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we are as the company think proper the s obligation is merely a repetition of the same description of to the king bi the irish agent and so long as he or they maintain the c c together with such other obligations of secrecy as are to be found either in orange or ribbon with very slight difference in their form and expression now my dear i first call your attention to that portion which is headed necessary for an and i think you will agree with me that it would be difficult almost impossible to find in any organized society whether open or secret a more admirable code of for such as may be anxious to amongst its members and i have no doubt that had the other portions of it been conceived and acted on in the same spirit would have become a very different system from that which under its name now influences the principles and the passions of the lower masses of and them too frequently to violence and outrage and persecution under a conviction that they are only dis their duties by a faithful to its obligations these however admirable w they are and drawn up possess neither power nor influence in the system being nothing ore nor less than an abstract series of and m moral duties recommended to practice but of any force of obligation that might impress them on the heart and principles they are not embodied at all in the code in any shape or form that might touch the conscience or the conduct but on the contrary stand there as a thing to look at and admire but not as a matter of duty if they had been even drawn up as a solemn declaration asserting on the part of the newly made member a conviction that strict of their was an indispensable and necessary part of his obligations as an they might have been productive of good effect and raised the of the institution from many of the low and gross which disgraced it i cannot deny however with all its crimes and has rendered very important services to the political of the country in fact it was produced at the period of its formation by the almost utter absence of spiritual religion in the established some principle was necessary to keep from falling to pieces and as a good one could not be found in a church which is at this moment one mass of sordid and selfish there was let the reader remember that this and almost every tm that to the irish establishment is supposed to have been written about forty i the irish agent left for it but a combination such as this indeed you could form no conception of the state of the c i even while i write although you might form a very gorgeous one of the establishment the truth is she is all establishment and no church and is to quote swift s celebrated like a fat corpse upon a bed that and in state there was no or power in the establishment to improve or the principles of at all and what has been the consequence why that in attempting to her spirit into the new system she was herself and instead of making christian the institution has made her orange this is fact the only thing we have here now in the shape of a church is the orange system for if you take that away what remains this my dear is not to be wondered at for no effects are without their causes in this country no body ever dreams of entering the established church from pure and pious motives in such a church piety may be but it is seldom rewarded no the description of persons who ow enter the church are the younger sons of our m nobility and gentry of our our and wealthy professional men of our judges our and our among the sons of such men the church is carved out with the exception of the and and other best joints all of which are devoured by a peculiar description of englishmen named who are remarkable for excessive long claws and very teeth in this however we do not blame england but agree with dean swift who asserted that in his day she uniformly selected the most learned and pious individuals she get fitted them out as became such excellent christian men and sent them over with the best intentions imaginable to instruct the irish in all christian truth and humility it so happened however that as soon as they had reached heath they were every man without exception stopped stripped and robbed by the gentlemen who frequent that celebrated who thinking that robbery on the high church was safer and more than robbery upon the high way came over here instead of pious men where they remained in their original capacity for the of their lives it is impossible in fact that a church so deeply the irish agent with political corruption so neglected in all that is spiritual and and openly to and ambition can ever work with that high and holy which should her these however are not her purposes nor are they aimed at she exists here merely as an bond between the political interests of the two countries maintaining british authority by her wealth and irish honesty by her example i have already the class of persons who enter her and touched upon the motives by which they are influenced in families for instance if there happen to be a young fellow either too idle or too stupid for the labour and duties of the other professions there is no inconvenience or regret felt no matter he dick or jack or tom as the case may be will do very or church you will make a very good parson tom or a dean or

constitution sitting without any legal authority upon the ous opinions of a class that are hateful and to them and in fact within themselves the united offices of both judge and with the character of their loyalty i have no quarrel i perceive it is but the doctrine of loyalty is so and absurd that the sooner such an unnecessary is struck off the mind the better t o ow evening however i am to be introduced to an orange lodge after the actual business of it shall have been and closed this is a privilege not to many but it is one of which i shall very gladly avail myself in order that i may infer from their conduct some faint conception of what it generally is chapter xix an lodge at full wo k solomon in all his he drinking to be a ous blue and the s eloquence a toast the to the same friday the order of business for each night of meeting is i find as follows lodge to open with prayer members standing general rules read members proposed reports from committee names of members called over members for members made lodge to close with prayer members standing it was about eight o clock when accompanied by a young fellow named we reached the lodge which in of one of its own rules was held in what was formerly called the tavern but which has since been changed to the castle arms being a field per pale on which is a purse and what seems to be an m of lead into a in the other is a large mouth grinning opposite to which is a stuffed pocket from which hangs the motto ne under the foot of the gentleman is the neck of a famine struck woman surrounded by naked and starving children and it is by the convenient of her neck that he is enabled to reach the purse or and indeed such is his eagerness to catch it and the that he does not seem to care much whether he her or not on the leaden is the motto alluding to the head which fills it i should mention before proceeding further that mr m being master of the lodge in question was the individual from whom i had received permission to be present under the circumstances already the ceremony of making a member is involved in that ridiculous mystery which is calculated to meet the vulgar prejudices of low and ignorant men sometimes they are made one by one and occasionally or i believe more frequently in of three or more in order to save time and the effect the then before entering the lodge is taken into another room where he is thb irish agent and desired to himself of his shoes and stockings his right arm is then taken out of his coat and shirt sleeves in order to leave his right shoulder bare he then enters the lodge where he is received in silence with the exception of the master who puts certain to him which must be answered after this he receives on the naked shoulder three smart of the open hand as a proof of his to bear every kind of persecution for the sake of truth of his to the principles of and of his actual determination to bear violence and if necessary death itself rather than abandon it or betray his brethren about nine o clock the business of the lodge had been despatched and in a few minutes i received an intimation to enter from the master who was no other than the and heroic himself the father having been prevented from coming it appeared by sudden as i entered they were all seated to the number of thirty five or forty about a long table from which rose and warm the powerful of strong punch on paying my respects i was received and presented to them by who on this occasion was in great feather being out in all m the of master the rest also were dressed m their orange robes which certainly gave them a good deal of imposing effect gentlemen said bob til trouble you to touch the bell and be d d to you gentlemen this is a particular friend of mine and my father s that is we intend to take a good deal of interest in him if it s not his own fault and to push him on in a way that may serve him but then he s in the dark yet however i hope he won t be long so this gentlemen is mr from england who has come over to see the country your health mr from all sides you re welcome among us and so is every friend of brother captain s gentlemen said i i feel much obliged for the cordiality of your reception but allow me to say that mr m has made a mistake in my name which is not never mind sir they replied among a of glasses which almost prevented me fi m being heard never mind mr evil we don t care a curse what your name is provided you re a good your name may be instead of evil or devil for that matter all we want to know whether you re and of the right thb irish agent that gentlemen i replied i trust time will tee i shall be very proud i speak it not i hope in a worldly sense said a little thin man dressed in black no not in a worldly sense i shall be proud sir of your acquaintance to me it is quite sufficient that you are here as the friend of my excellent friend mr m a man i trust not without a deep and searching spirit of

come solomon said a large broad shouldered man with a face in which were singularly blended the principles of fun and ferocity come solomon none of your preaching here so soon you know you re not up to the praying point yet nor within four of it so as you say yourself wait for your gifts my lad ah tom replied solomon with a smile always always fond of a harmless and jest my name sir added he is m i have the honour to be law agent to the castle property and occasionally to business with our friend m here the waiter entered with a glass and and desired them to mo up the this however i declined as not being yet m accustomed to punch to be able to drink it without i begged however to be allowed to substitute a little cold and water in its stead i m sir observed another strong looking man that you are likely to prove but a cool on our hands i never saw the man that his good for much sir said solomon you need not feel at the tone of voice and familiarity in which these persons address you or me they are so to speak sturdy and independent men who to the natural boldness of their character add on such occasions as this something of the equality and license that are necessarily to be found in a orange lodge i am myself here i trust on different and higher principles indeed it is from a purely motive that i come as well as to give them the benefit of a frail but not i would hope altogether example their language makes me often feel how much i stand in need of grace and how good it is sometimes for me to be tempted within my strength i also drink punch here lest by declining it i might get into too strong a feeling of pride in probably possessing greater gifts and i need not say sir that a watchful christian will be the irish agent slow to miss any opportunity of keeping himself humble it is then for this purpose that i sometimes when among these men make myself even as one of them and humble myself always with an eye to even to the fourth or fifth cup but i trust sir that these christian from your ground are generally rewarded without i trust i may say so these sacrifices of mine are not without their own appropriate indeed it is seldom that such stretches of duty on the right side and for the improvement of others are made altogether in vain for instance after the humility if i can call it so of the third cup i am rewarded with an easy of the spiritual man a greater sense of inward freedom an elevation of the soul a of spirit that a calm serene happiness through my whole being that sh must be delightful it is delightful but it is what these men i do not wish to call them lest i fall it is however what these men or indeed any merely man cannot feel this however i feel to be a communication made to me that in this thing i should not for the time stop and i feel that i am not free to pass m the fourth or fifth cup knowing as how greater freedom and additional privileges will be granted are the stages marked sir between the fourth and fifth cups my friend there is a beauty sir in the economy of this that is not to be concealed for instance the line between the third and fourth cup is much better marked and no doubt for wiser purposes than is that between the fourth and fifth at the fourth my spirit is filled with strong tendencies and it is given to me to address the lodge with something like effect but at the fifth this spirit rises still higher and as the form of praise and spiritual songs and political in this whole assembly i am sorry to say that there is but one other humble individual who if i may so speak is gifted and goes along with me as they say step by step and cup by cup until we reach the highest order which is praise but indeed to persons so gifted in their liquor drinking is decidedly a religious exercise that person is the little fellow to the right of the red faced man up yonder the little fellow i mean who is pale in the face and wants an eye his name is bob he is grand by appointment to the lodge and the irish agent all the in the province from principle for he is between you and me a christian man of high privileges as for our little touches of during the fifth cup the only draw back is that no matter what the measure of the be whether long or short bob is sure to sing it either to the tune of lie down or the water they being the only two he can manage a circumstance which forces us however otherwise united to part company in the melody unless when moved by compassion for poor bob i occasionally join him in lie down or the other tune for the purpose of him as a christian and an at this time it was with something like effort that he or i could hear each other as we spoke and by the way it was quite evident that little solomon was very nearly in all his glory from the very slight of language which might be observed in his conversation it occurred to me now that as solomon s heart was a little open and as the tide of conversation flowed both loud and tumultuous it was a very good

opportunity of getting out of him a tolerably fair account of the persons by whom we were surrounded i accordingly asked him the name and occupation m of several whom i had observed as the most striking individuals present that large man with the red face said i beside your pious and musical friend who is he he is an orange butcher sir who would think very little of giving a knock on the head to any who won t deal with him his s tenants are about half and half and as he makes it a point to leave them his custom in about equal degrees this fellow who between you and me is right in the principle if he would only carry it out a little more quietly makes it a standing grievance every lodge night and by and by you will hear them abuse each other like for the same reason there is a grim looking fellow with the great fists a blacksmith who is at deadly enmity with that firm looking man touching the of m s cavalry who knows a thing or two if i may so speak keeps them one off and the other on so admirably that he to get his own horses shod and all his other iron work done free for nothing between them this is the truth brother in fact my dear brother it is the truth there are few here who are not moved by some personal hope or the irish agent expectation from something or from somebody down there near the door are a set of fellows whisper in your ear about as great as you could meet with insolent fierce furious men with bad passions and no principles whose chief delight is to get drunk to kick up party in and and who have in fact a natural love for strife but all are not so there are many respectable men here who though a httle touched as is only natural after all by a little of self interest yet never suffer it to interfere with the and propriety of their conduct or their love of peace and good will it is these men who in truth sustain the character of the orange institution these are the men of independence and education who repress as far as they can the and outrage of the others but now they begin at tliis moment the din in the room was excessive had now begun to feel the influence of liquor as was evident from the frequent which the table received at his hand the awful knitting of his eyebrows as he commanded silence and the of d my honours which his conversation silence i say he shouted d n my honour m if ril bear this here s mr eh evil or devil d n my honour i who has come ov over all the way all the way from is that it go on all the way from england to get a good of to bring home with him to among his father s now if he can t find that among ourselves to night where the devil would or could or ought he to go to look for it hear brother captain yes gentlemen continued rising up yes mr civil evil devil d n my honour i bo on it now i am bold to say that we are are a set of we are brother captain and gentlemen not only that but true three cheers for the castle true blue and what s a true blue gentlemen i ask you i ask you as a gentleman i ask you as a man i ask you as one that will do or die if it comes to that here there was a on the table at every word i ask you as an officer of the castle cavalry and gentlemen let any man that hears me that hears me i say because gentlemen i ask upon independent principles as the master of this lodge the irish agent gentlemen cheers and the question is an important one one of the greatest and most extraordinary comprehension so to speak because gentlemen it this great question does it the welfare of his majesty gentlemen and of the great and good king william gentlemen who freed us from pope and gentlemen and wooden shoes gentlemen but not from wooden gentlemen in a disguised voice from the lower end of the table eh certainly not certainly not i thank my worthy brother for the hint no gentlemen we unfortunately have wooden up to the present day but gentlemen if we work well together if we be in earnest if we draw the blade and throw away the like our brothers the glorious heroes of there is as little doubt gentlemen as that the sun this moment the moon gentlemen i beg pardon shines this moment that we will yet banish wooden as the great and good king william did brass money and wooden shoes gentlemen you will excuse me for this warmth but i am not ashamed of it it is the warmth gentlemen that keeps us cool in the moment the glorious pious and immortal moment of danger and true loyalty and attachment vol ii x m to our church which we all love and practice on constitutional principles i trust gentlemen you will excuse me for this historical account of my feelings they are the principles gentlemen of a gentleman of a man of an officer of the castle cavalry and lastly of him who has the honour the glorious pious and

the adversary of and whenever i can a by so here there was a look of sarcastic defiance turned upon who conscious of his own integrity merely returned it with a meek and smile a la solomon no gentlemen i am none of these things but a bold honest who will support the church and constitution for ever who will to the day of judgment keep down and treason and support civil and religious liberty over the world to all cheers success brother and now gentlemen before i sit down there is but one observation more that i wish to make if it was only identified with myself i would never notice it but it s not only identified with me but with you gentlemen for i am sorry to say there is a snake in the grass a base dangerous crawling among us who wherever truth and loyalty is concerned never has a leg to stand upon or can put a pen to paper but with a m intention he who can the secrets of lodge here there was another furious look s it across which received a polite bow and smile as before who can gentlemen the secrets of our lodge and allude to those who have been there i refer gentlemen to a paragraph that appeared in the some time ago in which a hint thrown out that was found by the editor of that paper lying drunk in the channel of castle main street opposite his office that he brought me in recovered me and then helped me home now gentlemen i ll just mention one circumstance that will the whole base and charge it is this on rising next morning i found that i had eight and three safe in my pocket and yet that says that he carried me into his house i having thus gentlemen that charge have the pleasure of drinking your the of all honest men and confusion to those that would betray the secrets of an orange lodge as each paper had its party in the lodge it is not to be supposed that this attack upon the editor of the was at all received with unanimous approbation far from it several were the irish agent given which again were met by cheers and these by counter cheers in this disorder mr rose his face beaming with and sweetness and smiles and having bowed stood all and patience until the cheering was over brother said solomon remember to self reliance let thy sup support be from but before he could finish brother turned round and bowing to him seemed to for he did not my dear brother m i follow your admirable advice you see i do i shall mr said he gentlemen and dear brothers here he paused a moment whilst calmly removing a out of his way that he might have room to place his hand upon the table and gently lean towards the he then serenely smoothed down the of his shirt during which his friends cheered and ere he gave them another short and as it were bow mr gentlemen and dear brothers i do not rise upon this very unpleasant occasion unpleasant to me it is but not on my own account for the purpose of giving vent to the coarse of an mind that shapes its vulgar in bad language and m worse feeling no i am incapable of the bad feeling in the first place and thanks to my education of language in the second it has pleased my friend mr if he will still allow me to call him so for i appeal to you all whether it becomes those who sit under this roof to it has pleased him i say to bring charged against me to some of which i certainly must plead guilty if guilt there be in it it has pleased him to charge me with the crime the crime the un orange crime here he smiled more at every term and then brought his eye to bear on his of lifting him out of the channel about twelve o clock at night where he lay i may say so among ourselves in a state of most comfortable but like the audience now being mostly drunk were with this compliment to their and cheered and shouted for more than a minute go on i by you re no under providence and with all piety i say it he will the sinner over there brother observed mr m go on the gift is not withheld another smiling bow to m as much as to say i know it s i feel it s not the irish agent this gentlemen and dear brothers was my crime i acted the good towards him that was my crime may i often commit it i is that your pretended charity sir said whose temper was sorely tried by the other s calmness don t you know sir that you cannot become the unless i become the and yet you hope often to commit it no notice whatsoever taken of this but perhaps there was still a greater crime in this affair i allude to the crime of having after the account of his had taken wind through the whole country ventured to defend it or rather to place it in such a light as might enable the public to place it to the account of mere animal exhaustion independent of the real cause and i have reason to know that to a very enlarged extent i succeeded for many persons having heard of the circumstance in its worst and most offensive sense actually came

they don t deserve us to stand by them i say it s a d d he i was at the of the when you sickness and wouldn t go and i m glad i didn t a business you made of it to pull down the houses and wreck the furniture about the ears of a set of women and children i say such conduct is disgraceful to an what the devil right have you to expect the then when you won t perform its duties i don t care a d n about you or it the pope in the the in h sent the bullet through his palm and kept his finger and thumb together ever since thb irish et or the cut them and make them the own they can never stand the guns the lead makes them fly and by they ll get it what health man oat with it are we to sat here all night for it he gets half his bread firom a d d merely because he s his tenant instead of getting the whole of it from me that s better than a tenant a brother king james he pitched his tents between the lines for to retire bat king william threw balls in and set them au on fire in fact the confusion of was nothing to it now every voice was loud and what between singing swearing shouting arguing drinking and of various descriptions it would not be easy to find anything in any other country that could be compared to it was by this time nearly as drunk as any of them but in consequence of several hints from those who preserved their and several of them did he now got to his legs and called silence silence il silence i say d n my honour m if ril bear this do you think we can without drinking the castle toast fill gentle men here s lord and the castle castle property with the health of solomon m esq for god will be our king this day and ru be the general eh over no no under under i believe silence there i say my friends my dear friends said solomon my brothers my christian brethren i should say for you are christian brethren lord ber s health is a good thing and his property is a good thing and i i return you thanks for it as i am bound to do as a christian am i christian well here he smiled and laying his hand upon his heart added well i know what i feel here that is all my dear friends i said that lord s health and property were good things but i know a thing that s better more valuable richer and wliat is that it is here in this poor frail but not frail so long as that thing is here that what is it oh if you had prayed for it for it fought for it as i did you would know what it is and all the delightful and it brings the irish agent along with it surely some one drank lord s health i that was well he in a high place and honour let us drink his health my friends let us drink it yea abundantly even unto rejoicing but what is this thing why it is the sense of inward support a mild sweet light that pleasant thoughts through you that every good gift about you that makes one cup of pleasant seem two it is not to many that these things are vouchsafed not i believe to any here always and fear bo it spoken excepting to bob and myself july the first in town responded bob there was a grievous battle where many a man lay on the ground by the that did rattle yea pursued bob the gift is come brother solomon the fifth cup always brings it king james he pitched hie tents between ay but brother bob resumed solomon the gift is a little too soon on this occasion let me give the words and bob if you could manage the boys rather than lie down it would suit indeed it would c ss tv m whole congregation joined us in it i shall give the words let me see long measure eight lines four and four six there s but care on every hand in every hour that passes oh what the life o man an not for the oh eh let me see am i right right they shouted never were half so right solomon we ll join you to a man and accordingly with one voice they gave the at the top of their voices little bob leading them to the air of lie down in a style that was perfectly irresistible thus ended a night in an orange lodge but not so out of it those who had to go any distance were armed and the consequence was that when they got out into the street they commenced their usual courses shots were fired in every direction offensive songs were sung any money for the face of a to hell with the pope ram down and so on at length by degrees these all ceased the streets gradually grew quiet then still and another night closed upon the habits of a class of men who in the of their power scarcely knew what they did the irish agent having witnessed the scene just described a scene that accounted very clearly for at least one important phase of irish i deemed it full time to go

to bed this being the inn in which i stop i accordingly was about to ascend the staircase from the for we sat in the back drawing room when i thought i heard a voice that was not to me giving expression to language in which i could perceive there was a very peculiar of love and devotion that is to say it was exceedingly difficult from the admirable tact with which he balanced the application of the two principles whether solomon for it was he loved the physical or the spiritual system of the for it was she with more earnestness and warmth the family at this time had all retired for the night with the exception of boots and the in question a well made pretty irish girl with a pair of eyes in her head that beamed with fun and good humour solomon instead of going home had got into a little retired spot behind the bar called the and into which of course she attended him with a glass of liquor said solomon i have often had an intention of asking you to allow me the privilege and the of some serious conversation m with you it is a trying world a wicked world and to to a girl so charming a girl as you are charming mr m well well charming certainly as regards your person your external person your person is indeed very charming and verily this brandy and water is truly precious so beautifully blended that i cannot now will you pardon me a small but i trust not joke yes you will i know i see you will very well then the little joke is this brandy and water are so beautifully blended that i cannot help thinking there is something in that sweet hand of yours that a delicious upon it i know that such things exist upon my word mr m from such a religious gentleman as you are i didn t expect ah my dear that is coming to the root of the matter and i am glad to find that you are not insensible to it on that subject my sweet girl and you are a sweet girl it is that i propose to speak with you to with you in a spirit my dear of love and affection will you then take a seat a seat my dear i fear i cannot sir you know there is no one else to keep an eye to the bar the irish agent the business of the bar my dear is over for this night but not i trust sincerely trust that of the sweet do sit pray be seated and let me have a word with you in season thank you but not at such a distance such an distance i say inconvenient because i have caught a slight cold as a trial it came and i will receive it so that has fallen for the time upon my lungs and renders it a good deal troublesome to me to speak loud so that the nearer you sit and it has affected my head a little only with a though which were you speaking my dear no su yes so i thought you were saying something will soon pass away i thought this dialogue on the part of m characteristic to be lost i accordingly stole somewhat nearer the until i got in a position from whence i could see them clearly without being seen myself it was quite evident from the humour which in spite of a face from her eye that s object was to occasion m to assume his real character for i could easily see that from time to time she felt very considerable difficulty in her laughter m the i feel particularly troublesome though not painful as while business it fo forces me to sit so very close to my but i am not a mr m and you need not draw your chair so close to me there now that will do you are my sweet sweet girl you are my and you shall be my and upon a most important subject the most important of all verily this is a most delicious cup of refreshment how did you it but indeed if i were as i have been before i was graciously called and chosen i would have recourse to a harmless gallantry and say that this most must have caught its sweetness from your lips its fragrance from your breath and its lustre from your eyes i would say so if i were as i have been and indeed as i am even yet frail still frail and very far indeed from perfection but still even as i am i could scarcely scruple to a little yea only a little for the sake of such lips of such eyes and such a fragrant breath alas we are all frail but mr m i surely didn t think that you who stand so high in the religious world and the irish agent that the people look upon as a saint would talk as you do ah my dear girl it is very natural for you in your hitherto darkened state to say so but sweet if you had your privileges you could understand me for instance in the indulgence of this precious uttle dialogue with you i am only following up a duty that myself for my precious creature if more were given you you would be permitted to feel that an occasional lapse is for our good by showing us our own weakness and how little we can do of ourselves no there is nothing which

gives us so much confidence and strength as to know our own weakness but my sweet girl of what use is it for us to know it if we do not feel it and why feel it unless we it for better purposes to teach us a practical lesson to humble us that s queer doctrine mr m and i don t properly imder stand it i know you don t my l for it has not been given to you as yet to understand it nay it seems as it were a stumbling block to you in your present state why do you think me so very great a sinner su m not by acts and what a soft name is soft as a pillow of down but by condition you are exalted now upon pride not personal pride but the pride of position you think you are incapable of error or infirmity but you must be brought down to a sense of your own as it were for it is upon a consciousness of that that you must build that is to say i must commit sin first in order to know the grace of repentance afterwards you put it too strongly but here is the illustration you know it is said there is joy in heaven over one sinner that more than over ninety and nine just men and i know many who go through a long course of virtuous in order that their triumph in the end may be the greater i have myself practised it on a small way and found it refreshing and now bring me another cup of brandy and water even for my stomach s sake and my charming girl put it to those sweet lips that it may catch the true fragrance christian fragrance i wish i could say for they are fragrant lips and a sweet arm a full arm you are gifted with ah if you could feel as i feel nay it was the chair that was my heart is dis the irish agent if you were only a little more frail my sweet girl we could feel this a kind of religious exercise oh these precious little these precious little mr m you will excuse me but think you have got enough and a little too much liquor if you should be seen going home in an unsteady state your character would suffer another cup of refreshment but i am not perfection no nor would i bo perfection what would life be without these precious uttle that makes us what we are with all piety and who is that inquired the maid evidently startled if not by a strange voice join join you brother m for another cup of refreshment bob brother i am glad you are here my darling my dove another cup for bob and after that we shall aid each other home will render one another christian and mutual assistance yes bob clearing his voice sob king james he pitched his tents between solomon there s but care on every hand the lines for to retire solomon in every hour that passes o m bob but william threw his balls in x solomon what the life o man and set them all on fire i solomon an for the o many thanks sweet oh that i could say my frail but i shall be able to say so yet i trust i shall be able to say so god forbid she replied this is not for you mr m i certainly will give you no more this night but bob here is a favourite of mine bob you will see mr m home in all piety and truth i shall see that burning and shining light home returned bob in the mean time i will thank you for the loan of a lantern the night is one of most darkness solomon had now his head upon the table as if for sleep which he very probably would have indulged in despite of all opposition but just at this moment his horse car and servant most arrived and with the aid of bob succeeded in getting him away much against his own inclination for it would appear by his language that he had no intention whatsoever of departing if left to himself i shall not go said he it is permitted to me to here this night where is oh my darling these precious little the irish agent bring the little home out of this said she with a good deal of indignation for in truth the worthy saint uttered the last words in so significant a voice with such a confidential crow as might have thrown out not quite favourable to her sense of propriety on the occasion he was literally forced out therefore but not until he had made several efforts to grasp s hand and to get his arm around her she s a sweet creature a delightful dove but too innocent oh these precious little these precious httle its a shame said and a scandal to see any man making such pretensions to religion in such a state in all piety and truth said bob i say he s a burning and a shining king james he pitched his tents between their lines for to retire c c and so they departed very much to the satisfaction of and boots who were both obliged to sit up until his departure although fatigued with a long day s hard and incessant labour also retired to y pillow where i lay for a considerable time reflecting on the of the night and the ease with which an ingenious ma i m forms but not the spirit

of religion to the worst and most purposes thus far our friend mr whom we leave to follow up his into the state of the castle property and its management hoping that his discoveries and may at some future day be of service to the on that fine estate as well as to the country at large in the mean time we beg our readers to accompany us to the scene of many an act of gross corruption where and and selfishness in their worst shapes aided by fraud party personal hate and revenge long cherished where active loyalty and high assuming the name of religion and all the other passions and prejudices that have been suffered to the country so long have often been in full operation without check restraint or any wholesome responsibility that might or could or ought to have protected the property of the people from and their persons from oppression the scene wc allude to is the grand jury room of castle chapter xxi a with his precious a hack supporting a pillar of the church a political and religious sion in a friendly way s piety re the had now arrived and the grand of the county met once more to their and criminal business we omit the grand entry of the judges escorted as they then were by a large guard and the of the county not to mention a goodly and imposing array of the gentry and of the immediate and surrounding districts many of whom were out in all the grandeur of their orange robes as however we are only yet upon our way there we beg you to direct your attention to two gentlemen dressed in black and mounted each in a and characteristic manner one of them is a large but rather handsome vol iii c m and decidedly aristocratic looking man with a face mounted upon a splendid whose blood and action must have been trained to that kind of subdued but elegant bearing that would seem to indicate upon the part of the animal a consciousness that he too owed a duty to the church and constitution and had a just right to come within the of a and loyal horse as being with the life virtues and dignity of no less a person than the rev all of which are now on his back assembled as they always are in that reverend gentleman s precious person here we account at once for the animal s cautious of step and pride and dignity of action together with his devoted attachment to the church and constitution by which he lived and owing to which he wore a coat quite as sleek but by no means so black as his master s the gentleman by whom he appears to be accompanied much if we can judge by their motions against his will seems to be quite as strongly contrasted to him as the rough hack upon which he is mounted is to the and aristocratic that is honoured by bearing the rev the hack in question is nevertheless a stout and desperate looking with a red eye moving the irish agent ill tempered ears and a tail that seems to be the seat of intellect if a person is to take its quick and furious as being given in reply to mr s or by way of of the truth uttered by the huge and able who is of him that individual is no other than the rev father m who is dressed in a coat and waistcoat of coarse black broad cloth somewhat worse for the wear a pair of black breeches deprived of their original and a pair of boots well with honest s the fact being that the wonderful discovery of day and martin had not then come to light mr m has clearly an unsettled and dissatisfied seat and does not sit his horse with the ease and dignity of his companion in fact he feels that matters are not proceeding as he could wish neither does the hack at all appear to bear cordiality or affection to the state which keeps on such short they are by no means either of them in a state of peace or patience with the powers that be and when the priest at the conclusion of every sentence gives the an angry dash of the spurs as much as to say was not that observation right no man could mis m take the spirit in which the tail is and the head shaken in reply it is scarcely necessary to say that either mr or mr m were at all upon terms of intimacy mr m considered mr as a wealthy fat and whilst mr looked upon father m as vulgar and it was impossible in fact that with such an opinion of each other they could for a moment agree in anything or meet as men qualified by the virtues of their station to discharge on any one duty in common on the day in question mr was riding towards castle with the pious intention of getting o drive s appointment to the under confirmed this was one motive but there was another still stronger which was to have an interview with the leading men of the grand jury for the purpose of getting a new road run past his house in the first place and in the next to secure a good job for himself as a magistrate at all events he was proceeding towards castle apparently engaged in the contemplation of some important subject but whether it was the new road to his or the old one to heaven is beyond our penetration to determine be this as it the irish agent may such was his abstraction that he noticed not the rev father m who had ridden for some time along with him until

that gentleman thought proper to break the ice of ceremony and address liim sir your most obedient said the priest excuse my freedom i am the rev mr m catholic of castle but as i reside in the parish it is very possible you don t know me mr felt much hurt at the thrown out against his long absence from the parish and replied i do not sir in the least regret our want of intimacy the character of your in this parish is such that he who can congratulate himself on not being acquainted with you has something to boast of excuse me sir but i beg to assure you that i am not at all of the honour of your company touching my said the priest which it pleases you to condemn i d have you to know that i will teach my people how to resist oppression so long as i am able to teach them anything i will not allow them to remain tame under that make you and such as you as fat and proud as m i request you will be good enough sir to take some other way said mr you are a rude and vulgar person whom i neither know nor wish to know the and torch sir are congenial weapons to such a mind as yours i do beg you will take some other way and not continue to annoy me any longer this way man alive man alive i to whom do you address such a term said mr i really have never met so very vulgar a person i am quite upon my honour man i trust i shall soon get rid of you this way man alive responded the priest is as free to me in spite of corrupt and grand as it is to you or any other tyrant whether spiritual or if there are and in this parish it is because bad laws administered drive the people first into poverty and then into resistance and sir you are not to tell me for i will not believe it that a bad law and partially administered is not to be resisted by every legal means do you call noon day murder midnight and legal do you call the people into rebellion and the irish agent them with crime legal all this may be to your pope but it deserves a from the king and laws of england the king and laws of england sir have ever been more liberal of to the irish than they have been of either common justice or fair play what do the catholic people get or have ever got from you and such as you in return for the luxury which you draw without thanks from their sweat and labour but and chains and and hanging and and are admirable means to the catholic people of ireland the catholic people of ireland may thank you and such red hot men as you for the and which the laws of the country justly them and have you sir who the blood and sweat out of them the audacity to use such language to me did not your english kings and your english laws make education a crime and did you not then most and cruelly punish us for the which want of education occasioned yes because you made such knowledge as you then acquired the vehicle as you are doing now of m spreading abroad against church state and of disturbing the peace of the country because proud parson when the people become enlightened by education they insist and will upon their rights and refuse to be pressed to by such a and blood as established church if this be true then upon your showing you ought to be favourable to education among th people but that we know you are not you have no schools and you will not suffer us who ar willing to them for you certainly not we have no notion to sit by and see you and such as you your principles into our flocks but in talking of in what state let me ask you is your church in this blessed year of with all he wealth and splendour at her back i tell you sir in every district where the population is equal w can show two catholic schools for your one you our poverty sir as a reluctance t our people you utter a against th catholic of ireland for which you to be in a court of justice and to the afterwards nailed to the i never felt the h agent so much as by this conversation with you sir the catholic have always been at their duty at the bed of sickness and sorrow and death among the poor and afflicted where you who live by their hard and labour have never been known to show your red nose red nose ha ha dear me how well bred how admirably accomplished and how finely polished red nose i faith you did well to correct me it is only a wasn t your irish establishment in a blessed dying like a parson after his or until ould jack roused it then indeed when you saw your flocks running to and hedges after the black caps and the high of and strong dinners you yawned rubbed your eyes your d off to fight in your own defence against the long of your rounds and here was your love of education before that shock worthy bible man faith i m you sir if i could have anticipated such very vulgar i would have taken some other way y yourself thus upon me i trust you ve no notion to use personal violence t m you us i i do not understand your ai all my good sir those who are taken from the ditch to the

college and sent back from the college with the crust of their original prejudices upon them are not those from whom educated are to expect refinement or good manners from the ditch i we are taken from life proud parson to the college and it is better i enter college from the simplicity of humble life thai to enter the church with the rank of fashion able strong upon us not a bad for a establishment where ever temptation is presented to every passion you forgot sir what a system of your church was before the light of the came upon her and what a mockery of religion sh is to this day whatever i may forget i cannot but the mockery of religion presented by your proud an who roll in wealth and sen the poor whilst they themselves g to h worth hundreds of thousands i cannot tliat your church is for and slave who are bought by the minister of the day to his party that it is a thrown to the the irish agent sons and rs of the english and irish and that its and exceed ia pride violence of temper and insolence of any other class of persons in society sure they have their to pray for them but y soul to glory those that pray by will go to heaven by and so they ought eh faith i m you de te don t you live by pi for others what are your masses why a for your man ve what is your new creed but a from the beginning v and are you yourself not a in every of the word do you not make rf the crimes and ignorance of your people make i this from you who take ay a tenth part of the poor man s labour without the consciousness of even his creed do you ever worship the lord aright or address him in any language which the people can and do you ever seek salvation with half the displayed when you lay your keen to the trail of a fresh or a fat do you not most of you think more of yo a ou i m and than you do of either your churches or your flocks mr at length pulled up his horse and fixing his eyes on father m inquired why he should have fastened upon him in so offensive a manner and mr m pulling up the hack wc spoke of fixed a pair of fiery on him in and i haven t done with you yet my worthy you needn t i say for if you had as man upon you as there are articles in your creed wouldn t be prevented from bringing you to ai account for interfering with my flock rude and wretched man how by attempting to o drive th and him over to your i would bring him over from his an superstition but why do you sir a man named named let me see bob i think who belongs to my congregation simply because i wish to bring him over from s false church to the true one it appears that because this simple person has been afflicted with you have through some pious or other to effect hi cure by him to not enter a church the irish agent or oat swine s flesh during his life arc you not ashamed sir of such as this swine s flesh call it man alive like a man yes and i tell you moreover that i have cured him and with a blessing shall cure him better still if that is any consolation to you from being a purple i have him now hard at work every day at his but i now caution you not to the principles of o drive the why sir the man has no religious opinion nor ever had thanks to mr m and i m bound to say that such a thick headed villain in matters as bob i never diet god knows i had a sore handful of him so dow remember my caution and good by to you i think you ll know me again when you meet me gave him a haughty ere the priest turned off a bridle road but made no other reply even by his head to him but indeed it was hardly to be expected that he should such is the anxiety to snap up a convert in it matters not from what church oi to church that mr lost no time in g the appointment of honest to the office of an ap i m to which both m and m recommended hun not certainly from an excess o affection towards that simple and worthy man from a mis giving that an important portion of certain correspondence in the shape of two letter was in his possession and that so far they prudent in declining to provoke his enmity chapter xxii e grand jury room a conscientious way to a house of more ce than the way to heaven irish method justice short debate on the spy patriotic a bridge ass now however to the grand jury room of and truly as a subordinate for administration of justice it was at the time of i we write one of the most be witnessed it was a long room about r six or forty feet in length by thirty with a place at each end and one or two at the above the chimney piece was an oil the third together with a small se statue of the same prince and of george the third there were some portraits of past and present presented or their friends but there was one which we cannot omit although by n presented or on what occasion we are

m unable to inform the reader we are inclined to think it must have been placed there by some wag who wished to ridicule the extent to which mere loyalty was carried in those days and the warmth of admiration with which its most were received the picture in question was the portrait of a pious who was too conscientious to hang any one but a they called him a little fellow with a face like a a broken nose and a pair of or ill matched eye brows one of them being nearly an inch higher up the forehead than the other it seems had his own opinions one of which was that there existed no law in the constitution for hanging a he said that if he were to hang a he would be forced to consider it in his conscience only another name for suicide and that with a ng he would string up none but such vile wretches as were out of the pale of the constitution and consequently not entitled to any political grace or salvation whatever and indeed upon the principles of the day the portrait of was nearly as well entitled to be hung among the gi and as that of any one there seated about a long table covered with green the irish agent were a number of men with papers before them whilst in different parts of the room were the younger persons amusing themselves by the accidents at the last meet if it happened to be the hunting season or the last or the last female victim to the corruption and of some of those from whom the people were to expect justice and their families protection others were whistling or humming some favourite air and one of them a poet was reading a which he had prepared for the election come here said the you are up to every thing here is the parson wants to have a for a new line of road running through his or to his for i suppose it is the same thing well replied and let him have it isn t he as well entitled to a job as any of us what the devil why not put a few feathers in his nest man the county has a broad back his nest is better than he deserves he has two enormous a good private fortune and now indeed he must come to saddle himself upon the county in the shape of a job he has rendered good service mr replied another of them good service to the go vol iii d m sir with every respect for your wonderful and honesty what do you mean sir asked sternly do you throw out any against my honour or my honesty oh lord no by no means i have no relish at all for your cold lead mr only that i don t think you stand the best chance in the world of being returned for castle sir that is all asked another with a loud laugh is it true that your cousin on bringing a message to young m pulled his nose and kicked him a round the room ask his father dick said smiling i have heard he was present and of course h knows best i say inquired the other is it true ay returned old as true as the on your face that precious was a cowardly all his life so was his father d n you where did you get your cowardice i m sure it was not from me that is if you be mine which is a rather circumstance for i take it you are as likely to be the descent of some the irish agent or and be hanged to you as mine c is it true persisted the former that young pulled s nose we have come here for other purposes dick s certainly did not wish to strike the young man in his own house and had more sense than to the peace in the presence of a magistrate and that magistrate his own father how the devil did he put his on m s pretty daughter asked another from a different part of the room that said is the only spirited thing i ever knew him to manage is it true that he was foimd in her bed room it is certainly true replied with a smile of meaning and with her own consent too that s false replied and you know it that he was in her room for a couple of minutes is true but that he was there for any purpose to her honour that is with her own consent is false the whole thing was a cowardly trick on the part of your son by the aid of old for the purpose of the girl s reputation m ay said old i dare say you are right if was in it but d n her she s dangerous even at a distance if all that s said of her be true i say this was a given to the in consequence of a slight halt or for which he was remarkable are we not to find bills for something against who is about to be married to that what said laughing is it on account i think if you said so you d not be very far from the truth he murdered one of my fellows said m one of the and men that ever was in the country and what is more he did it in cold blood you were not present said and consequently have no right to attempt to prejudice the minds of the jury against him we shall find the bills for all that said the interference of such fellows in the execution of the laws must be put a stop to you

