The Partial Diary of "Honest" John Martin, Young Irelander, 1812-1875 Co. Down, Ireland

D.560-6

Part Six of "Honest" John Martin’s Diary - 1858, Continued. Front page is a picture of the Annunciation in French and the words "Journal 1858" on the top.

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Monday 13 September. I find I have written nothing in this journal since the 28 July last. I have been staying in Paris at the rue Lacepide as usual. The Simpsons are still at the rue Val de Grace. Dr. Hirst went away on this day 3 weeks, the 23d August. He was to go by railway to Geneva, thence on foot by the Simplon Pass to Milan. From Milan he would probably proceed to Venice & thence by Bologna and Florence to Rome. Before crossing into Italy he was to seek out Dr. Tyndale and accompanying him in an ascent of Mont Blanc, in case the latter should not already have made the ascent. This would be the second ascent for each of them of Mont. Blanc. Dr. Tyndale had already this year ascended the Finstu Aarhorn and Monti Rosa. – It will probably be long ere Hirst and I have much of each other’s company again. I like him very much and respect him still more; and my liking and respect are increased by my sense of the faithfulness of his affection for poor Anna and of her great love for him. But he is an Englishman and I am an Irishman, and that difference necessarily causes something of an alienation between us. I must praise his conduct regarding that difference, which I can hardly approve of my own. I felt an impulse in his presence continually to exhibit my animosity towards England as the enemy of my country, and to speak out my opinion regarding English policy when it happened to be hostile. On the other hand he never said a word to me against Ireland or against my Irish politics. He was always silent upon the subject in my presence. He considers me (I believe) a sort of monomaniac

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against England. – He intends to reach Rome about the beginning of October and to stay there till the following April. Then after delaying a month or two on the way he will arrive in England in the summer of next year, and he will probably seek and obtain some professorship or other suitable employment there, which will keep him bound to the Country, except in the summer or rather autumnal vacations. –He will no doubt come over sometimes to visit us in Ireland or in France; but I would dislike to go to England even to visit him. It makes me feel uncomfortable to take and give polite and friendly attentions with the English, whom I regard as my enemies. It is curious that I like nearly all, if not all, of the Englishmen with whom I have become acquainted through Hirst. Mr. Wright seems to me perfectly honourable, high-minded, modest, friendly, very amiable. Mr. Fribe seems well-disposed, inoffensive, gentlemanly. Dr. Fox seems genial and good-natured, friendly, gentlemanly. Mr. Dowsen I like best of them all, he has more of my own best qualities or rather of my own characteristics—gentleness albeit to a bashful timidity, good-nature & entire inoffensiveness, --and he’s quite gentlemanly in spirit. Then Mr.             the Master of Queenwood has many good English qualities. In short to judge by the specimens I have become acquainted with I find more to respect & even to like in Englishmen than in Irishmen. These latter have hardly any of them spirit enough—gentlemanly or rather manly spirit. In many of the Catholics that one gets acquainted with there is (relic of the penal days I suppose) something un-frank, uncandid, flinching, morally cowardly. Alas! how much this defect in the Catholic

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gentlemen operates to keep their country in chains.

One day last week or the end of the week before as I was sitting at Mary Simpson’s I was surprised by a visit from John O’Hagan accompanied by Thomas O’Hagan. The latter I had never seen since 1848. He had never called upon me nor sent me any greeting. I remember before leaving V.D. Land I felt so indignant at his going to the Castle & giving a passive support to the English government of Ireland that I said to myself I would never shake hands with him. But of course I accepted his offered hand without the least hesitation. It is still no more than a passive support he gives to the English Gov’t of our country; and I suppose he looks for credit for declining to give the active support which would procure him a judgeship with L4000 a year instead of the L1200 a year he has as chairman of Kilmainham. How will John act? As yet he only seeks to get practice and reputation. But when practice has made him easy as to income, and his reputation becomes deserving of the great prizes of his profession, will he think fit to offer the political "loyalty" which the English government will certainly require before appointing him attorney-general or Judge? -- They are both sleek, almost fat, cheerful, comfortable, thriving men. I could not help thinking with some bitterness of the contrast between them & Mitchel & myself. And yet I love John & I like Thomas. They are both very amiable men. And they would be valuable citizens, had we a country to be the citizens of, far more valuable citizens than I, certainly.

