1 To Mrs Margaret Gavan Duffy In replying to this letter, please write on the envelope :—
Number 1570 Name R. D. Casement Pentonville Prison The following regulations as to communications, by Visit or Letter, between prisoners
and their friends are notified for the information of their correspondents. The permission to write and receive Letters, is given to prisoners for the
purpose of enabling them to keep up a connection with their respectable friends and
not that they may be kept informed of public events. All letters are read by the Prison Authorities. They must be legibly
written and not crossed. Any which are of objectionable tendency, either to or
from prisoners, or containing slang, or improper expressions, will be suppressed. Prisoners are permitted to receive and to write letters at intervals, which
depend on the rules of the stage they attain by industry and good conduct ; but matters
of special importance to a prisoner may be communicated at any time by Letter (prepaid)
to the Governor who will inform the prisoner thereof, if expedient. In case of misconduct, the privilege of receiving and writing a Letter may
be forfeited for a time. Money, Books, Postage Stamps, Food, Tobacco, Clothes, &c., should not be
sent to Prisoners, for their use in prison, as nothing is allowed to be received at
the Prison for that purpose. Persons attempting to clandestinely communicate with, or to introduce any
article to or for prisoners, are liable to fine and imprisonment, and any prisoner
concerned in such practices is liable to be severely punished. Prisoners' friends are sometimes applied to by unauthorised persons, to send
Money, &c., to them privately, under pretense that they can apply it for the benefit
of the prisoners, and under such fraudulent pretense, such persons endeavour to obtain
money for themselves. Any Letter containing such application, received by the friends
of a prisoner should be, at once, forwarded by them to the Governor. Prisoners are allowed to receive Visits from their friends, according to
rules, at intervals which depend on their stage. When visits are due to prisoners notification will be sent to the friends whom they desire to visit them. 2 Please tear off and post
the
opposite
sheet. 14 July 1916 A Chara Dhílis, I forgot to put your name down today
to visit me and it can't go till tomorrow now but I can get this
letter off to you — and I hope there may be a chance to
see you yet. I have got Joan of Arc safe and
sound and the others too that Brigid sent me —
and I write to her on the overleaf — will you
please send it on to her? I am not sure of her address
now so I must rely on you to find out for me
and to send it on to her. Will you get a copy of 'Easter Week' — the verses
you gave me when I saw you last and send them to a little
godson of mine? I will get his address later on and send it to
you. Today I cannot recall it. I have another godson in France
named fully after me — 'Roger Casement.........' and I want
to send the other verses to him — the ones you gave me — but he too, is so
far off I can't get his address now — but possibly Gertrude will find it out.
Do you know 'Songs of the Fields ' by Proinseas Ledwidge ( a Meath
youth)? They are beautiful and are on 'The Death of Lasg'
I like very much. There is a preface by Lord Dunsany I don't like
— but one needn't read him, but go on to the post. I hope you'll get the
book — you'll like some of the songs. Today my mind is far away, down
by O'Sullivan Beare's land! — and over there, where I shall never be
again, not even in dreams by Clare and Aran and Garumna I
wonder how it will all be a hundred years hence — and whether any of the old
speech, and thoughts that sprang from it, and prayers that grew from it
will still survive. Goodbye, my dear friend and I hope all your young ones will
grow up in that gospel and no other — and that it may be very well with
them hereafter. If you see Brigid tell her how much I
was gladdened at her faithful affection and remembrance —
and her prayers — beannacht Dé leat & a blessing from
myself too —for I shall not forget you wherever memory
goes with me — Yours — Roger Casement