are right said sir william if we can t hang him let us send him across he had no business to touch the hair of a blood hound s head this is pretty justice isn t it why didn t the rascal stand and let himself be shot in the irish agent obedience to the spirit of the constitution rather than a blood hound i tell you my good that this method of managing things will bring about its own yet oh sir william you and would run well in a chaise together both always for the whom do you the why the to be sure no more than you are replied i find a as good as another man if he s as well and as fairly treated said a large man whose legs were wrapped in flannel of course you ve heard of sir william s method of justice will that too sir find its own remedy eh ha ha ha d e it s the most novel thing going no how is it why if two neighbours chance to fall out or have a quarrel and if it happens also that they come to take the law of one another as they it what does the worthy do do you imagine well my good fellow proceeds our justice you want to take the law of this man yes your honour and you want to take the law of the other it m can keep any thing or any body in order in such a as this i ll thank you to the singing of your for the election or take to the street when our business is over and it to the crowd you be d d replied til finish it if the devil was at the back door said addressing a thin man beside him i saw a pretty bit of goods in castle market on thursday why replied the other is it possible that with one foot and more than half your body in the grave and your shadow in h i you sinner you have not yet given up your eat drink and be merry tom for to morrow we die but about this pretty bit of goods i tried to price her but it wouldn t do and when i pressed hard what do you think of the little but put herself under the protection of old priest and told him i had insulted her who is she inquired a young fellow with a good deal of interest ah bob replied laughing there you arc one of the holy here did you ever hear what mad their father the drinking parson of mount as some one the irish agent his residence said of his three sons and that chap there s one of them no let us hear it dan said the father speaking of the eldest would eat the devil jack the second would drink the devil and bob this chap here would both eat him and drink him in the first place and him afterwards that s bob the youngest he there with a lip like a he has sent him here to pick up a uttle honesty and much loyalty and a great deal of replied bob laughing from the virtuous no no replied you need never leave your reverend father s wing for that do you the poor as much as ever replied bob ah you are another sweet agent as times go do you touch them at the as usual bob i was very good at that but there s an son of mine the there and d me when i look back upon my life and compare it with his it s enough to make me repent of my humanity to think of the opportunities i have neglected gentlemen observed it strikes me that no matter what the of other virtues we possess there is somehow nothing like a m abundance of shame among us we appear to glory in our vices a why confound it replied where s the use of assuming what we do not and cannot feel would you have me preach honesty who am as d d a rogue as there is here indeed with the exception of that of mine i believe the greatest but that fellow s my master nobody can quarrel with your because it s all at your own expense said the and here it is at yours with the exception always of myself and my son you are the deepest rogue here and i am very much afraid that your wiu be of my opinion when it is too late he laughed heartily at this and then as usual took to whistling his favourite tune of the water our readers may perceive that there was among them an open hardy scorn not only of all shame but of the very forms of common decency and the feelings the habits the the distribution of and of the exercise of petty authority party spirit and personal resentment all went the same way and took the same bent because in point of fact there was in this i the irish agent assembly of village no such thing as an opposition for three or four were nothing no balance of feeling no division of opinion and consequently no check upon the double of practice and principle which went forward under circumstances where there existed a complete sense of security and an utter absence of all responsibility gentlemen we are losing a great deal of time observed m let us first get through the business and afterwards we will be more at leisure for this trifling the bills for are not yet found not found replied why how soft you are why they are not and why are they not the hard faced that has the right

of back trot in the castle and he will tell you we all know that very well no thanks to your observed the truth is he did not wish to let him out for a reason he has he added at the rest let us hear the said and get through the business as quickly as we can m is that asked sir william who was engaged in the spy system a little before i returned from england a d d scandalous transaction the spy system sir william is a very useful one to government replied and they would be devilish fools if they did not encourage it that may be your opinion mr m said sir william and your practice for aught i know but permit me to say that it is not the opinion of a gentleman a man of honour nor of any honest man however humble i perfectly agree with you sir william said and i despise the government which can stoop to such treachery for it is nothing else the government that could adopt such a tool as this would not scruple to the either of private life or public confidence if it suited their interest nay i question whether they would not be guilty of a itself and open the very letters in the post office which are placed there under the sacred seal of public faith however never mind proceed with the here is the case of some of your m charged here with and violently pulling down several houses in tl the irish agent of and the inhabitants halt there a moment said every man of the said inhabitants which i can prove my men who are remarkable for their and loyalty went upon private information more of the spy system said smiling mr you may smile but truth is truth replied we had private information that they had arms and rebellious papers and the latter we have got under the of their private information still more of the spy system repeated smiling again but not the arms asked sir william no sir william not the arms the were too quick for us there then they expected you it seems observed and if so when taking away the arms i am anxious to know why they should have been such fools as to leave the papers behind them i am not here to account for their conduct sir replied but to state the facts as they occurred they may for instance not have had time to i bring them it is not a month for instance since my fellows in still hunting and talking of that mr will you allow me to send you a couple of m head i offer it from pure good will for i re regret that there should be any want of between our families our families asked with a and indignation our families sir w do you mean oh damn it don t i m nothing offensive between us then dropping families said for he saw the begin to and you cowardly hound why should the families inquired taking fire do forget who your father was and do you forget resumed who your mother is damn it replied still with g humour how am i for their before i had existence i neither made them as ti were nor as they are then have the modesty said forbear any allusion to them especially in the i of comparison for one of them i reply i that he is of a better family than y self and don t imagine my worthy fellow however you may brow beat others you will permitted to bully or brow beat me i say thb irish agent there is better blood in my veins than ever ran through yours i had no intention of or brow beating any man here replied much less one whose age and virtues must prevent him not from meeting you like a man said old a i am i can yet stand my ground or if not d n me i can tie a stake to my bottom and you may take that as a proof that i won t run away nobody you for that said the other out of the long catalogue of human virtues courage is the only one left you or indeed you ever had unless indeed it be the and honesty of in your own vices why replied you forget that you had more vices and too in your family and more brass than ever i or mine could boast of if the memory of that successful old your grandfather had not passed out of your mind you would make no allusion to vices or and take care my good hot young fellow that you don t die in your family trade and come to the yet who was hasty but exceedingly good although certainly a noted now burst out into a hearty laugh as did most of the rest m said he there is no use in being with you nor in being ashamed that my fortune wa created by industry and honesty for both of virtues i have reason heartily to thank my good ok grandfather the man as you have foi thanking the of your father the worthy tailor who had the honour of being appointed one of s knights ha ha ha the laughter now became general and excessive but not one of them enjoyed or seemed at least tc enjoy it with more good humour than who indeed was never known to exhibit any want ol temper to his equals during his ufe well said he ha ha ha now that that breeze has blown over about the thanks but no if you please then gentlemen said to resume business i was alluding to the of a still about a month ago near

drum where the parties just had time to secure the still itself but were forced to leave the head and worm behind them now that i give as a fair illustration of our getting the papers and missing the arms besides said he in a and confidential tone addressed to a of his friends the whom he joined lower end of the room you arc all aware that my the irish agent fellows are every one of them and the government itself for i have reason to it that it is not either or prudent to check the spirit which is now abroad among them so far from that i can tell you it is expected that we should and increase it until the times change the bills against these men must therefore he thrown out ril agree to that said a leading man of his own party only on one condition there are three of my own tenants to be sure in for now we must have them out for one good turn deserves another but why inquired and his friends why simply because the poor fellows were for myself he all the apparatus were mine and i can t think of allowing them to be for my own act very well then a bargain be it said so out they go whilst every man was thus working either for liis friends or against his enemies or not i who in point of fact felt always to do as much good as he could addressed ip william have you no friends in difficulty sir william vol iii m or who require your now i see the are hard at work some working heaven and earth to the vengeance of law upon their enemies others quite as anxious to ti ice from their friends eh what s that said sir william starting up come you are right there are four of my tenants in for a the m and the poor devils stand no chance with such a jury as they will have i hear them named below there so let us join the as you say and see if we cannot get the bills thrown out very well said as they approached him the m go to trial sir william excuse me said will you allow me to interfere in the first instance my dear fellow certainly with great pleasure and i shall aid you as far as i can said in that kind of familiar tone which he knew would go far with such a man as m and which was in such accordance with wi good humour my good fellow and the est man of business here by the way not the affair i want you to stand my friend and also sir william s here how is that there are four men in from the mountain bar the irish agent named m now we want to have the bills against them ignored and simply for a plain reason at this season of the year any imprisonment would ruin them it was a fight or something of that kind and of course there is no feeling of a religious or party nature in it am i not right sir william perfectly the thing took place during my absence in england for the last few months had i been at home the matter would have been decided in my own stable yard yes observed but it appears there was a man s life in danger yes but sir his life is now out of danger well but does not this rejoined in his most serious mood look very like the course of justice why you d d scoundrel said the what in nineteen cases out of twenty is done at every where matters connected with or politics are concerned that ought not to be called the course of justice we shall return true bills sir william and that is the only reply i have to make except to thank you for your courtesy mr m said i know your m good sense and forbearance both of which are so creditable to you these poor fellows will be ruined for both you and i know the kind of jury that is to try them an honest jury mr said m who was now beginning to feel a little of his power an honest jury mr i give you leave to say so but in the mean time i will accept one favour from you if you grant me two how is that sir asked send me the you spoke of and the bills against these no sir replied looking with his own peculiar smile at sir william i shall not for by g we will find true bills against the four m we might do something for humanity mr but we are not to be made fools of before our own faces i do not understand you he is nothing but a scoundrel as i said returned sir that is all a low born scoundrel and it is a disgrace to see such a fellow s name upon any grand jury we do not wish to refuse either sir william or you such a matter as the irish agent this but the fact is m is right this is at bottom a party matter a political matter and you know it is no sir on my own part and on sir william s i any such knowledge you know you are the county yes but what has that to do with these men or their affairs what why you know if we the bills against them they will be out and ready to vote for you at the election looked at him with but said nothing now he proceeded i ll tell you what we will do if you and sir william pledge your words as men of honour that

of the grand would scarcely reach so high in the mean time i shall think of it the bridge however was not only passed but built and actually stands to this day an honesty of grand and the affection which they were then capable of bearing to each other when their interests happened to be at stake which was just four times in the year in the mean time the tumultuous battle of the irish agent in all its noise and of conflicting interests and incredible commenced there were strong mutual objections to pass the roads to mr and m and a regular conflict between their respective accordingly took place m s party were absolutely shocked at the and of such a man as mr a person of such great wealth an a non resident dipping his hand in the affairs of the county for the sake of a job his party for he had a strong one dwelt upon his rights as a officer a magistrate and justice of upon his sterling principles as a loyal who had rendered very important services to the church and the government it was such as he they said who supported the true dignity and respectability of and it would be a scandal to refuse him a road to his groaned several times during this and repeated his favourite text let us eat drink and be merry for to morrow we die but whether its application was designed for or himself was not very easy perhaps we should rather say difficult to determine that is all very true replied s party but in the mean time it would bo m able for him to pay attention to the interests of his parish and the condition of its tottering old as to be the county for a job what know about his church inquired who have never been seen in it except on last monday when you were candidate for the church m ho added we all know you are a of your father s colour it s the best that puts most into your pocket and on what other principle is himself now proceeding or has ever proceeded replied s friends for himself had always a whole some to personal discussion in fact one would have imagined on hearing s party against the selfishness of that they themselves entertained a most virtuous horror against and corruption of all kinds and had within them an actual regard for religion in all its purity spiritual beauty and truth contrary the who certainly had the worst cause seemed to think tliat m in preferring his own corruption to that of the parson was guilty of a complete the irish agent tion of that sterling and feeling which they considered to constitute its highest principle and absolutely to into the of something to a at length it was suggested by him of the bridge that in order to meet the wishes of two such excellent men and such admirable representatives of pure virtue and spirit it would be best to pass both on the present occasion and drop or some of the minor ones until next term a suggestion which was eagerly received by both parties in as much as it satisfied the of each without giving a victory to either this however was far from either the business or the that arose out of the minor conflicting interests of the a good deal of hanging fire there was also but given and returned in a better spirit between s friends and s why doesn t said the former afford i us a little a more of his company in the parish ah the we suppose if he f gave you more of his and he would experience less of your opposition i really am afraid to go to church said i m who now that the storm had passed resumed his usual habit of light sarcasm i am afraid to go lest that crazy old church which really between ourselves i speak of course in a friendly way now is in a most shameful and dangerous state should fall upon me i did not think said m small that you had such a strong sense of your own deserts left i have some hopes of you yet ah said i fear that on your way to heaven if you meet a you will not be likely to find a grand jury to build a bridge for you across it i perfectly agree with you replied m small the face of a grand will be a novel sight in that direction and in the other direction observed no bridges will be wanted why so said m small because he there will be such an absence of water as will render them unnecessary ay retorted another but as there will be plenty of grand we may do then as we did now build the bridge without the water and trouble ourselves no further with the consequences the irish agent after much more conversation partly on business and partly on topics the and and all the noisy of that corrupt little world that is contained within we should rather say that was contained within the walls of a grand jury room ceased and with tlie exception of one or two small matters of no consequence everything was settled but not so as to give general satisfaction for there still remained a considerable number of whose objects had been either completely lost in greater corruption or set aside for the present here s another matter said which we had better settle at once a man hero named o drive o drive is to be appointed to the under he is strongly recommended by mr as a man that has that s enough said that i suppose all the virtues necessary for an under at all events you know

him m said one or two of them he ll make as good an under replied as there will be in europe him gentlemen you will get no such man m and that is just said sir william aside to all that recommendation is good for and thus closed as much as we feel necessary to describe of that extraordinary scene a grand jury room in the year or chapter a rent day relative position of landlord and tenant op s notion of respect s wig and solomon in a pit op admiration the widow one single week in the progress of time after the exhibition last described had wonderfully advanced the catastrophe of our simple and narrative very much to the mortification of m was the evidence being not only m his favour but actually of such a character as to prove clearly that his trial was merely one of those stretches of vengeance which the times on coming out however he found the affairs of the firm in a state of and ruin the s in the papers with compassion and a hope that the affairs of this very respectable which was hitherto supposed to be a vol y m one would still be wound up in a way they trusted somewhat more satisfactory than was given out by their enemies nor was this the worst so far as himself was concerned the impression of mary m s had been now so thoroughly stamped into his heart that he neither could nor would listen to any attempt upon the part of their mutual friends at her this last stroke of anguish was owing also to s ingenuity on reflecting day after day and hour by hour upon the occurrence and comparing it with her conduct and confusion on previous occasions felt as we before said strongly to believe her guilty he determined however not to rest here but to the matter to the bottom he accordingly heard from his cousin and from several others while in prison such details of the particulars and such an list of the persons were present many of whom owing to the of were friendly and favourable to the family that he privately sent for them and on comparing the one with the other he found the harmony among them so strong that he gave up all thoughts of her save such as involuntarily to his mind with indignation and anguish in addition to his other the irish agent it happened that the second day after his release from imprisonment was what the agents call day that is the day upon which they get into their chair of state as it were and in all the insolence of office receive their rents and give a general audience to the indeed even more than the father looked forward to these days with an exultation of soul and a consciousness of authority that repaid him for all the and of the nose which he was forced to suffer during the whole year besides in truth nothing could equal much less the spirit by which this lion hearted gentleman was then animated his frown the of bis head the ferocity of his look and the pomp of manner with which he addressed them and damned liis honour were all in their way the father was more cautious and within bounds simply because he had more sense and knew the world better but at the same time it was easy to see by his manner that in spite of all his efforts at and justice he possessed the poison as well as the wisdom of the serpent but not one of the of the dove at another table a little to the right of m sat m ready to take m appropriate part in the proceedings of the day and prepared whilst engaged in the task of seeing that every thing was done according to law to throw in a word in season touching the interests of the gospel at length eleven o clock arrived and found our old friend who had not yet entered upon the duties of his office together with one or two other all ready for business the two principal characters were surrounded by books and every other document necessary and usual upon such occasions the day was wet and cold and by no means in the spirit of the season but we know not why it happens that there seems in general to be a of disastrous weather peculiar to such days leading one to e that the agent possessed such a of the weather as enabled him to the severity of the very elements upon his own cruelty in a country so poor as ireland the scene presented by a rent day is one too impressive and melancholy ever to be forgotten by any heart touched with benevolence there is little if any of that erect freedom of and natural exhibition of good will which conscious independence and a sense of protection on the irish the part of the tenant whilst on that of the agent or landlord there is a contemptuous hardness of a vile indifference and utter disregard of the feelings of those by whom he is surrounded that might enable the observer to say at a glance here is no sympathy between that man and these people but that is not all give yourself time to observe them more closely listen to that agent pouring his insolent upon the head of this poor man whose only crime is his poverty and whose spirit appears to be broken down with the struggles and sufferings of life yet who hears his honesty his efforts and his character blackened without any other a calm spirit that looks to his own heart for the consciousness of these look at this we repeat and you will surely feel yourself forced to say not that there

is no sympathy between these men that there sits the arid there stands the oppressed but even this is not all bestow a still more searching glance upon the scene here is more than more than the of and fraud more than the cruel of character in the presence of so many mark the words of that agent or landlord again m he is the fate of this struggling man he tells him he is to have no home no house to shelter himself his wife and their children that he must be turned out upon the world without friends to support or aid him or the means to sustain their physical existence hear all this and mark the brow of that man observe how it and how firmly he his lips and with what a long determined gloomy gaze he his observe all this we repeat and need you feel at finding yourself compelled to go still farther and say there a doomed man and there most assuredly stands his murderer let it not be supposed that we are capable of murder or the shedding of human blood but we are and ever shall that crime in the humble man which in the oppression of the great man is the act which happiness and contentment poverty misery which out of the heart all the little and sweet of life which away the strength of the spirit and that of the which the eye and gives to the cheek and by all these together makes home yes home the oi m the irish agent a thing to be thought of only with dread an asylum for the miseries of life is the act we say which upon a human being or a human family this and curse no crime in the sight of god and in the sight of man is it no crime yes in the sight of god and man it is a deep an awful and a most heartless crime i to return however to our rent day the whole morning was cold and stormy and as there was but little shelter about the place we need scarcely say that the poor creatures who were before the door were compelled to bear the full force of its indeed it may be with truth that when people are met together under circumstances of a painful nature they cannot or melt into that ease which generally marks those who together with no such restraint upon the heart or here too as in every other department of life all the various of poverty and dependence fall into their respective classes in one place for instance might be seen together those more comfortable farmers who wore able to meet their engagements but who under the conviction that however hard and severely industry might put forth its exertions there was no of independence no cheering re m that they resided under a who would feel gratified and proud at their prosperity alas it is wonderful how much happiness a bad landlord these men stood with their backs to the wind and storm lowly conversing upon the disastrous change which was coming and had come over the estate their br were lowered their dialogue languid and gloomy and altogether their whole appearance was that of men who felt that they lived neither for themselves or their families but for those who took no interest whatsoever in their happiness or welfare in another place were together men who were still worse off than the former men we mean who were able to meet their engagements but at the expense of all or mostly all that domestic comfort who had bad beds bad food and indifferent clothes these persons were far more in their bearing than the former took a less prominent situation in the crowd and seemed to have deeper care and much more personal feeling to repress or combat it is an fact that the very severe and tyranny exercised over them had absolutely driven the poor creatures into and falsehood a general and almost uniform consequence of conduct so oppressive they were all at best god knows but very the irish agent poorly clothed yet if it bo happened that one or two of them somewhat more comfortable than the rest happened to have got a new coat a little before the gale day he invariably declined to appear in it knowing as he did that he should receive a torrent of abuse from the agent in consequence of getting fat impudent and well dressed on his s property terms of abuse which together with the cause that produced them are at this moment well known to thousands as expressions whose general occurrence on such occasions has almost fixed them into a proverb will our english neighbours believe this that we know not but we can assure them that they may there were other groups farther down in the scale of distress where embarrassment and struggle told a yet more painful tale those who came with their rent in full to be sure but literally up from their own private who were obliged to sell the meal or or wheat at a loss in order to meet the inexorable demands of the merciless and agent here were all the external evidences of their condition by a single look at their persons they also together ill clad ill fed timid broken down heartless all these however had their rents had them full and complete in amount and now the reader may m well say this picture is indeed very painful and i am glad it is closed at last closed oh no kind reader it is not closed nor could it be closed by any writer acquainted either with the subject or the country what are we to say of those who had not the rent

and who came there only to make that melancholy statement and to pray for mercy here was shivering not merely with the cold assault of the elements but from the dreaded apprehension of the terrible downcast looks that spoke of keen and cutting misery eyes that were dead and hopeless in expression and occasionally a hasty wringing of the hands accompanied by an expression so dejected and lamentable as makes us when we cast our eye in imagination upon such men as m cry out aloud where are the of the almighty and why are his asleep there was there the poor grey haired old man the grandfather accompanied perhaps by his promising young left and to his care and brought now in order that the agent might see with his own eyes how soon he will have their aid to cultivate their little farm and consequently to make it pay better he hopes then the widow tremulous with the excess of many feelings the irish agent many cares and many bitter and indignant apprehensions if handsome herself or if the mother of daughters old enough and sufficiently attractive for the purposes of oh i what has she to contend with poor helpless coming to offer her humble apology for not being able to bo prepared to the day alas i how may she clutched as she is in the of that man or his scoundrel and son how may she fight out the battle of religion and virtue and poverty against the united influences of oppression and lust wealth and the appearance of these different groups when the of the day their sinking hearts and downcast pale countenances were taken into consideration was really a strong of tho greatest evil which and the country the unsettled state of property and of the relative position of landlord and tenant in ireland at length the hall door was opened and a hard faced came out upon the steps shouting the name of a man named o hare the man immediately approached the steps and after shaking tho heavy rain out of his big coat and having his hat backwards and forwards several times that he might not soil his honour s office m brought in and having his bow stood to his honour s pleasure his honour however who had divided the labour between himself and had also by an arrangement which was understood between them allotted that young gentleman at his own request a peculiar class marked out in the in which class this man stood o hare said how do you do upon my conscience your honour but poorly replied o hare the last heavy fit of illness joined to the bad times sir o hare said solomon suffer me and without assuming anything to myself to point out to you the of swearing i do it my friend in all humility for i fear that so long as you indulge in that most sinful practice the times will seldom be other than bad with you or indeed with any one that gives way to so wicked a habit excuse me o hare i speak to you as a christian i humbly trust by g that s good father exclaimed m preaching to such a fellow as this i humbly thank you sir said o hare to solomon for your kindness in thank the devil said what tho the irish agent devil does he or i care about your d d thanks have you your rent the man with trembling hands placed some notes and gold and silver before the latter being up in the former i m short for the present he added just thirty shillings sir but you can give me an acknowledgment for the sum i give you now a regular receipt will do when i bring the balance which god will be in about a fortnight ay and this is your rent mr hare exclaimed gathering up the money into a lump and with all his force flinging it at the man s head this is your rent o hare placing an emphasis of contempt on the word mr thirty shillings short mr o hare but til tell you what mr o hare by if you don t have the full rent for me in two hours mr o hare i ll make short work and you may sleep on the i can in ten minutes get more rent than you pay mr o hare so now go to h and get the money or out you go the poor man stooped down and with considerable search and difficulty succeeded in picking up his money in two hours sir said he i could never do it m that s your own business said not mine if you have it not for me in two hours out you go so now be off to hell out of this and get it who had been over an account book now raised his head as if disturbed by the noise for the first time what s the matter said he what is it why d n my honour replied but that scoundrel o hare had the assurance to come to me thirty shillings short of his rent and what is more only brought me part of it in gold god help me exclaimed poor o hare i know not what to do sure i did the best i could he then went out to the hall and was about to leave the house when rising called him into another room where both remained for a few minutes after which the man went away thanking his honour and praying god to bless him and having seated himself at the desk appeared to fed rather pleased at their little interview than otherwise ah my dear friend m said solomon you are a

said the sturdy farmer you know the proverb sir man but god what do you mean what language is this to my father be off to h or sir or we ll make it worse for you ha bow ho did not utter the last but his face expressed it that s not the religious individual i took him to be s d solomon there is much of the of in him religion be hanged m said what religion could you expect a like him to have m call in old a venerable old man who though nearly a m years old stood actually as erect as the himself now entered he was however but poorly clad and had nothing else remarkable about him with the exception of a rich wig which would puzzle any one to know how it had got upon his head on entering he took off his hat as usual and paid his salutation what the devil do you mean said once more in a what kind of respect is that in our presence what kind of respect is that i say take off your wig sir with great respect to you sir replied i have been in as company as this and it s the first time ever i was to take my jf off said who really felt somewhat ashamed of this ignorant and my good boy i think you are rather foolish never mind him he is only are not you the man asked solomon in whom our mr takes such a deep and christian interest i am sir returned and pray what interest does he take in you said sir replied he is very kind the irish agent and yery good to me indeed he s the generous gentleman and the good christian that doesn t forget but what does he do for you asked the agent why sh replied he gives me a cast off wig once a year god him this is his i haye on me ever since i began to wear them i feel a strong relish for beef and mutton and such fine but some how god me i haven t the same to devotion that i used to have my old boy said that the ease altogether i thought the wig was as as yourself but had i known that it was a and constitutional concern of sound high church principles i should have treated it with respect i might have known indeed that it could not be a one for i see it has the thorough curl the ther looked at to ascertain whether he was serious or not but so or was the expression of his countenance that he could make nothing out of it you are reasoning said solomon upon wrong certainly not upon purely gospel e the wig at moment has a e m more of in it than ever it had of and if i m not much mistaken more honesty too observed who had not forgotten the opposition he received in the grand jury room by s friends nor the fact that the same rev gentleman had taken many fat out of his mouth on several other occasions well then confound the wig said and that s all i have to say about it then paid his rent and having received a receipt was about to go when thus addressed liim i hope you will not hesitate to give up that farm of your s at i told you before that if you do i ll be a friend to you for life ril sell it sir said but surely yon wouldn t have me to give up my interest in such a farm as that i ll make it up to you in other ways said and i ll mention you besides to lord i m thankful to you sir said but it s in heaven i ll be most likely before ever you see his face then you won t give it up nor rely upon my generosity or s it s lord you will be obliging not me the irish every respect for you both sir replied must think of my own flesh and blood my and grand and great grand before think of either you or him the day sir you made me and sent me on your own car for the lease i would a given it but then they wouldn t let me at home and so on thinking it over you re man you re said go home now but i tell you you will have cause to remember this before you die old as you are go home the truth is solomon i was offered two hundred pounds for it by one of my hounds which would be a good thing enough and would afford you a into the bargain the old fellow would have brought me the lease the day he speaks of were it not for the family and talking of you will not forget to draw up those two for the o with a flaw in each they are certainly with us up to the present time but then we can never be sure of these no d n my honour if over we can re echoed they hate us because we keep them down put in two good solomon and be hanged to you so that we can them out if ever they e to vote for us m never you mind solomon said his father solomon will put in a pair of that will do him honour if i did not feel that in doing so mj dear m i am rendering a service to religion and fighting a just and righteous fight against and i would not deem myself as one permitted to do this thing but the work is a

helping forward of religion and that is my justification call in a poor looking man now entered with a staff in his hand by the aid of which he walked for he was lame well your rent i have scrambled it together sir from god knows how many said solomon aside is it not painful to hear how habitually these dark creatures take the sacred name in vain by it s perfectly shocking said but what else could you expect from them said what is this here s a mistake you are short three pound ten your pardon sir it s all right you see your honour here s my little account for the work i wrought for you for five weeks horse and cart l i put my the irish agent knee out o joint in the you remember sir when i brought it to you you said to let it stand that you would allow for it in the next gale i remember no such thing my good fellow or if ever i said such a thing it must have been a mistake do you imagine now are you really so stupid and silly as to imagine that i could this account of your s to lord in payment of his rent but wasn t it by own i did it sir no sir it couldn t be by my orders you re a great i see i once had a good opinion of you but i now perceive my error here you up a bill against me when you know perfectly well that most of the work you chaise me with was duty work your pardon sir i paid you the if you ll remember it i tell you you are a most impudent and scoundrel to speak to me in this style and in my own office too go and get the balance of the rent otherwise you shall repent it and mark me no more of your as god is to judge me ah my began solomon be off to h l sir out of this m be off i say to h or or if you don t take my word for it you ll find yourself in a worse mess to address my father in such language be off sir ha bow i said his once more ah said solomon when the man had retired i see your patience and your difficulties but there is no man free from the latter in this of sorrow call said here s a fellow now who has an excellent farm at a low rent yet he never is prepared with a penny well oh devil the penny sir you must only prize the the ould game sir the ould game however it s a merry world as long as it lasts and we must only take our own out of it what is the matter with your head asked devil a much sir a couple o cuts that you might lay your finger in we an the had another set to on thursday last but be my we them into as we re well able to do will i have the pleasure of drinking your health i think i see the right sort here the irish agent give him a glass of spirits said i think jou have seen some one drinking to day ah well here s if we re to have a short life may it be a merry one i and may we never worse than mutton mr m more power to you she s next door to me and he winked at solomon an the by the powers on famous sir in reply to only share of two half in regard of the day that s in it and i another half pint blood sir but that s a beautiful drop i it would take the tear off a widow s pig or the widow herself faith mr m i could tell where the cow that was for that i i however no i m from sweet the that never seen to morrow i more power that will do you have not your rent oh i d n the penny as usual success well but what s to be done i must come down a foot you ll come down please your honour but you ll come up and prize the it s worth five times the rent at any rate ih m one comfort m upon my honour i m tired of this i have done it several times through kindness to yourself and family but i cannot really do it any more very well sir no offence what one wont another will i can raise three times the rent on it in four and twenty hours what an unfortunate man you are to be sure well i shall your crops and take them or a competent share of them in payment on this occasion but mark me it shall be the last more power i say long life to you sir you know a hawk from a hand saw any how and be my kind father for i m from sweet i so saying poor idle drinking by his own sheer neglect put his property into the hands of the most that ever robbed and a this mode of proceeding was in fact one of the many methods resorted to by agents for filling their own pockets at the expense of the tenant who by this means seldom received more than a fourth part of the value of his crops the agent under the mask of obliging him and saving his crops from the hammer took them at a when the irish the were low and in order that he might

be able to do so he always kept over the tenant s bead what is called a hanging gale which means that he was half a year s rent in the crops were then brought home to the agent s place and frequently to save appearances to the haggard of some friend of his where they were kept until the got up to the highest price so that it was not an unusual thing for the agent to double the rent one half of which he coolly put into his own pocket in pastoral lands the butter was in the same and mostly with similar results to both parties to return when had departed asked solomon what he thought of him think of him solomon who could not for ve the allusion to i would fain think of him as becomes a christian but somehow i could not help feeling whenever i looked at him that there was the outline of an execution in his face however i may be mistaken indeed i hope i trust i am the villain m call in yes said in widow now solomon only you have no for any thing except what s and spiritual you would say that here comes such a specimen of irish beauty as you have seldom seen m i never had any objection said solomon in spite of all his gravity betrayed an i this occasion that was certainly not usual to him i never had any objection to look upon any from his hand with pleasure indeed on the i often felt that it raised my sense of was beautiful in such a way that my feelings became as it were full of a sweet that was not to b despised i will consequently not decline to upon this comely widow that is in the serious light i mention how do you do mrs i hope have not got much wet turning i very oh mrs i hope you re very well followed i fear you have got wet have the goodness to take a chair mrs and a of wine ma am mrs took a chair but she declined tb glass of wine mrs had been the wife o a young husband who died in his twenty year just when they had been about a year an a married she was herself on the day i question about the same age as her husband he died she had been a widow just two years an had one child a son she was indeed a the irish agent woman in fact a very beautiful woman as one could almost see in her humble condition of life her were a black but her skin was white and polished as ivory her face was a fine specimen of the oval her brows exquisitely and her large black but mellow eyes flashed a look that went your very heart but if there was any that struck you as being more fascinating than it was the expression of innocence and purity and sweetness that lay about her small and beautifully rounded chin her form was itself and a of the small but beautiful foot and left no doubt upon the mind to the general harmony of her whole figure on this occasion there was a pensive air about her which added to the interest she excited for we it may be truly observed that beauty never appears so or tenderly fascinating as when it is slightly with care we need scarcely say that there was a great deal of contrast in the gaze she received from and our friend solomon that of was the gross impudent stare of a and a fool a stare which in the eye of a virtuous woman soon receives its own withering rebuke of scorn and indignation that of solomon on the other hand was a look in which there a vast m deal of cunning regulated and sharpened by and disguised by into something that absolutely resembled the open ardent admiration of a child or of some innocent man that had hardly ever been in the world there was however a dropping of the corners of the mouth with an almost irrepressible tendency to the lips accompanied by an of internal moisture from the termed a watering of the teeth which to a close observer would have betrayed him at once and which were evident from the involuntary workings of his whole face mrs said i am glad to hear that you are making considerable improvements on your farm improvements sir replied the widow in amazement i don t know who could have told you that sir didn t my crop fail altogether with me and my i had it spread on the below was all swept away by the flood i am sorry to hear that mrs wc are very hard up for money here and the landlord doesn t know on what hand to turn i must a large sum for him forthwith indeed to tell you the truth i have received instructions that are not at all pleasant to myself i am to let no one pass he says f the irish agent and if i cannot get the rent otherwise i am to enforce it now this is very unpleasant mrs in as much as it me to take steps that i shall feel very painful god help me then replied the poor young woman for as to rent sir i have it not and indeed mr m what brought me here today waste ask a little time just till i get my butter up and sold yes but what can i do mrs i have no power to let any one oflf even where i feel inclined as i do in your case it really is not in my power lord took

care to leave me no r motion in the business at all but surely sir you don t mean to say that unless i pay the rent you will seize upon my property this said as if to himself is really y distressing unfortunately mrs i indeed unless you can raise the money in some y wouldn t your friends for instance stand by you until your butter is made up i have no friends replied the poor woman them that would t able and them that are i won t and that s only the way of the world sir ol iii h m it s too true indeed mrs i am yet sorry exceedingly sorry for what must be done is such circumstances as these that make me never had become an agent for god s sake sir have patience with me fo a month or six weeks and i will be able t pay it all easily if i was my own master returned would give me pleasure to do so but i am not here there was a groan from solomon of for the poor widow followed by a second was clearly a upon the first what said the first to see so interesting a your widow without the means of paying her ai is it not a wicked and hard hearted world said t second that has not in it one individual to her i mrs looked round on hearing expression of and there was gazing on her y h a look in which admiration a sympathy were so well feigned that she felt grate to solomon in her heart as for whether gazed at her his father or at the attorney si was the comprehensive of his that she felt it impossible to tell neither indeed she care she was now in tears and hav declared his determination to proceed was silent the irish agent if out of respect to her feelings at length she rose up and when on the eve of going out she asked for the last time mr m is there no hope i trust sir you consider how long my family and my husband s have been living on this property you ll think better of it than to bring myself and my poor orphan boy to and ruin what will become of him and myself d n my honour mrs but i feel for said eagerly as if rushing head foremost a fit of the purest humanity do not be cast down mrs said solomon there is one who can the widow and who will be a father to the rely on who knows but an instrument may be raised op for your relief do not be thus cast down no said do not or you will only spoil them devilish fine eyes of your s mrs by crying come come father you must give her the time she asks upon my honour i ll she won t disappoint you and if he is not sufficient i will join him said solomon you may rest upon her word my friend for i am satisfied that no serious falsehood is in the of proceeding from a mouth so sweet and m comely in expression as mrs come have a heart and be compassionate towards the fair widow if you or will pay the money m well and good but you both that otherwise it is out of my power there is a vast deal of of observation b together with a quickness of that sometimes instinct mrs purity of feeling and good sense were offended compliments which and the attorney mixed u with the sympathy they expressed for her sh felt something jar upon her delicacy by their selecting the moment of her for giving utterance to language which coming a any time from either of them to one in her of ufe was improper but under the present an insult and an impertinent with her affliction well said she without paying them th slightest attention i must say mr m that if you proceed as you threaten to do conduct towards me and my poor orphan will be sue as i don t think you can justify either to god c man i wish you good morning sir i have n more to say if on it the ri h agent oh mrs if you begin to abuse us and lay down the law on the matter i have no more to say either she then went out but had not left the hall when following said in impudent confidential tone don t be in a hurry mrs just step into the parlour for a few minutes and we ll see what cm be done step in no sir she replied feeling very naturally tended at the familiarity of his manner i will not any thing you have to say you can say it here yes but then they may us d n my honour but you re a very pretty woman mrs and i d be sorry to see harsh proceedings taken against you that is if we could understand one another the scarlet hue of indignation had already her face and temples her eyes flashed and her voice became firm and full what do you mean sir she asked why said he couldn t there be an understanding between us in fact mrs you find me a friend to you she made no reply but returned into the room mr m said she i thought that a tt u m woman especially a poor widow like me might at least come into your house about lier necessary business without being insulted i thought that if there was one house another where i ought to expect protection it is yours it s your duty i think to protect them that s upon this

