Nichols, Samuel
Niblo, John
Osborne, Samuel (Treasurer)
O’Neill, Capt. Felix
O’Brien, William
O’Brien, Francis
Persse, Dudley (Secretary)
Patterson, Robert S.
Power, Rev. John
Park, David
Powell, James W.
Quinn, John
Redmond, William
Rutherford, Robert
Suffern, Thomas
Sampson, William
Stinson, Edey
Shaw, James
Shaw, William
Trenor, Dr.
Tait, John, Jr.
Thompson, Alexander
Thompson, Alex., Jr.
Usher, Luke
Usher, Robert
Usher, William
White, Campbell P. (President)
Wilson, John (First Vice-President)
Warren, J.
White, Robert
Wright, Dr.
Wilson, Joseph

Its presidents have been noted merchants, financiers, jurists and professional men. Daniel McCormick was the first president, serving from 1784 to 1788, and in 1793 and 1794, and again from 1797 to 1827. Other presidents of this venerable Society were: William Constable, 1789, 1790 and 1795; Alexander Macomb, 1791; Thomas Roach, 1792; George Pollock, 1796; John Chambers, 1828 to 1833; James McBride, 1834; Campbell P. White, 1835 to 1838; Dr. Robert Hogan, 1839 to 1842; James Reyburn, 1843 to 1850; Richard Bell, 1851–1852 and 1865; Joseph Stuart, 1853–1856 and 1866; Samuel Sloan, 1857–1858; Richard O’Gorman, 1859; Charles P. Daly, 1860–1862, 1870, 1878–1884; James T. Brady, 1863–1864; Henry L. Hoguet, 1867; John R. Brady, 1868 and 1871–1874; Eugene Kelly, 1869; Thomas Barbour, 1875–1876; Hugh J. Hastings, 1877; Joseph J. O’Donohue, 1885–1886, 1888–1889; James R. Cuming, 1887; David McClure, 1890–1891; John D. Crimmins, 1892–1894; James S. Coleman, 1895–1896; Morgan J. O’Brien, 1897–1899; James A. O’Gorman, 1900–1902; James Fitzgerald, 1903–1905; Joseph I. C. Clarke, 1906; Michael J. Drummond, 1907; Stephen Farrelly, 1908; William Temple Emmet, 1908–1909.

The surprising growth of New York is well shown by the steady march up-town of the places where the anniversary dinners of the Society have been held since its organization to the present time.

1784 Cape’s Tavern. (Now No. 115 Broadway.)

1785 The Coffee House. (Mr. Bradford’s, in Water Street, near Wall
Street.)

1786 The Coffee House.

1787 The Coffee House.

1788 Merchants’ Coffee House. (S. E. Cor. Wall and Water Streets.)

1789 to 1794 The City Tavern. (115 Broadway.)

1795 to 1803 The Tontine Coffee House. (N. W. Cor. Wall and Water
Streets.)

1804 The Old Coffee House. (In Water Street, near Wall Street.)

1805 and 1806 The Tontine Coffee House.

1807 Phoenix Coffee House. (Wall Street.)

1808 Mechanics’ Hall. (N. W. Cor. Broadway and Park Place.)

1809 to 1815 The Tontine Coffee House.

1816 Washington Hall. (Now No. 280 Broadway.)

1817 The Tontine Coffee House.

1818 to 1832 The Bank Coffee House. (S. E. Cor. Pine and William
Streets.)

1833 to 1835 The City Hotel. (115 Broadway.)

1836 and 1837 Washington Hotel. (No. 1 Broadway.)

1838 Carlton House. (N. E. Cor. Broadway and Leonard Streets.)

1839 City Hotel.

1840 Niblo’s Tavern. (Broadway and Prince Street.)

1841 to 1846 City Hotel.

1847 and 1848 No dinners—Irish famine years.

1849 City Hotel.

1850 Delmonico’s Hotel. (William Street.)

1851 to 1856 Astor House.

1857 to 1862 Metropolitan Hotel.

1863 Delmonico’s. (Broadway and Chambers Street.)

1864 to 1868 Delmonico’s. (14th Street and Fifth Avenue.)

1869 and 1870 St. James Hotel.

1871 Hoffman House.

1872 Hotel Brunswick.

1873 and 1874 Delmonico’s. (14th Street and Fifth Avenue.)

1875 Hoffman House.

1876 and 1877 Delmonico’s. (14th Street and Fifth Avenue.)

1878 Metropolitan Hotel.

1879 and 1880 Delmonico’s. (14th Street and Fifth Avenue.)

1881 to 1883 Delmonico’s. (Madison Square.)

1884 Hotel Brunswick.

1885 to 1895 Delmonico’s. (Madison Square.)

1896 Hotel Savoy.

1897 Waldorf.

1898 Waldorf-Astoria.

1899 to 1908 Delmonico’s. (Fifth Avenue and 44th Street.)

HON. PATRICK GARVAN.

Of Hartford, Conn.

A Life Member of the Society.
]

NOTE.

