which, on opening, we found, to our infinite chagrin, was a fortnight old. The roguish newsvender had pawned off an old paper on the unsuspecting Kerry tiger. Mr. Mahon ystormed, Connor and I laughed, and Connor said, I wonder, gossoon, how you let the fellow cheat you? Has not your master a hundred times told you, that the dry papers are always old, and good for nothing; and that the new papers are always wet from the printing-office? Here's another five-penny. Be off, now, and take care to bring us in a wet Post.' 'Oh, never mind the five-penny, sir,' said the boy, 'I'll get the paper without it,' and he darted out of the room, while Mahony cried out, 'Hang that young blockhead, he'll blunder the business again.' But in less than five minutes the lad re-entered with a fresh, wet newspaper. We were all surprised, and asked him how he had managed to get it without money.

"Oh, the asiest way in life,' said the urchin. 'I just took the dry ould Post, and cried it down the street a bit" Dublin Evening Post! Dublin Evening Post!" and a fool of a gentleman meets me at the corner, and buys my ould dry paper. So I whips across to a newsman I sees over the way, and buys this fine, fresh, wet, new Post, for your honour, with the money I got for the ould one.'"

CHAPTER XXVII.

Ireland both poor and prosperous-Benevolent Landlords and starving Tenants-An impatient Duellist-John KeoghDifference between his Policy and O'Connell's-A flexible Assembly-Interview in 1793 between Keogh and PittO'Connell's Opinion of Keogh-O'Connell upon Poor LawsBattle with the Times-Reminiscence of his Gray's Inn Days -O'Connell on his own oratorical Brevity-O'Connell compared with Lord Plunkett-Reasons of an English Catholic Peer for not subscribing to an Irish Catholic Chapel-Methodist and Catholic Processions.

ON the 26th of February the division on the second reading of Lord Morpeth's Irish Registration Bill came on. O'Connell made an admirable speech in support of the measure. Some of his points were extremely felicitous.

"You would now," said he, addressing the Tories, "refuse to Ireland equality of franchises with England. What plea do you allege for this refusal? Why, the poverty of Ireland! But, mark your inconsistency. When I arraigned the Legislative Union as having caused poverty in Ireland, how was I met? Honourable Gentlemen produced multitu

dinous statements and calculations to demonstrate that poverty was not general in Ireland; that my statements were exaggerated, and that the Union had created great general prosperity in that country. You then alleged the prosperity of Ireland as a reason why she should not possess legislative independence; you now allege her poverty as a reason why she should not enjoy franchises. She is either rich or poor-prosperous or wretched-just as it suits your convenience."

Equally happy was his exposure of the incongruous statements of Mr. Recorder Shaw.

1

"The learned Recorder," said O'Connell, "has stated that four millions of the Irish nation are sunk in pauperism. He has also stated that the Irish landlords are humane and benevolent men. Let any man who can, reconcile these assertions with each other. A humane and benevolent landlordclass, with four millions of the people destitute! Whether such a condition of things be practicable, I willingly leave to the decision of the English gentlemen who hear me."

Shortly afterwards Steele congratulated him upon his speech, adding that Peel had been extremely violent. 'Yes,” replied O'Connell, laughing," and as weak as he was violent.”

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O'Connell told a story of a Connaught duellist named Blake. He had been challenged to the field;

all parties met at the appointed time and place, except Blake's second. They waited some minutes, but in vain; the second did not make his appearance. "It is a pity," said Blake, "to keep you waiting any longer, gentlemen;" and opening his pistol case (which had been placed in his carriage by the absent second) he deliberately snapped one of the pistols at his opponent. On finding that it did not go off, he began very coolly to hammer away at the flint, saying, " Fire away, sir! I'll be ready for you in no time!" While he spoke, his second came galloping up with many apologies for his absence; but on seeing that the parties had already commenced hostilities, he expressed great astonishment. Egad, I snapped my pistol," said Blake, upbraidingly," and it missed fire." "Of course it did,” replied the second, "you know it was not charged." "Not charged?" cried Blake," and pray of what use is a case of pistols if they are not charged?"

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O'Connell spoke of his own early agitation.

In 1810, the Corporation of Dublin met at the Royal Exchange to petition for the Repeal of the Union. John Keogh attended the meeting, and made a speech.

"I also spoke in support of the Repeal," said O'Connell, "and thenceforth do I date my first great lift in popularity. Keogh saw that I was cal

culated to become a leader. He subsequently tried to impress me with his own policy respecting Catholic affairs. The course he then recommended was a sullen quiescence; he urged that the Catholics should abstain altogether from agitation, and he laboured hard to bring me to adopt his views. But I saw that agitation was our only available weapon. I saw that by incessantly keeping our demands and our grievances before the public and the government, we must sooner or later succeed. Moreover, that period, above all others, was not one at which our legitimate weapon, agitation, could have prudently been let to rust. It was during the war, and while Napoleon—that splendid madman-made the Catholics of Ireland so essential to the military defence of the empire, the time seemed peculiarly appropriate to press our claims. About that period, a great Catholic meeting was held. John Keogh was then old and infirm, but his presence was eagerly desired, and the meeting awaited his arrival with patient good-humour. I and another were deputed to request his attendance. John Keogh had this peculiarity-that when he was waited on about matters of business, he would talk away on all sorts of subjects, except the business which had brought his visitors. Accordingly, he talked a great deal about every thing except Catholic politics for the greatest portion of our visit;