property and to pay you or him that you the hard earned rent that keeps them in poverty and hardship i think sir it ought to be your duty as i said to protect me and such as me rather than leave us exposed to the proposals of your son how is this v said where are yoa entered with a grin on him that betrayed very clearly the morals of the father as well as of himself there was not the slightest appearance of shame or confusion about him on the contrary ha looked upon the matter as a good joke but by no so good as if it had been successful said his father barely a smile is it possible that you could dare to insult mrs under this roof d n my honour a confounded lie replied wanted me to lend her the money and because i did not she told you i made proposals to her all revenge and a he the irish agent mrs looked at him well said she if there s a just god m heaven you will be made ml example of yet oh little they know that own his property and every other property like it of and hardships and that their must suffer in their absence from them s placed over them and without any one to protect them or appeal to for satisfaction or sir that villain in the shape of your son that cowardly villain knows that the words he insulted me in are not yet upon his lips i have reason to put every confidence in what very and he is lot a villain mrs so i wish you a good ma am i this virtuous poor woman flushed with a sense of outraged modesty with scorn and indignation left ne room and with a distracted mind and a heart sought her orphan whose innocent face of she on her return home with tears the bitterest sorrow it is not our intention to describe at full length e several melancholy scenes which occurred poverty and dependence on one side and cold insolent authority on the other it is needless i would be painful to tell how much age and m helplessness suffered at the hands of these two persons especially at those of whose chief delight appeared to consist in an display of power and natural cruelty the widow had not been more than a minute gone when the door opened and in walked without note or preparation a stout looking fellow named m clean well tom said is this you brother m clean said solomon how are you t what would ail me said m clean there s nothing wrong with me but what money could cure if i had it and you have no money tom said smiling that tom is a bad business for we never wanted it more than we do at present seriously have you the rent d n the penny brother m and what s more won t have it for at least three months that s bad again tom any news any report why ay there was a gun or a pistol or a or something that way seen with the of ha are you sure of that i i the irish agent not myself sure but i heard it on good authority but i think we had better make sure by paying them a visit some night soon we will talk about that said but i am told that you treated priest badly the other night is that true why what did you hear asked m clean i heard you fired into his house that you know was dangerous all right said what right have priests to live under a government by my sacred honour i d banish them like wild cats no said m in reply to we did not all we did was to play lie down as we passed the house and fire three over it not into it but if there was e er a one among us with a bad aim you know that wasn his fault or ours ha ha by said he in a low confidential whisper we frightened the seven senses out of him at any rate the bloody rascal for sure they are all that and be d d to them capital doctrine and so they are tom right tom so you frightened the latin out of him ha ha ha m ha ha ha by my sow we did and more may be if it was known i must be oflf now go and help yourself to a of spirits before you go said and tom keep a sharp look out and whenever you find or hear of arms let me know immediately tom only nodded to that as he put the glass to his lips gentlemen said he your here s no no surrender i saying which he deposited the empty glass on the table giving at the same time two or three short occasioned by the strength of the liquor good morning gentlemen brother m he looked and nodded significantly at solomon then added good people are scarce so be a good boy and take care of yourself now tom be a good fellow and don t forget the rent said tom nodded again for it was a habit he had and departed the next person who presented himself was a little meagre thin looking man with a dry serious air about him that seemed to mark him as a kind of curiosity in his way from the moment he entered solomon seemed so shrink up into half his ordinary dimensions nor did the stranger seem the irish agent unconscious of this if one could judge by the expression of his small

grey eyes which were fastened on solomon with a bitter significance that indicated such a community of knowledge as did not seem to be pleasant to either of them ah sam said always punctual and never more welcome than now and we are sam to make up the demand for the landlord what way ir ye mr m am to see ye luck so well a am indeed thank you sam how are all your family deed as well as can be expected under the stain that s over us stain what do you mean sam a main what s well known that misfortune that our daughter dear me sam how was that the way of it was this she went as a children s maid into a religious here the two glittering eyes were fiercely fastened upon solomon where she became a serious young person of decided piety as they call it an li till me but another month will make it decided enough well sir a long she was there till the saint her m made a sinner of her and now she s like to have her gifts such as they ir i am very sorry to hear this sam but sure the man who your daughter does not to be called religious t he why lord bless you sure it w au done in a religious way they sang ther prayed together read the bible together ai now the truth is that the consequence will be ing for itself some of these days here another fiery look was darted at who appeared deeply engaged among paper and such other documents as were before him it s a bad business certainly sam but no about the rent hut de il a penny o rent i have the and yet for all that a ll pay you afore the room what do you think of that i don t understand it sam now said sam going over to solomon you pay mr m the sum of twelve pound fourteen and three pence for me mr m you please sir there was a tone in his words joined to the glittering look he on solomon actually fascinated that worthy gentleman the irish agent my friend replied solomon taking out his pocket book and seeming to look for a you have made a slight mistake against yourself the sum i find is twelve pounds seventeen and three pence so that you have made a slight mistake of three shillings as i said against yourself do you pay the year s rent which is the sum i say and you may give the three shillings in charity which i know you will do shall i fill the receipt asked looking to solomon fill it said the other i am very glad i happened to have so much about me poor man so am i returned sam significantly solomon rose and with all the calmness of manner he could assume laid the money down before m try said he if that is right show here said sam a u reckon them and having done so he put one particular note in his pocket never you mind he added address g himself to i ll give you another note for and he winked significantly as he spoke he did so and having paid the money and deceived his receipt he bid them good bye once m more and touching his waistcoat pocket as he went he had not been long gone however when solomon once more examined his pocket book and in a tone which no pen could describe exclaimed verily the ways of providence are wonderful will you look again at that money said he i have given away a note for ten pounds instead of a note for one it is not here then replied but i ll venture to say that sam the put it in his pocket when he made the exchange i call him back said there he goes towards the gate no the other i have great reliance on sam s honesty he will it no doubt on perceiving the mistake or if not i shall send to him for it yes i know sam is honest but truly the ways of providence are wonderful so saying with a peculiarly and he closed his book and put it in his pocket the last person whom we shall notice was m on whose features care had recently made a deep impression on being asked to s t he declined i thank you said he my visit will be but a short one and what i have to say i can say standing the irish agent ill that as you please mr m shall i fill your no replied the other i simply came to state that owing to the of our affairs i am not just now in a condition to pay my rent that is unpleasant mr m of course it is he replied that was my only business mr m and now i bid you good d y not so fast if you please mr m do not be in such a hurry you remember a meeting you and i had once in castle fair i do you remember the extraordinary civility with which you treated me i do and i only expressed what i thought then and think now but indeed you have improved the wrong way wonderfully since your language was then and it is so now it was true for all that mr m now might not i if i wished take ample revenge for the insulting terms you applied to me you might and i suppose will i expect nothing else for i know you well you do not know me mr m so far m from acting up to what you imagine i not myself of

your position i have no such i assure you so that whatever apprehensions may entertain from others you need have from me and now mr m do you m perceive that you judged me and ui that s to be seen yet mr m time wi tell well then make your mind easy i shall no proceedings in consequence of your situation s far from that i shall wait patiently till it is yoa convenience to pay the rent so now i wish good day mr m that is a beautiful exhibition of christian spirit exclaimed solomon good works are truly the fruit of faith before you go said with a sneer wiu you allow me to ask how poor mary is m paused and calmly looked first ai and then at his father said the latter i shall order you of the room sir if i hear another word on tha unfortunate subject i am very sorry i assure you mr m for that be sure i wish your daughter had been a little the irish agent prudent but young ladies cannot or at least do not always their passions or and so when they make a false step they must suffer for it as for myself i can only express my sincere regret that the happened and that it should have got wind in such a way as to deprive the poor girl of her character after contemplating the father and son for some time alternately with a look in which was visible the most withering contempt and scorn and which made them both before him he replied your falsehood is as as it cowardly and you both know it but i am an honest man and i feel that to stoop to a defence of y virtuous child against either or both of you odd be a degradation to her as well as to myself therefore go leaving you my contempt and scorn i could almost say my pity he then walked out neither father or son having thought it prudent to brave the expression of his yo by replying to his words now said addressing solomon let there an execution issued without a moment s delay tho man is doomed his hour is come and so may i ever prosper if i don t scatter him and his house vol iii i m less and to the four comers of heaven i have him at last and now for vengeance but said solomon in a tone of slight i trust my dear m that in taking vengeance upon this man and his family you wiu d i so in a proper spirit and guard against the of an world when you vengeance let your motives be always pure aad upright and even charitable of course you expect and hope that you ruin this man and his family for their own spiritual good the affliction you are about to bring on them will soften and subdue hard and obstinate hearts and lead them it is to be hoped to a better and more christian state of feeling may he grant it of course replied him in of course it is firom these motives i act certainly it is in that case said solomon i am bound to acknowledge that i have never heard a man row vengeance or express a determination to rain his fellow creature upon more delightfully christian principles it is a great privilege indeed to be able to ruin a whole family in such a blessed spirit and i have no doubt but you feel it so chapter xxiv s sense op justice op the s conversation on irish disclosure concerning mary h about dusk on the evening of that day having put on her black bonnet prepared to go out upon some matter of a private nature as was clearly evident by her manner and the cautious nature of all her movements who eyed closely at length take care now don t harm them them i replied whom do you mean by the m go and look at mary and then ask yourself why you join the there now that s one who saved me do you know that or do you care very well go now and join the if you uke but i know what do some fine m night here he leaped in a state of perfect from the ground why what will you do said you ll not tell to morrow replied neither will any one else but i don t forget po white head nor mary m well keep the house like a good boy she sa till i come back and if any body should come or ask where i am say that went up to s for soap and candles ay but that s not true because i know you goin to join the but no go u have his any how and it s long sin he gave it to you his left hand i wish i wasn your son but no no she then out to see that the coast clear and finding that all was safe she turned h steps hurriedly and stealthily in a direction from instead of to castle when she gone immediately closed and bolted tl door and began as before to spring up in tl air in a most singular and unaccountable the glee however which became apparent on h countenance had an expression of ferocity that wi frightful his eyes gleamed with fire his the irish agent expanded and a glare of terrible triumph lit up feature with something of a lurid light ha ha he exclaimed addressing as some imaginary individual an old pillow which he caught i have you at last now now now ha you have have you i feel it now now now ay that

will do out with it out with it i see ike tip of it only but you must give measure ay that s like it heel oh there tongue never did you good nor any body else good and what blessed eyes you have they re out too by degrees as the lawyers goes to heaven now now ay where s your gone to it s you ll make of it in s iron fingers this is for white head and white head s poor little white head s father and for poor little white head s mother ay the s ow now now and this last s for mary m eh ho ho there now settled at last with your sweet grin upon you and your tongue out tf you were fun of me for a beauty you were and a beauty you are and there i lave you while uttering these words he went through h the whole course and form of action that he deemed necessary to the ot of worthy whose graceful m was receiving at his hands this unpleasant of the pressure from without he had one knee o the ground his huge arms moving with energy as he crushed and compressed the pillow the very veins of his forehead stood out black with the force at once of hatred and having thus wrought out his vengeance to his own ss he once more in imagination pillow into his httle white head as he loved call him and assumed a very different aspect ro that which marked the scene described come here said he taking it up tenderly in hi arms come here don t be now there nobody that can do you any harm ah i my pool white head don t you want your mother to up your poor sick head and to lay your poor face against her breast and your father would like to get upon his knee and climb up t kiss him wouldn t you yes he he would white head says he would and tell me sure i have the cock for you still and if you waa a drink i have something better than the for you the sickening i oh i the pale face and the poor sickly eye up in the mountains and no one to think about you or to the irish you comfort i bow be good why do i say that poor white head for sure you wore always well wait ah no but wait hero come me i wont lay you down for i you my poor white head but come and you most have it my mother s gone out and she s not good but you must haye it he rose still holding the uke a child in his and going over to a cupboard took from it a of milk and so completely was he borne away by the force of his imagination that he actually poured a portion of the milk upon the pillow the act seemed for a moment to the illusion but only for a moment the heart of the poor creature seemed to take delight in these reminiscences and almost immediately bo was proceeding with his simple but touching uttle drama well he that s better than could rather how would the rich like to see their sick put on could and could but about the rich for the rich doesn t care but no matter if you ll only just open your eyes and to me i ll give you the cock he gave a call as he spoke which perfectly well known to the bird in question m which immediately flew from the and went up to him then gently laid the pillow down and taking the cock up put his head under one of his wings and placed him on the pillow where he lay quietly and as if asleep for many minutes he kept his eyes fixed upon the objects before him until the image in his mind growing still stronger and more distinct became at last so painful that he burst into tears no said he he will never open his eyes again he will never look upon any one more and what will she do when she hasn t his white head before her whilst poor thus indulged himself m the of a benevolent imagination his mother was hastening to the house of mr the former agent of the castle property with the intention of rendering an act of justice to an individual and a family whom and cruelly to injure whilst she is on the way however we will take the liberty of introducing our readers to mr s dining room where a small party are assembled consisting of the host himself mr the artist mr and th rev mr i and as their conversation bear upon the topic of which we write we trust it may i the irish agent not be considered upon private society to detail a part of it property in this country said is surrounded by many difficulties difficulties which unfortunately fall chiefly upon those who cultivate it in the first place there is the neglect of the landlord in the next the positive oppression of either himself or his agent in the third the influence of strong party feeling leaning too heavily on one class and or indulging another and perhaps what is worst of all and may be considered i i the et the absence of any possessing shape or form or that can be as a duty on the part of the landlord this is the great want and the great there should be a distinct principle to guide to and when necessary

to restrain him a principle as would prevent him from managing property according to the influence of his his prejudices or his necessities that is very true said mr and ere is another duty which a landlord owes to those upon his property but one which is not recognized as such i mean a moral in my opinion a landlord should be an example w moral propriety and moderation to his so m as that the influence of his conduct might make impression upon their lives and principle at present the landed of ireland fir in the country no by which they are to judged a fact which gives them the full of unlimited authority and we all know that the a of responsibility is a great to no man in a free country should be invested wi arbitrary power and yet it is th an irish landlord can exercise it whenever pleases then what would you do said is your remedy let there be laws which wi secure the tenant from the oppression and of the landlord let him not lie as he does i the mercy of his passions or in other words said set the to form for the sheep i my good sir that such a scheme is much too for any practically purpose in the time if it can be done let it no will be able in my mind to bind so powerful a as the of ireland are unless a strong ai sturdy public opinion is created in the country but how is this to be done asked the irish agent it is to be done by the people by teaching them their proper value in society by them in their moral and civil duties let them not labour under that humiliating and error that the landlord is every thing and themselves nothing but let the absurdity be removed each party placed upon the basis of a just and equal principle it is very right said to ihe people but who is to the a heavy task i fear said from what i haye observed since i came to the country the public opinion i speak of will force them a knowledge of their duties at present they disregard public opinion because it is too feeble to influence them and consequently they feel neither fear nor shame so long as the and the people come together as opposing or principles it is not to be supposed that the country prosper but how will you guide or restrain the landlord m the value of his property inquired here are two brothers for instance i possessed of landed property one is humane d moderate guided both by good sense and good feeling this man will not his tenant by m an oppressive rent the other is precisely the reverse of him being naturally or or perhaps both he con it his duty to take as much out of the soil as can without ever thinking of the hardships which upon the tenant now how would you i this and prevent the tenant from the victim either of his or simply by taking from him all authority in es the value of his own property but how said is not that an sion of private right no it is nothing more than a principle an privilege to other hands in to prevent its abuse but how would you value land i am not at this moment about to for but i think however that it would be by no difficult to find machinery sufficiently simple a effective for the purpose i am clearly of that there should be a value on all lai beyond which unless for special purposes such i instance as no landlord ought to be p to go this would prevent an amount of rack and oppression on the c hand and of poverty revenge and i the irish agent the other where is the landlord now who looks to the moral character or habits of a tenant scarcely one on the contrary whoever bids highest or highest is sure to be successful without any reference to the very qualities which in a tenant ought to be considered as of most importance i have now said made myself acquainted with the condition and management of the castle property and truth to tell i am not at the frightful state of society upon it m is the type of too numerous a class and son is a most scoundrel why my why lord should have appointed him to his agency i cannot imagine but i can said that which has appointed many a scoundrel like him necessity on the part of the landlord and an anxiety to extend his political influence in the county he could not have gone a more way about it however observed if there be one curse observed worse fl another on any such property is to have for your agent an outrageous a man who is friendly to one party and to another a fellow no scruples not to avail himself of his position for the of party and who make al performance of his duties to both religious and political think for of a no man being made agent to an estate where the majority of the are as is the case on ihe castle estate said and as is the case on too many estates the country added but the is that unless something is done soon to the local of the people there will i fear be bad work among us ere long the are already in a state of tumult they on in looking and suspicious groups they whisper together as if with some secret purposes and i am told that they hold nightly meetings to deliberate on what may be done between the m and m i must say they have ample cause for discontent every thing

considered said it is better that we should anticipate them when i say we you of course know who i mean but indeed we shall expect every aid and it will be welcome no matter from what quarter it comes m and the estate in question are topics on which i wish not to speak said i the irish agent not blame lord for me mr the being that i dismissed myself but most hope and trust for the sake of the that some change for the better may take lace good god sir how popular your how po lord might become and what a to his and his country he might be in a time that mr said i feel now because i know it in this instance too i j that knowledge will be power lord i like other irish lords has nothing to detain in his native country but his own virtue his however and the absence of his class in i is i fear and he smiled as he spoke a f that his virtue as an irish nobleman and theirs not sufficiently strong to resist the temptations of q english court and all its frivolous expensive and habits he has now no duty as an irish to render his residence in ireland at least for portion of the year a matter of ne ity to his class and his country however let i not despair i have reason to think that his other has nearly succeeded in bringing him to a use of his duty and it is not impossible that the of affairs may be soon changed upon m the sooner the better for the sake of the people said by the by mr are to be one of the reverend in this centre which is about o take place i castle no said mr i look upon such ex as of or and generally of both they are in fact of no earthly good but of much lamentable evil fo instead of love kindness aa charity they the worst passions of hatred ill will and fill the mind with those narrow principles which social harmony and poison our moral feelings in it very fountain of the heart i believe there is t instance on record of a sincere convert being by such but is there not an extensive system of sion proceeding called the new asked it appears to me by the that the roman catholic population are by hundreds how uttle are the true causes of great even known said laughing who for would suppose that the great spiritual principle i which this important movement has been the irish agent is the of the crop in the country where this gracious work is proceeding one would think if every thing said were true that there are in religion as well as in disease but the truth is that the or distress of two or three who were when in a state of by a and kind hearted nobleman who certainly would encourage neither nor first set this a going the persons i speak of fearing that his s might cease to continue embraced pro and pro this went abroad and almost immediately all who were in circumstances of similar adopted the same course and never did man pay more dearly for truth than did his in the battle the are to prove to the world that all who belong to must be damned whilst the priests on the other hand the until they blaze in their own fat but my god when will charity and common sense prevail over and at this moment a servant entered to say that for she was well known wished to see mr on very particular business i can scarcely bear to look on the wretch said vol iii k m but as i strongly suspect that she may in some shape be useful to us i desired her to come here she called three times upon me but i could not bring myself to see or speak to her she shall be the bearer of no messages to me he said bitterly let her carry them elsewhere d n her he betrayed deep and powerful emotion as he spoke but as his allusions were understood there was from a respect for his feelings on the part of his audience no reply made to his since she called first said pursuing the train of melancholy thought some vague notion uke the shadow of a dream crossed me but alas i it is the bounds of imagination itself even to suppose that it could be true however if it were it is in your presence sir he said addressing himself to that i should wish to have it detailed and perhaps after all this slight but latent reflection of hope influenced me in desiring her to come here gentlemen excuse me said he covering his face with his hands i am very wretched and unhappy i cannot account for what has occurred it looks like an but it is true oh if he were a man but no no you all know how contemptible what a scoundrel he is the irish agent my dear fellow said wo understand you we respect your feelings and wo with you but in the mean time do and hear this woman he had scarcely uttered the words when the servant entered stating that she was at tho door let her come in said let tho vile wretch come in and do you john withdraw said entered her appearance threw into a state of violent agitation he trembled got pale and seemed absolutely by the presence of tho wicked wretch who had been the vile instrument of m s success of mary m s and of his own it was the however of indignation of distress

of misery of despair his blood despite the of his face absolutely boiled in his veins and that the more hotly because he had no object on which he could his vengeance who was always cool and not without considerable powers of observation at once noticed the tumult of his feelings and as if replying to them said i don t blame you mr as you m do the sight of me is not pleasant to you and indeed you don t hate me more than you ought what s your business with me said looked around her for and i m glad of it the more the better francis she proceeded sit down and listen to me yes listen to me for i have it in my power to make you a happy man great god could my dream be true said placing himself in the chair listen to me she continued i listen be brief for i am in no humour for either falsehood or i never bore ill will she said and yet i have and may god forgive me for it the very heart within you again covered his face with his hands and groaned will it relieve your heart to know that mary m s an innocent and a l prove that said starting to his feet oh prove that and never whilst i have life shall you want a but alas i he exclaimed i am a beggar and can promise you nothing and i ll tell you who you before all is the irish agent over but as i said listen it s now fifteen years since m transported my son dick for a horse from him he was my only son poor who was then a mere he was a fine young man but ho was wild and wicked and it was in squire s house and about squire s stables that he picked up his and love of horses he was groom to that who took him into for a he had be as brief as you can said brief brief on the contrary mr said let her if you will be advised by me take her own time and her own way thank you sir said s just what i wish well he m transported my boy that my heart was in and from that minute i swore never to die till i d revenge that act upon him very well i kept my word m sent for me and in his father s presence we made up a plot to disgrace miss m i brought her out two or three times to meet me privately and it was all on your account by the way for i her you were in danger and i so contrived it that on one or two occasions you should see myself and m together i made her promise solemnly not to tell that she saw me or mention what passed between us or if she did that your life was not safe her love for you kept her silent even to yourself but it was when you were sent to that we found we had the best opportunity of her which was all i wanted but the boy wished to give you a as well as her as for myself it was in for a penny in for a pound with me and i didn t care a what you suffered provided i had my revenge on any one to m that transported my son is mary m innocent asked starting from his seat and placing his face within a few inches of s calmly put her hand upon his shoulder and said sit young man don t disturb or stop me in what i m u come the sooner at the truth you are right he replied but who can blame me my happiness depends on it listen said she we made up a plan that she was to meet behind her father s garden and why why because i told her that had made up his mind to hang you but i said that for the irish agent her sake could prevent that and save you if she would only see him that he might dear himself of some reports that had gone abroad on him for sake she consented to that but not until i had brought her nearly to despair and till she believed that there was no other hope for you it was m though that put me up to bring several of the neighbours and among the rest your own cousin to witness the trick of s in at the windy as it was his to bring the blood hounds at the very minute to catch the scoundrel in the poor girl s bed room that was enough all the in the say couldn t wash her white when this was given to the tongue of scandal to work upon but said mr you unfortunate woman let me ask why you mr to live under a conviction of miss m s i you i had sworn to be on th him m or his and so i was may god forgive me but one day that my poor foolish son undertook to o s wife across the ford of river while in flood he lost his footing and never would breathe the breath of life only that god sent john m to the spot and at the risk of his own e tn g m poor s from that day out my heart changed if one son was sent from me in life the other was saved from death and i swore to tell you the truth but that s not the only injury i have done you they put me up and so did solomon m to

drop hints wherever i went that you and mr m were upon the point of and i from some words i heard say to solomon one morning that they put something into the paper that injured you what was it you heard said said all right solomon it s in and d n my honour and reputation but it will set a screw loose in the same firm he was reading the paper as he spoke all this is of great value said and must be made use of as for me said in an impassioned voice i care not a for our the great and oppressive evil of my heart is removed i ought i admit to have known that admirable girl better than to suffer any suspicion of her to have entered into my heart but then i must have my own eyes and so i ought god bless you i forgive you all that you and these the irish agent malignant have made me suffer in consequence of what you have just now disclosed to us i could not have believed this observed i scarcely thought that such profound was in human nature good god and these two men hold the important offices of head and under agent on the castle estate have you nothing particular about that pious little man m asked however who in no instance was ever known to abuse professional confidence shook her head in the negative no said she i know nothing that i can tell about him honour bright s my motive no no however thank god i ve my mind by the truth and when you see mr m mr i ll thank you to let him know that i have done his daughter justice and that from the minute his son saved mine i had no ill will to him or his family she then departed chapter xxv a ribbon lodge and his son brought to trial their crimes against the their doom and sentence a rebel treason a it is undoubtedly a fact as was observed in the dialogue just given that the state of affairs on this property was absolutely fearful the frame work rf society was nearly broken up for such was the heartless and cruelty such the multiplied and ingenious devices by which he harassed and robbed the or his personal vengeance on who were to him or his son that it was actually impossible matters could proceed much longer in a state if the reader will accompany us to a large waste house from which a man had been some time before merely because had a against him he may gather from the lips of the people themselves there assembled the irish agent on the very night in question sufficiently clear symptoms of the state of feeling in the neighbourhood the hour at which they assembled or rather began to was eleven o clock from which period until twelve they came in small groups of two or three at a time so as to avoid observation on the way some of them had their faces blackened and others who appeared utterly indifferent to consequences did not think it worth their while to assume such a disguise the waste house in which they were assembled stood on a hill side about half way between castle and so that its isolated situation was an additional proof of their security from a by the blood hounds the party were nearly all armed each with such weapons as he could get and most of them with fire or side arms such as they were they had several lights but so cautious were they that and were brought to hang over the windows to prevent them from being seen for it was well known that the house was not inhabited and the appearance of in it would most certainly send the on their back as it was however they all danger of this in the way i mention when these men were met together it might be supposed that they presented countenances marked by e m and ferocious passions and that and cruelty were the traits in each face this however was not so in general they were just as any other number of men brought together for any purpose might be some to be sure among them betrayed strong indications of animal impulse but taken together they looked just as i say when they were all nearly assembled one might naturally imagine that the usual animated dialogue and dis which the cause that brought them together furnished would have taken place this however was not the case on the contrary there was something singularly wild solemn aud dreadful in their comparative for silence we could not absolutely term it there were many reasons for this in the first place there existed an apprehension of the and cavalry who had on more than one sion surprised or dispersed meetings of this description before tis true they had placed but the themselves had been made prisoners of by parties of and blood hounds who had come in coloured clothes in and like the themselves there were other motives however for the stillness which prevailed motives which when we consider them invest the the irish agent whole proceeding with that is calculated to fill the mind with apprehension and fear here were men unquestionably assembled for purposes for the of crime for the shedding of human blood but in what light did they view this terrible determination simply as a of as the only means left them of doing that for themselves which the laws refused to do for them they keenly and bitterly felt the of the who under the sanction and in the name of those laws which ought to have protected them left scarcely any thing undone to drive them to desperation and

now finding that the law existed only for their punishment they resolved to for themselves and on their there is an awful lesson in all this for it is certainly a frightful thing to see law and justice so partially and administered as to society and make men look upon murder as an act of justice and the shedding of blood as a moral triumph if not a moral virtue when therefore the very little conversation which took place among them and that little in so low a tone is placed in connection with the dark and deadly object of their meeting it is no wonder that one cannot help feeling strangely and fearfully on contemplating it m about twelve o clock they were all assembled but one individual whom they appeared to expect and for whom they looked out eagerly indeed they all came to an unanimous resolution of doing nothing that to the business of the night until he should come for this purpose they had not to wait long a little past twelve a tall and powerful young man entered leading by the hand poor insane mary o his pitiable and unconscious mother he had heard of the death of his brother during the cruel scene at and of the other outrage which had driven her mad he had come from a remote part of england with the single fixed and purpose of vengeance on the head of him who had brought madness desolation and death upon his family on his entering there was a slight low murmur of approbation but the appearance of his mother caused it to die away this however was almost immediately succeeded by another of a very different character one in which there was a of many feelings compassion rage revenge the first thing the young man did was to take a candle in his hand and hold it first close to his mother so as that she might be distinctly seen and afterwards near to his own face in order that she might have the irish agent a clear and equally distinct view of him mother said he then in a full voice do you know your son her eye was upon him as he spoke but it was vacant there appeared no trace of recognition or meaning in it you all see that miserable sight said he there my mother stands and doesn t know who it is that is to her there she stands and destroyed by the you all see this sight with your own eyes and you all know who did it tis singular how closely virtue and crime are allied the very sympathy excited by this touching and melancholy spectacle the very tenderness of the compassion that was felt for the mother and son hardened the heart in a different sense and stimulated them to vengeance now said the young man whose name was let them that have been oppressed and by this state their one at a time an old man near sixty rose up and after two or three attempts to speak was overpowered by his feelings and burst into tears poor they exclaimed may god pity you i m for some of you as the poor man isn t able to for himself why the case was this said a neighbour of the poor man s s son peter was abused by the boy because he did nt pay him duty work and neglect his own harvest he told peter that he was a rebel and would be hanged peter told him to his teeth that he was a liar and that he couldn t be good the father s in him that was very well but one night in about month afterwards the house was surrounded by the blood hounds poor peter s es searched and some ribbon papers found in them they also got or pretended to get other papers in the of the house the boy was dragged out of his bed sent to tried found guilty on the evidence of the blood hounds a nd to be three times but he never was a third time for he died on the fourth day after the second and so bein an only son indeed all the child the poor couple had the old man is now and distracted god help him very well exclaimed bitterly very well who next a man named m rose up the curse of the almighty god may for ever rest upon him the irish agent he exclaimed he transported my two brave sons because they were and if they were who made them but himself and his cruelty i wiu never see my darling sons fa es again but if i die without accounts him may i never know happiness here or hereafter the usual murmur of followed this well said whose turn comes next about a dozen of those who had been turned out of now stood up we were turned out said one of them who acted as on one of the days that ever god sent on the earth out of shame i believe because your brother and ould mary died he let us back for a few days but after that we had to some of the houses he had pulled down and then he had to build them again for his oh if it was only known what we suffered and why did he turn you out why because we didn t promise to vote as he wished he took my crop said another at his own drew it home and it until the rose i know what he got beyond the rent proceeded the man but a rap ever the villain vol in l m gave me back of the but put it in his and now i and my family are starving ay and said another he

took five as good butter from me as ever was made by ha and at his own price too what i do said it was as a friend he did it but if i it he said he must only seize may the devil s him at any rate as he will the villain i ti in god he got to my own knowledge pence a for it and all he allowed me fo was eight pence may the devil run through him or his it night for of all the that ever cursed estate he s the greatest the scoundrel tl him a poor but decent looking man rose up i could bear said he his or his c me out of my right i could bear tb although it s bad enough too but when i think the shame and disgrace his son brought upon i innocent girl his father s roof where she y at may god curse him this night i child my child when i think of what she was a what she is sure the thought of it is enough drive me distracted and to break my heart we to live men ought we to the irish agent to tramp us their feet when i spoke to his son about my child m y good fellow says he if you don t keep a civil in your head i will trot you off the estate i will send you to somewhere else it s d d proud you ought to feel for your daughter having a child by the like o me for that s the way they first injure us and kick us about as they and then laugh at and insult us another man got up you all know said he that i fourteen acres m the of and when went to america last spring i offered for farm of twelve acres that lay into my own it i offered him the rent he which indeed was too much at any rate but it lay so snug ine that i could take more out of it than another you shall have the farm frank said ho but if you do there must be ten pounds of an well and good i paid him the ten pounds and of gave him another for the same farm and yet hell the he gave it to neither of us but to one of his n blood hounds who gave him twenty for it but a or in other words a bribe to the agent entering upon a farm m that wasn t all when i him for my money he laughs in my face and says ms it you are keep yourself quiet says he or may be i ll make it a black joke to you hell him i he engaged me and my horse and car another and with his in the same way to draw stones from and he said that whatever we earned he d allow us in the of we were glad to at it and indeed he made us both believe that it was a favour he did us so far so good but when the day came hell the he d allow either of us but threatened and abused us us names till the dogs wouldn t our blood the lord him for a villain i that s all very well but wait till you hear how he me out said a poor simple looking creature it was at the gale day before the last that i went to him my six guineas of says he i m glad to see you an i ve something in my eye for you but don t be of it is that the rent hand it to me an as this is hurry day with do like a good decent man call down on saturday about twelve o clock and i ll give you your receipt and mention the other thing by i went highly the irish agent delighted but the receipt he gave me was a notice to pay the same gale over me besides that of all the ever came him i was the greatest that he d banish me off the estate and what not accordingly i had to pay the same now will any one tell me how that man can prosper by and the poor in this way hell him the next that rose was a tall thin looking man with much care and sorrow in his face many a happy day he said did i and mine spend under this roof and now we may say that we hardly have a roof to cover us myself and my wife a cabin on the estate of major my sons and daughters instead of living comfortably at home us are now scattered abroad their hard on other people s floors and why because s son couldn t succeed in one of my daughters and because her brother tom him that if ever he him about the place again or his he d lit him with a that they were both cry friendly father and son and when i brought half year s rent never mind now said they bring it home may be you may want it for something else that ud be useful to you buy a m couple o cows or keep it till next rent day we wont hurry you you re a man and we respect you well i did put the money to other uses when what should come down on me when the next half year s rent was due but an execution he got a man of his own to swear that i was about to run away the rent and go to america and in a few days

we were scattered a house to cover us may the lord reward him to his works there were other cases where s was brought to bear upon the poverty and of the and female but it is not our intention to do more than allude to them we now return to young o himself who at the conclusion once more got a candle and precisely in the same manner as he had done in the beginning held it up and asked in a full firm voice do you know your son and again received the same melancholy and unconscious gaze now said he you ve all heard an account and a true account of these two conduct what have they left undone they have cheated you robbed you and oppressed you in every shape they have to death and transported your the irish agent sons and they have ruined your daughters and brought them to sin and shame sorrow and distraction what have they left undone i ax again haven t they treated like the dirt under their feet hunted like blood hounds as they are and as if ye were mad dogs what is there that they haven t made suffer shame sin poverty hardship blood shed ruin death and madness look there he added vehemently pointing to his insane mother there s one proof that you see and you ve heard and know the rest and now for their trial these blood stirring observations were followed by a deep silence a silence in fact like that of death now said he pulling out a paper i have marked down here twelve names that i will read for you they are to act as a jury they are to both for their lives and then to let us hear their sentence he then read over the twelve names every man answering to his name as he called them out now he proceeded this is how your are to act your silence wiu give consent to any question that is asked of you are you that these twelve men should m and and his son for their lives and that the sentence m is to be put in execution on them to this there was a profound and ominous silence very well said he you agree to this now said he to the find your sentence the men together and whispered in the centre of the floor for a few minutes when he who acted as turned towards o began and said they re doomed to what death to be both shot are you all satisfied with this sentence t another silence as deep and ominous as before very well said he you all agree as for the sentence it is a just one none of you need yourselves any farther about that you may take my word for it that it will be carried into execution are you willing it should for the third time an unbroken silence that s enough said he and now let us go quietly home it is not enough said a voice at the door let none depart without my permission i you and the words were no sooner uttered the venerable father entered the house wretched and men said he to what a scene of blood and crime have i just now i the irish agent been an ear witness are you men who live under my who have so often heard and attended to my sincere and earnest i cannot think you are and yet i see no face here that is unknown to me oh think for a moment reflect if you can upon what you have been doing planning the brutal murder of two of your fellow creatures and what makes the crime still more these two fellow creatures father and son who constituted you judges over them if they have oppressed you and driven many of you to ruin and distress and even to madness yet do you not know that there is a just god above to they must be for the deeds done in the flesh are you to put yourselves in the place of the almighty to snatch the of justice d judgment out of his hands and take that awful office into your own which belongs only to him are ye indeed mad my friends do you not know t out of the multitude assembled here this moment is not one of you whose life would not be justly ted to the law not one i paused at the half closed door before i entered and was thus enabled r to hear your awful your guilty your i proceedings justice belongs to god and in mocking justice you mock the god of justice m but you don t know father said o you couldn t imagine all the he and his son have been guilty of and all they ve made the people suffer i do know it too well and these are that god in his own good time will remove but it is not for us to stain our souls with guilt in order to them now my children do you believe that i feel an interest in your welfare here and in your happiness hereafter do you believe this we do sir who feels for us as you do well then will you give me a proof of this name it sir name it i know you will continued the old man i know you will then in the name of the god i i entreat and if that will not do then as his servant and the humble minister of his word and will i command you to the purpose you have come to this night heavenly father said he looking up with all the of sublime piety we entreat you to take from these mistaken men the

wicked intention of their guilty hands in blood teach them a clear sense of christian duty to love their very enemies to forgive all injuries that may be inflicted on them and to lead such lives as may never be the irish agent disturbed by a sense of guilt or the of remorse i the tears flowed fast down his aged cheeks as he spoke and his deep for some time prevented him from speaking those whom he addressed were touched awakened melted he proceeded take pity on their condition o lord and in thy own good time if it be thy will let their unhappy lot in this life be improved but above all things soften their hearts inspire them with good and pious purposes and guard them from the temptations of revenge i they are my flock they are my children and as such thou how i love and feel for them they were more deeply moved more clearly awakened and more touched several sobs were heard towards the close of his prayer and a new spirit was diffused among them now my children said he will you obey the old man that loves you we will was the universal response we will obey you then said he you promise in the presence of god that you will not injure m and his son in the presence of god we promise was the reply m then my children may the blessing of the almighty god be with you and guard and protect you wherever you go and now proceed home and sleep with by guilt and thus were m and his son saved on this occasion by the very man whom they termed a priest it was observed however by most of those who were present that o availed himself of the good priest s remonstrance to disappear from the meeting thus the solemn to refrain from crime which all the rest entered chapter xxvi s interview with mary m an for rent forty years ago s friendly remonstrance with his b development by of the against mary m s character so carried into effect by and self took a deadly weight off s heart the following morning little aware that full ice had been rendered her was sitting in the with her mother who had been complaining a day or two of and would have more fully the alarming symptoms she felt e it not for the declining health of her daughter here be one misery in life more calculated than ther to and the heart to make odious man look like a blot in the creation the very providence of god doubtful it m feel one s character publicly and by the cowardly and malignant by the scoundrel and the moral to feel yourself loaded with that are false and cruel mary m felt all this bitterly in her heart so bitterly indeed that all relish for life had departed from her she was now hopeless without aim or object or anything to sustain her or to give interest to existence philosophy which too often knows little about actual life tells us that a consciousness of being innocent of the social that are heaped upon an individual is a principle that ought to support and console him but the truth is that this very consciousness of innocence is precisely the circumstance which and the arrow that him and gives to the wound on the morning in question mary sat by her mother who lay on a sofa each kindly attempting to conceal from the other the illness which she felt mary was pale wasted and drooping the mother on the contrary was flushed and feverish i wish my dear mother said she that you would yield to me and go to bed you are certainly worse than you wish us to the irish agent it won t signify mary it s nothing but cold i got and it will pass away i think nothing of myself but it my heart to see you look so ill why don t you strive to keep up your spirits and to be what you used to be but god help you my poor child she said as the tears started to her eyes sure it s hard for you to do so mother she it is hard for me i am every way surrounded with deep and hopeless affliction i often wish that i could lay my head quietly in the grave but then i should wish to do so with my name and on the other hand what is there that can bind me to life i am not afraid of death but i fear to die now i know not mother what to do i am very much to be pitied oh she added whilst the tears fell in torrents from her cheeks after all i feel that nothing but death can still the thoughts that disturb me can release me fi om the anguish of heart that me down and me day by day my dear child replied her mother we must only trust to god who in his own good time will set every thing right as it is there is no respectable person in the neighbourhood who believes the with the exception of some of the wretch s friends m mary here shuddered and exhibited the strongest possible symptoms of aversion even to momentary sickness if pursued the mother the unfortunate impression could be removed from poor mistaken all would soon be right the mention of deeply affected the poor girl she made no reply but for some minutes wept in great bitterness mother said she after a little tune i fear you are concealing the state of your own health i am sure from your flushed face and oppressive manner of speaking that you are worse than you think yourself or will admit indeed to tell

