in the presence of Matthew Hughes and John Tisdall, 3rd June, 1792.

The printer and proprietors were prosecuted by the crown in 1792,* and acquitted; again, in 1794, when Rabb was found guilty, and the proprietors acquitted; in 1796, the office was attacked and plundered, the printer and proprietors were seized, sent to Dublin, and imprisoned in Newgate for above a year and a half. In the early part of 1797, the office was again attacked, the printing materials destroyed, and the office pillaged by the military.

The principal contributors to the Northern Star, were Sampson, Russell, Porter, Kelburne, and Dickson, the three last-named, presbyterian ministers. During the period of Neilson's imprisonment in 1797, his place as editor of the paper, was filled at one time by Mr. Thomas Corbett, of Belfast, and subsequently by Dr. Porter, the author of the articles called "Billy Bluff and the Squire." These papers were of a satirical nature, illustrative of the scenes that took place between the old Earl of Londonderry, the Rev. John Cleland, and a neighbouring farmer, who filled the office of spy and informer to the noble lord and the rev. gentleman, in Belfast and its vicinity. The treason of these pasquinades against two of the above-named personages, was infinitely more perilous to the proprietors and acting editor of the "Northern Star," than any other species of seditious writing. In sporting with Billy Bluff, poor Dr. Porter forgot he

Mr. Gordon erroneously states that this paper was established in 1797. It commenced the 4th January, 1792, and ceased the 30th January, 1797.

was playing with edge-tools-he became, in his turn, reported to Lord Londonderry as one of his suspected neighbours, was tried by a court-martial, and executed at Grey Abbey, on a plot of ground between his own house and the place of worship of which he was minister. The unfortunate gentleman's abode was in the immediate neighbourhood of Mount Stewart House. Sampson seems to have been destined to have watched over the cradles and walked after the hearses of all the democratic journals of his time; in 1797, he was present at the office of the "Northern Star," when the destruction of its property was going forward.

The articles styled "The Hurdy Gurdy Trials," were written by Sampson; the pieces styled “The Lion of old England," were the production of Messrs. Porter and Russell. The above-named articles, and those subscribed "Yeoman," and "Monitor," were the ablest written in the "Northern Star." This paper appeared twice a-week, and its sale amounted to 4,200, at the time of its suppression. In 1795, several of the proprietors withdrew, and Neilson was then induced to give up his business and devote his entire attention to the paper, and in a short time, he was left sole proprietor of it. There is only one of the original proprietory now living,-Mr. Robert Simms, of Belfast.

At the time this paper was put down, the law had not given the summary power of seizing on the materials and property of an obnoxious press, and of incarcerating its proprietors; nevertheless, the "Northern Star" was thus put down, and its proprie

tors suffered imprisonment for upwards of a year and a half, and were then set at large without having been brought to trial.

With respect to the literary ability displayed in the conduct of the "Northern Star," after a careful perusal of its columns, I cannot discover many indications of that superior talent, which was said to have been exhibited in it. From first to last, its columns were chiefly devoted to details relating to the French Revolution and the actors in it, copied, in most cases, verbatim from French papers; and so intent did its managers seem, on filling their columns with the proceedings of the National Assemby, and jacobin and other democratic clubs, that they seldom inserted leading articles of their own, or any original matter, except an occasional letter, or some very indifferent verses. The grand object seems to have been, to keep the example and events of the French Revolution, continually before the eyes of the people. It is surprising that its circulation was so extensive as it was, far exceeding that of any contemporary journal, with so little matter respecting home politics, calculated, it would seem, to excite the public mind.

This circumstance, I think, shews how deeply the republican mania of the day, had taken hold of attention in the north of Ireland.

Tone's correspondence, indeed, leaves no doubt whatever, that so early even as 1791, the extreme opinions entertained by himself and Russell, with respect to British connexion, were shared by Neilson and several of their common friends, who subsequently became the proprietors of this paper. In this respect,

they differed widely from the leaders of the United Irishmen society, in Dublin; and the fact of Tone, the founder of it, immediately after its formation, losing all influence in it, by his own admission, and never but once acting in any official capacity at its meetings, shews that the leaders of the popular movement in Dublin, were ready and willing, at any period previous to 1795, to stop at the Hounslow half-way house of parliamentary reform, while their northern neighbours were bent on going to the full journey's end of revolution.

The "Union Star" was set up in Dublin in the Summer of 1797, professedly the advocate of the principles and objects of the United Irishmen. Its advocacy, however, was repudiated by the directory of that society, and its atrocious sentiments disclaimed by all its leaders, and especially, as we are informed in "Sampson's Memoirs," by Thomas Addis Emmett. It will be necessary to say a few words respecting Mr. Cox, in reference to the character of this journal, which has brought a very serious imputation on the character of the society of United Irishmen in general, as being the abettors and accomplices of the atrocious crime of assassination.

The following information respecting Walter Cox, I received from his step-daughter, Miss Isabella Powell, still living in Dublin.

He was the son of a master-blacksmith in Westmeath, in decent circumstances: his mother belonged to a respectable family of the name of Dease, of Summer Hill in that county. His father held

some land, of which he lost possession at the period of Lord Carhampton's wholesale transportation of suspected persons. Cox was one of those arrested by his lordship, and was sent to jail: he was fortunate enough to get liberated after some weeks' imprisonment. He settled in Dublin, and died there in the neighbourhood of North Strand.

His son, Walter Cox, was bound apprentice to a gunsmith, of the name of Muley, of Suffolk-street, and, after remaining three years with him, he served the remainder of his time to another gunsmith, Mr. Benjamin Powell, of 159, Abbey-street, a guncontractor with the ordnance-department.

On leaving Powell, he set up in business in a small shop in Bedford-row: he had previously married a woman of the methodist connexion, and, being a man of violent and ungovernable passions, he is said to have rendered the life of this poor creature miserable. She died in childbed; and, about the year 1797, he married the widow of his former master, and for some time carried on the business as gun-contractor with government. This marriage

proved no less unhappy than the former: on one occasion, he was brought before the magistrates for ill-using his wife, at the instance of Mr. Lawrence Tighe, of 156, Thomas-street, who was an intimate friend of Mrs. Cox.

Cox got a good deal of property, both in money and in houses, by his marriage. He had no acquaintance with Lawrence Tighe, and no intercourse with Major Sirr, but Mrs. Cox was intimate with the former; he had been deeply engaged in the re