Secret Service Under PittFitz-Patrick, William J. (William John)
History
Secret Service Under Pitt
Fitz-Patrick, William J. (William John)
Ireland -- History -- 1760-1820; Pitt, William, 1759-1806; Secret service -- Ireland
Barrington, describing the chastisement applied to those who, in
Ireland, favoured the appointment of the Prince as Regent, says: 'Lord
Buckingham vented his wrath on the country;' but what proof have we
that the alleged agent of the Castle, O'Leary, incurred that Viceroy's
displeasure?
In 1789, the year O'Leary removed permanently to London, he settled
down, at the Spanish Ambassador's Chapel in London, as an assistant
priest to Dr. Hussey, and, apparently, a most unwelcome one. An
extraordinary pamphlet, not known to his biographers, was privately
issued by O'Leary referring to a feud between himself and Dr. Hussey.
At page 11 O'Leary writes:--
The old clerk told me in the vestry, 'that I might now return to
Ireland, as my enemy, the Marquis of Buckingham, had returned to
England.' Surprised how or where the clerk of a vestry could get
such an insulting information, I recollected that his master [Dr.
Hussey] had told me some time before that he had seen a letter
from the Marquis of Buckingham, when Viceroy of Ireland, to some
nobleman or gentleman of the English Catholic Committee, wherein he
depicted the Catholics of that kingdom in very unfavourable if not
odious colours, and painted me as one of the ringleaders.[607]
This serves to explain Dr. England's remark in 1822, when accounting
for O'Leary's permanent removal to London, that 'his residence in
Ireland had become painful;'[608] but elsewhere in his book he assigns
a different reason for the change.
It has been stated [he writes] that a secret condition was annexed
to this grant, binding O'Leary to reside in England,[609] and
preventing him from further interference in the political concerns
of the empire. The fact, however, is that O'Leary had made previous
arrangements for a permanent residence in London--not only as being
more favourable to his health, which generally suffered by his
visits to Dublin, but from a rational conviction that the great
seat of influence and power was the proper sphere of his benevolent
exertions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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