the truth mary i fear i am i feel certainly very feverish i am burning then for heaven s sake go to bed my dear mother and let the doctor at once be sent for if i don t get easier soon i will replied her mother i do not much like going to bed it looks so like a fit of sickness at this moment a tap at the door announced a visitor and almost immediately entered the parlour it is scarcely necessary to say that mary was quite unprepared for his appearance as indeed was her mother the latter sat up on the sofa but the irish agent spoke not for she scarcely knew in what terms to address him mary though much moved previous to his entrance now assumed the appearance of a coldness which in her heart she did not feel that her lover who ought to have known her so well should have permitted himself to be borne away by such an suspicion of her fidelity was a reflection which caused her many a bitter pang on the other hand when she looked back upon the into which she had been drawn it was impossible not to admit that the force of appearances made a strong case against her for this reason therefore she scarcely blamed whilst at the same time she certainly felt that there was something due to her previous character and the delicacy of her whole life you are surprised mary to see me here said and you mrs m are no doubt equally so i think it is very natural we should francis replied mrs m i must confess that your visit is an unexpected one certainly and my anxiety now is to know the cause to which we may attribute it sit down he did not sit however but exclaimed good heavens what is this why mary i vol iii m should scarcely have known you this change is dreadful neither of the females spoke but the daughter bestowed on him a single look fixed and sorrowful which did more to and soften him than any language could have done it went to his heart it filled him grief repentance remorse for many a day and night afterwards her image and that look were before him a power over his soul which kindled his love to a height it would never have reached he approached her what do i not owe you my beloved mary for my base and belief in that scoundrel s vile such however as i can make i will you are not aware that has confessed and disclosed the whole infamous plot and in a few days the will be extinct as for me you know not what a heavy weight pressed my heart down to the depths of suffering i have not been without other yet this i take heaven to witness was the only one i felt there was a tone of deep feeling and earnest sincerity in his words which could not for a moment be mistaken his face too was pale and full of the irish agent care and his person much thinner than it had been mary saw all this at a glance as did her mother poor francis said the latter you have had your own troubles and severe ones too since we saw you last they are gone he i care not and think uttle about them now that mary s character is if i should never see her never speak to her more the consciousness that she is the same being that i first found her to be would sustain me under the and most of life and god knows he said i am likely to experience them in their worst shape but still i have courage now to bear up against them on approaching mary nearer he perceived that her eyes were with tears and the sight deeply affected him my dear mary said he is there not one word for me oh me if ever man felt deep remorse i do she put her hand out to him and almost at the same instant became insensible in a moment he placed her by her mother s desire on the sofa and rang the bell for some of the servants to attend indeed it would be if not impossible to look upon a more touching picture of sorrow and suffer m than that pure looking and beautiful l p as she lay there insensible her pale i exquisite features impressed with a melancholy once deep and tender as was evinced by the lar tear drops that lay upon her cheeks may god grant that her heart be not exclaimed her mother and that she be not ah ea beyond the reach of all that our affections hope and wish i poor girl she added the on portion of the calamity that touched her to the was the reflection that you had ceased to love her mrs m whilst she spoke kept her ey fixed upon her daughter s pale but placid face ai whilst she did so she perceived that a few lar tears fell upon it and mingled with of the poor sufferer s which had been there she looked up and saw that was deep moved even if it should be so he exclaimed i only justly punished or having dared to doubt her a servant having now entered a little cold was got which on being sprinkled over her face a to her aided in recovering her your appearance said she and the you brought were so unexpected and my so great that i felt myself overcome however the irish agent i better i am better now but whilst she these words her voice grew tremulous and were scarcely out of her lips when she burst ut into an excessive fit of weeping for several

this continued and she appeared to feel she then entered into conversation and f as able to talk with more ease and firmness than he had evinced for many a day before it was u t then that a knock came to the hall door and in couple of minutes about a dozen of s selected to act as and a task to which they were entered the house an execution to seize for rent this at all and under all circumstances is a scene in f a peculiar license is given to and but in the present case there were motives with which the reader is already ac for insulting this family not that the mere of an execution was a matter of novelty to mary or her mother for of late there had been several in the house and on their before these however were conducted ith a degree of civility that intimated respect for not sympathy with the feelings of a family so offensive so to the neighbourhood by c m the employment they afforded and in short e way so worthy of respect what is all this about v asked why said one of the fellows we re s for rent that s what it s about rent observed the other wh is only a few minutes since mr m that m assured him captain m sir if you very well captain m or co m if you wish assured him that i have nothing to do with what he assured h replied the fellow my duty is to take an in tory of the furniture beg pardon ladies bu must do our duty you know let them have their way said mrs m let them have their way i know what they capable of mary my dear be firm as i before our only trust is in god my child i am firm my dear mother for as james the grief of has been removed from mc can now support myself imder any thing but y indeed james she is against illness i three or four days and will not go to bed it i you i now feel mother the irish agent m and his family here entered and truth to tell boundless was the indignation of the honest fellow at this most oppressive and proceeding on the part of the treacherous agent ah said he i knew it and i said it but let the scoundrel do his worst i scorn him and i defy him in the very height of his ill gotten authority my children said he keep yourselves cool let not this cowardly act of oppression and revenge disturb or provoke you this country as it is at present governed and this property as it is at present managed is no place for us to live in let the scoundrel then do his worst as for us we follow the example of other respectable families ho like ourselves have been forced to seek a home a distant country we will to america as as i can conveniently make arrangements for t purpose for god knows i am sick of my and the petty which in so any ways and the people almost to madness he had no sooner uttered these words than the fellow whose name was whispered to one of companions who immediately disappeared with like a grin of exultation on his mrs m s illness was now such as did she s a ic is so well bi mr h d room some c very breaking lier woman of her f irish and he who va tion is i think c t sent tb g not at all i the i lay your definition of m landlord t nt i a and d you advocate and at the d or a duty i his their pr er i do n t y of your b to join our no corps i have r for my own and if ached it been without r the to i c my i bv airy e q e apply the ne i e the honour c m she could no longer attempt to conceal the painful shock occasioned by this last proceeding on the part of m came at a most unhappy moment overcome by that and her illness she was obliged to go to bed aided by her husband and daughter but before she went it was considered necessary to get one of the as an act of favour to take an of the furniture in her chamber in order that her sick room might not be upon afterwards mary having put her sick to bed returned to the parlour from whence she was proceeding to the kitchen to make with her own hands for the invalid when in passing along the hall and her brother john met her she was in a hurry and was about to pass without speaking a word when she and they were startled by the following dialogue so bob did you see the pale beauty in the parlour i did she s a pretty girl she is so well but do you know that she is one of mr s ladies sure he was caught her bed some time ago certainly every one knows that and it appear she is breaking her heart because he won t make an honest woman of her the irish agent m caught his sister whose agitation was dreaded led her away making at the same time al to to remain quiet until his return task and felt it so in the time the following was added to the tie already detailed y do you such talk under this roof t asked a third voice e only reply given to this very natural i subdued

evidently proceeding from first o you both see that strong horse pistol said voice for in those days an execution was b always by armed men by the bible th if i hear another word of such conversation man here while we re under this roof i ll he butt of it into his skull it s bad enough re re here on an unpleasant duty unpleasant speak for yourself you on an unpleasant duty but no reason that we should grieve the hearts the of a respectable family like this or rather the falsehood that was ut on the young lady is now known almost where for has let out the truth ut didn t desire us to say it so t they mi ht hear us m mr s a cowardly scoundrel and nothing else but mark me or no keep your teeth shut on that subject just as much or as little of that as we like if you please mr very well you know my mind so take the consequences that s all here goes then said the speaking in b deliberately loud voice it s well known that mis a m s a heavy blow followed by a crash on the floor a brief conflict as if with another person blow and another crash followed in i state of feeling which our readers may imagine which we cannot describe pushed in the door which in fact was partially open what what is this he asked ignorance is it fighting among yourselves you are what is the matter only a little quarrel of our own mr replied the excellent fellow the truth is sir that these ay gather yourselves up do ought to have known s blow you have often enough heard of it before now there is no great mistake about that you the truth is mr that these fellows were the irish agent with at m s and they gave me provoking language that i couldn t bear it s well for them that i didn t take the butt end of that said he holding up the horse pistol in his left hand but you ll find ten for one that would rather have a taste of it than of this shutting his right which was a perfect hammer and when shut certainly the more formidable weapon of the two the two had now gathered themselves up and appeared to be considerably by s arguments they immediately retired to a corner of the room where they stood with a sullen but look cowardly and ferocious ready to revenge on m s family the punishment had received but not resent at the ds of unquestionably one of the most powerful and generous that was ever wn in castle let us not for a moment the of ireland contained d still contain among them men of great y courage and humanity this is d but then it is well known that he men never took any part in the by the lower and unless to prevent outrage in nothing indeed le state of the irish church establishment more m painfully than in the moral ignorance and brutal which want of christian instruction and enlightened education had upon men who would otherwise have been a high minded brave and liberal class had they not been by the example of the very loose political anything but christian from whom they were to expect their examples and their but to return given a significant glance to left the room and the latter immediately followed him said he i have overheard the whole conversation give me your hand for it is that of an honest man i thank you i thank you do try and prevent these from insulting the family i don t think the same thing will happen a second time mr replied the gigantic but the truth is the men are half drunk and were made so before they came here well but i thank you deeply and from my soul i thank you you needn t mr i hate a dirty and thing a brother and my tongue is tied no doubt i ll be for knocking these two down but i don t care it was too bad and too cruel and let the the irish agent be what it may is not the man to back a act no matter who does it or who orders it they shook hands cordially and we now must leave the family for a time to follow the course of other events that bear upon our narrative chapter xxvi bob s last illness a holy chase a dead heat blood against claims a mutual the last plea for salvation non our readers may remember that we have alluded to an named bob who had become a convert to the church of rome this on the part of the priest was a very fair set off against o drive on the part of mr as they were now on the eve of the great discussion each felt considerable gratification in having his convert ready to produce at the discussion as a proof of his zeal for religious truth the principal vexation which the priest had felt lay in the almost difficulty of keeping bob from liquor in as much as whenever he happened to take a glass too much he always forgot his and generally drank the glorious memory the irish agent and all the other from habit it so happened however that a few days to the great bob became so ill in health that there was little hope of his any length of time during this illness he had had several with father who informed him of the near approach of death and prepared him as well as could readily be done to meet it

for truth to tell he was at all times an subject on which to produce religious impressions be this as it may a day or two previous to the discussion his wife that he was near his dissolution and determined if possible that he should not die a roman catholic went in a hurry for mr who to be in attendance on a funeral and was consequently from home in the mean time a roman catholic neighbour hearing that she went fetch the minister naturally anxious that the man not die a lost no time in father m with his situation mrs ever finding that mr was not to be cured left her message with his family and in all haste to mr s in order to e his attendance f y good woman said he your husband i is not in such danger mr cannot m certainly bo long absent and he will attend i am not quite well or i should willingly go myself very well said the woman between you i suppose you will let the priest m have him and then it will be said he died a what s that inquired mr with an interest which he could not conceal what has m to do with liim v why returned the woman he has made him a but i want him to die a true blue and not shame the family i shall attend said i shall lose no time in attending what s your husband s name bob sir oh yes he is subject to the same sir she then gave him directions to find the house and left him making very earnest and rapid preparations to do what he had not done for many a long a death bed and truly his absence was no loss in the mean time father m having heard an account of bob s state and that the minister had been sent for was at once upon the alert and lost not a moment in to house so very eager indeed were these gentlemen and so equal the irish agent heir speed that they met at the cross roads one of turned to bob s house in the mean time we may as well inform our readers here that bob had in his wife s absence privately sent for father each instantly suspected the object of the other and determined in his own mind if to it so sir said the priest you are on your way to bob s who is as you well know one of flock but how do you expect to get through the business mr seeing that you are so long out of practice bob was never properly speaking one of your flock mr m i must beg leave to ride forward sir and leave you to your christian meditations one interview with you is enough for y man faith but i love you too well to part with you said the priest on his horse cheek by and a beautiful one you have will f ride with you my worthy and what is ore i ll sob before your eyes and perhaps perform another miracle replied r bitterly ay will i if it be necessary said the priest but i do solemnly assure you that by far the most vol m brilliant miracle of modern days is to find the rev at a sick bed depend upon it however if had not turned catholic he might die like a dog for the same mr i will not abstract the last shilling from his pocket for the of superstition at all events not you faith you ll charge him nothing i grant and right glad am i to find that you know the value of your services you forget however that my flock pay you well for doing this nothing that is for your duty notwithstanding both now pushed on at a rapid rate growling at each other as they went along on getting into the fields they increased their speed and as the of both were of the circumstances connected with bob s complaint and each party cheered on their own champion more power to you father m him the latin and the bravery success mr i push on sir and don t let the rebel send him out of the world with a on his eyes lay in the bible mr and true blue for ever the true church for ever father m the jewel that you war give the horse the spurs but the parson thb irish has the of him in the push on your reverence you have the and the parson against you for the one s on the other cross the corner of the mother s meadow mr and wheel in at the garden ditch your horse can do it although you ride the heaviest weight lay on him sir and think of king william against and wooden shoes father keep your shoulder to the wind and touch up the spurs a groan for the parson father three for the mass book mr that ditch was well cleared a father jewel s and brought you over like a bird have you no whip mr whip and spur sir or the will be in before you by the great i m afraid the s blown god enable you father blown why what would you expect an it the first visit ever the horse made to a sick bed in his life he now finds it isn t on the king s high way he is and i ll go it s himself that s the same duty in his heart father pat s the literally speedy m boy that knows his duty more power devil pursue the hair s turned on him but be me it wouldn t be so if he led the life the blood did

high and mr pull out i see you re hard up sir and so is your push him sir even if he should drop death and before and well done ah be me its near the last gasp him and his and no they re both devilish far out of their element faith if they had father m and s practice they wouldn t be the show they are this minute wed done both fresh and fair snug and dry you do it when the two worthy gentlemen had reached bob s house they dismounted each and rushed to the bed of the dying man mr sat of course at one side and the priest at the other mr seized the right hand the priest the left whilst bob looked at them both alternately and gave a cordial squeeze to each you thought sir said mr to the priest that he would have died an bob squeezed mr s hand again and you thought replied father m the irish agent that he would die a or a which s the same thing bob squeezed father m s hand once more gentlemen said bob be pleased to sit down you are christian ministers i hope no said father m there is but one of us a christian mr here is not worthy of the name bob bob squeezed the priest s hand a third time said mr this is a solemn occasion and i m bound to say that the priest here is merely a representative of this is not a time to disguise the truth bob squeezed mr s hand a third time also continued mr if you permit yourself to die a you seal your own everlasting punishment true said bob bob said the priest after the explanations of the true church which i have given you you allow yourself to into you will suffer for it during all eternity true said bob there is no hope for those who like the and for themselves vessels that will bold no water said m ah very right said bob there is but one faith one church and or and that is ours said the priest ah you can do it said bob with a squeeze bob said the wife what do you mean don t understand you die a true blue and shame your friends gentlemen said bob i feel disposed to a little it is likely that a few minute s rest m strengthen my weak body and clear my mind for t of religion which you are both so prepared to give me i feel rather drowsy i ll close my eyes for a few minutes and a bob closed his eyes for about four mortal and a half during which time our two gentlemen sat at his bed side with the most patience at length he opened his eyes a inquired for his daughter who had b sent for father to her he whispered a i words after which she went out but almost returned he looked at her a she answered yes just as i expected in a few minutes gentlemen said bob i am much no but i am at a loss whether to be prepared for by you mr or by father m the irish agent said you have had access to tlie bible and possessing as you do and as you must tlie knowledge gained from that sacred book to die in the church which and images would leave you without hope or excuse ah said bob you are sound in point of doctrine no man i more than you bob said the priest you know what the council of says there is but one church one faith and one if you die out of that church which is ours woe you no bob there ao hope for you if you die an bob ah said bob you can send it home father m bob said the wife die a true blue and don t the family there is but a blue look up for you if you do said father m blue is the emblem of hope and for that reason orange system has adopted it as f o q said mr tie had scarcely uttered the words when father entered the sick apartment high and was the bow he received from mr father m seemed somewhat m at the presence of the reverend gentleman the latter looked mildly about him wiped the moisture from his pale forehead and said mrs will you indulge toe with a chair t on my return home i lost not a moment in coming here but the i have had is a pretty long one the greater part of it being up hill well replied mrs i m not tho woman to think one thing and speak another to be sure i d rather he would die a true blue than a but since he will die one i d rather have you at his side than e er a priest in the kingdom if there is a christian among them you are one you are so bob dear since you re bent on it i won t disturb you bring your near me said bob where is your hand my dear sir give me your hand poor bob caught father s hand in his and pressed it honestly and warmly bob said mr i don t understand this in what creed are you disposed to die you see sir said m that he won t die in yours at any rate you will not die in my creed repeated the parson astonished no said bob i will not the irish agent you will then die in mine of course said m no replied bob i will not how is that said the priest explain yourself said mr i ll die a christian replied bob you re

both n y thing but what you ought to be and if i wasn t on my death bed you d hear more of it here is a christian clergyman and under his i will die ah said mr i perceive mrs that the poor man s intellect is gone whilst his reason was sound he remained a and as such we shall claim him he must be according to the rites of our church for he dies clearly non father now addressed himself to d prepared him for his great change as became a pious and faithful minister of the gospel however was never capable of serious impressions still his feelings were as solemn as could be expected from a man whose natural temperament had always him to and humour he died te next day after a severe fit from which he recovered only to linger about half an hour in a state of stupor and m this conflict between the priest and the p was a kind of in its way to the or discussion which was immediate take place between the the rival churches chapter the discussion which we not give hope op a modern as a spiritual r like an angel looking into the gospel le morning of the appointed day the walls of were duly covered with the points to be discussed and the names on both sides of the question the leading to the scene of were with people of all classes private and carriages of every description rolled y along of every creed various y are moved through the streets with eager pace each reverend countenance marked anxious expression arising from the interest felt in the result of the e in fact of all ranks and were to hear the leading men on each side m defend their own and those of enemies the professional men for th day their other engagements and in to be present and who had not been out of their sick rooms down wrapped i to hear this great display of learning an eloquence early on the preceding morning th catholic clergy though without the sanction their formally signified to the committee the society their intention of meeting them man i man on the platform before the door was to the crowd at large the opposing an the more select friends on both sides were by a private entrance the gallery was set aside for ladies who in ireland and we believe every where else form an immense majority at religious meetings when the house was thronged to none but a man intimately acquainted with the character of the audience could observe much more within it than the sea of heads with which ii was studded the party looked on with a less devoted but aspect not however without an evident feeling and pride in the and character of their a strong of enthusiasm might be seen in many fair eye the irish among the females who whispered to each other an occasional observation concerning their respective and then turned upon the divine smiles that seemed to have been kindled by the sweet influence of love and piety among the roman catholic party there was an expression of wonder created by the novelty of the scene of keen observation evinced by the incessant rolling of their clear eyes from one party to another together with something uke pity and contempt for the as they called them ho could so madly rush upon the sharp of their own beloved dismay or doubt or apprehension of any kind were altogether out of the question as was evident from the proud look the elated eye and confident v hich each of them might be distinguished here there notice an able coarse faced preacher with like sombre closely hair trimmed across his face sighing from time to time and with eyes half closed offering up a silent prayer for victory over the scarlet lady or perhaps thinking of the fat ham i chicken that were to constitute that day s as was not improbable if the natural meaning ore to be attached to the spirit with which m from time to time he licked or rather at own lips he and his class many of whom are excellent men sat at a distance from the form not to mingle with persons who co them as having no title to the x except such as they conveniently bestow on other not so the were present they mingled with their brethren of the establishment from whom they differed only in a less easy and gentlemanly hut yielded to them neither in of intellect firmness nor the cool of men well and quite as well experienced in public speaking at the skirt of the platform sat the mr a calm spectator of the proceedings and in the capacity of messenger appeared o drive dressed in black he had not yet entered upon the duties of his new busily engaged in bringing in and and other fruit to those of the party who were to address the meeting high aloft in the most conspicuous situation on the platform sat solomon m breathing of piety purity and humility ho held a gilt bible in his hands in order to follow the parties in their and to satisfy himself of their accuracy as well as the irish at he might fall upon some blessed text capable of his privileges there was in his a serene happiness a sweet a of divine triumph partly arising from the of his own inward state and partly om the glorious development of truth hich would soon be witnessed to the utter of and the man of sin for some me before the business of the day commenced party was busily engaged in private con in marking passages for reference notes and fixing piles of books in the most position mr was m full pomp busy directing assisting and

heartily tired of their officers and had already begun to think of withdrawing altogether from the corps unless there were some change for the better made in it now at this precise state of feeling with regard to both circumstances had arrived when he met his on the day when that gallant gentleman himself by his grandmother s threat had determined him to return to the but on hearing a day or two afterwards that was about to raise a new corps composed of well conducted and orderly men he resolved not only to offer himself to that gentleman but to induce all who were moderate among the hounds and indeed they the irish agent ire not many to accompany him this alarmed very much because on lord s rival to the county it would look as if i s interests had been neglected and he too that the withdrawing of the men from his might lead to strongly be after a day or two s inquiries and finding that from eighteen to twenty his youngest and most respectable d not only returned him their arms but actually held themselves ready to be in the corps for so s was he sat down and wrote the following to lord constitution cottage june my lord circumstances affecting your s personal and political interests have recently here and are even now which it my painful duty to communicate with you the subject without loss of time i am sorry to j that the conduct of mr your well opponent for the county is not that which comes a high minded man the cavalry corps of hich your is colonel and which by the ay has rendered good service in the firm d m of their duty has been very much by the conduct which that gentleman is pursuing the fact is that he has taken it into his head aided and assisted of course by his friends and political to raise a corps of cavalry as it were in opposition to ours and this no doubt he has a right to do although i am quite certain at the same time that it is done with a view to secure either the support or at least the of government which would as your knows be a heavy blow to us however as i said he has as good a right as we have to raise his corps but i do not think he is justified in writing private or in the men of our corps many of whom he ha already from their duty and with words and large promises to the body he is raising the fact is my lord if our men were not so attached to my son and myself as they are s interference would leave the corps a mere skeleton as it is he has taken eighteen of our very best men from us by best i allude only to youth and physical energy for i need scarcely say that all the and loyal fellows remain with us i am sorry to add that mr as i predicted he would is the irish agent vigorously supporting your opponent and there is a scoundrel here who is often with him a painter named you see i have a little of my latin still my lord the fellow wild goose i mean says he has come to the neighbourhood to take sketches but if i don t mistake much i shall ere long put him in a condition to sketch the bay of i have already reported him to government and indeed i we every reason to suppose that he is a agent sent here to sow the seeds of treason and i among the people nothing else can account for the dreadful progress which a made upon your s property where it is much more outrageous and turbulent than in any district that i am acquainted with i have also to a you my lord that even if i were disposed keep m and on the property t is that i were sufficiently treacherous to your interest to do so it is now out of my power their own has at length fallen upon their heads they are and not now in a condition to pay a renewal fine for their but i am happy to inform your that my son and mr m have each offered five hundred pounds or their respective a tender which i m might in expect from any other quarter and which i cannot refuse was for the murder of in consequence it is thought of a treacherous scoundrel named who was once one of our corps having taken a bribe to give evidence in his favour this same is to be a in s corps and when i say that and are and have been on very intimate terms i think it shows how the wind blows between at all events i have been receiving rent yesterday and to day and cannot but regret the desperate state to which things have been brought there is no getting in money and the only consolation i feel is that i have honestly and discharged my duty i have cleared a great number of our enemies from the property but unfortunately such is the state of things here that there is the greater number of the still other tenants that we could depend on being afraid to enter upon them in consequence of the spirit of that is abroad this m is certainly a most he was unable to pay his rent and i sent in an execution yesterday but as every one knows fourteen days must before the public of property takes place judge of the irish then when short as was the time an has been made before me that he and his lily have come to the determination of america

and i suppose by the aid of a mob to take away all that is valuable of their by force i must remove it once as the law under such powers me to do for i cannot sit by and suffer ir to be robbed in addition to being h and by these men their families the full force however this unpleasant intelligence still i do not think it that you should at present leave the circles and fashionable life in which you move to y yourself here among a set of who would scruple very uttle to your lord s or to shoot you from behind a hedge i am in correspondence with at the castle who in addition to the of being as he deserves to be free ihe back trot there is besides a creature after own heart we are both engaged in attempting ring the spy system to that state of perfection h we trust may place it on a level with that fine institution so abused called the n is indeed an exceedingly useful i to the present government and m him lies i mean out of his own beat to prevent them from running into financial extravagance for instance it was only the other day that he prevented a literary man with a large family from getting a from the who between you and me my lord is no great shakes and this wa done in a manner that him to a very lasting remembrance indeed the principle upon which he executed this interesting and beautiful piece of treachery for treachery of this kind my lord is in the catalogue of virtues was well worthy of imitation by every man of office it was that of to be a friend to the literary man whilst he acted the spy upon his private life and him to the minister oh you do not know my lord how the heart of such a man as i am to the author of this manly act of private treachery and virtue and i cannot help agreeing with my friend m who when he exclaimed with tears of admiration in his eyes h is beautiful verily the virtuous of it me i may that mild meek and most gentlemanly christian mr be rewarded for it and may the day never come when he shall require to tread in the footsteps of the devil indeed my lord i cannot help crying amen to this and adding v c of hia virtues may the irish agent descend and reflect honour on his posterity as i have no doubt they will do how few like him could the spirit of the into the moral principles of the castle for useful purposes i beg to your mr s circular which i think contains an reflection on certain existing bodies of a similar nature and is therefore in my opinion very to us i also you others which he has written to several of your tenants who are already members of your own corps i have the honour to be c c m the following is the circular alluded to above sir as a proposal to raise an additional corps of respectable cavalry in castle and its vicinity is about to be submitted to the lord lieutenant in order to receive his approbation your presence is requested at sam company s castle arms at twelve o clock on friday next when it is proposed to name officers and adopt such further measures as may appear most to the of the corps with expedition and effect i am sir your humble servant henry ha u ii m to his letter received the following square dear sir i received your letter and perfectly agree with you as to the nature of mr s circular many of which i have had in my possession for some time past with respect to him i have only to say that he and i have agreed to arrange that matter between us as soon as i reach castle i am sorry that any of my tenants should deserve the character which m aad his partner have received at your hands i dare say however that if they did not deserve it they not get it the arrangements for their removal of course i leave as i hitherto have left every thing within the sphere of your duty to your own sense of honesty and justice do not however take harsh or sudden steps in the mean time lose not a moment in the needful your s c it is not at all likely that lord would ever have noticed s circular or troubled himself about the formation of the new corps in the slightest degree were it not for the of the irish agent m who not only hated the whole family of the s from the same principle on which a hates an honest man but in remembrance of that gentleman s cousin having in his office and in his own presence kicked his son and pulled his nose when the circular therefore to his he the word respectable by which it was made to appear offensive whether it was used with the design of reflecting upon the violence of the blood hounds we pretend not to say but we can safely affirm that the word in the original document was never hy lord like his old father was no coward and the consequence was that having once conceived the that the offensive term in tile circular was at his own corps although he had never even seen it he on the receipt of m s letter came to the determination of ting to upon the subject lord to henry esq sir i have just a circular written v you calling a meeting at the castle ms with the object of forming what you are to term a

corps of now you are perfectly at to tow whatever you wish upon your new m corps provided these contain no against existing corps i think the fore that whilst others have heen for some ti formed in the neighbourhood your use the term respectable was to say the least of i also perceive that you have wi ten to some of my tenants who are already rolled in the castle corps and am formed that several of my men have already gi up their arms and clothing on account of an from you to join your corps i sir you did not know that these persons to the castle troop for however the cause you may be i need not point out to a very obvious fact to wit that a already embodied only to defeat the for which it was designed i take it therefore granted that no gentleman however great influence would ask any soldier to desert his and i am sure you will tell those men that they oi to remain in the body in which they were and in which their names have returned to the war office in conclusion i think the tenant who does not reserve to himself the p of serving the landlord under whom he whole of his property is in my opinion the irish agent ungrateful and and he who him to resign that essential is i think extremely i am c i to this mr sent the following i my lord i cannot at all recognize the principle you lay down in your definition of the relations between landlord and tenant i deny that a tenant necessarily owes any such and like duty to his landlord as you advocate and i am of opinion that the landlord who or f attempts to enforce such a duty is stretching his privileges beyond their proper limits i do not understand that any of your s have been to join our new corps i have signed circular letters for my own and if any of them have reached yours it has been without either my consent or knowledge i have the honour to be my lord c henry lord to henry esq sir i beg to inquire whether you apply the word to me i have the honour c m henry esq to the right hon my lord i think if you had read my communication with due attention you might perceived that i applied the term which offend you to your principles rather than to j self so long as your continues how to advocate such a principle so long shall i it with the epithet in question i have the honour c henry lord to henry esq sir your letter merely contains a without a difference so long as i identify principles with myself or myself with my so long shall i look upon any offence offered t one as offered to the other the principle tl fore which you brand with the insulting is one which hold and ever shall because i believe it to be just and not i await your explanation and trust it may be i factory i have the honour to be c the irish agent esq to the right hon lord my lord i am not anxious to haye a quarrel with you and i believe you will admit that the courage neither of myself nor of any one of my family was ever called m question i really regret that any serious misunderstanding should arise between us from this mere play upon words i trust therefore to your s good sense and good feeling not to press me on this occasion i have the honour c henry lord to henry esq sir i never doubted your courage until i have only to say that i beg an answer to my last letter i have the honour c henry esq to lord my lord your will find it in my last but one i have the honour c c henry to henry esq sir i beg to say that i shall be in castle vol t m within a fortnight from this date and tha you shall have early and instant notice of my i remain c henry esq to lord and i my lord shall be ready to meet y either there or any where else and have the honour c henry in the mean time and whilst this correspondent was going forward the political feeling about rose rapidly between the am friends of each m called a meeting of lore s friends and his own which was held in th public rooms of castle the following is report taken from the columns of the true at a special meeting of the committee of the cavalry held in that town on monday th march lieutenant philip m the chair captain m having to the committee to the effect th henry esq having directed to certain c the castle corps a circular letter as well private letters them to withdraw ther from and s v the irish agent and that in consequence of these steps on his part of the castle had deserted were in the new corps and captain m having also laid before said committee a copy of a letter which he had drawn up to be sent to henry esq and the committee taken the same their serious consideration it was resolved that any attempt to induce the of any members in such corps even to join another corps is highly to the institution at large in as much it holds out a example of and above all is calculated to excite a jealous spirit and create enmity between troops whose utility and value to the country depend on and mutual good will that the above resolutions together

with the following letter signed by the in of the meeting be forwarded to henry hai ey esq sir having associated for the safety and of this portion of the country as well as for protection of our families and properties we fed i selves particularly called upon on an occasion the present to stand forward and the m attack made upon this loyal corps and indeed on the whole body of throughout this kingdom in away by your letters and undue influence some of our members and attempting to procure others to be withdrawn from a corps already armed and complete be assured sir we shall be at all times ready and happy to afford every assistance in the formation of any new corps in our neighbourhood provided this co operation shall have no effect in our own we therefore call upon you to reflect on the measures you have taken and are taking and not to in the error of keeping such from mr troop as have joined as we shall i the case of your to do so most publish the whole course of your proceedings in matter for the satisfaction of our loyal throughout the kingdom and leave them to between you and us philip m m captain richard second robert m bullet charles secretary the irish agent these documents which were so as to without openly themselves that gentleman having aj had the understanding with lord hich our readers are made brief reply richard esq second lieutenant castle cavalry sir i have received two resolutions passed at a of your troop in castle and regret ly for the sake of the service of the that i cannot send any communication to e who bear the two first names on your i trust i am a gentleman and that i shall be found corresponding with any gentlemen i have only now simply to say i with great coolness for indignation i none the charges that have been brought me both in the resolutions and the letter h accompanied them neither shall i take her notice of any letters or resolutions you may me as i have no intention in future of with any one on subject with the of lord himself with whom i have recent communications touching this matter i am sir c m our readers are no doubt a good deal that knowing from sad experience the courage for which all the family were so remarkable should have ventured to undertake the post c on an occasion where such charges advanced against the gentleman in question an indeed so they ought to be as upon tb following morning no man living felt that so deeply or painfully as did worthy who experienced the of the damned tl whole secret of the matter therefore is that had lately taken to drink to drink at all hours noon and night in vain did his with him upon the subject in vain di he entreat on one occasion and command on another who was full of under certain told his father he did not care a curse f i him and d d his honour if he would him u him in that manner the fact is that was at the present period of our tale as corrupt au a scoundrel as ever walked the his father had no peace with him and received else at his hands than contempt abuse and threat of being horse whipped perhaps if our reader can remember the scene at together with the appearance of the irish agent they will be disposed to think that the son s conduct now was very like punishment on the father for what his own had been be this as it may on the following morning after the meeting at castle s repentance had it been in a good cause ought to have raised him to the in truth it rose to actual remorse damn my honour m for that was now the usual respectful tone of his address to him you not a precious old to allow me to take the chair yesterday when you knew what fire these are that comes of your drinking brandy so in the day the moment you were moved to the chair and by the way i suspect m had a mischievous design in it i did every g in my power that man could do to prevent you from taking it it s a d d m you did no li thing i teu you d n you all together i y i would rather the devil had the whole troop will too with captain m at the head of don t get into my hero said why do you put me over lord s m ay replied the son when sending you to head quarters you mean yes my old and when he and you and the of you get there you ll know then what permanent duty means that scoundrel will be sending a challenge to me make your mind easy replied his virtuous father there is not the slightest danger of that here s his reply to which dick himself handed me in castle a while ago bead that and let it console you accordingly read s letter in which both he and his father were mentioned with such marked respect and never did come to a shivering and hopeless with the s neatly settled under his left ear with a greater sense of relief than did this communication to him in fact he had reached that meanness and utter degradation of soul which absolutely feels comfort and is glad to take refuge in the very contempt of an enemy i hope you re satisfied said his father all right my old fellow all right m magistrate and grand damn my honour but you re a fine

it not merely among those who were under our thumb the poor and the struggling who fell in consequence of your threats and therefore through fear of us only but when higher game and purposes were in view see what a miserable hand you made of it i tell you if i were to live through a whole eternity i could never forgive m the triumph that his eye had over me in castle fair i felt that he looked through me that he saw as clearly into my very heart as you would of a summer day into a glass bee hive my eye before him my lip quivered my brow fell but then well no matter i have him now ho ho i have him now an ignorant awkward m i wonder the cars and carts are not coming before now observed to take away the furniture and other i am surprised myself replied they ought certainly to have been here before now got clear instructions to summon them perhaps they won t come observed the other until there s his knock at all events perhaps he has sent them up no said i gave him positive instructions to order them here in the first instance now entered well said who on account of certain treated the with more civility than usual what news how many cars and carts have you got sat down compressed his lips blew out his cheeks and after looking about the apartment for a considerable time let out his breath gradually until the puff died away what s the matter with you again inquired went over to him and looking seriously into his face then suddenly laying down his as he almost wrung his hands there s a spy sir on the estate a f it it t the agent spy as sure as is rank in this land a spy i exclaimed we know there is be quiet who is he v why sir a of the name of may satan open a in his own for him this day i sure one at the castle sir they say he s the lord o the black trot lord save us whatever that is the back trot go on well sir the back trot but does that mean that he backwards sir never mind he ll trot any way that will serve his own purposes go on i tell you well sir sure some one has wrote to this about him and what do you think but has wrote to mr and mr spoke to me so that it s all the same as if the castle had wrote to me if i any thing about him well what did you say why i said i did not and neither did i then but may i never die in sin but i think i have a due to him now well and how is that why sir as i was the in m the cars and carts to remove m s furniture i seen this along father and there they were the two o them goin from house to house whatever they said to the people tm sure i know but any how hell hem take care said no swearing i fear you re but a bad convert why blood alive sir replied sure i hope isn t to prevent me from don t themselves swear through thick and thin and verily some of the too are as handy at it as if they had an to it well but about this fellow the spy why sir when i the cars the people laughed at me and said they had for them than you had for for them and when i them who it was they laughed till you d think they d split i know very well it s a that s to be and our throats will be cut by this spy and so you have got no cars said i got one he replied and goin home square s ass king james or a as he calls thb irish agent that is the cock in regard of the great courage he showed at the i made him promise to bring him up sir says the square s a most gone why is he worse asked very coolly sir sure he thinks it s the o july and he was always accustomed to get a of the whenever that day came round to drink the loyal in and nothing would satisfy him but that would put the cart on a and bring him a of it all the way from the to him sets off himself to st s well where they make the stations and filled his there and the square i suppose is this moment if he s able to drink the glorious memory in blessed may god forgive him or blessed punch for it s well known that the of st s well is able to the any day glory be to god i damn my honour said but that s queer talk from a if you are one sure aren t we all together now replied and sure knowing that where s the use of the matter too far sure blood alive you wouldn t have me m than yourselves i hope i know my station ah said you re a neat boy i think what s to be done asked their refusal to send their horses and cars must be owing to the influence of this priest of course it is replied the son i wish to god i had the hanging of him but why did you send to those at all sure the blood hounds were your men why did i ah my good shallow ha why did i

he spoke in a low whisper why to my vengeance it was my design to have made one aid in the oppression of another go oflf to castle and let twelve or fourteen of my own corps come to m s with their horses and carts immediately call also to m and desire him to meet me there forthwith and bid and the other two fellows to wait outside until they shall be wanted the will be at m s about two o clock after had gone paused for a while then rose and walked about apparently musing and reflecting with something of uneasiness and perplexity in his looks whilst unfolded the the irish agent and began to its brilliant pages with his usual said the father there is one thing i regret and it is that i promised solomon s farm we should or rather you should you know have secured both for i need not tell you that two good things are better than one as my friend knows who by the way is about to be made a bishop of now that he of has gone to his account solomon however having been aware of the they offered ex as the law agent i thought the safest thing was to let him go if however we could so manage before lord s arrival as to get him discarded we might contrive to secure the other farm also the affair of the young woman on which i rested with a good deal of confidence would i am inclined to think on second consideration rather raise him in that lord s esteem than otherwise why did you not hear that he was publicly from the congregation said a d a to the history of that s all over the parish these two days her father brought the matter before the congregation and so far solomon s is exposed in that case then said something may m be done yet we must only now endeavour to impress lord with a strong sense of is due to public opinion which would be outraged by having such a law agent on his estate come the matter to me and we shall turn solomon s yet i know he hates me because i hb by the system of not giving unless to those on whom we can depend beside the little scoundrel has no political opinions whatsoever although an come my old cock no what political opinions have you got very strong ones what are they you hate the i suppose cursed stuff the are as good as other people but still i hate them because it s my interest to do so a man that s not an now is nothing and has no chance no i am not without a political opinion notwithstanding and a strong one too what is it then here said he laying his hand upon his breast here is my political opinion m is my political creed and my one too the irish agent after all replied you are a of the old block yes but i t parade it to the world is he does and there s the difference well thank heaven said the son i have no trains for any creed but i know i hate md the as i do the devil and that is the enlightened sentiment which all and mutual hatred between is based but you could never be so a foe to as i could your very passions and prejudices would occasionally you even in persecution but i i can do it coolly clearly and upon purely philosophical principles i te m upon personal principles i hate the man not his and here there must be p ion but in matters of religion there is i so powerful so destructive so lasting so in persecution and so successful as a resentment that is the abiding and resentment of churches and which has the world with human blood curse your philosophy i don t understand it when i hate i hate and i m sure i hate and that s enough chapter solomon suffers a little widow to him s death bed dies whistling the water the conversation had proceeded thus far when spoken of knocked at the door and asked to see mr m went to the hall well what s the matter how is your master your honour said the lad i think you ought to go to him he s at the last gasp sir if you d see the way his face is and his eyes he is worse then i don t think it s so much sickness sir as as what as the liquor your honour he s at the glorious memory sir till he s nearly off he thinks it s the the irish agent i he s it in sir otherwise i don t b he d take so much of it a and the cart s in the yard sir said you wanted them take a to h sir said we don t want him he s a kind of take him away to h out of this i can only take him to the gates sir unfortunately there s no entrance there for a captain if we could only get him to turn sir it s himself ud get the warm welcome but he proceeded addressing wouldn t it be a charity sir to go over and see the state he s in tom the butler says it s a sin and shame to look at him any one near him but that miss an he like a dog i shall be there immediately replied bring the ass home again we do not want him now he proceeded i shall ride over to see how matters are going

