When the country is free,” he adds—­that it would be free he never learned to doubt—­“I beg they may lay my remains with my father in a private manner, and pay the few debts I owe.  I have only to beg of my countrymen to remember that the cause of liberty is the cause of virtue, which I trust they will never abandon.  May God bless and prosper them, and when power comes into their hands I entreat them to use it with moderation.  May God and the Saviour bless them all.”

Russell was taken to Downpatrick, escorted by a strong force of cavalry, where he was lodged in the governor’s rooms, preparatory to being tried in that town by a Special Commission.  While in prison in Downpatrick he addressed a letter to Miss M’Cracken, a sister of Henry Joy M’Cracken, one of the insurgent leaders of 1798, in which he speaks as follows:  “Humanly speaking, I expect to be found guilty and immediately executed.  As this may be my last letter, I shall only say that I did my best for my country and for mankind.  I have no wish to die, but far from regretting its loss in such a cause, had I a thousand lives I would willingly risk or lose them in it.  Be assured, liberty will in the midst of those storms be established, and God will wipe the tears from all eyes.”

The sad anticipations expressed by Russell were but too fully borne out.  There was short shrift in those days for Irishmen accused of treason, and the verdict of guilty, which he looked forward to with so much resignation, was delivered before the last rays of the sun which rose on the morning of the trial had faded in the gloaming.  It was sworn that he had attended treasonable meetings and distributed green uniforms; that he asked those who attended them, “if they did not desire to get rid of the Sassanaghs;” that he spoke of 30,000 stands of arms from France, but said if France should fail them, “forks, spades, shovels, and pickaxes” would serve that purpose.  It was useless to struggle against such testimony, palpably false and distorted as it was in some parts, and Russell decided on cutting short the proceedings.  “I shall not trouble my lawyers,” he said, “to make any statement in my case.  There are but three possible modes of defence—­firstly, by calling witnesses to prove the innocence of my conduct; secondly, by calling them to impeach the credit of opposite witnesses, or by proving an alibi.  As I can resort to none of those modes of defence without involving others, I consider myself precluded from any.”  Previous to the Judge’s charge, the prisoner asked—­“If it was not permitted to persons in his situation to say a few words, as he wished to give his valedictory advice to his countrymen in as concise a manner as possible, being well convinced how speedy the transition was from that vestibule of the grave to the scaffold.”  He was told in reply, “that he would have an opportunity of expressing himself,” and when the time did come, Russell advanced to the front of the dock, and spoke in a clear, firm tone of voice, as follows:—­