Mr. Lenehan is the Chairman of the Membership Committee of the American Irish Historical Society, through whose efforts and ability 250 members have been added to the Society’s rolls between the time of his appointment in June, 1908, and January 16th, 1909, the date of the eleventh annual meeting in Washington, D. C. New applications from him have been coming in almost daily since the latter date. We look forward to at least an equal number of new members being admitted during 1909, and the Society hereby expresses the highest praise of Mr. Lenehan for his faithful and fruitful efforts in its behalf. Under his guidance, the printed matter which has gone forth during 1908 throughout the country has been prepared and circulated, and in his work he is receiving the cordial support of all the members.

Although in the midst of a busy life as a successful practising lawyer, Mr. Lenehan finds time to give valuable assistance by word and deed to these two great national societies, The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and the American Irish Historical Society, both of which claim him as an honored member.

EDITOR.

EARLY MARINE “WIRELESS.”

BY EDGAR STANTON MACLAY.

Not the least valuable of the many practical lessons taught by the cruise of the Atlantic battleship fleet around the world was the demonstration of the possibility of following from Washington almost every day’s move of the great white ships from their departure from Hampton Roads to their return, by means of wireless telegraphy and other methods of transmitting information. It is a cardinal point in the strategy of naval warfare to be thoroughly advised, first, of the location, disposition and conditions of your own ships and, second, the same of your adversary’s.

Some idea of the stupendous advances made in this most important detail may be gained by a comparison with the “wireless” marine telegraphy of a century ago when, although electricity had not been harnessed to the news bureau, ingenious methods of maintaining a “marine telegraph” were operative which, in some instances, were most surprising in their results.

At the outbreak of the War of 1812 our government planned a crushing blow at British commerce. A fleet of 100 English merchantmen from Jamaica was expected to pass close to the North American coast and the most formidable squadron we could then assemble, consisting of the frigates _President_, _United States_ and _Congress_, with the sloop and brig _Hornet_ and _Argus_, under the command of Captain John Rodgers, was held in New York ready to sail. As soon as war was declared, June 18, 1812, a courier set out from Washington and in three days arrived in New York—quick work for those days, but the information now could be flashed in a few seconds.

One hour after receiving the news Rodgers got under way and on the morning of the second day out spoke an American vessel and learned from her master that he had seen the Jamaica fleet only two days before. Rodgers made sail in the direction indicated, but he was drawn away in a futile chase after the British frigate _Belvidera_. Afterward, however, he resumed his pursuit of the merchant fleet and on July 1 he detected “quantities of cocoanut shells and orange peels” in the water, which showed that he was in the wake of the fleet. He followed this sea-trail several days and was rapidly overtaking the chase, when he lost it in the fogs on the Newfoundland Banks.

Floating bottles, pieces of wreckage, cask-heads and other ship debris were the “clicks” of the first “marine wireless” that assisted our early mariners in discovering the whereabouts of friend or foe on the high seas. And even a marine “postoffice” was a service recognized early in the 19th century—many years before it came into general use on land. When our 32-gun frigate _Essex_ was making her memorable cruise in the Pacific Ocean, 1813–1814, Captain David Porter records that he stopped at Charles Island of the Galapagos in the southern Pacific Ocean to examine the “postoffice”—a box nailed to a tree in which whalers and other craft deposited records of their cruises and intended movements.

That these ocean “postoffices” were sometimes used for “misinformation” is shown in the case of this same Captain Porter. One of these “postal stations” in the Atlantic was the penal island of Fernando de Noronha, off the extreme eastern limit of Brazil. This was a point usually touched by vessels bound for the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn. While Porter was cruising in the south Atlantic under orders to join the _Constitution_ and _Hornet_, he hove-to off this port on December 14, 1812, and sending a boat ashore learned that there was a letter there addressed to “Sir James Yeo, of the British 32-gun frigate _Southampton_.” He also learned that only the week before the English 44-gun frigate “_Acasta_ and the 20-gun sloop of war _Morgiana_” had stopped at that port and had sailed for Rio de Janeiro, leaving a letter addressed to “Sir James Yeo.”

Before sailing from the United States Porter had been instructed to pose as Sir James Yeo and was to join the _Constitution_ and _Hornet_, which two vessels were to pass as the _Acasta_ and _Morgiana_, off Cape Frio, Brazil. This was done to deceive the enemy. When Porter learned that there was a letter at Fernando de Noronha addressed to “Sir James Yeo,” he at once sent a present of porter and cheese to the governor of the island and received the coveted letter. It was found to contain the usual references of a voyage by a British commander, but some “key words” induced Porter to hold the letter to the flame of a candle, when the following instructions, written in sympathetic ink, became legible: “I am bound off Bahia, thence off Cape Frio, where I intend to cruise until the 1st of January. Go off Cape Frio, to the northward of Rio de Janeiro, and keep a lookout for me. Your friend.”

Captain Porter did as ordered, but on December 29 the _Constitution_ captured, after a hard fight, the British frigate _Java_, and soon afterward the _Hornet_ sank the English sloop of war _Peacock_. This left the _Essex_ free to choose her own course and the result was her memorable cruise of two years in the Pacific.