on and in the mean time i think it would be well to get and those other two who were out with for his protection for the fellow to be afraid and arms it would be as well i say to get two or three additional against this pre m by my return for we must make our case as firm as we can whether the fellow s a agent or whether he s not t matter a curse i don ii think he is myself but at all events it will be a strong proof in the eye of government that we are at least active and useful men i his arrest to you and you shall have the full credit of it at head quarters i hope soon to hare you on the bench only i do beg that for own sake and mine you will keep from the brandy i have the rents to lord who will soon make them fly in a few minutes afterwards he proceeded at full speed to the death bed of his father whilst is preparing the for s arrest which he stretched oat considerably by drawn from his own imagination we shall follow to m s observing en that the as he went might have been perceived to grin and chuckle and sometimes give a short low abrupt of a nature peculiarly gratifying to himself devil a ever either of them left on any bone thrown me he exclaimed instead o tbat they me the very that i was entitled to bad luck to them well no and the irish agent e he shrugged and chuckled again and so con led to do as he went along s for solomon he felt full occasion that morning his privileges and spiritual a days previous he had been brought before his ther elders by s father whose was unfortunately too plain to admit of any it or on the subject these men for with but another exception y were so discharged their duty as became m the process of was gone into but her with a spirit of sorrow for the of an ing and sinful fellow creature than with any of and fiery indignation which under the of charity for his soul is too often poured upon head of a the fact now was that consequences of his crime were about to come me to him in a manner which required the of all the moral courage he possessed it is to inform our readers that he had the cloak of for the purpose rely of advancing his own interests among a i section of the religious world no sooner did the history of his and its cause ome general than all those religious who themselves by his conduct m withdrew their business out of his hands and transferred it to those of others and not only persons of a decidedly religious character but also almost every one who detested and loved to see it exposed and punished in truth short as the period was since that exposure solomon was both surprised and at the number of and friends who deserted him he was meditating over these things then that morning when widow of whom mention has already been made a woman and notwithstanding her name a member of the congregation to which he belonged entered his accompanied by her brother ah mrs how do you do and my friend i hope i see you well i pretty well mr m as well as hard times will let us hard times true my friend hard times are indeed very hard yea even as a crushing rock to some who are severely tried but is good my friends and if it be for our soul s health then indeed it is good to be afflicted to this neither mrs nor her brother made any reply and solomon was left to console himself with a holy groan or two given in that peculiar the irish which only can accomplish but is altogether out of the sphere and beyond the ty of true repentance r m said my sister has at it which was the fact although solomon believe it a more advantageous those eight hundred pounds which woman has scraped together and she j to draw them out of the funds without any she wishes to sell out f course said solomon and indeed mrs i am delighted to hear it how are you to have the money invested ma am only le the names of the parties with the nature of and i shall have the whole matter managed with as little delay as may be be wishes first mr m to get the money w own hands said and i believe i s well state that as a conscientious christian she does not feel justified in herself of your professional services mr me observed the widow i don t see how d mr m i trust i am a christian as he says and for a christian woman to you as her attorney would be i fear to m encourage and sin and i feel that it would not be permitted to me to do so unless i abused my privileges thought solomon here am i punished as it were in my own exact verily the measure is returning unto me well mrs this is part of my individual may it be made precious to me i there is a mystery in many things and there is a mystery in this a mystery which i trust shall yet be cleared up even so as that i shall indulge in much rejoicing when i look back upon it mr you i trust are a christian man and yon mrs a christian woman now let me ask did you ever hear that it is possible for an innocent man to be condemned as

though he were guilty oh i could argue strongly on but that i know now is not the hour well but to business mr m my wants the money into her own hands and in her own hands it shall be placed mr but this you are aware cannot be done for a few days until at all events i go to when will that be asked about this day week d v term on to morrow week but i am generally in town a y or two before the irish agent very well then on this day week we shall be town too and will call at your office about ten the exact hour my dear friend and pray be and my friend my friend you confer a great an important favour on a and you mrs for you can what is it said when at family worship think of me if i am hat the world begins to say i am oh i do not i and stand in need of your prayers and most yea mrs even that ou should for me that i may be restored the fold and if i am innocent ie oh why say if said he turning up his eyes and his hands whilst the tears of actually down his cheeks but it is known that word innocence is known peace be with ou both on his arrival found him engaged in at his desk and on casting his eye slightly t the paper he perceived that he was drawing out bill of costs my friend said solomon after the over when will you enter the duties of your new office god as soon as mr m a m which will be in a few days i hope and how are you m tried in the furnace of affliction nine heated it s a sad thing to be accused mr m said looking him in the face with one eye shut but then it s well that this has come upon a man that has religion to support him as you have under it my friend there are none of us perfect we all have our our precious little ah yes you know the just man times a day started and despite of all the influence of his new creed exclaimed blessed saints seven times when was this mr m i think it must be in the ould pagan times long ago when the people were different from what they are now you see that just men that is the elect have their privileges if to fall seven times a day is the privilege of a just man td never be anything else ail my life and myself that there s ere an unjust man i fear that mr has not improved perception oi t a the agent why as to that mr m if you knew mr s piety as well as i do however as you say yourself sir if or rather it s unknown the piety of that well between you and me i am just as well satisfied that you did not attach yourself as i you would have done to our congregation for to acknowledge a truth which i do in all charity i tell you my friend that they are awfully and deficient in a proper sense of christian justice i am a proof of it i mentioned to another person before that the christian devotion of an act i did would occasion considerable risk to my own reputation and you see it has done so i shall bear all blame all shame all sooner than that precious vessel hitherto precious i should have said and yet perhaps precious still he is a just man may be said he is i would trust sooner i say than that precious vessel should be broken up as i suppose he is one of those vessels sir said that don t wish to any unless when it s mix he is or rather was a brother elder but then it not i have covered his m with my charity i permit you to say as much among your friends in the religious world whenever you hear the name of solomon m mentioned it is also due to myself to say as i m from mr m s sir said and he desired me to say that he hopes you ll attend at mr m s about o clock and not to fail as it s to be a busy day him the to be there to put them out i shall not fail replied the attorney but who comes here riding at a rapid pace like a messenger who good tidings looked out and at once recognized one of s riding at a smart gallop towards solomon s house the latter raised the window as the man approached well my friend what is the matter sir mr wishes to see you above all things he is just dying and he cannot depart till you come i shall order the car immediately replied solomon say i shall not lose a moment the man wheeled round his horse and galloped off at even a greater speed than before my friend said he i shall attend at the irish agent m s without fell justice must be rendered justice must be rendered to that wretched man and his family looked him in the face with a peculiar expression yes sir said he ood justice shall be as you say no doubt of he then left the house and ere he had proceeded a score yards turned and said yes you villain you know the justice you and m me bad luck to you both i pray this day i any

how it ll soon come back to in a few minutes solomon was on his way with an anxious expectation that he had been called upon to draw up s will on reaching his father s heard from tom with a good deal of surprise that solomon had been sent for expressly a glance however at the invalid induced him to suppose that such a message could proceed from nothing but the wild capricious impulses under which he much to his surprise also and indeed to his mortification he found before him two gentlemen whom who it appears had been conscious of his dissolution had sent for with his usual shrewd vol tl m ness to and preserve his loose property from his unfortunate housekeeper on the one hand and his virtuous son on the other these gentlemen were his cousins and indeed we are inclined to think that their presence at that precise period was considering all things rather than otherwise they had not however arrived many minutes before so that when he came they were still in one of the waiting for s permission to see him a uttle delay occurred but the moment entered with his usual privilege he proceeded straight to the sick room whilst at the same moment a message came to say that the other gentlemen might come up and be d d the consequence was that the three entered the room nearly together great was their surprise however at least of two of them their disgust their on seeing as they approached his bed room a female young certainly and handsome wrapped in a night dress her naked feet her face flushed and her gait tottering escaping as it were out of it on passing them which it was necessary she should do she did not seem ashamed but turned her eyes on them with an expression of resentment that distorted her handsome but features into l v v the irish agent those who looked upon her there she passed a upon an ill spent life upon a life of open steady and there she passed the angel of his death bed actually chased by the presence of men from the of his dying i there is no necessity said for my making an apology for this shocking sight you all know the life in this respect that my unfortunate father led in any case it is replied one of them but if he be so near death as we apprehend it is utterly it is awful they then entered was lying a little raised with an orange silk night cap on his head with a figure of king william on horse back three or four orange pocket handkerchiefs each owing to the excellent taste of the with a similar of his majesty in the centre lay about the bed and upon a little table that stood near his head there was no s bottles visible for it is well known that whatever may have been the cause of s death he died not of any malady known in the in truth he died simply of an this like most other in the ft m m over wrought effort at his departed energies joined to a most loyal but habit of drinking tha glorious memory in brandy well said he on seeing do you smell the death damp yet that you re here is the of my filthy old on the wind yet here you he said turning his eyes on that ripe youth as he brought in a large of the in other words of st s well water i say you you do you smell the of my filthy old yet eh sir it s not the smell in the world at the present time and there s a pair of big black ould for the last two or three days upon the black as if they had a suspicion of something tom and i have fired above a dozen shots at them and to the father we can take out o them so far from that they sit there at us be me it s truth gentlemen said how dare you use such language as this to your master leave the room rubbed his hair with his middle finger and went reluctantly out ah said i m glad to see you here dick and you a v x a w the irish agent the dirt and you ll find i have not forgotten either of you as for the there he is very well able to take care of himself he is oh a d d rogue s face was a one as perhaps was never witnessed on a similar occasion if there ever were a similar occasion it presented the aspect of the grave lit up into the repulsive and unnatural animation that resulted from and the feeble of a worse passion there was a dead but glare in his eye half of ice and half of fire as it were which when taken in with his past life was perfectly dreadful and appalling if it was not the ruling passion strong in death it was the ruling passion struggling for a divided empire with that political which regulated his life but failed to control his morals here said he mix me some brandy and water or stop ring the bell dick rang the accordingly and in a minute or so came in here you do your duty haven t you enough sir more i think will do you harm go to h you young of do your duty a y m here mixed him some brandy and water and then held it to his lips here said he here is the glorious pious and immortal memory hip oh ay hip hip now you

say that old took care not to allow him an opportunity of falling into a single on the subject as ft natural consequence hated him and would hare come long before to an open with him were it not that he feared to make him bis enemy ho also thought it possible that out of respect for m v i thb irish agent moment have thought of it and so probably he might have done were it not for two traits m his character which his worthy father especially detested cowardice and on his n home found fewer carts than he had upon even among his blood hounds in the social and civil duties of life are sterling and excellent men in general it is only when brought together for the discharge of duties by such as m or when met in their under the united influence of liquor and mad prejudices or when together in and under the same and probably provoked and dared by mass of less open and more treacherous it is only then we say that their most were committed meet the however in his field or in his house and he will aid and assist you in your struggles or difficulties as far as he can no matter how widely you may differ from him in creed the was that on understanding the nature of the duty expected from them and which the reader may perceive was not an official one most of them absolutely refused to come m they said had given extensive employment and m large sums of money in the neighbourhood and they did not see why an landlord or his agent should wish to throw so many hands out of employment and to ruin so many families they weren t on duty now which was a different thing but they had their own opinions on this subject they knew captain s conduct and d n them if m was a twenty times over if they d lend a hand in any sense to carry away his furniture it was all well enough when they were drunk or on duty but they weren t drunk or on duty now three or four cars and carts were all that found at home on his arrival there a circumstance which added to his recent disappointment touching from whom he had in fact to the last cherished secret expectations his resentment against m almost beyond all conception on leaving constitution cottage for m s he was not a little surprised to see worthy walking backward and forward on the lawn accompanied by no less a personage than our friend ray na ah said ho to looking at him and ray there s a pair of you never mind old fellow said with a grin the irish agent u don t know what s ahead a pretty bit of ds father s a jewel ah you t know her but i do hip hip old cock said you have been at the brandy je it in your eye and i hear it in your speech well said i have and what then t s the chat who s afraid m said the father this won t do i say it will do and it must do returned the but old cock is the precious d yet if ever man was replied his father and not to either of us not as much as would le on his own lying and a lying one will be no doubt did you get the i did but curse the i was obliged to ke them drunk before they would consent to jar them the truth is i put in a lot of stuff out my own head said and they refused to jar to it until i made them you must have made devilish stretches when y refused said the father where are they locked up in the stable fast asleep replied il and ready to swear it is well said that as m information enough for his arrest independent of theirs go in and keep yourself steady must be my own concern i see that he shall be arrested this day i have every thing prepared for it very well said with all my i have better game in view and he rubbed his finger along his nose as he spoke if you were sober said i could have wished you to witness the full of my vengeance upon m in as much my excellent son as it was on your account i received the insult the injury why by h n he trampled upon me i that shall never be forgiven but which will this day meet the vengeance that has been up here and as he spoke he placed his hand upon his heart the he added and his officers are there by this time for i do assure you i will make short work of it as for those ungrateful that refused to send their cart and carts i know how to deal with them and yet the as matters now stand between and us i can t afford to turn them out of the corps go ahead i say replied i have better game on hands than y r confounded corps or your confounded m w io v pas u j v with j the irish agent looked at him from time to time and as he did it might be observed that his eyes flashed actual fire sometimes with an appearance of terrible indignation and sometimes with that of exultation and delight now proceeded to execute his great mission of vengeance as he went along his heart literally beat with a sense of triumph and delight his spirit became and all his faculties moved in a wild tumult of enjoyment he

comes the now for business so then you wh proceed mr m said m proceed he replied looking at him as it were with amazement proceed ha ha ha truly that is mirth observed solomon i must say as much even although your cause bo a just cause and one supported by the laws by our blessed laws that protect the rights of the tenant and landlord with equal justice and for it w a glorious privilege to under a constitution that the tenant from the and oppression of the landlord or his agents it is that said solomon oh it is that precious thing as he spoke the words there was a slight of the eyes together with a side glance at m which though barely perceptible contained as much as could well be expressed the irish agent had scarcely when the led up his entered notwithstanding his excessive thirst for could not feeling the deepest possible since his arrival at m s was in this honest fellow s bearing that vexed his sorely and which in a kind of easy serenity t no threat could disturb or nay there a kind of lurking good humoured defiance his eye which joined to the irony of his manner the resentment of m to the he t pitch this is an unpleasant visit mr said when that official entered but it l t be helped it is unpleasant to both of us i assure you the on my part of course you w it is an act of duty and indeed a very mr m i have experienced your civility sir before returned m thanks to my friends i he eyed m and i know you to be of an act but you must it a distressing thing to be made in the dis m charge of that j the unwilling instrument of oppression on the unfortunate it is quite true said the and the case you speak of too frequently happens as i have reason to know pray what are those carts for mr m asked m to remove your furniture sir and all your other property off the premises i act in this matter by the authority of the law and lord s instructions dear me said m coolly why are very harsh mr m you might show a little forbearance my good neighbour upon what authority though do you remove the because i did believe that the tenant was usually allowed fourteen days to pay up before the process of an and even that you know must take place on the premises and not off them there has been an made that you intend to remove suddenly that is to make what is called a moonlight flitting mr m and upon that i proceed as i said i have the law with me my good neighbour pray where did you pick up the honest man the irish agent who was able to swear to my intentions he surely must be a clever fellow that can make as to another man s thoughts eh mr m v s glances at the man from time to time were but with his usual tact and he restrained his temper before the lest that gentleman might imagine that he acted from any other principle than a sense of duty who heard m s determination with deep regret now happening to look out of the window observed a group of persons approaching one of the said group hard and fast in the grip of two of s whilst at the same time it was quite evident that despite the of the arrest mirth was the among them excepting only the on approaching the house they were soon known and to his manifest recognized mr as a prisoner accompanied by messrs and both of whom seemed to enjoy s position between the two as a very excellent subject for mirth mr m said m whether is it you or i that is about to hold a little in my humble parlour to day but i suppose i need not ask consider yourself at home here my good m neighbour you arc now up and i am down so we must only allow you to have your way just then the parlour door once more opened and the party already alluded to entered very distant and very polite were the that passed from m to the party in question which the party in question received on the other hand with a degree of good humour cordiality that surprised and our agent to tell the truth felt rather queer for on comparing m s with the significant good humour of the new comers he was too shrewd not to feel that there was a bit of mystery somewhere but in what quarter he could not possibly guess gentlemen said he falling back upon his humanity the duties of sm agent are often painful but still they must be discharged lord i must confess has not been well advised to force me to these proceedings mr m i acknowledge i lost temper a while ago but the fact really is that i proceed in this matter with great reluctance notwithstanding what i said here however he added turning to is a horse of a different colour on speaking he put his hand into his pocket and pulling out the hue and cry of a certain the irish agent date read a description and as he advanced he turned his eye singular sagacity and satisfaction upon the person and features of poor was right said he you are here at full length in the hue and cry middle size of rather plausible carriage brown hair eyes and a yery knowing look the upper lip a good deal curled which i see is the case known to be in the possession of more money than ought

you sir replied this is o trap a spy and agent said looking into the hue and cry and again surveying he is imposing on you mr this gentleman sir proceeded is the honourable richard brother to the right honourable lord and who has the honour to present you with this communication from that nobleman said mr which contains your dismissal from his agency and this to you mr m which also contains your dismissal as his law agent the authority of each of you from this moment ceases and yours my sterling excellent and honourable friend from this moment re said he turning to mr this letter contains your re appointment to the situation which you so scorned to hold when you found it necessary as his agent to the people will you be good enough mr m to call in mr and those other people you shall not be left in the dark sir he proceeded as to the extent of our knowledge of your treachery and persecution i thb irish agent truly my friend m it is our duty now to act a christian part here this may be ultimately for our good if we receive it in a proper spirit may he grant it m s face became the colour of lead on his dismissal which was brief stern and or as the phrase goes short and decisive it was written by lord s own hand and to give it all due had his seal formally attached at the bottom now entered accompanied by and a number of those persons among the whom m had robbed and persecuted on looking at them after having twice the letter of dismissal his hands and knees trembled as if he were about to fall and on attempting to fold the letter it was visible to all that ho could scarcely accomplish it now proceeded mr i may as well inform you that i have made myself thoroughly and most intimately acquainted with your conduct in all its phases i have read and to my brother two letters which passed between you and this pious gentleman mr m e upon the subject of messrs m tt and s property than which nothing m more could in tho way of business or in the performance of any public duty enter the heart of man just heaven a poor creature perhaps prompted by the of hunger will steal some paltry matter not worth half a crown perhaps a pocket handkerchief and forthwith justice oh not justice but law in her stead with sword in hand and scales most balanced and lo tho unfortunate wretch is immediately dragged to a prison and transported for life to a colony whilst at tho same time like you will plunder by will the hearts of the poor first by your tyranny and afterwards rob them in their very tho unhappy struggling widow without a husband to defend her you would because she is helpless and your scoundrel son would corrupt her were she not virtuous you would an aged man that he might in the moments of surrender a valuable lease into your keeping you would not receive your rents except in gold for which you made the wretched people pay a by it out to them from day to day you in fact i have now neither time nor patience to your monstrous them ally as you irish agent v ni fl ere there is one act however so in so deeply marked by a spirit of cowardice revenge and cruelty that i might almost question whether in the lowest depths of hell itself anything so black and could i allude to the plan which you conceived and got executed by your heartless cowardly son aided by that old woman who stands there in your presence for the reputation of mr m s only daughter i can prove that said and here i am ready and willing to do so in this however thank god you have failed he continued yes in this and every other act of your you have been detected and shall be exposed and punished before the proper it is you sir and such of the poor and industrious classes as you who the unhappy the destitute and despairing people into crimes that are disgraceful to the country it is you and such as you who force them by your cruelty and oppression to fall back upon revenge when they cannot find or justice in the laws of the land unhappily the whole kingdom is studded too thickly with such men and until property in this unfortunate country is placed upon an equal footing in t m lord and tenant until the rights and privileges of him who farms and the soil are as well protected and secured by law as are those of the other party so long will there be and crime the murderer is justly apprehended and punished as he ought in the sight of ood and man to be but is there no law to reach wretches like you whose grinding and furnish him with the motives and to the crime he as for you gentlemen and honest men as you are he proceeded addressing m and you remain of course in your farms you have reasonable and fair and what is more your credit shall be re established on as firm a footing as ever you shall be enabled to resume your business on an ample scale and that as sure as i am master of two hundred thousand pounds and drive a word with you i have fully discovered your treachery to both m and m you were a willing agent in carrying out their hard and you were in truth a thorough without conscience feeling or remorse in no instance have you ever been known to plead for

or take the part of a poor man so far from that i find that you have invited and their the irish agent only in case they did not satisfy your petty that you might betray them to your employer whilst under all possible circumstances you them by threats and acted the on a small scale you are no longer a on this estate and i have further the satisfaction to assure you that in consequence of a private interview i had with the new bishop the right rev dr concerning your appointment to the situation of under of castle i have succeeded in getting it so that you are at liberty to carry your low to the best market you can get for it in all this i am by my brother who i trust will soon see the notions which he upon the subject of property and his duties as a landlord you my dear friend mr my friend i say with pride and the friend of the poor with still greater pride you will have the goodness to receive from mr m and m all books and documents to the estate that are in their possession wed be my said who was the to break the silence that followed these observations if you were lord himself instead of his brother i d call that same of w as a piece of ingratitude as ever came me m m that gave you most of the information that them both i may say an the too that convicted them are they forgotten v there is your friend and kindred spirit mr m replied mr who only that he never an injury might get you a secret appointment among the castle and with whom or rather it would appear with the gentleman who them he has considerable influence it is for such a respectable corps that your talents are best adapted of a truth said solomon this is a turning of the tables to use a somewhat vulgar as for me i know it is good to be in the furnace and with many as it is a fresh proof that i am cared for up until this moment m had not uttered a single syllable but as we have said he trembled very much his temples and his brow fell the in his left eye became deeper and more guilt like the of feeling coming upon him so unexpectedly as it did was dreadful and the tumult within him quite beyond the power of language to describe he merely said and this with lips and slow the irish agent very well mr your wishes touching the giving up of all documents connected with the property shall be duly complied with as far as am concerned that is all i choose to say just now and so far as i am concerned said solomon i can say that mine also shall be rendered up with rejoicing with rejoicing that i have no further intercourse with a and most landlord i feel that in this thing i have cause to be rather thankful than otherwise now m said m i could overlook all your and treacherous of me to lord your attempt to us out of our farms and to put your son and m in our places your the fact besides that we offered a thousand pounds a piece for a renewal your whispering away our commercial reputation and thereby bringing us in the end to ruin all that i say i could overlook and forgive but for your foul and cowardly attempt to destroy the fair fame of our child for that sir in which thank heaven you failed i now say i trust with honest pride and tell you face to face if you had only the to look in mine that i feel this to be the hour of my triumph but not of my vengeance for i trust i am a christian man m as for me m said really on looking over your whole conduct into which there comes not one single virtue belonging to our better nature i am so filled with indignation and a perception of the and blackness of your heart and character your revenge your and above all your cowardice that i can feel nothing for you but a and that really me when i think of you what could you expect observed from the son of and ould m never raised his eye but taking up his hat he and solomon followed soon after by took their departure in silence solomon occasionally his shoulders and throwing up his eyes like a persecuted man there is now no further use for preserving my observed mr and as yon mr have had your journey for nothing shall feel obliged if you will join these gentlemen at the castle arms to dinner where we can have an opportunity of talking these and other matters over more at our leisure do not expect me sir said who that the delicacy of his position with regard to lord the irish agent rendered it altogether impossible that he could be the guest of a man with whose brother he was likely soon to fight a well replied if you cannot come i shall regret it it is really out of my power i assure you replied as he bade him farewell the accepted the invitation and after shaking hands with and messrs m and also took his leave he had scarcely gone when a magnificent carriage and four dashed up to the door in which accompanied by took his seat and again drove off towards castle where the said carriage only had arrived that morning from the metropolis was certainly confounded by the unwelcome intelligence respecting the loss of the which was conveyed to him in such

an unpleasant manner by mr he knew his own powers of however too well to despair of being able could he see to replace himself as firmly as ever in his good opinion with this purpose in view he his way to the house where he understood the newly made bishop yet was having made arrangements to proceed the if next morning to in order to be consecrated there waa therefore no time to be lost and he accordingly to effect an interview if he could on arriving the servant who was ignorant of the change against him which had been produced in his master s sentiments instantly admitted him and the bishop who had expected a present of game from his neighbour lord desired him to be admitted the servant having only intimated that the man was come how is this said the in a loud and angry voice how did you get in sir your replied i came in by the door of course an that your is generally the right way for as holy scripture says he proceeded anxious to let his see how deeply he was with as holy scripture says verily verily i say unto you he that not by the door into the but up some other way the same is thief and a robber indeed my lord i never the consolation that s in scripture lately glory be to god the bishop looked at him with an angry and eye for s to say truth puzzled him very much whether his con thb irish agent proceeded from audacity or sheer simplicity he felt to determine from any thing that he see in s features what is your business with me now v asked the why your replied i ve made out a couple of tes that will be a credit to our blessed establishment as soon as they re one of them my lord is called an the other tom in regard of go about your business sir replied the with indignation i will my lord only my lord just before i about the your appointment to it is replied the other for many reasons you that wild priest but sure i said my lord that when i d get your appointment to it is i repeat t is o i haye too much regard for your morals and the advances you haye recently made in knowledge to place you in such a situation u only some hardened sinner some ye and not an honest man like you that ought be appointed to such an office the nature of its m duties would only draw you into bad habits and corrupt your principles the fact is your very virtues and good qualities prevent you from getting it for get it you assuredly is that your last my lord my last respecting that matter the then upon my conscience returned according to that rule hell the ha of the kind there was to prevent you from bein a bishop i hear you re goin up to to be consecrated and be me you want it but i d take my book oath that all the grace in your church won t be able to you into religion the back o my hand to you i say for i hate everything that s ungrateful it often happens that a petty insult coming from an unexpected source our indignation m re than an offence from a higher quarter the new made actually got black in the face and giddy in the head with the furious fit of passion which seized him on hearing this language from in the mean time we leave him to cool as best he may and follow to castle where he thought it probable he might meet father m nor was he mistaken he found that very zealous the irish gentleman the of a new chapel on a site given to father by mr the priest who know that the other had recently avoided him felt considerably at seeing the approach him of his own free will well said he in a voice which contained equal parts of irony and anger what do you want with me mr ah what a blessed you are i and what a they made when they caught you what do you want you shuffling scoundrel the grace o god i fear replied humbly and what brings you to me then i mean what s your business now why sir devil a one o me but s come back to the ould creed your reverence the impressions you made on me the day we liad the great argument was bo my it s yourself that can send home the word your reverence in a way that it won t be forgotten how an sure hell the one o me but back his dirty to an left him an it although he offered if i d remain them to put short out and make me full my lord says i s best i ve m heard both sides o the argument from you and father m an be my if you were a bishop ten times over you couldn t a candle to him at scripture neither are you the mild and christian that he is sure i know your church well says i up to him it s a fat church no doubt an i ll tell you what s in it what s that you v says he t why then plenty of says i but no salvation an salvation to me your reverence but he got black over the whole face and rank passion but sure would your reverence come a little more this way i think the men s to us but sure continued in a low confidential and very friendly voice sure sir he wanted me to you for the religious instruction

for it was nothing else glory be to god that you gave me the day of the argument an now your reverence he offered me a bribe if i d do it what bribe why sir he put his hand his apron sure he has a black silk apron on him now for all the world like a big man cook dressed out in he put his hand his apron and a got it into his breeches pocket here s the irish agent a fifty pound note for you says he if you ll that wild priest there s no end to his says he and i want to punish him for it so here s a fifty pound note an it ll be yours when the s over and i ll bear all the expenses besides and what did you say to that asked the priest i bid him his fifty pound note as waste paper an that was my answer and there s mine you lying scoundrel said the priest laying his whip across the worthy shoulders you have been for thirty years in the parish and no human being ever knew you to go to your duty you have been a on the poor you have and betrayed those who placed confidence in you and the truth is not a word ever comes out of your lips can be or trusted when you have the marks of repentance and truth about you i may listen to you but not until then is that your last said no doubt of it replied the priest my last and i ll stick to it till i see you a different scoundrel from what you are m ay replied then upon my you re all of a all jack fellow like an the creed among you the and may heaven have a hand in me but i think i was born to be a or any way a i wish to god i understood at the bacon and fowl i am as good a as any of them but be me as i don t understand i ll stick to the for when a man there all he has to do is to say nothing having uttered these sentiments in a kind of after having given the priest a very significant look took his departure well said he to himself if the bad luck to them won t take me i know what til do upon my conscience i ll set up a new religion for myself and sure i have as good a right to bring out a new religion myself as many that done so who knows but i may have a congregation of my own yet and it may be as respectable as some o them but sure i can t be at a loss for god if all fails i can go to oxford where had better success in his speculations than perhaps he ever expected to have we need not inform the of our readers that the called were founded by him and have been called after him to the present day sometimes and sometimes drivers th irish agent i m there s of new the lord be praised for it i on returning home was observed to be silent and the dashing speed of his ride to m s was not usual to him for his motions were slow it was significant however of the greedy spirit which stimulated him to the long wished for of his revenge not so his return he walked his horse as if he had been a philosopher on horseback and when now quite who expected to see him return with all the savage triumph of vengeance in his looks saw that he was dumb and absolutely crest fallen and who also observed the symptoms we speak of he began naturally enough to suspect that something had gone wrong his however were fruitless on his inquiring the cause of these appearances told him in a fit of that ill temper which is peculiar to to go be hanged a compliment which dutiful returned to his worthy father with interest this was all that passed between them with the single exception of an observation which fell from s lips as he left the dinner table late in the evening i tell you what m you re a confounded ill tempered old scoundrel an and what s more m o o oyer to your disgrace a d d bad rotten and how do you ex expect sir that a establishment can be port in this country by such scandalous con conduct as this i hip hip i instead of of being an ex example to your son it is your your son m that is an example to you hip hip and so good night to you i m tm on for a neat bit of business that s all oo to bed you old dog chapter the mountain grave dreams of a broken heart the christian at his duty melancholy meeting between a mother and her son a death bed that the great might envy experiences a specimen of the sure from without the death op m it was now about seven o clock in the evening and up from the moment of return he had scarcely spoken half a dozen words as was leaving the room however the father called after him said he come here for a minute well said staggering back what s in e wind now continued the father which of all the od hounds is the greatest and most ain a d d ni nice point to decide when they re duty replied he escapes me said in a but he added speaking aloud i m

a fool ol iii i m for putting such a question to you oo to bed and sleep yourself sober staggered out of the room in a very musical mood the door after him with a force that made the house shake he had not gone a hundred yards from the hall door when appeared in the distance him forward a signal for which he was looking out with that kind of drunken eagerness which is incapable of fore thought or any calculation whatsoever that might aid in checking the gross and onward impulses of blind and savage appetite s instinctive cowardice however did not abandon him in the course of the day he and loaded his pistols in order to be prepared against any of those which the fears of men never to create on meeting with who had been waiting for him outside at a place previously agreed on between them he pulled out the fire arms and showed them to the fool with a air which despite of his sorely what he felt they then proceeded together by the mountain path the moon occasionally showing herself by glimpses for the night although cloudy was not dark but on the contrary when the clouds passed away she almost might be said to out with singular r y thb irish agent we now leave them on their way to the place of as it had been arranged by and beg our readers to accompany us to the churchyard in the mountains where all that were dear and beloved by poor mary o slept this unhappy woman though closely watched by her friends and neighbours always contrived with the ingenuity to and insane persons to escape from time to time from under their and make her way to the spot which despite the of reason and intellect maintained all its sacred and most tender influences over her pure and noble heart for some time past moved probably by some unconscious impression of the pastoral attention and kindness of the amiable father she had made his house her home and indeed nothing could exceed the and care with which she was there watched and tended every thing that could be done for her was done but all sympathy and humanity on their part came too late week after week her strength wasted away in a manner that was painfully perceptible to those who felt an interest in her her son ned was still in the country but had no fixed residence and merely remained for the purpose of seeing her freed from all her miseries and laid in her last unbroken sleep m by those whom she had loved so well on the evening in question she appeared to be so feeble and exhausted that the good priest s family did not for a moment imagine that any particular vigilance was necessary between six and seven o clock then she had performed the last of those of the heart which time after time had been made by her to the solitary church yard in the mountains containing as it did the only humble shrine from whence her bruised and broken spirit could draw that ideal happiness of which god in his mercy had not her on arriving at the old ruin she felt so completely that a little rest was absolutely necessary previous to her reaching the graves she came to visit although they were only a few yards distant from the spot which afforded the poor creature the requisite shelter while her exhausted powers at length she arose and having over to the graves she sat down and clasping her hands about her knees she rocked her body to and fro as irish women do when under the influence of strong grief she then a verse or two of an old song whose melancholy notes were not out of keeping with the scene or the hour nor an for the wild night breeze which through the adjoining ruins in tones that might the irish agent almost be supposed to proceed from the spirit of death itself as it kept its lonely watch over those who lay beneath i wonder said she that they do not speak to me before this for they know i m here ah she proceeded there s his voice my white headed s voice i what is it darling i m come mother come he says we are is it for me a yes he says for you mother dear for you i well i ll come yes come he says for we are and she proceeded who is this again ah sure i needn t ax my heart i m here i come mother dear he says for we are i is it for me my manly son yes he says for you mother mother dear for you i well i ll come yes come he says for we are i ah she proceeded here is my own my brave husband that i fought for what does he ay come mary dear come the distracted the but the heart broken come to us my fair m haired mary for we are our hearts you even in heaven and long for you to be with us husband of my heart i will come and here sure feel as you all do in heaven for there is one thing that nothing can kill and will never die that is the light that s in a wife s heart the light that shines in a mother s love i ll come for sure i m ready you are not sick now she proceeded it isn t the and the black you have the et no mother dear ho says but we want you oh don t stay away from us for our hearts long for you i will come sure i m ready she proceeded a dialogue

that proceeded as it were out of the accumulated affection of a heart whose tenderness shed its light where that of reason failed my manly son your young cheek is not pale now nor your eye dim you don t fear the hard hearted agent nor his blood hounds nor the and storm that beat upon your poor head an you you don t fear them now my brave boy you neither feel nor fear any of these things now my son no mother he says all we want now is to the irish agent have you us our hearts long for you and why do you stay away from us oh i come mother dear for we re i my manly son i ll come for i m ready husband of my heart you re not now sick upon the damp straw as you war in the cabin on the mountains you re head has no pain now a nor is your heart low and sorrowful your own illness and our want the of the or blood hounds aren t now in your ears nor need you be afraid that they wiu disturb your bed of death an your poor their when you ought to think of god s mercy oh no sure you feel none of all that now dear oh no he says nothing of that do we fed now nothing of that do we fear but come mary oh come to us for all we want is to have with us aad we think the time long till we see you again these affecting or rather dreams of a broken heart were nothing else than the mere echoes of her own affection for it was that the love she felt for her husband and children unconscious as she then was of it gave form to the m sentiments which her excited imagination had clothed in language that was so highly for some time she was silent or muttered to herself such fragments of language as rose to her fancy and ultimately laid down her head upon the little grassy mound which constituted their graves here she had not lain long when overcome by the fatigue of the journey she closed her eyes and despite the of a biting night sank into an unbroken slumber sleep on poor sufferer and let those whose crimes have placed thy distracted head upon that cold and unnatural pillow reflect that they have a judge to meet who will in another life not overlook the deeds done in this who is there who would even in this thy most pitiable exchange thy innocent but suffering spirit for m s heart or the dark crimes with which it at length she awoke but whether it was that the keen and piercing air had cooled the of her beating brain or that the restoration to reason which is called when applied to the insane a before death had taken place it is impossible to say with any thing like certainty at all events on awakening the first sensations she experienced were those of and wonder and immediately the irish agent did she her mind filled with a train of shocking and fearful reminiscences her physical sufferings were also great she felt and chilled her heart was cold and a shivering sickness ran through her whole frame with a deadly of approaching dissolution she looked up to the sky then round her at the graves and in a moment recognized the burying place of her husband and children all the circumstances then connected with the scene at drum and that of the death in the mountains rushed upon her recollection with a force at once vivid and powerful father of heaven she exclaimed i have been driven out of my by too much sorrow and here i am restored to it on the very graves where those that i love sleep i she then endeavoured to rise but found on making the attempt that she had not strength for it the consciousness of this filled her heart with woe almost unutterable merciful father she again exclaimed do not oh do not suffer me to die on this wild mountain side far from the face or voice of a human being there is nothing too powerful for your hand or beyond your strength or your mercy to the reader is to remember that she is supposed to give t ance to all her and sentiments in the tt v e m them that put their humble trust in you save me oh god from this frightful and lonely death and do not let me perish here without the of religion i but if it s thy blessed and holy will to let me do so then it is my duty to submit i give me strength then to bow to thy will and to receive with faith and whatever you choose to bestow upon me and above all things o lord grant me a heart and that my bleak and lonely death bed may have the light of glory upon it i grant me this o god and i will die happy even here for where your blessed presence is there can be nothing her piety and faith in the mercy of god were not without their own reward the last words were scarcely uttered when father accompanied by her son ned advanced to the grave on which she he had been absent on a sick call and would not have been aware of her escape to the mountains were it not for her son who having met him on his return requested permission to see her only for a few minutes if not too late the priest granted him so reasonable a request and it was on seeking for her that the discovery

you know i could not suffer any one else to many thanks to you sir in the meantime well then said the priest as i know and understand the feeling i shall not press the matter but since the body cannot be left without protection i think you had better go down and fetch a few neighbours with a door and let her be removed forthwith i shall remain till you return it s a very hard thing father that you should be put to a duty replied o but the truth is i wouldn t take all the money in the king s and remain here by myself but i have no such fears said the priest i shall stay within the shelter of this old ruin until your which will be as quick i trust as possible o was about to start off at the top of his and father began to walk to and fro e old ruin struck by the pale moonlight as it through the grey stone windows holes and of the walls up some old remnant ambition or perhaps exposing a ng u by time and the elements into that white which is perhaps the most ghastly of death and the dead at this moment h they were each in no small degree startled by the sound of human voices and to complete their astonishment two figures approached the humble grave on which the dead body of mary o lay stretched on turning towards the moon they were both immediately recognized by the priest and o who looked on in silence and wonder and waited to hear if possible the object of their visit i say again said i say my jolly eh that is to say you deal in an ex excellent trade for a i say again you have brought me the wrong way or me somehow upon my honour and reputation i rather think you re short of sense my man come i say let us be off home what the devil did you bring me to a church yard for eh v said let us who have we here ah said he stooping down and feeling the chill of death upon her features it i mary o and she s dead dead dead exclaimed starting curse you let us be off at full speed i say v in a nice and these pistols are of no against any confounded ghost the irish agent on hearing that carried pistols o started and had it been daylight a fierce but fire might have been seen to in his eyes what can have brought them here asked father i cannot understand their visit at such an hour to such a place as this a few minutes sir will make all clear may be and what brought poor mary here to die do you know v inquired no you don t he replied but i will tell you she came to die near poor white head that she loved so much and near and ne r poor himself that the blood hounds damn my honour if i can stand this any longer off said with a shout whose echoes rang through the ruins you t go till you hear me out and on uttering the words he him by the arm and led him over to the dead body goin to tell you myself proceeded she came to die here that she might be near them do you and he involuntarily pressed the arm he still held with his huge iron fingers until told him he could not bear the pain she came to die here that she t y v if far to go to them for you don t know may bo tbat it s on their grave she is now ha ha that s one did you ever see a woman captain v never replied who stood passive in his grip ha ha ha he chuckled that s not a good one well but did you ever see a some o the blood hounds fellows i believe but then they were only and ha ha still chuckled as he confronted himself by degrees with i swore it for poor white head s sake and for mary m s sake an for twenty besides god what do you mean said there s a dreadful look in your eyes are an excellent fellow but tell me what you mean to show you a he replied and now i have one by the throat as ho spoke ho clutched him by the neck with a grasp that might a tiger then as before in o s all the fury of the savage came upon him his eyes blazed fearfully the of passion or rather of madness appeared upon the irish agent his lips and his resembled the roaring of some beast of prey while tearing up its quivering victim in the furious agonies of protracted hunger in a moment was down and truly the comparison of the beast of prey and his struggling victim is probably the most appropriate that could be made when we consider the position of the one helplessly upon the ground and the other howling in all the of blood thirsty triumph over him so hard and desperate indeed was the for life and so deadly was the immediate sense of becoming that whose eyes were already blinded and who was only able to utter a low hoarse which sounded uke the death rattle in his throat was utterly unable either to think of or to use his fire arms the too was so quick that neither father nor o had time to render assistance great heaven exclaimed the priest is the young man bad and wicked as he is to be murdered before our eyes by that gigantic idiot he proceeded

