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 clergymen now appeared on the scene, one of whom has since written an account of the transaction. They pointed out the hopelessness of the struggle, and induced the people to disperse. Two'^' of the insurgents had been kiUed, and a large number wounded, amongst whom was James Stephens. O'Brien had all through acted with perfect coolness, needlessly ex- posing himself to the firing, and for a long time refused the entreaties of his friends to leave the spot. A reward of .£500 was now placed upon his head by Government ; but he was effectually con- cealed by the peasantry, although many who were arrested and imprisoned might have gained liberty and wealth by giving evidence as to his whereabouts ; whilst his spirit forbade him availing himself of the opportunities afforded for escape out of Ireland. At length he resolved upon paying a last visit to his family and then surrendering himself for trial. On the 5 th August he appeared openly at Thurles railway station and took a ticket for Limerick ; whereupon an English guard in the employment of the railway earned the reward by arresting him. O'Brien was at once sent under escort in a special train to Dublin. " I have played the game, and lost," he remarked to the officer of the Constabulary, " and am ready to pay the penalty of having failed. I hope that those who accompanied me may be dealt with in clemency. I care not what happens to myself." On 21st September O'Brien, MacManus, Meagher, and a few others were arraigned for high treason at Clonmel. The trial lasted from the 28th September to 9th October, and resulted in a verdict of guUty, with a strong recom- mendation to mercy. A simUar verdict, accompanied by a similar recommendation, was returned in the cases of his com- panions. Several witnesses refused to give evidf .ce against him, and were im- prisoned for contempt. One of them, John O'Donnell, a respectable farmer, on being proffered the book, exclaimed: "No, I won't be sworn ; if I were placed before a rank of soldiers not one word would I speak, though twenty bayonets were to be driven into my heart. . . Directly or in- directly I will give no evidence." O'Brien, before sentence of death was passed, made a short speech, in which he said : " I am perfectly satisfied with the consciousness that I have performed my duty to my country — that I have done only that which it was, in my opinion, the duty of every Irishman to have done." ' Mr. O'Brien, who in the spring of 1848 had been com- mitted to the custody of the Master-at- O'ER Arms, for refusing to serve on committees of the House of Commons, was, after his conviction, formally- expelled the House. A writ of error in his case and that of T. B. MacManus was argued before the Queen's Bench, and its decision establish- ing the judgment of the court below was confirmed, on appeal, by the House of Lords in May 1849. The capital sen- tence was commuted to transportation for life, and after a detention of about nine months at Spike Island, in Cork Har- bour, O'Brien, Meagher, MacManus, and O'Donohoe were sent, on the 29th July 1849, from Kingstown to Tasmania in the brig Swift. In November they reached Hobart Town. He refused the ticket-of- leave accepted by his companions, and was confined on Maria Island. Thence he made an ineffectual effort to escape, and was removed to closer confinement at Port Arthur ; but his health breaking down, he was ultimately induced to accept a ticket-of -leave and comparative freedom. On 26th February 1854, without any soli- citation on his part, a pardon was accorded to him, conditional on his not setting foot within the United Kingdom. At Melbourne, on his way to Europe, a golden cup, value .£1,000, was presented to him, which he bequeathed to the Eoyal Irish Academy at has death. Mr. O'Brien spent two years with his family on the Conti- nent. At Brussels, in 1856, he wrote two volumes of Principles of Government, or Meditations in Exile (published in Dub- lin), characterized by clear and moderate views, especially with regard to the posi- tion of the Australian colonies. A free pardon was sent him in May 1856, and on 8th July he stood once more on Irish soU. Although thenceforward he took little active part in politics, his opinions remained unchanged. In 1 859 he travelled in America, and he gave the results of his observations in a series of lectures in Dub- lin. In the early part of 1864 his health began to fail ; and on i6th of June he died at Bangor, North Wales, aged 60. His remains were laid in the churchyard of Eathronan, County of Limerick, being followed in their passage through Dublin by an immense number of mourners. When taking the field in 1848, he con- veyed his property to trustees for the benefit of his family ; and he latterly lived on ^1,000 a year allowed him by them. O'Brien was over six feet high, and walk- ed very erect. His figure was elegant, graceful in proportion and motion, vigorous in appearance : he was very active : his features were by no means handsome : he was of a rather reserved manner, except