patiently he pshaws away any bétise intruded on the Repeal Councils. Difficult questions are submitted for his guidance; disputes in remote localities are referred to his adjudication; reports are confided to his care to be drawn up. He glides through all these duties with an ease that seems absolutely magical. He originates rules and regulations. He creates a working staff throughout the country; he renders the movement systematic. He cautiously guards it from infringing in the smallest particular upon the law. No man is jealous of him, for his intellectual supremacy places him entirely beyond the reach of competition. And as he discharges his multifarious task, the hilarity of his disposition occasionally breaks out in some quaint jest or playful anecdote.

Such was O'Connell in the committee-room of the Repeal Association.

One day he amused the Committee with the following bar-mess story-how introduced I do not pretend to recollect. Some waggish barrister having accused Nicholas Purcell O'Gorman of being a musician, the charge was stoutly denied by the accused person.

"A jury," said O'Connell," was thereupon impannelled to try the defendant, who persisted in pleading 'Not guilty' to the indictment for melodious prac

tices. The jury consisted of Con Lyne, under twelve different aliases such as Con of the Seven Bottles''Con of the Seven Throttles' 'CrimCon' and so forth. The prosecutor then proceeded to interrogate the defendant:-' By virtue of your oath, Mr. O'Gorman, did you never play on any musical instrument ?-Never, on my honour!' replied Purcell.Come, sir, recollect yourself. By virtue of your oath, did you never play second fiddle to O'Connell?'-The fact was too notorious to admit of any defence, and the unanimous jury accordingly returned a verdict of guilty."

Ray was the ordinary mouth-piece of all matters submitted to O'Connell in committee for his decision or his advice." Here's an application, Liberator, from Mr. ****- a Presbyterian clergyman, for pecuniary aid to enable him to go on a Repeal mission."—"Does any body here support that application, Ray? I will oppose it, because I saw the reverend gentleman as drunk as Bacchus at the dinner at "-" But he is quite reformed, Liberator, and has taken the pledge.”—“ No matter -after such a public exposé of himself, we ought to have nothing to do with him. The case is the worse for his being a clergyman."-" Very well, sir.Here's a letter from the Ballinakill Repealers, wanting

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Mr. Daunt to go down to address a meeting there." "I'm glad of it; I suppose Daunt will have no objection."-"Not the least," said I." And here's a letter from the people of Kells, wanting Mr. John O'Connell to attend their meeting next week."-"My son John will go-won't you, John?"—"Yes, father."-" Then write and tell 'em so."-" Counsellor Clements," resumed Ray, "has made an objection to the words 'We pledge ourselves,' in the Irish manufacture declaration; he's afraid of their being illegal.”—“Then alter the passage thus: We pledge ourselves as individuals; -if there be any difficulty, that will obviate it.What's that large document before you?"-" That, sir, is a report sent up by Mr.

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it came by this day's post. He wishes us to print it."-"Umph! Let us see what sort of affair it is."-Ray then unfolds and peruses the report. When he has done O'Connell exclaims, "What a waste of industry! There is absolutely nothing in that voluminous paper that it would be of the smallest utility to lay before the public."—"I think," said I, "the last two pages contain a few good facts."" Then print the last two pages and throw away the rest."Some remark being made on the mortification of a disappointed author, O'Connell half mutters the quizzical compliment paid to a pamphleteer by a

waggish friend-"I saw an excellent thing in your pamphlet.' 'What was it?' cries the author. 'A penny bun,' says his friend."-O'Connell would then apply himself to the dictation of a report, or of answers to letters of importance, until half-past four or five o'clock; the hour at which the Committee usually broke up.*

O'Connell's popularity continued for a greater number of years, and with fewer interruptions from the fickleness of his adherents, than that of any other political leader on record. The unexampled mode in which he swayed the public mind in Ireland has excited the astonishment of those who did not, or who would not, see that even his mighty abilities would have failed to achieve his unparalleled position, if it were not for the national grievances that armed him with more than half his power.

I have sometimes been amused at the whimsical mode in which the popular devotion to him manifested itself. He lived in the hearts of old and young. The very intensity of their attachment occasionally assumed fantastic forms. Travelling

* I do not mean to say that the trivial incidents which I have here thrown together from memory, all occurred at the same time. But their juxta position gives a very fair and truthful idea of the lively manner in which O'Connell bustled through Committee business.

between Dublin and Kilkenny, on one of the Repeal excursions, the carriage stopped at some intermediate stage to change horses, and amongst the crowd that immediately collected, a feeble old beggarwoman with a crutch approached quite close to the carriage window, and begged O'Connell might shake hands with her. He instantly complied. The effect of the venerable lady's delight was electric. She actually tossed up her crutch, and cut a spirited caper in the air, exclaiming: "I've touched hist honour's hand-I'm young again!"

Another instance of this enthusiastic feeling was afforded by two English ladies, at whose hospitable house he passed some days. They seemed to idolise their guest. Not content with the ordinary cares of hospitality, they never retired to repose without singing a hymn in his praise, to the tune of "God save the King.” But the most remarkable specimen of enthusiasm was yet to come. One of his kind hostesses, who had a painful swelled face, one night applied the Liberator's gold-laced travelling cap to the suffering part, in order to try what healing virtue might reside in it! I am unable to record whether the result of this experiment justified the enthusiastic faith of the fair votary.

I have known two English gentlemen cross the Channel, for the sole purpose of seeing so much of