to the spot just when was about to repeat in reality the imaginary scene with the pillow ho ho he shouted give us measure a little more of it the same tongue t a m your own friend nor the friend of any one else ha ha ho ho ho there that s one take it out o that will you this for white head and this for mary m what s this said father gently laying his hand upon his huge arm the muscles of which now strung into almost strength felt as hard as oak stop he proceeded would you like that work yourself my good boy father said his hold more from than any thing else if you will take your hand from his throat my good boy i will tell you where you will get a cock that no other bird in the country could have any chance with there s a good him go follow me over here and leave him a cock that cannot be beat exclaimed starting at once to his feet no but will you i will tell you where he is said the priest but do not harm him more pointing to i only trust in god that it is not too late he stooped to examine countenance and indeed the sight was as strongly calculated to excite mirth as disgust there he lay foul tongue projecting out of bis the irish agent mouth which was open and gasped for wind his huge eyes too had their heightened by terror into an expression very like that assumed by a when he and makes faces at the audience whilst his whole countenance was nearly black from excess of blood and the veins about his forehead and temples stood out swollen as if filled with ink aye you may look at him said he is a boy now the stars there a beauty you were a beauty you are and so i leave you v come over said father to o and see if you can render him any assistance you are stronger would he know me do you think said o before he went over at present certainly not father but he is breathing and in about eight or ten minutes i hope he will probably recover o went over his and staid with him a few moments after which he returned to and the priest who were now in the ruin i think he ll be well enough shortly he but the truth is that he wasn t worth your vengeance i will now go m a few of the neighbours to assist in bringing my poor mother down from this lonely spot that she may at least have a christian roof over her he accordingly departed and father in a few minutes had s mind completely from the train of dark thoughts and affectionate impulses by which it had for some time past been alternately influenced said the priest how could yon think of committing such a frightful act as murder ha ha he replied sure it was when i thought of mary m and poor and how did it happen that of all places in the world you both came here v and the rest are here sure he thought he was to a poor creature upon no good and when he was drunk it was to bring him any where ha ha that s one for can manage him i thank the almighty father ejaculated the priest that i was able to prevent another murder night for most assuredly you would have taken his life ho ho exclaimed the fool with a uttle of his former ferocity sure it was for that i brought him here aye aye else the irish well while you live continued the old man never attempt to have the blood of a fellow creature on your soul i must go over and see how he feels i perceive he is able to sit up young man he proceeded addressing i render god thanks that i have been in saving your life this night that s more than i know replied this grateful youth i neither saw nor heard you if you were it matters not replied the other let me assist you to rise i can rise myself now said he getting up and staggering i ll transport you and that d d savage the you are a po priest and you cannot be he here at this time of night for much good never fear but i ll make you give an account of yourself my old buck the reader is already aware that had been far advanced in previously but when we take into account the fearful he received and the immense rush of blood which must have taken place to the brain we need not be that he should into the former symptoms of his or in other words that its influence should be revived in him in consequence of the treatment he received t m i continued that i have got you and in my power now and damn my may be we won t give you a chase a across the country that ll put your heels hip hip ay and may be we won t give big m m or m a run that will do him good too hip hip so good good night till i see just as you ought to be knitting your like o hip he then staggered on half stupid from the scene and very far removed from in consequence of the copious of brandy he had swallowed in the of the day and evening good night captain cried after him when will you come to the hills to meet bet m again ha ha i there now that

s one poor young man exclaimed father if you were not so completely an object of contempt you would surely be one of compassion may god in his mercy pity and relieve the unfortunate people whose domestic comforts and general happiness are to such an extent in the keeping of men like you and your wretched father men who breathe an atmosphere rank with pre the irish agent of the worst description and hot with a spirit of persecution that is as free from just policy as it is from common sense when will this mad spirit of discord between christians mad i call it whether it poison or religion be banished by mutual charity and true liberty from our unhappy country and when will the rulers of that country learn that most important secret how to promote the happiness of the people without degradation on the one hand or insolent triumph on the other i o s return with the neighbours from the lower country was somewhat and yet not much more protracted than father had expected considering every thing however there was little time lost for he had brought about a dozen and a half of the villagers with him having reached the cold bed where she lay and where all her affections had dwelt they placed her upon a door and having covered her body with a cloak brought for the purpose the little procession directed their steps to that humble roof which had been ever since father occupied it a one to and poverty and repentance as they began to move away o said excuse me for a few minutes i wish to go back to the spot where my father and a c s m that is but natural and i will soon overtake you they then proceeded and he remained at the graves of his relatives he stood over them in silence for many minutes keeping his face covered with his hands at length he knelt down and sobbed out aloud father said he i have fulfilled my oath i have fulfilled my oath my sweet and fair haired child your brother when none was left to do you justice but myself has fulfilled his oath listen to me and rest quiet in your graves the is no the of the poor the the robber that trampled upon all law that laughed at justice that gave vent to his bad passions because he knew that there was neither law nor justice in the country to protect people like you or to punish himself that that of the poor that that robber is this night sent to his account by my hand for by no other had he such a right sleep quiet and contented in your graves my father and and poor as we had no law for us in this country i was his law i was his justice and so may god prosper me if there is not a heavy load taken off of my heart by the fate that has come on the villain by my hand he spoke m s s fi the irish agent which he composed himself so as that he might appear in his usual mood that of simple grief on his companions the morning of the following day the town and neighbourhood of castle were in a state of extraordinary excitement and tumult m esq said the true blue the excellent and humane agent of the castle property was most shot dead in his parlour about ten o clock on the previous night by this act the poor of that admirably managed property continued his brother have lost c c but it is really sickening to read these of the who drive the people into crime and blood shed by their rack and oppression it is time that honest men should speak out and fasten upon these of their country their proper to this murder as to others of a similar character there never was any found notwithstanding the large rewards that were by the gentry of the county and by government was too drunk the evening before to remember any thing distinctly his pistols were never found nor was any other discovery which could fasten even w g m if however were drunk the night before his father s death he was sober enough the night after it on that night there was not a hill head on all the castle estate which had not its and its rejoicing for the re mr to the agency it might however be observed in general and it is frightful to be forced to record such a state of things that the one and all appeared to feel a singular of temper on the occasion a strong sense as it were of great relief a revival of good spirits a of rational hope associated with dreams of domestic comfort reasonable indulgence sympathy and common justice such was the end of m and as we have only one other fact in connection with him to record we may as well record it here on the morning after his death his mother was found dead on the steps of castle whither it would seem she had come as if from a principle of early recollection to the spot where she had first drawn her breath in innocence who can or will any one dare to say that died in guilt or that is only known to god by whom she was to be judged chapter xxx and his brother lord ber s shot by dies in the of a principle marriage of and mary m solomon struck off the roll handsome compliment to the judge solomon s

death dances the s virtues and christian death the honourable richard alexander for he was sometimes called the one and sometimes the other but most frequently richard had been for several years on the continent where he found it more economical to reside than at home a circumstance connected with a gambling debt of his brother s communicated by a friend brought him suddenly to london where he arrived in time to save his brother s reputation and fortune and most probably his life for lord be it known as very nearly what is termed a professed having succeeded in saving his brother from being by a crew of aristocratic black legs and rendered an appeal to the unnecessary m ho to acquainted with a wealthy daughter in the course of a few ho and won the thing in fact is common and nothing at all of romance in it she liad wealth and beauty he had some title the father who passed off to a different counting house about a couple of months after their marriage left him and her to the enjoyment of an immense property in the funds and to say it could not got into better hands she made the honourable mrs richard and if a cultivated understanding joined to an excellent and humane heart deserved a title in her person they did after his arrival in london he had several conversations with his brother whose with regard to property he found to be of the cool aristocratic and contemptuous school that is to he did not feel bound to neglect the pleasures and of life and look after his tenants it was enough tliat he received their rents and a agent to collect them what more could ho do was ho to their slave now anxious to h the of his brother s estate if only for th of his bad logic upon the of property came over u the the irish agent accompanied by his wife and it was to his brother under the good humoured of that he addressed the letters recorded in these he also had a better object in view which was to purchase property in the country and to reside on it that he did not succeed in out of lord s mind his senseless prejudices with respect to the duties of a landlord was unfortunately none of his fault all that man could do by reasoning illustration and remonstrance he did but in vain the old absurd principle of the landlord s claims upon his lord neither could nor would give up and made these necessary observations we proceed with our narrative better than a week had now elapsed m had been with great pomp all the of the neighbouring districts having attended his honoured and lamented remains to the grave dressed in his appropriate orange costume he provincial remarkable for singing own songs had been engaged to preach his sermon which he did with a force of and pathos that literally brought the tears those who were acquainted with s virtues a their cheeks but of none else he dwelt particular severity upon those who and hung his respectable son our esteemed brother in whilst the sacred remains of that father whom he loved so well and who so well deserved his love and the love of all who had the pleasure and happiness of his acquaintance c c were not yet cold all this we say had taken place and our friend was seated quietly at his breakfast one morning when a gentleman named waited upon him on the part of lord after the usual mr opened the business on which ho had come i regret mr that there should be any misunderstanding between you and lord not more so than i do mr i assure you lord i presume has arrived then but pardon me have you thank you sir i have he has arrived sir and requested me to wait upon you for an apology it appears according to my instructions as the lawyers say that you have charged him with holding and principle as a landlord now this you know is really a thing that a man like him could not overlook of course mr he placed our correspondence in your it u the irish agent unquestionably he submitted it to me previous to my to act and may i ask your own opinion mr as an extensive landed proprietor mr i must say that i agree with him i think a landlord has a right to demand kind of support from his tenant and that if the tenant claims the privilege of running counter to his landlord s interests then the landlord is justified in removing that tenant off his property as soon as he can in that case then i have no concession to make and no apology to offer i regret this business very much but lord places me in a position which i cannot leave without he also wishes to have an explanation with respect to the circumstances which induced so many of his corps of to their names in your new troop i have explained that already by stating that i never any of his men to join my troop they came of their own free will and i received them and certainly will receive as many as come to us under similar circumstances then i suppose you will not cause them to withdraw from your troop as lord on vol iii y m on will he allow neither the tenant nor the the use of his free will mr i see nothing now remains but to refer you to my friend captain who will assist you in making all the necessary arrangements and the sooner this unpleasant matter is terminated the better after bidding other good morning mr departed to make as termed them the necessary arrangements the

on their return from her father s house after having witnessed their subsequent marriage by father that he met his brother s carriage containing his dead body richard possessed a mind above any empty title and perhaps there lived not a man j who more sincerely the event which made him lord and put him in possession of a property which he did not require our draw to a close the contemplated interview between mrs her brother and solomon never in fact took place solomon fell very into ill health and could be seen by nobody except his physician who was nearly as religious as himself and besides a member of his own congregation in the trust however which the placed in solomon she was to use his own language abundantly justified as the event proved honest solomon her out of the money and had the satisfaction of reflecting that he reduced her and her family to os x h m appears is a very slight thing in the eye of the law and solomon encouraged by this consideration ruined the unfortunate widow and her this act of gross robbery was not in about a month after he had it the following scene occurred in the court of king s bench in presence of many who will have little difficulty in bringing it to their recollection a thin pale faced man far gone apparently in serious illness supported on each side by a friend who had not given him up one of them b the way was a and a far greater and than himself approached the and requested permission to address the court pr to the exercise of its in striking bin off the roll of this permission was granted and solomon for it was he spoke briefly as follows my lord you see before you a frail sinner who will soon appear before a greater and more awful than yours i am not here my lord to defend an act to which i was prompted by may i be permitted to say so by my very virtues some men my lord are ruined by excellent qualities and some by those which are the reverse as to ic vm m we my lord and the the irish agent principles upon which but an explanation on this subject would not become me oh no my lord but your sees these tears your sees t his weak feeble and frame you perceive in fact my lord that i am scarcely a subject for the severity of this or any other court in the mean time i be prepared to meet a greater a more awful one i may that be granted my lord oh may he grant it i am very feeble my lord but still able entreat that your will temper justice th mercy about a month ago my lord when j little apprehended the occurrence which but may his will be done my honesty is known my lord it known there pointing up about a month ago i say i had my last child by i am ashamed to tell your what name lest you might imagine that i did so for the purpose of your judgment in the no my lord i will add nothing to the simple fact i had my last child by richard penny m a circumstance which fills my heart with sentiments of joy and gratification up to this moment and i am not depressed far from it this my lord is a trial and i know for i feel that it is good for me to be tried inasmuch as it is a proof that i am cared for there and he pointed again upwards a he spoke m the judge who was a kind hearted and humane man was melted even unto tears which he could with difficulty restrain whilst he spoke unhappy man said he i have been for several years in the habit of law justice you mean my lord said solomon oh justice justice or rather mercy my lord i little of law have you ever oh little of law but much of justice may he be praised for it amen amen your case unhappy man is one which places me in a painful position indeed the compliment you were good enough to pay me i mean that of calling your child after me makes me feel as if in addressing you i was here he sobbed and wiped his eyes bitterly and was about to proceed when widow s counsel rose up and said my lord it is really too bad that should continue its even to the last act of the drama i feel it my duty to your in this matter of the child after you perhaps the compliment will be considerably diminished if not absolutely reversed when you come to know my lord that the child which bears your s x am t does bear it is an the irish agent one and very unworthy indeed my lord of bearing such an honoured name as yours the judge had been shedding tears for solomon s during this address but it is almost unnecessary to say that the change from the benevolent and pathetic to the indignant was as fine a specimen as ever was given of the ludicrous do you mean to tell me said the judge the whole features of his face in a state of transition that was perfectly irresistible do you mean to tell me that the child which the wretched man had the insolence to name after me was not born in t my lord said solomon this is a subject on which aided by my great the wisest of the decision of the court continued the judge is that your name be struck off the of who practice here

the doing which will require about three hours and when the oil is sufficiently boiled it will bum a feather the addition of some indian rubber was suggested to me but of this i did not make a trial because the dressing answered so well without it when the oil is quite cold take a clean paint brush and well work it into the outside of the whole apparel and it will soon find its way to the inside let the apparel then be put out in the air every dry day for a fortnight or three weeks and at the of that time provided the oil on it be thoroughly dry take the remainder of your prepared oil and give it the second coat n b let the person who the oil c beware of getting burnt and let him do it out of doors or he might run a risk of setting your house on fire add to this the smell of it when boiling is a great nuisance o youth what think ye of dressing thus for a pleasure party before enters on his pleasant craft it will be convenient to furnish him with fitting materials of these are his dog xx and his gun elsewhere he will find hints how best to supply with the former we will here address to counsel him touching the latter and its necessary for your gun of course a double barrel go to the best artist in such articles within compass of your pocket leave to him all matters of finish all quality of the in and as regards choice adopt to the letter the advice of to the youth about to rush into verse qui et the great names in the gun trade are those of egg smith represented by his agent bishop of bond street and last but certainly not least in our good opinion joseph of the c are odious and we therefore them merely remarking that not being hard to please we should be content to have our wicked will in the preserves of or with the best double any one of these might turn out chapter being supplied with a gun we next come to advise our young upon his supply of powder the vital principle of shooting if originally of a good quality this agent will last for a very great length of time always that its being kept perfectly dry is a non if once allowed to become damp your powder can never be restored to its first excellence as moisture more or less the materials which give it strength even the air has a tendency to produce or at all events quickly to damp into therefore to preserve your powder in all its original properties keep it sealed in tin cases which are infinitely the best a great deal has lately been written upon the of and other of composition but for all ordinary sporting purposes get the best quality of any recognised and you may be sure of an article suitable to all your wants and and co try their wares and if your piece do n t carry straight be sure the fault is not in the principle much of opinion as to the best general charge for a gun to our thinking there can be no rule for any such thing first b chapter subject it to a patient series of trials at a et and having accurately proved the heaviest charge it will carry with the best effect shooting close and true adopt that as your some s ago the correct proportions were declared to be an equal measure of powder and shot some of the great professors in their pigeon matches used only four of powder to two of shot no where game does not abound we would recommend the use of heavy charges because when a bird is hit it is hit hard in preserves less will do it must always be borne in mind that the heavier the charge the more quickly a barrel becomes foul as a principle let the substance of the be regulated by the bore of the gun let it also be elastic and of a texture to resist the blast of the powder the article of is sold everywhere that powder and shot are to be had and the great gun have fitting of the sort in vast varieties but there is not one of them better than felt for large and strong for small keep these as dry as your powder and ram your whatever it may be made of well down upon both your powder and chapter your shot before it home over the latter ve your gun a gentle blow upon the ground to make the shot he even the sooner you re load after firing the better do it always while the barrel is still warm of course the last thing you will do in is to put on the caps it will not be enough that the of your powder has been accurately adjusted to the measure of your charge for you must take care it is also fairly filled to do this place your finger upon the top of it firm to prevent the powder om but not so as to force it into the then turn your down give it a shake and you will have your just the size of shot is another fertile subject of discussion among some have gone so in their desire to settle the question as to have plucked for the purpose of to what extent feathers the penetration of shot without leading student into of theory as as this unpleasant process of word to a student s ear we venture to for his acceptance the fi of our personal experience in countries where game may be ap chapter preached within reasonable

cunning of the should not he set him on the contrary his opportunities of indulging in it if indeed he ever have any will most certainly he few and far the means of success should the chance occur ought to he made to him details of its stirring scenes and associations the economy of its perilous pleasure while exciting his interest will serve to tell how were won and it may he him to do so likewise to this we address ourselves the sport of deer as pursued in great britain is followed only in certain portions of the for though are shot in the royal in england as well as in private the method of doing so is far from sporting and the practice confined to game the principal districts where is enjoyed are forest the forests the forest of the forest of lord lo s haunts and in the county of the besides others of less note the former of these mr states contains an area of one hundred thousand acres and is upwards of forty miles in length it has however only recently been devoted to the and preserving of red deer the forests are fifty miles long and embrace some of the wildest scenery of scotland it deer was in these according to the same authority that the last of the british wolves surrendered the ghost the forest of is remarkable for the attempt made by its proprietor the earl of to introduce the wild into the catalogue of british game he turned out several of these savage but it is supposed they departed this life from the want of extensive however as the are they belong to a few great who limit their permission to share with them the royal sport to a few great men only two individuals so favoured have left us any record of their proceedings these are mr already referred to and john of the latter gentleman is quite an in all relating to the wild of his mountain home and writes of deer not only as a thoroughly practical hand at it but as one well skilled in the fashion in which those about entering on the campaign should take the field the most day for this sport he says is a cloudy one with of sunshine exactly such as you would choose for fishing when the sky is and the sun veiy dazzling the herd are apt to see you at a great distance and take alarm high and changing wind is always very b d as it keeps them moving about in a wild and uneasy state in such weather it is better if possible to wait till it settles a little and take advantage of the first calm if the breeze be light they will not move much but deer a ng steady wind lasting for some days will always make the deer change their ground by facing it often for miles mist is the worst of all for the deer are pretty sure to see you before you see them always advance on deer from above as they are much less apt to look up than down a hill if possible have the sun at your back and in their face with this advantage you may even venture to approach them from below birds on the contrary always look up and it is best to stalk them from the lower ground if it is a quiet spot even if the sim is at your back wait for a clear before making your near approach of course every one knows that it is out of the question under any circumstances to attempt advancing on deer unless the wind be favourable so all other directions are subject to this in and hollows it is quite impossible to know how the wind will blow upon a particular point unless you have marked every change of wind upon every point of the after deer have been stalked and shot at they become much the best sport with the old is therefore obtained at the beginning of the season they generally keep together and when their stately mien and are seen in the distance it is enough to the most but when told to cock his double rifle i could well excuse a for being scarcely able to obey when there are in the herd they often present themselves between you and the but even should deer they be at a distance great caution is necessary bs if one hind gets a glimpse of the crouching enemy the whole herd and all are sure to away amidst the bitter of the upon its head the next best time for a shot at a fine old after they have become wild is about the beginning of october when each lot of is sure to contain a good the chances may then not often be so good but from the being dispersed there are more of them if deer are feeding forward it requires nice calculation when at a distance to know the point they will arrive at by the time you have them especially as a gust of wind or a shower of rain will their motions but if the is not far from the herd which is feeding up to his place of concealment with a favourable wind he should not grudge waiting for by sending round drivers to the of the deer they are often apt to turn and face them i can t say that driving under any circumstances gives half the pleasure that does for my own part i would rather kill one stalked than several driven driving however upon a large scale has a most imposing and although it cannot be otherwise than injurious to a forest yet the nature of the whole proceedings in which so many friends may join often makes the proprietor overlook the consternation and panic it among the

wild timid herd some part of the forest is selected a deer to which the deer are to be driven a great number of hill men and who thoroughly understand what they are about ore then sent to the farthest extremity to bring all the deer they can collect to this spot the passes of course being well blown are occupied by the with their the drivers sometimes and sometimes giving their wind gradually contract their circle the deer are huddled together and finding the only clear ground in the direction of the slowly and cautiously take their doomed way there is often great difficulty in driving them as they are always obliged to go with the wind which their natural instinct of self preservation makes them very unwilling to do and if they possibly can they always face it the implements of the deer are his rifle his and his hounds of these latter mr says that lord has a very superior they are for the most part a breed between the and but some are between the and the former are reckoned the best his s sets great store by them and tells you that when choosing a cold that is an in company with they are so knowing that should give them the slip at a bum or mountain stream and run down it they stop their pursuit of the recover his track and hold him at bay all night should no one com to their relief that no beer inferior animal should attend the deer may be inferred from the that a with his fore leg broken will often beat the a very singular result of the hind leg of a being broken is that in running he is almost certain to the other whether from the additional weight thrown upon it or some other cause seems not to be known red deer are as cunning as and as game in illustration of their cunning they have been observed to keep a dog at bay till he exhausted himself with barking and then waiting till he had his fill of water they bolted away refreshed and rested and soon left their behind it should be borne in mind that deer are powerless in the water the all important agent however of such as have the good fortune to take their pleasure among the in pursuit of the good deer is the rifle this description of piece if it may be so called or more properly sporting piece has like everything in undergone great improvement within the last twenty years it is now frequently two though it has been urged against this plan that the extreme impulse given to a ball by a whole turn in the of the barrel occasions a sacrifice of and consequently of range the by this mode of is made to two or three times as often as under the principle is foimd to be quite sufficient for projecting the plain ball with deer accuracy and effect with the common sort of rifle the best size for red deer shooting will be that which carries an ball the length of the barrel should be from two feet four to two feet six inches thb red desk talking the red deer is also known as the and the the height of the british is somewhere about four feet and he arrives at great weight in some in the duke of quarters it is asserted that have been shot which weighed upwards of thirty stone at we are told they have reached thirty four stone while the of the present is said to have killed one which alter the ofi d was removed weighed thirty stone the royal is the of the wild there was a tame one once kept at a shooting lodge of lord s which attacked all who came near it except the and at last was removed to the park at he became so savage and expert with his that mr was informed he had killed two horses and that no one dared to pass his haunt unless he knew them the red deer is fond of water to which he has recourse as well for pleasure as for protection when pressed by hounds we passed during the day writes a several forest in full use that is moss holes where the plunge up to the neck and roll about to cool themselves in summer and autumn when they come out again black as pitch they look like the evil of the mountain in former times used to fasten with the points upwards in these places and when the threw himself into the hole he became the full grown both male and female during the summer season have back and of a brown with a row of pale yellow spots on the sides and a black streak along the in the winter these parts assume a grey brown the quarters and tail only remaining a pale the head neck belly and legs are of a grey brown tint a broad brown streak passing down the forehead and nose as the age of the animal its colours become darker and most particularly the male this description is intended only to apply to the family of european as a race those of the british islands are distinguished by that peculiar tint which has obtained for them the title of red deer the is known from the hind by his horns by a beard of hair under the throat and by in the upper jaw the young of both sexes are called the male to three years old is a at four a at five a and afterwards in the royal he is entitled a royal the which the growth of the horns appear at about six months in the shape of two covered with a hairy coat in the second year the horns come forth but generally straight and single

in the third year these roots put out two in the fourth three in the fifth four and before the end of the sixth there are six or seven on either side however this is no strict rule the branches differ constantly in shape and number in the museum at they deer a horn having twenty eight while gives instances where a horn has had and another sixty three colossal are frequently found also in the irish indeed the around the lakes of probably contain the finest of red deer to be met with in the british islands about the beginning of april the sheds his horns a process which according to the age the yoimg often carry their head till autumn according to mr the modem robin hood they carry their horns as long as the hind carries her that is to say eight months both horns do not necessarily fall at the same time a day or two or even more occasionally soon after the old horn has fallen ofi a soft begins to appear which is quickly covered with a down like leaden coloured velvet this is seen every day to increase like the of a tree and rising by degrees shoots out the on each side the skin remains to cover it for some time and it continues to be furnished with blood vessels which supply the growing horns with nourishment and occasion the in them when that covering is stripped off the impression is deeper at the bottom where the vessels are larger and towards the point where they are smooth when the horns are at their ml growth they acquire strength and and the velvet covering or skin with its blood vessels up and begins to deer fell off which the animal to hasten by rubbing them against the trees and in this the whole head gradually its complete hardness and beauty the hind of the red deer goes with its young a few days over eight months in england the sporting uses of this noble specimen of the deer tribe are confined to the field the red deer is the proper of the hunter for that purpose he forms as a portion of a hunting establishment as the hounds or horses red deer are and brought into hunting condition by means of hard meat and the ordinary hunting stable process still hunting is not the sport we would see the youth trained to or we desired should take in the science of stalk young friend the good deer and ye will and have the opportunity but leave the chase of the calf to the and the household herd of s although we have attempted to the in the practical details of this first and most sport as at present used it must not be forgotten that its age of hath long past away the golden era of deer hunting in all its branches must be placed at that epoch of an early history when every hill and mountain every forest pass and flat every and was by its b natures the wild deer then held state in the chase as the noblest of animals it was fer superior in size and qualities to that of our times we find from horns that have been dug up in several parts of scotland that some large species of deer must even have become extinct within how short or how long a space of time it would appear difficult to determine portions of what are supposed to be an enormous of the have been also discovered at various intervals in the mud beds and of ireland the horns of the irish are said to have measured five feet from the tips to the roots with an of near eleven feet it is easy for the mind to picture the british of the days of as an of forest and be scattered by the of man while the beasts of the field out numbered by countless hosts the hairs of his head and bringing our view infinitely more within the of examination we stiu find the one of the most numerous of the of animals and the lord of its herds the general hunting matches of the era prove the multitudes of deer at will in the royal a thousand have been killed at a single match a hunting establishment of these days was indeed a ir with ceremonies embarrassed with and attended with distinctions more gravely important to the of those ages than we can now altogether comprehend no doubt also if the red deer was then larger the races of men were superior in size and muscular power and more hardy than at deer king present their frames were in their lungs were to any extent hy the atmosphere of and hy the fiery of the hunters and mighty men of old knew of artificial light the dawn and the dusk god s light and shadow these were their the midday and twilight of these were their fashionable periods of and thus with of morning dew and of iron they prepared to take the field and grasp the monarch if need were in a hand to horn did not old custom make this life more sweet than that of painted pomp are not these woods more free from peril than the envious court here feel we but the penalty of adam the seasons difference as the icy and of the winter s wind already at the conquest the red deer had been hunted to the of their species and our did their utmost for its preservation and increase they heavy from those who on deer and life for life if was the doom to the who the gives a curious translation of a passage of s relative to the of the it is in the form of a dialogue and runs thus i am a hunter to one of the kings

how do deer you exercise your art i spread my and set them in a fit place and instruct my hounds to pursue the wild deer till they come to the unexpectedly and so are entangled and i them in the cannot you hunt yes with hounds i follow the wild deer what wild deer do you chiefly take and rein deer and and sometimes the slow hut certain march of civilization notwithstanding every effort to the contrary gradually deer king all but many of the noblest of the forest bears wolves these with us at length and at different periods became extinct the or or red deer as population advanced the circle of its became and until it sprung upwards to the inaccessible of the mountains and there it appeared to have become at once fierce shy and wary this at times in the scotch holds or the wild western tracts of ireland would turn at bay like the roman in the upon its or leaping beyond their reach roar out its challenge and defiance this description will not appear exaggerated to those who are in the old border tales of chivalry like the late lamented sir walter scott whose lady of the lake the of many of them in its vividly splendid and of the red deer and its haunts stiu less will it be found to vary from fidelity by the enthusiastic deer who has conquered the difficulties of the sport or who glories in them and who finds in the a not less noble though a less dangerous foe than the of old a of the time of the eighth thus explained to that monarch the various uses besides food for which the creature served we go a and after that we have slain red deer we off the skin bye and bye and setting of our on the inside thereof for want of cunning we play the and measuring so deer much thereof as shall reach up our the upper part thereof with holes that the water may where it enters and stretching it up with a strong of the same our so and please your grace we make our shoes therefore we using such manner of shoes the rough side in your grace s of england we be called rough footed in ireland there is still a solitary remnant of wild hunting followed much after the fashion of the early days of the sport this is pursued on the banks of the lake of with much zest it is said that the french invasion in of that placed so many arms in the hands of the western as to occasion the of the red deer of this locality for still keeping their weapons of offence after the danger was over they turned them upon these noble animals an anecdote is related of the immense power of the wild the emperor was attacked by a red deer of great size which lifted him from his horse by merely one of his horns in the sovereign s belt although the emperor was quickly released from his enemy by the assistance of his the received in the attack proved the hunted the wild on horseback at a time they had not universally retreated to such holds as ben ben and the wild and almost inaccessible reaches of and such haunts would the rider b deer and scare even s we extract from s pilgrimage the account given of the earl of s famous hunt of the red deer in the year the manner of the hunting is this five or six hundred men rise early in the morning and they themselves various ways and seven eight or even ten miles compass they bring or chase in the deer in many two three or four hundred in a heard to such or such a place as the shall them then when the day is come the lords and gentlemen of their companies ride or go to the said places sometimes up to the through and rivers and then they being come to the place down on the ground till those which are called the bring down the deer but as the proverb says of a bad cook so these men their own fingers for besides their bows and arrows which they carry with them can hear now and then a going off which they seldom discharge in vain then after we had stayed three or we might perceive the deer appear on the hills round about us their heads making a show like a wood which being followed close by the are chased down into the valley where lay then all the valley on each side being with a hundred couple of strong irish they are let loose as occasion serves upon the heard of that with the dogs deer and in the space of two fat were which after were disposed some one way and some another twenty or thirty miles and more than enough left for us to make merry withal at our being come to our lodgings there was such and as if cook had heen there to have the in his feathers the kitchen being on the side of a many and pots and many turning and winding with great of as baked roast and de beef mutton kid fish salmon chickens and good ale white and or and most potent all this and more than these we had continually in superfluous abundance caught by and brought by my lord s tenants and to our camp which consisted of fourteen or fifteen hundred men and horses it is said that the red deer may be although with more difficulty than the other species martial relates of a deer that he was used to the bridle and to the present made to the emperor of a deer than a that bore both saddle and we cannot

resist giving the young in conclusion north s of the death of the red deer it is so thoroughly yonder by the stands a red deer the east wind he an enemy in that but death comes upon him with stealthy foot from the west and if and be now his shall be entangled in the and his hoofs beat the heavens flourish the rifle a as of iron and a hiss accompanying the explosion and the king of the bounding up into the air with his higher than ever waved s down stone dead where he stood for the blue has gone through his and lightning could hardly have withered him into more of life he is an enormous animal what roll him over once on his side see up to our breast reaches the branch he is a of ten his eye has lost the flash of freedom the tongue that the is bitten through by the clenched teeth the of his feet has felt that fe frost the wild heart is hushed and tame and there the monarch of the mountains the king of the cliffs the grand of the the of the the of the deserts the royal of the woods and forests yea the very prince of the air and of thunder of all his beams lies motionless as a dead by the way side he who at dawn had borrowed the wings of the wind to carry him across the ii shooting come where the bell child of the breathes its fragrance o er and gaily the fountain leaps from the mountain green come to our home and free see through the the young mom is coming like a veil round her the silver mist curled deep as the s rays bright as the s blaze the of day in the east is led the red is scattering from his golden wing with the radiance that the day peace in our health in our mountain who would not hie to the away far from the haunts of man mark the grey seek the lone the pride of our birds of the here is their resting place mid the brown heath where the mountain dwells shooting come then the bloom with its wild perfume fragrant and thy welcome shall be gaily the fountain leaps from the mountain green come to our home of the and there is no species of rural sport of which the characteristics are so picturesque and so wild as those of shooting fox hunting and shooting both lead their remote from cities but though they be wild sports the season of the year peculiar to them the scenes in which they are pursued of all the attributes of picturesque or beautiful it is the golden time of the year to the young amateur of the we are still among the hills and of the land of brown heath for after all for shooting scotland is the only place in many districts of ireland abound among the of with which that country is and in the northern of england they have been of late so carefully preserved as to afford sport but stem and wild is the chosen land of the few attempt the sport in the mountains except such as happen to be to the matter bom the native or their guests in the season of the year in scotland shooting quarters are as commonly let to yearly tenants or on lease as the use of the land is hired out to the farmer we do not pretend to offer counsel to those who are about to rent a shooting u e h further than by that as a general principle they use before concluding their the historian joe miller relates that a party who purchased an estate to contain a hanging wood foimd a in one of the fields we imagine a good many who have taken quarters on the assurance that they would furnish red game discovered that the supply was chiefly confined to the that go with the ground in capacity of a non shooting according to act of parliament in scotland on the th and in ireland on the th of august of course there are seasons in which the are more mature in june than in others in october but that has nothing to do with the matter we are speaking of an act of parliament which of course has nothing to do with reason or common sense those who take time by the and begin at the commencement of the season have light work of it like all who have to deal with particularly of the we will imagine our in both senses of the word has reached his quarters in good time as becomes a i do not mean by good time the peep of morning eight or nine o clock is quite early enough give the birds time to eat their or they are off before you get within visiting distance in to the the early bird gets the first worm it is notorious that he who his dogs among the shooting at nine fills his bag more surely and satisfactorily than he who goes to work when the stars are up when have done feeding they lie better and afford more double shots to say nothing of scattering the conveniently for the evening sport besides let him be assured that walking a for twelve hours is by no means exercise to be sneered at the should begin at the lowest point down wind thereby giving his dogs the advantage of drawing up his object also must be to drive the birds towards some central portion of his beat he will be attended by two or three sharp fellows for the purpose of marking down the he as well as

which indeed will equally serve to give spirit to your own exploits never permit a dog to run in when a bird falls the best remedy for this mischievous vice is the collar called and if you have patience enough in the first instance let him run in and tear his bird to pieces while you load this may make him ashamed of himself then walk up quietly and without noticing the of the take him by the ear back to the spot whence you fired shaking him earnestly crying down then take your whip and lay it over him well calling out between every down down continue this for some time and when you have done beating force him to remain down for several minutes then speaking slowly to him lead him to where the dead bird and lift it before his nose by following this system upon every occasion of a dog running in he be good for nothing you will cure him of running at shot remember always making a dog down when birds rise is the only way to his in the field north says somewhere that shooting after red deer is for a while at least felt to be like writing an in a lady s aft r t se having given the to a tragedy or an poem t is like taking to catching in the sand one s toes on one s return from s straits in a that arrived at v ith sixteen fish each calculated at ten of oil he says we do not admire that which a poultry yard and bam door fowls are constructed on opposite principles the former being the latter tame creatures when in their respective perfection of ail dull the seems to us sporting in a preserve and we believe that we show that feeling with the grand the sign of a lonely inn in the ought not to be the hen and chickens some we know sick of common sport love slaughter from sunrise to sunset of the first day of the they must bag their hundred brace that can only be done where prevail and keep and where you have half a dozen attendants to head your double barrels for a round dozen of hours spent in a perpetual fire commend us to a plentiful of game to ground which seems occasionally barren and which it needs a fine instructed eye to and thereof to detect the latent riches fear and hope are the of the else would they lose their a gentleman ought not to shoot like a any more than at to play like a nor four in hand ought he to tool his like the c shoot in a style from that of the on the one hand and the on the other neither killing nor missing every bird but true to the spirit of the doctrine leaning with a decided inclination towards the first rather than the second if we shoot too well one day we are pretty sure to shoot as ill another in short we shoot like gentlemen scholars poets philosophers as we are and looking at us you have a sight of him who walks in glory and in joy following his dog upon the mountain side a man evidently not shooting for a and performing a match from the mean motives of or ambition but blazing away at his own sweet will and without seeming to know it making a great noise in the world look with thine eyes on yonder bank yonder sunny bank beneath the shades of that fantastic cliff s shadow thou not there a miraculous amount of feathers they have packed they have packed early as it is yet in the season and the question is what we do we have it take up a position about a hundred yards in the rear on yonder with the colonel s fire from the rest mind from the rest right into the centre of that bed of and we shall be ready with brown and her sister to pour in our upon the remains as they rise so that not escape shooting shall one single feather let our covering to the present be your signal bang what a flutter now take that and that and that and that ha as at the springing of a mine the whole company has perished collect the dead twenty one life is short and by this style we take time by the ab the red of or fowl is well entitled to head the catalogue of british game birds inasmuch as it is peculiar to these islands never having been foimd elsewhere it belongs to the in common with the varieties of its species under the heads of the and the black cock as well as the and also individuals of the class it is still plentiful in england scotland and in ireland it is found in the northern of england and in most of tlie islands as well as the continent of that kingdom it was formerly abundantly spread over the more districts of north britain but the of modem days must now himself in the whither has not yet extended and in the most remote parts of these such as the range and the of he will still find the red nearly unchanged in habits and disposition there he is still the continuous of the still as it were the creation of the land of rock and of lake and there at dawn shall he be by his loud shrill call and there at set of sim shall his note the picturesque solitude in summer it is true the s whistle and the mournful cry of the golden may vary the monotony of the s call but in winter he shall seem with the red deer the only thing for miles around here it is not fearful as in the

