In the spring of 1870—ere the Fenian scare had finally died out, and when agrarian crime was rife in Ireland, and when the government of the day had both proclaimed and drafted considerable bodies of troops into the disturbed districts, and had, moreover, passed a Peace Preservation bill forbidding people to be abroad at night-time—I went to Ireland on behalf of the “Illustrated London News” and the “Pall Mall Gazette.” Mr. John Proctor, the well-known artist, accompanied me, and his truthful and characteristic sketches were published in the former paper in connection with the articles 1 then wrote.

After a flying visit to Kildare, where I called attention to some miserable cabins on the Duke of Leinster's estate, which brought forward the Earl of Kildare with a string of apologetic excuses, we made for county Meath, the hotbed of agrarian crime, where the “tumbling over” of tenant farmers as well as landowners and their agents was of almost daily occurrence. The hotels at Kells were crowded with military officers and lawyers—the sessions being then on—and we found it impossible to obtain quarters elsewhere, because, as we afterwards learned, we were suspected of being London detectives in the employment of the Castle authorities.

I interviewed several of the unfortunate individuals who had been shot at and more or less grievously wounded, and discovered that although they often knew their assailants they dreaded to denounce them lest even worse consequences should befall themselves.