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Kilbroney November 29th Since I last made an entry in this book my brother Robert and his wife and Jenny Cooley are all dead.

On Sunday Oct. 3d I received at Paris a letter from poor Robert dated the previous Thursday begging me to come to him immediately as Millicent was dangerously ill. She had been confined the previous Sunday (Sept 26th) & safely delivered of a daughter. He did not say what was her disease, and I feared it must be puerpual fever. I immediately acquainted Simpson with the news, but we agreed in consideration of Mary’s delicate situation (she was expecting to be confined before the end of October) to conceal the news from her. John O’Hagan was in Paris and staying at rue Lasipide. He had gone to Tuscany upon some legal business for Arthur O’H. and was now back again to Paris. He determined on travelling along with me to Ireland. We left Paris by the chemin de fer du Nord at ½ past 7 in the evening and travelled to Calais & Dover to London where we arrived about 8 A.M. on Monday. We drove immediately from the S. Eastern Station to the North Western Station & left Euston Square at 9 O’C. At Crewe J. O’H. and I separated, he going by Holyhead to Dublin, I by Liverpool to Warrenpoint. The
steamer left Liverpool on Monday evening at 7 O’C. The night turned out stormy with the wind from the West, and we were unable to reach Carlingford Bar in time to cross it by the tide. We lay off for some hours outside the Bar & at length reached Warrenpoint at nearly 8 O’C p.m. of Tuesday --- a voyage from Liverpool of 24 hours. I got my luggage placed on a hack-car & drove up towards Kilbroney. On board the steamer I had been unable to learn anything of the illness of Millicent and I thought that a favourable sign. For nearly half-way I forbore to question the carman: but at last I did question him. Millicent was dead. The dis-

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ease was scarletina. The children had been removed to Rosstrevor to escape the infection. Robert himself had fallen ill. – I knew before leaving Paris that David had embarked at Galway for New York on the 28th Oct.—As my car was passing up the avenue near the house I was met by some of the servant-men and my brother James who begged me to stop the car before reaching the house, as the noise of the wheels might excite poor Robert. I found Elizabeth in a miserable house. Todd & Dr. Nesbitt had gone away shortly before my arrival. Robert had been frequently expressing a wish that I were come. I went up to him and found him extremely ill in the fever. He did not speak, except by allusion, about the death of Millicent. He seemed a very little delirious, very restless. –

The baby was in charge of old Mrs. Hughes (the Monthly nurse) but more still in charge of Elizabeth who was suckling it, till a proper nurse should be found. The crying of it seemed to affect Robert woefully. – Elizabeth had been sent for on Thursday & Friday the state of things so miserable had remained ever. Her own baby of 4 months old was at her house at Belmont, where the nurse was to feed it in absence of its mother. Mrs. Fletcher & Miss Millar had come from Carrickfergus on Thursday or Friday and had remained till after Milly’s death. But then Mrs. Fletcher had insisted on going home & taking his daughter Ellen along with her. Poor Robert had remonstrated so urgently against this desertion (as he regarded it) that Mrs. Fletcher on coming out from his sick-room was in tears of indignation. But the infectious character of scarletina so frightened her that she

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would by no means either remain or suffer Miss Millar to do so.

Next day (Wednesday 6th Oct) was that of poor Milly’s funeral. Robert was so ill that I declined attending it, in order that I might give all my attention to him. Of the people who came to the funeral none entered the house, & few even came within some perches of it, through fear of the scarletina.

Delirium was increasing greatly with Robert & he was occasionally disposed to be violent. His constant desire was to get out of the bed & dress himself & go out for a walk. Dr. Morrison & Dr. Nesbitt were both in attendance. They prescribed a mixture of tartar emetic & laudanum to be taken till he should fall asleep. After (I think) about 36 hours restlessness he did fall asleep on Wednesday afternoon at 5 O’C. We all felt sanguine that this would prove a favourable crisis. But at half past ten that night, I went up & felt his pulse & found it worse instead of better. He remained in a state of heavy slumber with occasional partial awakenings till two or three O’C in the morning of Thursday, when the sleep seemed to pass away leaving only a disposition to occasional slumbers of a few minutes. Pulse worse & no symptoms except the delirium, which was nearly gone.

