merable. "Every body writes to me about every thing," said he, "and the applicants for places, without a single exception, tell me that one word of mine will infallibly get them what they want. One word! Oh, how sick I am of that 'one word!""

He expressed his indignation at some correspondents who offered him douceurs for his patronage. He threatened to prosecute one of them, and desired his servant to kick another out of the house (the latter having promised to call for an answer).

Some of his rural correspondents entertained odd ideas of his attributes. He said that from one of them he got a letter commencing with "Awful Sir!"

He sometimes announced in public, that he usually burned anonymous letters unread. "I just look," said he, "to see what signature the letter bearsand if I find none, I fling it into the fire.”

He once told me, that out of the multitude of anonymous letters he had received for many years, there was only one that contained a suggestion of value. "That," he said, "was the contrast between the Irish and British elective franchises, and an excellent hint it was. I think I've worked it pretty well, too."

The bores of flesh and blood were worse than the paper bores. When engaged with some friend

come.

on important political business, he has often been interrupted by gossiping visitors, who seemed to consider his time their own property. The raptures of patriotic lady-admirers were extremely unwel"How I hate to have those women pelting in upon me!" was his exclamation on the exit of a very talkative specimen of this class. Gentlemen savans were no better; one of them broke in upon him one day that his head was full of his next Repeal move, and indulged him with a learned dissertation upon an ancient Egyptian festival, and ́an elaborate description of the entire ceremonial. It needs scarcely be said that the applicants for place who beset him in person were legion.

Amongst the odd requests addressed to him, was that of a Catholic priest, who stated that as from family misfortunes he could not support himself and his two sisters, he hoped Mr. O'Connell would allow them to make Darrynane their home until more prosperous times. The Liberator's well-known benevolence, the applicant added, induced him thus to seek the asylum of his roof. Mr. O'Connell said he had not the honour of his acquaintance-to which the applicant replied by reminding him they had been introduced to each other some months before on the deck of a steamer.

A species of annoyance to which O'Connell used

to submit with sullen resignation, was the trashy eloquence of his less gifted confederates in the Agitation. At a certain southern banquet he was overwhelmed with the chairman's interminable harangues. He bitterly complained of the infliction the next day to a lady who told me the anecdote. "Mr. gave me quite too much of it," said he; "he apparently forgot that too much black pudding would choke a dog."

Of another loquacious chairman he said to me, "That poor B * * * has a sad facility of making the most balderdashical speeches I ever heard."

Speaking of a member of the legislature far above those "small deer" in point of intellect, he said, "W―― would speak better if he did not speak so well but he has a most unhappy superabundance of very excellent English, that quite with him."

runs away

Some of the habitués of the Repeal Association who knew O'Connell's feelings on such matters, have whispered to me during the speech of a long-winded orator, "Watch Dan, now! observe how bored he is—there he sits with his hat pulled down over his eyes, patiently waiting until this gentleman finishes."

One day when he had been annoyed by a troublesome and loquacious person whom he endured

for a long time with great suavity, I said, "You were infinitely more civil to Mr.

have been."

than I could

'My dear friend,” replied he, "you will catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than with a hogshead of vinegar."

Of two other bores I have heard him complain; namely, that of sitting for his portrait, and giving his autograph. Of his autograph, however, he was generally liberal enough, until age had rendered the exertion of writing difficult. The very last time I saw him (January, 1847) he asked me if I wished for any of his autographs. I replied in the affirmative. 66 Very well," said he, laughing, "I'll desire my secretary to write as many as you want."

With respect to the portrait annoyance, he was less manageable; unless, indeed, it were to oblige some friend, who had strong claims upon his good offices. I am told that when Wilkie was engaged in taking his likeness, he found the utmost difficulty in getting him to sit, and that the carriage which the artist" regularly sent for the distinguished original, frequently returned empty. And when Du Val the portrait-painter, waited on him in order to complete his likeness for a Manchester friend, O'Connell, who detested the idea of giving formal sittings, postponed Du Val from day to day, until the artist,

in despair, at last spoke of returning to Manchester with his work unfinished. He was then told that if he came in the mornings while O'Connell was at breakfast, he might possibly collect some traits for the completion of his picture. He accordingly came, and carried off on scraps of paper the minutia of expression and feature, which he transferred as well as he could to the canvass. At length Mr. O'Connell gave him one or two good sittings at his studio, which enabled him to produce a successful likeness.