cultivated districts nor until warned by the gun will it become wild and but permit the approach of man but by the peculiar note which is probably one of warning to his family when cultivation advances into the either wholly or in part its effect is observed in the retiring of the game in their numbers and in an alteration of the habits of the birds and their choice of food in the shooting midst of the wildest districts may now be found detached spots of culture here the instead of feeding on the heath tops and other mountain plants picked from beneath the snow will for their winter s food to these grounds and where before the grain is cleared off they will rob the crops of the and obtain a liberal supply where the grain in the midst of december still out the invariably might be seen crowded with in the lower lands they arrive as and hunt for that which has been scattered and left in the or even in the fields the birds that feed thus on grain are esteemed by no means of so a as those that pasture on the delicate young not a tenth of the number of birds formerly seen are now observed save as we have said in the and and the shyness and of those that remain render them difficult nay well nigh impossible of approach their with the dark brown moss and heath in such unbroken as to deceive the eye of the most practised the is his best friend and assistant in the discovery of which have been disturbed by the however superior and more attractive may be the dash of the among the blue heath in the early part of the season the red pairs very early in the year even in a mild month in january the female begins to r eggs at at r e bo til for a or m i m the wear mn im or two or a f f it from tbe i m the hold m foe of tlie y u found is tlie n seasons it f nearly n allied ill p the ts hues tint jim vi ea ill the f j e is a rich l ii ig ill wig however r the e j x i f i e j n ca th i a sign of and i of is chapter iii shooting this right royal though for the present among us holds out promise of being restored at no very distant time the vast forests of fir which begin to clothe the home and fitting food for this king of game birds and the efforts recently made by their to renew the race by fix m the north of europe can hardly fail of final success mr the traveller was influenced by mr the wealthy london to procure a supply which he did to the of twenty nine these mr presented to the of the history of this attempt to restore the cock of the wood to the game of the british islands is given in some letters addressed by a son of mr to mr and published jn that gentleman s admirable work an of rural sports after the reasons which induced his father to send a commission to mr to procure shooting for him a cargo of a proposal made by him lord to attempt the restoration of that bird upon the occasion of his shooting with that nobleman over his he proceeds to state that the number above named reached england in in charge of his father s irish a portion of these birds were out in the autumn of that year and the remainder kept in a house in he tells us a brace only was reared by the keeper but two fine were seen in the woods in the summer of sixteen were forwarded to so that in all thirteen cock and twenty nine reached lord the others being destroyed by the of in the spring of instead of attempting to rear any mr lord s head keeper placed eggs laid by the birds kept in the house in the nests of grey who and brought them up in a wild state according to this keeper s account the experiment was very successful in he states that forty nine young were bom in the district under his care but unfortunately they could hardly be said to have been brought up as the were soon upon them and they made their appearance in the shops of the a hen has been offered this season to a in princes street now we would of the existing of the game why was not the transferred to the care of a police shooting officer if a had been submitted to bis acceptance we presume be would asked tbe be procured bis and a was at tbe time as little likely to come honestly into tbe bands of a as a but then the cock of the wood was only game and game stood and stands in the conventional of no man s the feet that very probably the papa and mamma of the stood mr in as much as a pair of his horses to the contrary notwithstanding we know but little of the fair sporting after the mr affords us a melancholy account of its slaughter in bis country there be us it is shot in the night time by torch light this plan which be states it as his opinion is very destructive and we should think on good grounds is be believes principally confined to the southern provinces and thus effected towards people watch the last flight of tbe before they go to the direction they have taken into the forest is then carefully marked by means of a prostrate tree or by one which is for the after dark two men

they resort and there wait their coming or place yourself behind the wall which the field is sure to be and by a stone out of it you have a glorious but this must be within range of their feeding quarters for they are so exquisitely acute of hearing and sight that a move however slight you where there are but very few corn fields by no means an unusual neighbourhood in the the on the sides of the hills may be beaten with good prospect of black when these consist of aiid your chance will be greatly improved place yourself above and send some one with a steady dog beneath keep in advance of these as they beat let the black shooting keep outside and beat the making a great you will find a single of more practical use th tn a dozen in cover shooting of any kind unless where several guns are at work more mischief than good comes of a crowd of one and one old dog is all you want when you get a point cause the bush to be well struck at tjie side opposite to you by this plan you will kill more game than those who put up ten times as much like everything that flies the air or walks the earth or the deep or the mud black game is to the s arts touching on them mr remarks i may put gentlemen on their guard against two ways of and black game i believe not generally known the first is hunting the yoimg before the are with a very active or if the dog understands the business he will chop a great many in a day on a in i saw a sheep dog accompanied by a young farmer performing to admiration i had the curiosity to watch their proceedings i saw the dog snap up a young quick as thought the other plan is to set traps on the or in the green springs where tiie birds come to drink and to eat small insects this last may be continued all the season now like st s famous the publication of these choice for seems of very questionable policy peter s so black cock shooting never heard of a thing as a horse s teeth to cause him leave his com in the until the question was put hy his of all human institutions the system of game preserving in this country is that which is the most opposed to common sense and the natural instinct of prudence landed select their ordinarily from those men who have been the most notorious of their yet they never go to for their how is this v black the black or black cock this noble bird both england and scotland although spread over the former it is found on the black cock shooting borders of the two is plentiful farther north and abundant in those frequent haunts of its favour the sub sheep countries it is found in most of the wild districts extending to also in the islands of and the of england in which it is known are in the new forest and in and the portions of and they are also l plentiful it is said in the forest of in the upper part of the of the bird is of a rich steel blue of the lower parts pitch black the wing are also pitch black with the the greater ones are fringed with white thus a across the wings visible in flight the under tail are white after the process there is a tinge of brown with the full which again changes at the close of winter the peculiar feature in the construction of the black is the singular form of its tail the feathers of which curve outwardly and spread at its fullest development into the shape of a these thus would seem to signify some peculiar of flight but the does not prove so for their ascent is neither of long duration nor to any known habit of the species we are told that it holds in this tail and silken to the of africa and india the female is smaller than the male black cock although the form of its tail is much the same that the scarcely half an inch in depth its is pale orange as the ground colour yellow white at the throat breast and belly there is a shot of dark purple on the sides of the neck bars and of black cover the the of the feathers on the wings and shoulders are black to a fainter hue and at the tips similar to those of the the bill of both male and female is black or nearly so there is little variety of in this species although speaks of a grey hen that he had shot by sir whose entire colour was a dull grey and whose cross were of a darker shade the black are partial to moist and meadows of rank and luxuriant they appear to care little for pastures but choose in preference those and passes between high where grow tbe natural of the and the willow or the and where is both deep and thick in such favoured spots they are never at a loss for food are protected from the night cold and from the rays of the sun here in flocks they will resort to their feeding grounds young and old frequently joining together and here they will sport or rest during the day s heat on the hill side and pick up food morning and evening the females are left in charge of their young they build their nests on the black cock ground near water and the parents the when to the low damp where the tender seeds of the hill and rushes form their nourishment sir william s account of the black cock is so

england we speak of mr the well known of the to whom we are indebted for the letter on that interesting inquiry having had considerable experience in breeding from some of the first in england ireland and scotland amongst them those of the late duke of captain mr and other celebrated and having also spent many years and much money in the endeavour to produce a superior description of and an account of my progress may be useful i begin with my opinions concerning by stating where i consider them superior and where inferior to are better for shooting as they are in disposition more and closer the latter a property of all others the most desirable if you want to kill birds after the first fortnight in the season they want also less water than who often much in hot weather in districts where it is not to be found true require more walking to to beat their ground properly but i am persuaded that if instead of racing through the middle of a field as though they were walking for shooting a and thus their dogs no earthly young were to go slower than they generally do they would do more justice to themselves their dogs and their preserves few can stand work on the where the cream of all shooting is to be had unless they have been bred or have been regularly worked on them i know many gentlemen who greatly prefer them when so bred to but scotch are not so highly bred as dogs and therefore more calculated for rough work many are crossed with the which gives them speed and courage as well as hai of foot but the produce of the cross is generally too high to be managed with ease being difficult to break from running or to down charge and for the most part very hard mouthed you may reckon on six days out of every twelve being rainy in tbe the wet and injuries from burnt c cause the soon to become foot sore particularly between the toes as he has no hair to protect his feet like the high bred are also delicate in their and will not eat the scotch meal at first gentlemen should have plenty of sent to their shooting quarters to mix with it as meat can seldom be had in the remote countries they should give orders that their dogs should be fed immediately on their return from the and their feet carefully washed with salt and water indeed if gentlemen saw to those things themselves they would find their account shooting in it that such dogs as would not feed well were never taken out the following day a in time nine is a good wholesome i now proceed to speak of the the irish are veiy beautiful both in and out of the field but so hot headed that unless always at work and kept under very strict discipline they constantly spoil sport for the first hour frequently the best in the whole day i have shot to many and found them all pretty much alike i had one the of whose bad and good qualities would fill half a dozen as long as i kept him to regular hard work a better never entered a field i refused forty guineas for him and shot him a month afterwards for his bad deeds i bred from him out of an english and some of the produce turned out very good one of them i shot to myself for eight seasons my reasons for parting with him i will presently explain unless to throw more dash into my i should never be tempted again to become master of an irish frequently are driven into or low cover in the middle of the day which few will face i know it is not the fashion to shoot to dogs in cover but most true prefer shooting five brace of to or mute to fifty brace to in the latter case you stand sometimes an hour together without getting a shot and then they rise a dozen at a time like barn door fowls and as many are killed in a few hours as would serve for weeks of fair shooting p the in the season of i was asked for a week s shooting into by an old friend whose science in everything connected with sporting is first shooting rate then for the first time for many years i had my dogs english beaten hollow his breed was from pure russian crossed by an english dog which some years ago made a sensation in the sporting world from his extraordinary performances he belonged to the late joseph and had been sold for a hundred guineas although i could not but remark the excellence of my friend s dogs yet it struck me as i had shot over my own old favourite who had himself beat many good ones and had never before been beaten for eight years that his nose could not have been right for the got three points to his one i therefore resolved to try some others against them the next season and having heard a gentleman well known as an excellent judge speak of a brace of extraordinary dogs he had seen in the neighbourhood of his with his recommendation i purchased them i shot to them in august and their beauty and style of performance were spoken of in terms of praise by a correspondent to a sporting paper in september i took them into fully that i should give the the go by but i was again disappointed i found from the wide of my dogs and the noise consequent upon their going so fast through and particularly in the middle of the day when the sun was powerful and there was but little scent that they constantly put up their birds out of distance

cake and r v shooting rise the mom hath kept for thee her pearls and take them while the light hangs on the dew locks of the night see throws her fair fresh tinted colours through the air come forth come forth tis very sin and to keep in there s joy and gladness in the skies from thy couch arise our life is short our moments run swift as the of the sun and like the or the rain once lost can ne er be traced each flow r hath wept and eastward bow d the far above the cloud to hymn his of praise is fled and all the birds their said there s joy and gladness in the skies from thy couch arise haste ere the sun hath drank the boon nature to her banquet around the smiling fields no more are waving with their golden store homeward bears the loaded the golden glories of the plain and nut brown are seen gliding among the screen there s joy and gladness in the skies from thy couch arise next in succession to fowl shooting comes the chase of the for once to borrow a sporting term from our friends beyond the straits of like the red may be be called an national species of game we call them birds as taking of the whole family and if be any indication of quality we did not say condition as it might have come within the possibility of a they are entitled to this pre eminence as we shall show presently there are two kinds of the grey our if not exclusive sort and the red legged a foreigner of recent introduction and like other foreigners if we had never seen him it would have been no great loss according to act of parliament you are entitled to shoot them from the st of september to the st of february but especially on your own if you begin on the and finish on old twelfth day you will find your reward both in better sport and a better stock the amateur of the and shooting a good crop of game would do well remember the old catch twas on the mom of the birds began to mate if you feel satisfied your ground will not be beaten before you reach it nine o clock is quite soon enough to take the field in september at that hour the which are not in the standing com will be met with in the the cover of old high grass in the and fields as yet they do not frequent when you have put up a you may make sure it will settle in the standing com to turn your sport to the best account have placed as to ascertain where they alight when disturbed they are not likely at this early period of the season to fly far but if shot at they will drop often close to you and lie as if they were dead from the effect of terror birds which thus drop and are very difficult to find with the best dogs your here will do you good service if not supplied with after having flushed your birds beat for them as closely as if you were looking for a needle in a barrel of hay indeed it ought to be the s that a bird which he seen is worth a score that he hopes to see besides nothing to make dogs more industrious and confiding the latter a great point than making them work on a spot where you are certain they find and where they do find in such cases too the odds are you kill your bird or birds and your shooting four footed friend looks in your face as who shall say all s well that ends well towards noon you will miss the from his ordinary haunt and meet with him beside some patch of water and having drank he repair to some bank or ridge for the purpose of himself at this hour yourself and your dogs to some place of shade and repose for the heat is too oppressive for or and the is sure to be bad about the birds will again begin to run and if a breeze too should put itself in motion look for sport afternoon shooting is ten per cent better than morning k the range you beat in the morning held a good head of birds go back to it unless very frequently disturbed are found more generally near ome than elsewhere as general rules the yoimg may adopt worse than the following during the entire season he will find wheat and the best spots for holding moreover at all times of the year they lie more on the than is supposed therefore if and fail try the fellows the lands which are nearest the in particular late in the season the fellows are the first places to which the should direct his steps if the weather be fine and open he is sure to find his game there it will lie very close and most probably afford some choice double shots also he should now beat shooting covers the of and and seed patches and the long white grass of young this latter is very attractive from the seeds and insects with which it in storms and lie very close and in fine days which follow storms y rains cause them to lie extremely close in and therefore as well as for many other reasons it is not for sport so much for the prose details of our sport we will sum up with a touch of the poetical from the pen of colonel the of yoimg if birds are wild a who goes out with his man and has no other attendant bring in more game if he to mount that man or rather a light boy

behind him because the moment the dog stands he can then by throwing the right leg over the horse s neck and leave the man in possession of the instead of being with a led horse which frequently the possibility of his on to mark a or follow up a towering bird moreover it requires no to discover that two horses make more noise than one and all noise after the first few weeks is the ruin of sport the gentleman with his would say why not have three horses this i admit is a more dignified way of taking the field than the turn out of the trot behind but then we have the clatter of three horses with the clatter of two servants tongues an increase of noise that would set the birds on the run and it works published bt and hall strand new jn two vo price s letters by thomas or copied hj permission from an in tlie possession of tlie l gi proof of the plates on india price s beauties of the poet mc of of e principal in l f i by eminent artists made expressly for the style of by or under the immediate of mb with r pre in two volumes post from the italian a in op op with comments occasional passages notices of of e by hunt price j a or the hotel i by m sue r bt j ion wood artists the of v shooting remarkable let an intruder on a s nest and he shall find in the midst of a sort of uproar the cries of the parents and the bustle of the brood that the mother bird will hop away as though her wings were broken or as though and wounded she threw herself on the mercy of the enemy both parents are in the of the young we find in s first volume of illustrations of british an instance of the vigorous defence this usually timid bird will make when pushed to extremity and by the parental instinct a person engaged in a field not far from my residence had his attention arrested by some objects on the ground which upon approaching he found to be two a male and female engaged in battle with a crow so successful and so absorbed were they in the issue of the contest that they actually held the crow till it was seized and taken from them by the spectator of the scene upon search the young birds lately were found concealed amongst the grass it would appear therefore that the crow a mortal enemy to all kinds of young game in attempting to carry off one of these had been attacked by the parent birds and with the above singular success in similar instances of the heroism of instinct may be traced the of all animal classes in the world s space even as the human parent will overcome the instinct of by the heart s impulse or the body s shooting courage so the bird the dog the elephant at times rise above instinct into heroism the of the is too well known to need beyond the statement that at breeding seasons its colours become deeper that in the male at that period the skin above the eyes becomes of a red colour while in the female the feather tips are then more distinctly marked with pale yellow grey its is subject to greater than almost any bird in the list of the cream coloured and pure white spots often and brown and pure black being observed in different specimens of this game it is not found in the districts of scotland characters bill short rather strong bending from the base nostrils uncovered by feathers but protected by an arched naked scale wings short fourth and fifth longest and feet naked toes united at the base by a types sc europe asia note frequent lower countries and are partial to cultivation not only to the amount of their it is said that a in the number of cock birds occurs in the of each season in consequence of which the hen is so tormented by a number of that she drops one in one place and one in another until there remains for her but one cock and no nest the best shooting mode we are told to destroy the of is during the first weeks of the season to net the and destroy all the old leaving only as many young ones as or even one less for it is certainly better that the hen should look for the cock which she undoubtedly will find than a number of for a hen it should be recollected where old birds are left they will at the season drive off the and prevent their breeding for let any declare if ever on finding a single brace of in the shooting season that have not bred and are termed by the a pair he has found a near the same place where he found them which can only be accounted for by the old birds driving the young ones from the breeding grounds indeed if some of the are not killed every year the chances will be the district will in time become destitute of game when the eggs are the young birds can run at once and so immediate is this that they have been seen with parts of the shell still sticking to them when eggs are introduced under the hen she will them and rear them with her own the favourite and one of the most necessary sorts of food of the young is eggs these must be procured for birds under foster care the male and female bird have a different call the cock has a sharp and strong call the hen a low and softer one the noise peculiar to their shooting

settling themselves to is the most important one to the the male bird is the chief officer both in the and of the young until they can faintly fly when he loses all the parental solicitude for which both male and female are so remarkable but the hen still watches over them them to their scratching grounds their food for them and them at the least alarm together and this continues until they are within a third as big as herself every knows the cry of distress given by this bird when flushed and perhaps one of the most interesting scenes in the world of the game fields occurs when both parents sitting covering the chickens with their wings are surprised off flies the male and into the very teeth of the enemy perhaps in order to blind him as to the situation of the nest next the female rises hovering low in another direction and the danger past they will return silently and by secret ways to their beloved charge although the may seem indifferent to its own preservation by upon the ground where it might be exposed to the dangers of wild cats c yet it may be seen that it chooses its ground always in the midst of cultivation and never itself to hedges and save in the day time the red legged or french a beautiful bird which notwithstanding its name prefers southern europe spain and g to france in and they are so little known that the grey is in infinitely greater abundance but preferring in all cases a the warm dry soil these birds flock pretty in the sunny vine provinces of france they are said to like situations covered with wood and also that the spoken of in the the king of is come out to seek a as one would hunt a on the mountains was the red legged one their mode of on trees which the grey never does and their appearance in constitute differences from the latter this rich bird was introduced into england as early as the reign of charles the english during the last century have also imported many thousands of their eggs and have them and turned them out on their it is said that there are of these red on lord s estate in they have lately heen killed in the southern and south eastern their flesh is white and can never be esteemed as good eating as the common bird but they prove an variety and pleasant addition of in the of the game they are in plenty in the of and and it is supposed that some birds have made a flight and alighted on our from these islands they do not appear ever to have been in scotland or ireland they are used in as game here and elsewhere for the amiable purpose of each other it in the island of to such a degree as to be a great nuisance to the people of the place who are compelled to collect the eggs for destruction in order to obtain a chance of saving their from the little creature s imagine a country where a man leads thousands of about like sheep not certainly on the ground but hovering over his head and around him to repose yet such is the given of the land in this collecting together flocks takes place in a smaller degree a certain man relates had by his industry made a of so tame that he drove them before him shooting upon a out of that county to london though they were absolutely free and had their wings grown it may be remembered how lord in made a bet with the eccentric of that a drove of would beat an equal number of in a race from to london the kept steadily on but the flew up to in the trees adjoining the high road and the drivers lost time in them thus the beat the hollow mr daniel gives this description of the bird s it is larger than the grey and the bill and are red the forehead is grey brown the hind head is brown the chin and throat white encircled with black added to which is a band of white over each eye to the hind head the fore part and sides of the neck are with two spots of black on each feather the hind part of the neck brown the back wings and brown the breast pale ash colour belly sides and vent the sides marked with streaks of colour white black and orange grey brown with the outer edges the tail composed of sixteen feathers the four middle ones grey brown the next on each side the same but on the outside the five outer ones on both sides the legs are red and the male only has the blunt or behind them chapter vi shooting what can people know about sporting that go a hunting above once a year and then only on monday in a coach not the the insect s painted wings nor hears the hawk when sings it is a fact that more than one writer upon the science and mystery of sporting speaks of the cruelty of killing the because of the beauty of its this is carrying consideration for outward appearance beyond most modem instances for our poor part we hold such philosophy worthy only those gentry who go a hunting on monday in a coach to the youthful we say account fine feathers as little as doth the hawk indeed we go further and counsel him should the chance offer rather to his game bag with some especial of the tribe some beau in gold or silver d than the mere bird of scarlet shooting and purple that in and out of season form the of every poultry butcher s show window shooting on the st of october it is

rarely however that the season is so forward as to give us so early sufficiently advanced towards maturity indeed the sport may be postponed with great convenience as no cover shooting is pleasant or very profitable till the trees are at least partly stripped of their foliage in beating covers for if you use dogs at all employ low backed with short legs never take your with them for you find a dog any more than a man master of all trades they the ought to be slow mute and fond of or close around you but the true way to go about this business is to take cover yourself with only a single steady at your heels some thirty or forty yards behind you have a corps of boys with sticks to beat the bushes and who will instantly give over when they hear a shot until the word is again given by you go on they should then proceed as before as this process will certainly cause many of the old birds to run for the cover sides the boundaries and adjoining fences should be beaten immediately after the cover has been drawn here you may be sure of shots and without the annoyance of boughs and stems of trees to interrupt your aim all in the vicinity of covers are likely to hold shooting but more especially those which run from one to another should you design to beat them without disturbing the covers the best time is early in the morning after rain as the dripping of the trees has the effect of driving abroad in beating for more particularly early in the season don t leave a foot of cover we have often found a whole in a you might put under your pocket handkerchief and that too within a few yards of a spot where a of jokes had been firing off for half an hour some old sporting writers allude to a practice that once prevailed of beating thick for with an ancient having bells to his neck so that when the ceased to hear them he became aware there was a point upon this style of shooting a modem writer when a man goes out with his and bells he ought not to forget the cap for himself in extensive woods rarely take very long flights but when you flush them in the open country they will up to a great height and then out of sight as if bound for another kingdom those who are employed to mark will frequently see them flapping their wings to end their flight and settle in or rather themselves into some thick bush or where they will perch just above the ground and remain as still as if dead in like manner the hen when sitting over her nest and then shooting falls as it were into it this of course prevents all scent of their seat during the winter fields in the neighbourhood of covers about three in the afternoon are good places for bj beating from the cover with a steady dog you will get fair sporting your dog should quarter from your signal and drop at wing or shot on the instant the is the prince of the game birds of island to be met with in such store as to him to the notice of the it is true the exists among our forests and so does the wild turkey of america in the woods of a but as a species the is the noblest of british game odd enough that we should derive it from china which certainly does not us with the best of the human form divine the common britain cannot boast among her beauties the possession of this bird it has no claim in common with any of its family the to a place in european it is notwithstanding perhaps the most successful of all our it was brought into britain in the reign of edward the first according to and into europe from whence it still its name years before the christian era the is found in abundance spread over all the woods and forests of england as well as from the south to the middle of scotland in ireland from shooting the of the preservation of game it is more distributed in our english preserves the two european birds of different the the one strikingly marked in the neck with a white ring the other without it have bred together and thus we constantly observe specimens of either or with the mark modified of all birds this shooting is the most easily shot for when they rise they mate a and flapping noise that instantly them besides that they are heavy on the wing and of slow flight thus says ah what avail his glossy varying his crest and scarlet eyes the vivid green his shining his painted wings and breast that flames with gold in the woods the female makes her nest of dry grass and leaves and there she lays from eighteen to twenty eggs in a season but half that is above the average when semi in the they will upon the highest trees of the forest at night by day the will haunt by the and gardens attached to their preserves and hunting for their food do considerable damage to fruit and flower when with the female the male bird makes a flapping noise that often its a though so beautiful is a dull bird and the hen in its state loses all the patience vigilance and care with which in the woods she and her brood indeed when kept thus the common hen is frequently her substitute over the eggs a full grown cares little what food he attacks he is fond of and when young eggs wood and other insects seem necessary to the bird it may be brought or rather shooting it has a tendency

our knowing or probably caring how the devil it got there indeed the most in sporting reading would have found it difficult to on the habits pursuit and process of sporting after the till the publication of mr s and is silent about it daniel spoke of it as somebody had spoken to him and colonel shooting says he shot a of them on the top of some near mr in his also with it very now there is no doubt but that it is a bird admirably in keeping with the districts in which it is foimd perched among the grey rocks of which it seems a broken fragment its wild look strangely with the disregard it of man s presence you cannot over the savage it and look on the absence of all knowledge of civilization its without being strongly reminded of the in the story of alexander the beasts that over the plain my form with see they are so with man their is shocking to me like deer and a visit to it isn t everybody who has had a turn with the white bird of the mountains we therefore take the liberty of mr s description of a day with the it is his second day when we got to the foot of ben we found that there were two on what is called the second top and were thus saved the trouble of the highest so taking two young farmers as guides we reached the ground after a stiff on one side of the mountain just as we were turning round to the other the dogs ran into a small pack which jerked round an angle and were out of sight in a moment i knew their flight would probably be a short one so began to look about with the utmost caution my friend quite a in the sport had no idea of finding the game himself and to hunt the dogs with great we happened to be pretty near together when they again up a neither of us thought of each other or the ordinary rules of shooting but fired at once and down came the bird this was rather as the honour and be longed to neither however we determined it should not happen again i described what places the birds were most likely to haunt and against trusting to the dogs which are quite to the ground but finding my companion preferred his own plan i left him and commenced my slow and search at last i caught sight of a upon the very ridge of the hill about thirty yards above me it was in a crouching attitude and had i attempted to put it up would have dipped out of sight in an instant i was therefore obliged to shoot it sitting but the moment i fired another flew straight over my head his hoarse the cock of the pack i had a fair shot and down he dropped the first i killed being a hen they made a capital pair for my collection i was now very anxious my brother should have a good chance so joining company we the ground on every side without success shooting only one bird was put up out of all distance which my friend determined to follow so agreeing to meet at the foot of the hill we took different fortune again declared in my favour for just as i was with hands and knees up a steep precipice a pack of four rose upon the very top and flew into mid air just giving me time to steady cock my gun and get a distant shot when one of them dropped into the gulf below i sent my guide to fetch it which he accomplished with some difficulty and then him in quest of my less successful companion with the that if he joined in pursuit of my game the odds would be three to one in his favour i had scarcely got to the peak where i thought it most probable my three would again take refuge when i was overtaken by one of those bitter hail showers which often fall on the mountains in early autumn so placing my gun in its cover and my back like against a rock i impatiently hoped for the of the storm scarcely had it began to when an hare came past about eighty yards from my shelter and then seated herself with equal grace as tempting a mark for a rifle as could possibly be placed it was not to be resisted even with my small shot so slowly my gun and taking deadly aim i fired gave an active bound at this attack and took her leave with far less ceremony than she made her shooting i had just re loaded when my guide appeared with a breathless on my gun he had seen my friend going down the mountain but quite beyond recall and when returning to me had stumbled on the most perched on the top of a rock he was in the act of taking his marks to know the place again in the hope of finding me when my shot abruptly put an end to his schemes the birds were equally dissatisfied with the sound as their four footed ally of the and made the same use of their wings as she did of her legs it was now late but as the man had some idea of where they might be i could not resist the temptation of giving them one more trial we had almost given up hope when they a third time rose very wild fully a hundred yards off from a of moss where they were at feed my time was now up so i descended the mountain well pleased with my day s sport notwithstanding the at the end shooting may be set down as the

to the million few will think the play worth the candle as the french saw has it the bird being moreover to the following our experience of its pretty much like the s horse veiy hard to catch and not worth the trouble when overtaken change their about october when they put on a double suit of feathers in anticipation of they are then white in spring they are more shooting grey or the same colour as the rocks among which they live the common or white white of british authors sir w whose authority as a is unquestionably great speaks of white oa a m frequent so called specimens of this species thus doubtfully this bird delicately marked in its summer dress and of a snowy whiteness in that of winter has generally been considered as a native of both the american and european the however of many specimens of which become white in winter leads us to believe that the distinction of species is still we have seen however what we shooting consider the l from america and also among the of birds which are said by the to come from in a frozen state but many of the birds mentioned as from various cannot always with certainty be referred to that of britain the common is clothed during winter with a of pure white with the exception of the black of the outer tail feathers and shafts of and the space between the bill and the eyes in summer the turn dark grey or brown grey with black thus in all seasons taking by the beautiful of providence those hues that with the grey rock or snow covered best assist its concealment from the piercing sight of its and preserve it from the more aim of its human enemy the female at breeding time changes her towards a fine yellow with black while the under parts remain white it is as we have heard whether the male also changes his at the season of or whether the change to hues takes place when he although this bird now none but those all but inaccessible to the enterprise of man it is said in some of our oldest writers to have been frequent enough at one period in the parts of england such as and we must climb the peaks of ben ben and ben shooting in the western and dwell for a space in the shepherd s hut of the of and ere we can now accomplish the feat of securing a few brace of these wild birds the range is the most resort of the at present it is often by its call a low wild wailing note or by the of the female they appear little to dread the sight of man but will amid the run before him or drop from ledge to ledge of the rock as slowly and silently as though a lesson taught by reason in the spring and summer they are very tame their flight is low and and the of the wing not to be heard even in the atmosphere of their chosen their nests are very of discovery being placed under rocks and stones and the female following the true bird instinct always leaves the nest in being alarmed and wheels away over the rocks as she goes this bird is not to ireland the is considered a distinct species in the british list of by some authors but as mr is from satisfied that the l is anything but a or variety of the l we will only give the of the female bird shot by sir w on ben more the rock the entire length is rather more than twelve inches seven and a half inches from the wing to the shooting third of the one inch five that of the centre toe nail included the nail about five on the upper parts the dark or ground colour of the feathers is deep or pitch black but each feather is cut into or partially barred with yellow on the back and tail being tipped and edged with a much paler tint sometimes approaching to white the and shoulders are pure white the shafts of the former black and having sometimes a black tint accompanying their length the tail contains sixteen feathers the outer pair are edged with white along the outer web and with the next six on each side are dull white at the tips where they are also worn the upper reach within a quarter of an inch of the end of the tail on the cheeks throat neck and breast the yellow and pale to a greater extent and on the latter assume more the form of bars on the belly flank and other lower parts the yellow still prevail and assume a greater space in the form of broken masses while in the lower part of the breast and centre of the belly there are many pure white feathers which give a paler or more shade to these parts the and half of the toes only are strongly the nails are black pale at the base now the size of the common is from fourteen to sixteen inches in the male bird and sometimes larger in the female fourteen inches sir w shooting s specimen of the female of the rock twelve inches and a half average of male specimen thirteen and a half the rich soft dark of yellow of the female at breeding season render it a peculiarly beautiful bird its being much brighter and clearer than that of the male in the months their food is supposed to be the plants of their own inaccessible regions the common seems completely inaccessible to a sensation of cold ever avoiding the sun s rays he chooses the of the mountains and its biting and when the snow at the sides of the mountains he still higher and

he heard something fall and flutter among the it could not nevertheless be found and after losing his time and his patience he was just back soon enough not to lose his dinner to boot now this bird was of no ordinary value for it would have entitled him to one half of a of the whole of which would otherwise go to the possessor of the first that was shot in due course the lucky claimed the money which at the instance of the author was withheld for the night as he urged he had knocked down a cock that would most probably be yet brought to bag to make one great final effort he procured the bird which had been killed and laying it carefully before his with a strong light thrown on it and then drawing it repeatedly across her nose he returned with her to the cover and cheering her with the signal seek dead he put her into it after waiting till midnight and using every effort to her he returned leaving her there in the morning she made her way into the breakfast room during the meal with the dead in her mouth as a proof of her courage she would leap at a signal from his hand from off the box of a steam vessel of the largest class when going at full speed and in the heaviest weather with seas rolling as high as the poor he may surely say of thee he shall ne er look upon thy like again chapter viii shooting this little bird is not a regular object of pursuit with our for the best of reasons that it is never found in any numbers in this country it is a bird of passage essentially and as a native can scarcely be claimed by any of the british islands except ireland here to our experience it frequently not like the or any variety indeed of only when it cannot manage to go elsewhere but apparently from choice and habits of we have frequently watched of in several of the irish from their shells till they have found their way to our game bags and indeed to our stomach for observe your is the of eating when the lights upon them it is by chance among the in september but the irish amateur of the falls in with them all alone by themselves among shooting the potatoes in october we think they may be among irish game without fear of a bull no doubt they are capricious and may some fine day desert the shores of the isle as they are said to have done those of great britain but for the present st may safely claim them for his own and are both partial to the scent of the it as readily as the or the it to the and occasionally the long after growth of the meadows during the morning it is most readily met with all the authorities on shooting leave this specimen of the craft untouched or nearly so indeed with one exception no modem sporting book treats of the bird at all from original materials this exception is a paper which appeared some few years since in the new sporting magazine the result of some considerable experience in the english history of the the author seems to have studied his lore in the isle of where he says this bird is to be found at all seasons of the year that locality he states was formerly so famous for it either from its vicinity to the french coast or the quantity of grain grown there that people resorted to it from great distances for the express purpose of shooting however he says their numbers have considerably mien off but still the in the be of september may kill from two to three brace a day along the banks of the thames shooting below says this writer several farmers and have assured me that about the beginning of november a time at which the departure of the main body has taken place a small number of make their and continue during the winter always a short distance from the river s edge these are evidently the young birds of the second who for some reason seek that particular situation after the of the rest of their species as most of the birds all those that may be called game of the second class are more scarce with us than they were it follows that the is in a similar for this cause we find them more plentiful in ireland than england the former island being also infinitely better with and than the latter the tribes no doubt before civilization and are found precisely in the to the cultivation of the district as they cannot be subjected to the process of preserving the day probably come when one of the species will be as rare as a is now it is said that do not pack except when some strong local cause drives them to associate together for an especial purpose the family of birds is not certainly but our own experience of this bird leads us to think it is an exception to the general rule of the species we have never found it in that state of common shooting to the and it is met with singly no doubt but where one is you may be sure there are more not far off while very often one is all that fifty acres will furnish with the beating of the cover with our recollections of this we are to surrender it to the of those few who have thought it even worthy their ill favour says the author of sports seldom form themselves into except when their wants unite the feeble to their mother or some powerful cause at once the whole species to and together the extent

of the ocean holding their course to the same distant land but this forced association does not after their and finding in their adopted country that they can live at all the appetite of love is their only tie and even this is momentary so soon as passion has spent its force the male his mate to the labour of raising the family the young are hardly full grown when they separate or if kept together fight and their quarrels are terminated only by their mutual it must be confessed this is no amiable character of our and belongs to its natural or rather unnatural history more than its sporting treatment but the fact is shooting is not a branch of english shooting the common the seems to be a more permanent resident of ireland shooting than of great britain in the latter kingdom indeed it is now but an occasional although thirty years back it was a pretty regular attendant of the fields near the at their season in the mild south and of england this bird is so that after the first time it is wonderfully to flush almost all the birds in our market of this species are those imported alive to by the london from france where they are most abundant and where they are taken by into which the imitation of their call them but in is the greatest harvest on its coast in italy and the greek islands they will arrive by hundreds of thousands formerly the principal of the bishop of was the shooting ill sum produced by the annual i its of these birds they have been known to have been taken at one season to the number of a hundred and fifty thousand in ireland the farmers on the coast south of are very successful in the capture of we have known them to bring in five and six brace of these delicate birds the produce of the day s sport says in a gentleman shot near bay in one day ten brace of the nest of the is made by the female its eggs are deposited on the bare they are somewhat similar in appearance to those of the being deeply marked with olive green but are of different shape we s account of this bird the range of the is of great extent reaching northward to russia and foimd in the countries of temperate heat and in continental india and africa we possess specimens which do not materially differ from each other from india the plains of india china cape of good hope and southern europe a specimen shot at hall in autumn has the crown nearly black the feathers edged with pale streaks of yellow run over each eye and the centre space between the eyes and bill and are colour of the upper parts black having the shafts and a mark in the centre of each yellow at the tip where the wings join the the central are wanting and the black is relieved by grey tips and bars of yellow throat pale yellow bounded by a deep brown and on the sides cut into by a dark of the same colour running from the and turning near the middle of the pale space breast wood brown into pale on the lower parts on the breast the feathers are marked with two round or oval spots on the exterior of each web on the these patches border each feather bounding a pale open space along the shafts which is nearly pure white the above was a female as are all or most of those that are met with in the of the male is darker there is more in the tints and the breast is of a brown pale and without spots while the chin and throat are so mingled as to form in that part which is pale space in the female a sort of cross chapter ix shooting as the reader s acquaintance with this bird once the pride of our wild tribes will most probably be confined to such specimens as he shall cultivate an acquaintance with in a museum a very short allusion to its sporting annals will ce for his curiosity on that head according to old a horse was even in his day essential to enable the to accomplish a shot and the were wont to dress out a with green boughs behind which the would lie in wait for his game from this it will be gathered that it is very long since shooting was common to our island in the year daniel says there was one shot which measured six feet from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other and three feet from the point of the to the extremity of the tail tells us that one was shot in france in his time which had no less than ninety j in iti stomach if were in tlie habit of i them can be no their present y i the great of the or of this our largest land bird rail in the present tense this is tm j shooting to be unable to fly without great difficulty thus flapping its wings in order to get enough air underneath them to permit its rising it would run before the enemy and often be caught the has a under the tongue to contain water there is little record of them in north britain one was shot in in the rifle is used to shoot them as weu as the ordinary piece the male will stand two feet six or eight inches in height and when the lengthened feathers which most of them possess on the throat or sides of the jaw are raised they have a very bold and commanding appearance the back of neck shoulders c have orange feathers with interrupted bars of black the head neck and breast are grey at the