That day at suggestion of the doctors & Mr. Morgan, Todd not being with us, I wrote out a Will prepared as well as I could suppose to suit his wishes & the interests of the children. The eldest son Bobby was heir by entail to whatever land his father had obtained under Wills of his uncles Robert & John. The object of this Will was to give all the land purchased by Robert himself to his other son Jack, and also to charge his entire estates with proper fortunes for the five girls. I specified L800 each for them. In presence of Mr. Morgan & the doctors I read the paper over sentence by sentence to Robert, who seemed quite to collect his faculties in order to consider and determine upon the provisions of it. He objected at first that L800 was too much for each girl: but on a little consideration allowed the sum to stand. He signed the document with eventual satisfaction and in a good firm hand. That night Todd came and on reading over the will thus executed pointed out that I had Robert’s share in Loughorne (1/2 of our father’s Third) was bequeathed by it to Bobby, whereas it might manifestly to be bequeathed to the other boy. He set himself to write out a will according to instructions given him by Robert in a conversation they had on the previous Monday. – Next day, Friday the 8th, Robert was weaker and worse every way, though the delirium was but seldom high and only showed itself in constant entreating to his attendants to let him quit the bed. He some times upbraided me with cruelty – "John, you are a cruel man." – "John, are you not a cruel man to keep me confined to this bed?" -- His strength was failing, & we were giving him wine & beef-tea. – In the afternoon Todd’s draft of the will being finished we got him to execute it. But he was so weak & his nerves so unstrung that he could not write his name without help. After two or three vain

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attempts he looked piteously at us and exclaimed "I am a dead weight upon the paper." We propped him up & Dr. Nesbitt held his hand while he signed.

He grew weaker & weaker in spite of our efforts to support him with brandy, wine, & meat soups. He did not seem to suffer much, only moaning gently and slumbering a good deal, but uneasily. At 5 O’Clock on Saturday morning he passed away without a struggle.

Poor fellow! Only ten days before there was nobody that seemed more likely to enjoy a long & prosperous life. A handsome, amiable, sensible, respectable wife, whom he trusted & loved, and who loved him & her children. Children, beautiful, healthy, amiable, happy. A most lovely place of residence, an ample income, occupation enough to exercise his mind and body sufficiently and of a kind best suited to make him cheerful and happy. All those riches he had, & relations that were all on friendly terms with him, and neighbours that he liked, and no enemies. Poor Robert!

He was in his 45th year, having completed his 44th on the 25th of May last. Though habitually complaining a little of some dyspe____ Robert was strong & hardy and able to take a great deal of exercise on foot or on horseback. His tastes were altogether rural. Farming and the management of cattle & sheep & horses he delighted in, and his life, Business, that is what is so called and is transacted  in great measure by credit, he was not well suited for. He became too anxious if he had liabilities which commercial

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crisis might render it difficult for him to meet. He had not the audacity requisite for speculating largely, and he wanted the acts & insight into the influences raising or depressing the market and the knowledge & boldness for creating markets for himself. Business concerns seemed generally oppressive upon his spirits, while farming, dealing in stock, and managing tenants and labourers, seemed always to give him pleasing interest.

END

The last page is a torn page of the back cover of the diary—showing a chronological history of French rulers from 418 to 1852.

END of the Diary of "Honest" John Martin, 1812-1875, located at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast. Translated in January 1998 by Suzanne W. Ballard, Great-Grand niece of John Martin (his brother, James Martin, is her Great-great Grandfather.)

The Headstone of "Honest" John Martin says the following:

John Martin,
Born 8th September 1812,
Died 29th March 1875.
He lived for his country, suffered for her cause,
pled for her wrongs, and died beloved and
lamented by every true hearted Irishman.

He is interred in the family burial plot in the cemetery next to the Donaghmore Church of Ireland Church in Co. Down near Loughorne and South of Banbridge, Co. Down. He was a Presbyterian.