But the most remarkable instance of early marine wireless was that of the chase after the _Constitution_ from Boston, across the Atlantic, by a powerful British squadron, which, on March 10, 1815, cornered _Old Ironsides_ in Port Praya, near the extreme western coast of Africa, on the very day she entered that harbor and just seventy-six days after the hostile vessels had sailed from the blockade of the New England port.

For more than eight months British cruisers had been holding the dreaded _Constitution_—then commanded by Captain Charles Stewart—in the Hub, but, late in December, 1814, she gave them the slip and once again was in blue water. Running down to Bermuda, where he captured the merchant ship _Lord Nelson_, Stewart stood across the Atlantic to the Madeiras and then cruised for several days within sight of the Rock of Lisbon. Shaping her course southward again the _Constitution_, on February 20, 1815, after a brilliant fight, captured the British cruisers _Cyane_ and _Levant_ and with his two prizes entered Port Praya on the morning of March 10.

Soon after the _Constitution_ made her escape from Boston, a terrific snow storm, lasting several days, compelled the English blockading squadron to take refuge in Cape Cod Bay. On December 22, while the British officers were making themselves as comfortable as they could in the bitter cold, the English 18-gun brig sloop _Arab_, Captain Henry Jane, arrived with the startling information that the _Constitution_ had escaped. At once there was a hurrying and scurrying for immediate pursuit. Provisions, bought at an exorbitant price from the canny landfolk, were hurried aboard and every preparation was made for a chase of indefinite length.

But in what direction were they to pursue? Absolutely nothing is recorded in the log of the British flagship as to what course the _Constitution_ had taken. Here nautical sagacity, aided by the “wireless telegraphy” then so remarkably in use on the high seas, came to the aid of the British senior officer of the blockading force—Sir George Collier, of the 50-gun frigate _Leander_. Sir George sagely conjectured that the _Flying Yankee_ would most likely take a southern course so as to escape the bitterly cold winter of New England. In those days there were no means for heating the cabins, wardroom, steerage or berth decks of ships, so a prolonged stay in the higher latitudes was a problem to be seriously considered. Selecting the 50-gun frigate _Newcastle_, Captain Lord George Stuart, and the 40-gun frigate _Acasta_, Captain Kerr, to accompany him, Sir George, on December 24th, made sail in a blind chase southward.

It seems that on the night of December 21st the famous American privateer, _Prince de Neuchâtel_, also escaped from Boston and made the same course the _Constitution_ had taken. When only a day or so out she ran into the same storm that drove the English blockading ships into Cape Cod Bay.

On the morning of December 28, just as the gale was abating and only four days after the British squadron sailed, Sir George overtook the _Prince de Neuchâtel_ and captured her; and from some of the Englishmen who were aboard the privateer learned somewhat of the proposed itinerary of the _Constitution_. With this first direct trace of his game, the British commander shaped his course across the Atlantic for the coast of Spain.

How eager the English were to capture the _Constitution_, above all other American frigates, may be seen in the record of a sailor who was in the _Prince de Neuchâtel_ at the time. He says that after being taken aboard the _Leander_ as a prisoner he noticed a large placard nailed to her mainmast, which read as follows:

REWARD.

“A reward of One Hundred pounds sterling to the man who shall first
descry the American frigate _Constitution_, provided she can be
brought to, and a smaller reward should they not be enabled to come up
with her.”

This same sailor writes: “Every one [in the _Leander_] was eager in his inquiries about this far-famed frigate and most of the men appeared anxious to fall in with her, she being a constant theme of conversation, speculation and curiosity. There were, however, two seamen and a marine—one of whom had had his shin sadly shattered from one of her grape-shot—who were in the frigate _Java_ when she was captured. These I have often heard say, in return to their shipmates’ boastings: ‘If you had seen as much of the _Constitution_ as we have, you would give her a wide berth, for she throws her shot almighty careless, fires quick, aims low and is, altogether, an ugly customer.’”

Continuing on his trail of the much-coveted Yankee frigate, Sir George, on January 4, 1815,—seven days after sailing—while off the Western Isles, received another “wireless click” when he picked up a prize brig belonging to the American privateer _Perry_ and from her master learned that the _Perry_ had spoken the _Constitution_ only a few days before, on a course that would indicate that she was making for the coast of Spain. As a matter of fact, this powerful British squadron was at that moment only a few hours’ sail from the _Constitution_.

Touching at the port of Fayal, January 13th, 1815, Sir George’s chase after _Old Ironsides_ nearly terminated in disaster. A record left by one of the American prisoners in the _Leander_ says: “We ran in with a southwest wind that had freshened to a stiff breeze till coming under the lee of the Peak of Pico, opposite to Fayal. This aided a little in breaking the wind and the heavy swell which came rolling in from the open sea beyond. Immediately to leeward was a rocky, perpendicular bluff of three hundred feet in height, which the sea was breaking against with the greatest fury.