lower part of the breast into pale grey and pure white outer white deep brown black very powerful the first sharp the und with their outer web and becoming brown or black at their the mid tail feathers orange with white tips and a black bar crossing at about an inch from the end and then a one towards the base characters bill almost straight depressed slightly at the base open nostrils long legs the naked above the knees toes three forwards bordered with a and short wings powerful second third and fourth largest nearly equal first narrow towards the point type europe asia africa new holland note open plains and countries where vegetation is luxuriant run swiftly the little minor this is an british subject to a very great change of of which we cannot accurately speak since it appears in england only after is over and in its more homely garb one was killed near in scotland in the winter of x hare we trust it is as unnecessary to tell the courteous reader that in walking through an he is not to knock the gold and silver on the head with his cane as that it is for him to shoot a hare in a country where are kept or a district favourable for still there is ample space and room enough for this sport which in some places absolutely becomes an operation not to be with in the morality of sporting so to speak without going into the question of the con shooting of the practice it is enough for our purpose here to state that in many parts of england where game preserving is very carried on so abound as to be a gigantic nuisance in such places hare shooting is a virtue and that our young friends may in that good work we put before them the best advice in our power we do not treat you as going out to look for but rather as in some place where they most do if we thought you had any difficulty in the matter of finding this species of game we could point out that it keeps to the standing com so long as any is to be met with and that when no more remains resort for shelter to covers and hedges to fellows and long wild grass to the sides and of old dry and and that after heavy rains which fill the and cause dripping from the trees and hedges they are to be found lying out upon close wheat when it is again dry they return to covert there remaining till the frost has robbed the trees of their leaves and then no hiding being by the woods they themselves for good to the open fields and make their forms wherever enough of rough vegetation exists to enable them to among it young wheat fields are their favourite and occasionally old fellows in these within a range of some thirty or forty yards distance from the hedges you will be likely to light upon them this we say we should have told you shooting did we suppose you would ever condescend to look for but we see you in the midst of a preserve where they are as numerous as the sands upon the accept some of our as to such a case should you hy any accident a hare on her form don t fire at her sitting if not it is a at all events because by putting her up you will have the best chance of putting her into your bag a hare when running especially across you is very easily shot whereas an old on her form is very for from being an easy object to hit in shooting them when the lands lie in high should a hare run across ridge and take care not to fire till she is rising and about mid way between the and the ridge if you wait till she has got to the top of the land her head which is the most part will be ed by her for the same reason when a hare is running straight from you on level ground just aim so that you may seem to her back with your charge when a hare approaches you wait till she is well within reach of shot then whistle or make some sign upon which she will stop for an instant and then turn to one side or the other take her when her side is towards you it s long odds you miss her entirely should you fire when she is coming stem on as the sailors say it is within the letter of the law to shoot at all times but it is shooting to shoot them until they are pretty well grown the hare being capable of carrying away a great charge of shot as well as of turning one that would deal death to any other sort of game except the deer tribe it may be as well to hint the material as well as the method by which it may most be assailed if possible let her be within forty yards for a cross shot or thirty when going straight from you there is no excuse for the who goes out expressly to shoot with smaller shot than no large shot does its business when it does hit one of its will kill should it take effect while no or should it reach the object can only or if the young says a very practical authority discover as he will that in shooting in covert he must sometimes fire either at very short distances or not get a shot at all it will be essential for him either to acquire the of shooting on one side of his game or to let it go free the latter is the plan i should recommend except in the

case of a likely to fly out of bounds which within forty eight may perhaps be himself in an irish this gentleman says no one who goes out to shoot should use less than no or shot the instinct of animals is in almost every case superior to the reason of man for the one is the other constantly at fault it is singular to observe also that every power shared by man in hare shooting common with other animals is possessed by him in a far inferior manner his sight is less piercing his nose less penetrating his motion less swift than that of the brute creation he is more helpless in his infancy and less courageous in his death the very insect race beat him in precision the bee and the spider were the first the original of the and arch the is a better of space and many birds are endowed with organs of hearing in comparison with which man can only deem himself deaf it is well then for the vanity of the human race that he can boast of being endowed with that faculty of speech by which we can take full advantage of our otherwise limited resources which generation after generation to act in concert with its species and thus renders to our uses pleasures and the wonderful gifts and graces of every known tribe of the creation among swift footed we may claim for the hare the of its frame is such that every joint and muscle to promote the rapidity of its on the grounds to which its instinct it its are extremely nervous and muscular and these act upon the limbs whose length and power render them capable of immensely rapid and its fore legs are in proportion short thus the creature to form that succession of leaps shooting which is its real mode of and by which it claims with the tribes it is this of the fore legs in comparison with the hinder that the hare instinctively to seek a rising ground when flying from its the imder of its feet axe provided amply with protecting hair it has five toes to its fore feet and only four the mean length of the hare when full grown is about two feet its weight is various five six seven eight nine some even have been known to weigh twelve pounds the colour of the of the hare with the climate and with the season even in england black and milk white have been met with ones have been talked about and every of grey is incident to the animal the ordinary tint is however an iron grey the chin white the thi oat of a rusty yellow hue the belly white the breast its extremity black thus in harmony with the tints around her is she clothed in the regions ever with the hues forcibly remarks that the want of the elastic which bounds the of the feet of some animals as dogs for instance is to the progress of on and also on all wet and deep which it is well known they constantly avoid when they can when left to choose their own track they always take a dry one for treading on and it is plain that their admirably their feet to resist the ill effects hare shooting of pressure from the they must pass over by this preference the common hare according to the law was among the animals however give it a place among the or animals but even at this present time some favour the former notion and instance the singular in the stomach of the hare as being akin to the in the true the of the upper lip also which renders the member so extremely and capable of the constant quivering motion the opinion of these writers the jaws of the hare nevertheless remain stationary while is brought about by a grinding action the hare moves its jaws only when and the excessive of the nose seems rather to affect the marvellous delicacy of its powers than the qualities of the this creature possesses six in the upper and five in the lower jaw the upper jaw has likewise if we examine both the eyes and the ears of the hare we shall be at once struck by their as we have before observed to the purposes of its existence and of flight from danger its eyes are prominent the balls half out of the head and so placed that without any alteration of position the circle of vision is remarkably large commanding an extensive field of view before and behind that she cannot see at shooting once in both directions is often the cause of her capture her ears can be back to the very base at will thus her to drink in as it were the veiy sound of pursuit the eyelids of the hare seem to be seldom or never used as she does not possess the organ or her eyes are always even in sleep like those of fishes the tail or seat of the hare is black and white on the under part short and in the male usually a which gives the a clue to the sex of his game the of the ear its of sounds generally but particularly for receiving such as come from behind thus the hare lays one ear forward and one hearing it is said more perfectly the sounds that issue from her back than those that are straight forward the canal is partly bony and partly soft and when the skull of a hare is placed before a spectator the long portion of it is seen to itself nearly half an inch with a backward inclination it is believed that the age of the hare is from nine or ten to twelve years it is like the rabbit of extreme have enemies so that were it not for their

generations they would soon become extinct the hare knows the female by the scent its organs of every sense being exquisitely sensitive when the female is about eleven months old she begins to breed and is believed to bring forth young several times in the course of the year the k hare shooting term is the same as in the rabbit days the are fed by the mother about a month or not quite so long her is prodigious one writer mentioning that a brace of the being when shut up were enclosed in a large walled garden and proper plants supplied for their at the of twelve months the garden was examined and the produce was fifty seven on the of sir thomas also there were six thousand killed in at during its occupation by the eccentric mr to such an extent and had become so tame in consequence of their never being under any circumstances whatever that they might be seen the and green avenues of the park in as the guards march the streets of london the hare is in her habits upon her return from her she to her form where she under cover of a hedge or whatever else may contribute to her concealment not that she appears to have any notion of the sort for she sits as open on her form as is well possible the colours of her fur much more assist her than any apparent care of her own many diseases to which are subjected are known they become with too food their fore teeth occasionally grow out when kept in places where they hare shooting have no wood to in the same manner we find that bears and other savage animals are subject to the of parts such as the growth of their claws as well as their teeth or to secure hare from the enemies such as c of these animals they should be walled round mr s the sporting writer s not the anti sporting s directions for a are these a wood of nearly thirty acres cut into many walks set with traps and sown with which will induce the hare to keep at home a small should have but one walk in it and no dog be permitted to enter it when as the seasons close the become shy of the traps from having often been caught it will be necessary to drive them in with c the range of the hare is great its varieties in consequence ire numerous the hare the hare the changing hare that of the cape of north america are among them the minute hare of being the most and said to be little bigger than the it is reported to be fine eating and is called by the xl rabbit shooting this sport like indeed all others is differently practised in different places and by different persons the best of it we ever enjoyed was in the woods belonging to the earl of adjoining his seat park in this nobleman keeps the most perfect pack of rabbit probably in existence and goes out with them quite en prince having caused the covers he purposes shooting to be stopped after the fashion of fox hunting he forth with his pack cheers them into cover turns them with his horn and in short carries on his with all the pomp and circumstance of perfect his hounds are about the size of well grown and as full of fire as matches their cry is as as lark and quite as shrill being tbe counter tenor that may be conceived this is shooting the rabbit in such a style as ought to rabbit shooting l the to his fate but it s not the is as at all kinds of tame or wild are in best from november till the commencement of february some contend that they prefer a seat above ground and only for the sake of refuge in case they are in danger this may be true as also that they use their as shelter from weather even the hare will under the snow when it lies deeply it is certain that where they enjoy quiet and privacy they are constantly to be seen above the surface even though that be a in their miscellaneous they select as places to lie in thick particularly those having or growing on their banks and old dry stone or sand whose sides are overgrown with and early morning and after sunset are the most esteemed periods of the day for this sport still the best way of setting about it must depend on local and other circumstances if the place in which you pursue it be of some extent by going round it walking slowly and noiselessly and sometimes creeping you may get more shots than by any other means if on the other hand your range is limited and the have been much disturbed your plan must be to conceal yourself till a chance offers do not then fire too often from the same spot where the ground is by keeping cover of the brows of rabbit shooting the hills may be approached in this case lie down and make a rest for your gun then push it gently forward close to the ground without exposing yourself until you feel that it is sufficiently fer advanced for the stock to fit your shoulder then raising your head without hat endeavour to pick out a double shot if possible if the ground be a level without of any kind you may make one with with bushes or other bushes with which the are familiar the rules for this sport are from an authority already quoted avoid walking over the when you can do so being connected with each other not only is the ground thereby shaken but the is conveyed to a greater distance than would be easily being quick

of hearing not stir if they suspect an enemy is nigh as their sense of smelling is even more acute than that of hearing never attempt to approach them v th your back to the the moment you have fired at a rabbit with a single gun if he be not quite dead run up to him for are exceedingly of life and severely wounded will instinctively scramble into a if possible but as it will often happen that a long arm and a screw will recover them whenever are supposed to be hit the they take should be always examined at the least if not in this way rabbit sh ti g a small quick mute that will close to you and only stir at your bidding will save you the trouble of the run cause less disturbance and will often recover a wounded rabbit which you would have chased in vain when shooting in woods at all times be extremely cautious when and where you fire let no shot how ever tempting induce you to do so you are sure neither man or dog be within range at the time in some are shot from trees this is said to be the way of doing business but though we say it under the rose a good many wholesome sporting hints may be had firom that moreover with the exception of the style of rabbit shooting spoken of in the outset of this chapter it is for the most part a secret solitary amusement more akin to than the spirit stirring business of the the the the has just so much to do with our ordinary sporting as to it or rather its uses to a place in this volume and grace to modem improvement its application is not the barbarous contrivance it was in times gone by the practice of or this little creature is scarcely ever had recourse to now the horrid custom of sewing up its mouth is utterly abandoned indeed if left it is found to bolt the rabbit with far more spirit a cord is occasionally made fast to its neck and by means of knots marked on it as on sea lines it is the known how he has run this however should be carefully handled where any danger exists of its becoming entangled with the roots of trees or any other of a like kind should not be begun e u lier than october as the young are not till then strong or resolute enough to break ground freely the should be to and the person in charge of him should be perfectly silent the should so place himself as to have the whole of the or as much of them as possible within command of his eye and his gun he will find it add much to his sport to have some one in attendance with a reserve gun who will also load as fast as he fires the hints on were furnished to a friend of ours by a practical hand of the craft in the small is decidedly the most active eager and best the should be handled frequently when young that it may be quite familiar to the touch otherwise it becomes shy after it has been used a few times and is very troublesome to catch towards evening or when the least tired it should never be fed for eight or ten hours at least before hunting young rats birds or are at all times good food for the and are to be recommended when they can be procured the may be used any time during the day till four o clock except in the depth of winter when it is advisable never to hunt it after three the o clock always handle a gently and place your hands under its arms be very careful never to snap at it when taking it out of a rabbit hole or to a certainty your fingers will suffer when shooting a should not be unless it is a very fast hunter or a e a small bell tied round the neck will be found useful and in a large very advantageous if a is a it is a good plan to blunt the long teeth which will enable the rabbit to free himself from his never turn a if shy too often into the same earth for if tired he is apt to lie up a to do so is sometimes indicated after a is blooded by its running continually to the mouths of the holes by a and by scratching when this is the case remove him immediately a box about four feet long is the best habitation for an open front made of iron great care should be taken to keep them quite clean and to give them plenty of air as they are when young particularly subject to many complaints in some of the southern but more especially in whether from the nature of the soil as some persons r it is matter of great doubt remain sulky for of the year and cannot be induced to move even with a and will rather have their skins stripped from their backs than bolt although the greatest caution be used not to shake the earth the or make the least noise in bolt well only during the months of october november and december the routine of economy here laid down veiy strongly of the experience of one who used the net rather than the gun as his engine of destruction against the shooting in places where live for the most part under ground is the of slow sport to is as relates to the smaller animals to put the hand into a contrivance such as they boil in and squeeze to death a soft little animal such as one might imagine a in paradise to be is certainly not a worthy a true knight

high and straight having chosen a dog according to these suggestions take him into the field and observe how he mark if he be a gallant high going within himself his head well up and to the wind as endeavouring to catch a flying scent making his casts turns and offers neither hanging on the haunt nor for a ground scent see that he quarters his ground regularly and of any other dog in company without leaving the comers of his fields he must neither break field watch nor point at sight he shall not be hard nor near scented but wind his birds at long distances keep his point back without jealousy to bird dog or at a signal firom the hand or the word to ho the without caprice or standing when you call if he chap his point it is a good symptom if he mouth and his game it he his business if a has not been well trained when he comes upon the haunt or run of birds he will dash flourish jump run at shot and the like these however are merely the effects of high courage and may be cured by work and good teaching never beat a dog after he has done wrong but as nearly in the act as possible when you punish have him upon a training cord and do not loose him till he has become reconciled to you should you let him go before he will very likely the line round your hand and keep him at heel for some time and give him his liberty by degrees if you observe any signs of fasten the line to a stake and leave him behind you for a field or two then return and if he seems cheerful give him a piece of and caress him let him then off but still fast to the cord as soon as he beats finely you may remove it altogether when dogs are to the whip holding them up by a cord with a slip till they become alarmed will often succeed use the whip at the same time there are some dogs of such very timid dispositions that they will not bear any punishment these must be made to punish themselves by means of check and cross not knowing in this case whence the comes they do not take offence from or dislike to those with whom the they are hunting animals of all sorts are wonderfully quick in witness the learned pigs and so forth that perform such incredible as telling the hour by a watch and the like which is done by their observing from the that none of the audience can detect in like manner dogs come to read aright every expression of their master s ia ce but not till they have long experience of it have patience then with your team of and you be repaid with interest they not understand your looks by nor probably till they have seen the frown repeated a hundred times with which you greeted them when they soiled your first pair of white by leaping on chapter x i pigeon this volume to treat of the various descriptions of shooting which offer themselves to the notice and for the of the yoimg amateur of the for this reason although we hold the practice of trap shooting at the dove tribe as far from a sporting it must be allowed a place in the present chapter we have in no part of this work entered upon the question of the comparative cruelty of rural sports because the theory of the of man s treatment of the lower animals would be involved in it a subject too subtle for philosophy and far too grave for tame pigeon shooting is in point of fact but one of the many forms of gambling it is never probably attempted except to decide a or to bring off a colonel says of the practice it is simply this if you miss you are disgraced and if you kill you get no credit a pigeon shooting crack hand at this household species of may be the worst of general though it must be he mil be a good the first fashionable place of resort for was the old hats a public house on the road that took its name from the shooting carried on in the grounds attached to it where the pigeon was placed in a hole covered with an old hat which constituted the original or primitive trap of late years the red house at has the old hats and is now the great for shooting at the ordinary distance at which the stands from the trap is one and twenty yards the bounds within which the pigeon must fall to score vary from a of sixty to one hundred yards from the trap as a centre this trap is a shallow box twelve inches long aud eight or ten wide sunk into the ground so as to be level with it to this is a sliding lid with a string to it held by a person standing near to the from him he takes his directions to draw back the lid when his aim is taken and at the moment that he is shooting another bird is placed in the trap by the of thus the match goes on with astonishing rapidity birds and guns being furnished even with more expedition than they can be used as a rule the pigeon match should use more powder and less shot than in ordinary sporting the larger the gun and the charge the wider the pigeon shooting range of the shot gun locks for these matches should have fine quick action and very powerful springs the most killing shot will he found no so much for the tame shooting of now for the of the wild sport as with the whole species of

wild this sport is not a pursuit hut an you must wait for wild fowl and not follow them the true season for shooting is when the snow lies on the ground then they resort to the fields and may he turned to good account should it he and you cannot approach them even under cover of a hedge in consequence of the noise made hy the ice as you walk you will do well to lie in wait for their return from of course to of their flight the favourite food of the in cover is mast it will therefore he most frequently met with where trees abound having taken your station in the vicinity of them be in no to fire your bird has settled on his perch and taken his preliminary survey be but patient till he has done this and he may be shot at as easily as a barn door fowl but if you move the least before he has settled he will be off like a in september captain says whilst the leaves are yet green the or is very fond of in hedge rows particularly of oak and ash but when the leaves fall they confine pigeon shooting themselves more to the and such trees as are with the creeping ivy for the timid ever courts concealment and where it is next to impossible to spy it out as it is then certain to fly out the wrong side if left to itself the best way is having first stationed yourself at a favourable point to whistle to your attendant who must then face you and throw a or stick into the tree autumn is certainly the season in a point of view for the for then from the nature of its food its is more delicious than at any other time this is a bird and far less plentiful than it was like all of its tribe it however leaves us in the winter and returns to breed and rear its young in the spring mr speaks as indeed do all having experience of it of the excellent eating it is except when it on and becomes somewhat of taste by filling its inside with bread he says much of this is got rid of moreover he among the many virtues of the the property it has of assisting the in his duty where they exist in any quantity he states that the they make at night when unwelcome visitors intrude into their haunts prevents from using their air guns the instruments they usually employ for the destruction of on windy nights when there is strong moonlight need we here make for the dove no sports pigeon shooting man of any age sure would go about to do it violence its to the youthful of should seem as murder murder most as in the best it is bat this most strange and let the fate of the ancient warn him who would draw on the bird of love ere you fire upon the think oh think of him who shot the the or of british authors the quest or provincial this beautiful bird pigeon shooting whose exterior is of a grey tint into darker and hues like a s robe by the more colours chosen by a lady of quality to set off its is to our islands it is remarkable for the softness and exquisite of its as well as for its graceful form it is found in wooded districts of england in the southern and of scotland and in ireland the shyness of the bird is extreme before after which it becomes almost to young and in great numbers where it may be observed busy engaged in the different duties of as the food of is very various so the they commit on the green crops of the are very extensive they delight in grain and pulse they eat the roots of several one of which is picked up on the the crop of the farmer has frequently been well nigh destroyed by them they attack in quantities and reject few means of their the wild note of the is the of mild weather and forms as it were the melody of our groves it is not easily and requires infinite attention to a pair in the gardens built a nest which happened to be destroyed and they have been found to breed in the at but it would possibly require the passage of generations to enable m pigeon shooting them to forget their independence the wing feathers of which are very strong cause that flapping and tumultuous noise so often heard in our forests and so often the cause of their discovery they are veiy and retire in large flocks at times to a common place the name has been bestowed on the bird from the conspicuous marking of white that in the neck between the rich green and purple rays of the neck and breast the of these feathers are there character bill of medium strength with a slight angle nostrils nearly and covered with a soft short partly in front toes entirely divided hind toe of considerable length wings powerful rather pointed second longest types c c note breed on trees in winter but breed with facility the pigeon is a variety to which our refer the domestic pigeon of our the blue rock is the of the pigeon of the present day this species the hollow and bare rocks of the sea shore in the winter they feed on the and seeds of the region and on the land they are and pretty closely to the coast where their murmuring notes may be frequently distinguished pigeon h tin between the of the wave and the of the blast the rock dove is found on all the desolate shores of the north of scotland and the rocks and the of and are the breeding and

of innumerable birds of this species that they are found in the regions of island in south wales and they are said to breed on some parts of the and shores of the generally we may say that the species has greatly of late years both pigeon shooting with the increase of population and the increasing persecution to which they are subjected not a third of the numbers that formerly our woods and forests are now seen but as their amount seemed to be with us some sixty years since it is small indeed to that spoken of in america the passenger pigeon of that country darkening the air for miles when the flocks are on the wing and when they settle breaking down from their numbers the very forests on which they rest the or white pigeon is the that has supplied so much theme for the poet and the historian as the messenger of the lover and the the and the are two of the fancy of this species remarkable for a of structure from the original type their heads and bills are in proportion the former shorter and the latter longer than in their original the dove this p is smaller and more slender than the true pigeon and its tail is not nearly so ample but it occurs in and in some of the northern and in scotland and ireland it appears to be more frequent in the wooded parts of than elsewhere in england but its with us is altogether rare sir w speaks of a specimen shot in the garden at hall the bird had frequented a break of peas nearly ripe for several days and at last attracted the notice of the gardener as one not pi pigeon shooting known to him when it was afterwards sought for it was in the same place rose with noise and alighted on a neighbouring tree whence it was shot the was that of an bird thus we see it is only a that occasionally the ordinary bounds of its it is however regular in its visits reaching the british coast between the end of april and the commencement of may again to depart in the latter days of august or early in september the fidelity of these birds is said to be as singular as the attachment of the pigeon to its native locality the flight of the whole pigeon family is wonderfully rapid the the this species seems almost confined to some of the southern of england pigeon speaking of it only as a bird it is found in the open parts of and where it sometimes its nests in rabbit holes and elsewhere it will seek for and decayed trees wherein to breed and sometimes it is found in the entangled bushes that are it is known to mix with the it is also at the same season and its food is alike the young is very good eating but not to the flesh of the when it has from the or field the of this species is remarkable for the sort of lustre of its breast feathers in conclusion we may remark that the is distributed over our islands that the the southern districts and the rock pigeon is most numerous towards the north in there are many varieties of this tribe some of whom have great beauty of as the blue pigeon and mountain witch and others as the ring tail pigeon extraordinary delicacy of the latter is found only in the woods of interior and when in season in the months is extremely fat and of most exalted of the too there is one species called the ground dove from its the roads and for food the size of a lark and of most delicate we doubt however whether in delicacy of any of the dove species our that favourite of our woods where she threads her leafy way or sits in loving note on the tree to every eye for of colours the palm in most cases be to the smaller birds of the american woods just as fond brings to deck the insect s than the eagle s wings although his sporting claims are by no means of a prominent character the is entitled to a slight notice at all events seeing that he is an occasional agent of the and does him good service indirectly on occasion he may be very employed by those who follow rabbit shooting in cover for his perseverance is and when of the rough or haired species thorns and have no account with him the of the is the most domestic of all the race and one that has lately made and is stiu making great progress in the higher branches of science known to its the species called bull is capable of training to almost any purpose for which the dog is required we have already that one of that breed was of extraordinary excellence as a bad not j while of the smooth sort that accompany the of our i au a rare intelligence as a companion to the wonderful related of the we offer the following instance of sagacity or second sights or whatever it was in a which should the reader say he would not have believed be seen we can only say we did see and did know whether to credit what we saw or not a frenchman who resided in the town of had a little black and tan that he had taught to dance of course to smoke a pipe to make a low bow on the mention of napoleon and to cut a of admiration at the words france this animal would fetch and carry anything anywhere only point to a wig that passed you in the street and it was in your hand the next moment and as for picking pockets handkerchiefs seemed to jump into his

mouth it so happened that on a market day we were walking with the frenchman and his dog on the road leading to i it was summer weather and the dust lay very thick we had walked about a mile out and were returning into the town when suddenly he stopped and said at the point where we tamed to come back i dropped a among the dust we will wait till moustache it and off went the four footed an hour elapsed and no moustache appeared and we grew tired of waiting and the frenchman thinking he had lost his cur as well as his coin returned to his lodging the following morning we had occasion to see him early and while in his room there was a scratching at the door he opened it and sorely travel worn in rushed moustache with an old bag in his mouth which together with some bank notes and other money contained a piece this bag was subsequently claimed by a who in riding to fair picked up a silver coin that his pony kicked out of the dust this he had put into his bag and it was not till long after he missed it he remembered that while his business in the fair a strange dog had stuck closely to his heels and followed him to his bedroom when he retired for the night what occasion moustache had taken for his ur by what of nose he knew it contained his master s money was alike mysterious all that ever was that the had his treasure and the reader has the tale to deal with it according to his pleasure the latest fashion introduced in is the variety known as the isle of breed its peculiarities are eyes covered with impenetrable curtains of hair which hang over them and a back that if cut into quarters would be enough for four of ordinary the direct origin of the according to who of course follows somebody else like that of many other well marked varieties of the dog is involved in much obscurity some consider his antiquity questionable while on the other hand it is not easy to mistake the dog so described by for any other than the s classes him the hound nor is it at all improbable that he is thus derived and that by frequent and he at length all the varieties we now meet with as to size colour and qualities our friend colonel smith places the at the head of the race of our dogs at the same time asserting that if there be an in great britain it is that to which he belongs nor is the arrangement of so placing the race to be re he says because we are accustomed to consider that as only to he then goes on to establish his position by learned to greek words and having done so states that among them the are constantly found endowed with the keenest and one of them related in s essays the quaint old himself having the fact was the guide of a blind man who when his road lay along a brook would draw his master to the farther side from the water s edge although it was there much more rugged and unfit to walk on this wa veiy intellectual but not equal to our own shooting is indeed a stirring subject the pursuit oi at once the and most sporting of all our elsewhere we shall deal at some length with its natural history and social details here we confine ourselves to the most approved methods of finding and this and of the woods these strangers the wherever they come from arrive generally in the british islands about the middle of october they then lodge principally abroad but the first of snow drives them into the woods and in november they are to be met with in cover whatever the nature of the weather in covers not too high or thick or where rides have been cut through the well grown timber with a team of small or is the most picturesque and of all the precaution of having h tin j l posted before beating a cover is begun is very e for when a cock is flushed he should never be left if possible while in the land of the living the most favourite spots both in and out of cover with the are of there or you may be sure of him if the beat has not lately been disturbed early in the season however his are among the on the margin of in and subsequently in young woods and the skirts of at times he is very and will lie till the very bush he is m is struck at other times he is as much on the alert sometimes he will not fly a hundred yards after being at and will afford half a dozen shots should he survive long enough then again he is on the wing before you are half within range and do n t alight till he has put miles between himself and you to day he flies straight and slow so that it is hard to miss him to morrow his flight is twisted like a and rapid as a s stoop colonel who has bestowed upon this sport the name of the of shooting is extremely in his remarks upon it he says indeed that a real good feels more gratified by killing a or even a few than bags full of game that have been reared upon his o i or neighbour s estate but he very abruptly the means of so gratifying himself in a country where are scarce he tells you to be sure to put a v a shooting in a tree before you attempt to one a

second time and when you have marked down a cock to remember bow veiy apt he is to run instead of rising from the spot in which you may have seen him drop if a cock flies away he and continues to rise wild you may go safely beyond where he may have last dropped and then back again to beat for him having some one to make a noise on the side where you had before advanced on him and he will then most likely either lie close or fly towards you k this will not do take your station quietly to as generally fly against the wind give a whistle when you are ready and let the other person then draw on and flush him his of mark will assist in and driving the cock forward and be a signal for your preparation infinitely the best cock shooting we have ever had was in on the coast of and in the neighbourhood of these unite and there in the woods of belonging to a of our own we have met in flocks or an occurrence without parallel in our sporting career the manner of pursuing them is by two legged a company of boys or as natural and naked as any four footed and going to work with a zeal and instinct that would shame the best bred of or anywhere else these are as well broken to the sport as any crack train of dogs and take a delight in it that they are t shooting tlie matter bom indeed a of sport is the ruling passion of the irish peasant strong even in his starvation god help him the taken in hand their proceed in line through the woods giving tongue when they flush a cock with mark cock and waiting for the sound of his funeral if no shot is fired or if fired a cry of down dead does not follow the report they resume their beating as before in these woods their late proprietor has shot fifty and sixty couples frequently in a day and the late duke of we believe when lord lieutenant of ireland received a pie as a present which contained twenty score of we have no right to suppose our young friends will ever set up their staff in this land of promise and therefore it is our duty to instruct them how to hope for a supply of this their game in less inhabited when in places likely to hold a cock let them towards evening try the banks of and at that time the birds are on the road or feed and consequently are more easily met with than when laid up in the snug harbour of some old bed or beneath the root of some monarch the wood in the deepest recesses of some wide cover when flushed he will do well to bear in mind that the seldom if ever on feeding ground the the is the largest species in the shooting or familiarly speaking in that of and common to our british and covers these birds are winter of our and their is upon their first arrival they are to be found in covers on the sea shore or on when exhausted by the length of their flight they are sometimes so little shy that they can hardly be raised and may be killed in eat numbers while more frequently they are timid to excess they will perhaps rest a day or so in the we have mentioned and then are off to settle as it were for the winter they will then choose spreading woods inter with and other where there is low cover to be met with near and sheltered they visit us for he most part about the end of october and again in february numerous instances of their breeding have been made known season after season in this but still the cases when this occurs are isolated a pair or two here and there discover a favourable situation and are found but there is no breeding in chosen places as in the case of its near neighbour the jack the appears to be known in all parts of the world we have it in most parts of great britain and ireland that are suited to its existence it is found in and for a short space of the winter it in and even in and its range extends beyond the circle they have been found in italy and the east at and on the african with some varieties of they are to be met with amid the and in the districts of india generally as well as at the when it in this country a spot generally at a small distance from water here leaves a little perchance some moss may form its careless nest and here the hen will lay four or five eggs of the size of those of a pigeon in colour of a pale purple brown or dirty yellow white with brown one writer speaks thus of nests that were found the soil was dry and the grass tolerably long without and the trees oak and no thirty years growth another says that they are placed amongst dead grass and leaves with out any attempt at concealment in the eggs are found merely placed on the bare ground under or where the young fir was again springing from a space only just cleared of the old trees the most remarkable peculiarity in the formation of the is the structure of its bill an to the purposes of its existence no less curious than interesting the upper measures about three inches and is nearly its whole length compressed and curved at the tip which projects and forms a kind of which is very sensitive and capable of of its food principally worms which it from moist grounds by means of its sharp and pointed

tongue the bill is by numerous veins the eye is large and so constructed as to catch the faintest rays of light a necessity since it is a wanderer the of is singularly rapid and their feeding quite out of proportion with other birds they thrust their bills endowed as we have seen with a wonderful delicacy of feeling into the soft mud of the marsh or shore in search of the of insects and small worms and thus they bore the greatest part of the night for the food that is no sooner taken than it is in process of the measures about fourteen inches in length shooting twenty six in breadth and from nine to the is coloured in all this with subdued and like tints these in their turn varying from a dust light brown to a sort of grey to which last hue the forehead across the crown and there are four bars of black brown of a rich colour the two first the most marked a narrow band of or white them on the fore part of the neck and from the comers there are patches of brown of a pale colour the wings are brown with black and white or pale yellow tips marked outside with brown on the inner side with a sort of red brown the outer web of the first is usually the to a faint yellow while the dark colours are the spots upon it the tail has twelve feathers it is black cut into with brown the upper tips grey the under white a hue on the breast and marked with brown of various shades in various birds the back is an of brown yellow and grey with darker of brown and black the whole oi a light sand brown effect with of grey and darker and black the legs and base of the bill are pale pink at the tip of the bill it becomes nearly black this bird suffers severely in the hard of the winter from its peculiar habits of turning over the sand and dried leaves in search of food in this country the number of known to visit shooting us of late seasons is on the decline in ireland thej are very abundant the districts and natural woods of certain of its absolutely with them there is much animal oil in and their time of is short the young birds run alone as soon as out of the shell it is said that in common with their tribe they are during the season of courtship that the sex of the is from external marks although in we find that the hen of the presents a narrow of white along the lower part of the exterior veil of the feather while in the cock bird the same feather at the same part is beautifully and regularly spotted with black and white we are not a competent judge not having a taste in feathers but have no doubt that is right in his experience that the is not in many birds clearly marked some say the hen is the larger bird the small pointed feather at the base of the wing of this bird is well known among artists as the most delicate brush used by them especially in miniature painting it is now greatly by almost as finely haired by the the on its t arrival is usually lean and fatigued it is often picked up under such circumstances in the most open near sea and is so to raise at such times that it is killed in numbers mr daniel tells us that when the first take shooting to tiie which they sometimes do in flights or numbers they choose the year old slopes or they themselves to the edges of the woods they lie up in ordinary as it were in of from seven to ten years gi the is often supposed to make a flight to ireland from our shores in seasons of severe frost the prevailing moisture of that being genial to the of the bird it is well known they leave us in numbers when a long hard frost may have prevailed it seems to be an in nature that the animal is a solitary one the beasts of prey for the most part singly the wilderness in quest of victims the birds who make their on the mountain top and pair singly the huge monsters of the deep who feast on approve of no competition in blood and thus too these smaller birds and animals who are greedy or rapid of appear averse to together this holds good of the species we are describing and indeed it is a fact that one such as the bird loves wiu not more food than wiu support one of these birds colonel says the enormous quantity these birds eat is scarcely indeed it would be the constant labour of one person to procure food worms or the of insects for two or three the difficulty of collecting a of such precarious determined us to try if bread and milk would not be shooting a good substitute and we found that by putting clean washed worms into the mess the bird soon acquired a taste for this new food and will now eat a basin of bread and milk in twenty four hours besides the worms it can procure are seldom seen to in the they do not like stormy weather and shift their quarters very much according to the climate thus they breed on the mountain heights of and remain among the throughout the year visiting the moist places of the according to the season in the summer amid the hills in the winter descending to the plains they breed also in the mountains of and indeed everywhere that nature teaches them their delicately bills can pick from the and the necessary supply of food here they remain until the

sun and the frost alike their enemies shall have dried up the springs and till the ground shall have become too arid for their support till the insects are upon the wing or till the frost shall have the earth into one solid mass impenetrable to their bills when this occurs these cold loving birds must either wing their flight to other regions or perish it is said that the arrival of the is more or less influenced by certain winds blowing m their these are taken advantage of as they occur thus them that fatigue the of their wings though large does not enable them to support numbers nevertheless perish at sea numbers are picked up dead on the coast numbers alight on vessels during the passage varieties occur in this bird dr three in the first the head is of a pale red body white and the wings brown the second is of a or rather cream colour and the third of a pure white one writer describes having met with a variety the colour of which was a fine pale ash with frequent bars of a very delicate tail brown tipped with white and the bill and legs flesh colour mr daniel speaks of the different sizes of that those found first in the season are the largest fly heavily and their heads especially the imder parts appear to be encircled with short feathers that these large birds are not so numerous with us as a smaller size which arrive in november and december with shorter bills and feathers that come about he says are also small and differ in their manner of flying are quicker of wing take long flights and are well known to be difficult to be shot from their not rising above the spray like the larger muffled but make their way for some distance as it were among the boughs a grey legged and a blue legged one a pure white bird has been seen we find indeed that varieties of climate among animals of whatever class almost invariably varieties of characters according to bill shooting lengthened and sensitive straight upper curved and projecting over into a in the compressed slightly curved at the tip and there dilated the tip of the fitting into that of the in the whole tribe legs and feet slim of moderate length only for a short space naked or altogether clothed with feathers wings moderate tips of the somewhat rounded but the first or second longest types c habits of several to a limited extent all or partially so on the approach of danger breeding and winter similar t chapter xiv shooting like the the is a bird also visiting us in autumn and taking its leave in spring like the too it infinitely more in ireland than england and indeed in many districts of the former is the only bird the has to count upon with the exception of the and the cock the according to the old saw is a good bird whenever you can get it but it is not correct nevertheless to shoot it before the is in season in august a few are met on the they are always to be found in the and on the of ireland but they are not fit to eat before november it is stated and truly that these birds have retreated in this country before the march of agricultural improvement whose pas is and the sport which forms our present subject is to be had in any perfection in but very few in england moreover the is o shooting a most capricious resident changing bis abode at almost every accident of wind or weather or both sometimes not one solitary individual is to be met with in their most accustomed haunts sometimes a falls in with a colony where he never before knew an individual of the species to resort many good game shots contend that shooting is a which no doubt they themselves have not learned and certainly some eminent hands at and give it up in disgust and despair of ever succeeding at it taken in all its bearings this sport is a very true general test of a s quality the flight of the bird is utterly altered by the state of the weather in warm cloudy or boisterous days he is as tame and as easily covered as a young in august the next morning with a brisk frost and a still clear atmosphere he flashes away like a bolt from a cross bow like a swallow in the twilight an old with the scent of the is the only dog to shoot him to with any satisfaction this dog should be taught to also for in some grounds which the bird likes best to frequent it is not competent for too too solid flesh to venture says captain whom we hold in esteem as an authority on the subject of shooting birds which are not game lie best in windy weather when the should always be down wind as the birds when sprung generally face it and thus present finer and often cross shots but in boisterous weather though their flight be slower it is more irregular and therefore the aim is more difficult to take some recommend hunting up wind and heading the dog wide at a point instead of walking up in the usual way but the birds rarely allow of such a liberty being taken with them to say nothing of fresh birds being thus disturbed with a dog that is one who on your walking down wind quarters his ground regularly before you with his nose in the wind making short turns from right to left at thirty or forty yards on each side of you there is no plan like walking with the wind but with a dog not so highly accomplished i always prefer taking the contrary

direction but then i use s no as the flight of is so rapid and at the same time often so if the mean to get he must fire the first barrel extremely quick unless indeed the birds lie unusually well but at a single bird he can if he please afford himself a little more time unless it rises wild the critical crisis at which you should in this latter instance endeavour to fire is just when the bird is reaching that distance when the shot will have the spread consistent with the proper degree of for down a bird so small as a this will of course vary exceedingly according as you may use loose shot or the notion that the slightest touch of shot will bring down the is wholly shooting it has often been seen to fly beyond sight after more than one has passed through it if you have reason to suppose you have hit your bird and it is marked down beat very close for it you may very probably find it dead though it has fled from the shot apparently as strong as ever try your ground very patiently and don t be afraid to beat it after noon though you may have tried it blank in the morning often return as regularly as they leave their feeding places neither must you take it for granted they feed in spots apparently suited to that purpose constantly haunts the most favourable for them to the eye do not hold a very probably there is something with their taste for your is formed by nature for an his bill is exquisitely fashioned to give a keen perception of in weather when rise wild as soon as they flush throw your eye well forward and fire the moment they top the cover in which you raise them observing to suit your elevation to the distance a wild springing like a pigeon from a trap always takes a straight com se in the first of his flight if he offers an or a cross shot you must your aim accordingly and shoot well forward the common the of the common british of english s is of very sober and yet so distinctly marked as to be very beautiful the upper colour is a dark brown black the feathers being relieved by a lighter brown so arranged in parts as to all in lines there are two broad lines on the the crown and over the eyes of pale colours while from the to the eye there is an line of brown the back of the neck is of varied and irregular colour and the back and long have feathers edged with a border of light brown in lines at the back there is much black while the feathers are tipped with white the breast is dark wood brown into white as they advance lower on the breast and belly the chin is white the throat brown there are fourteen tail feathers the middle two are black largely dipped in bright yellow red shooting and sometimes with a deep and narrow band crosses the tip the of the tail are black and a orange shaded by the dark ground colour of the feathers the outer feather is white at the tip this bird is common all over great britain and ireland it with us in partial numbers and regularly but by far the greater quantity arrive in this country with other early winter again to towards the spring formerly these birds were most abundant in and would sell from each of late years they are infinitely more plentiful towards the north yet wherever the surface character of our permit their resort there will the be found of course as we advance northward among and we shall find them increase in plenty even to the western of scotland and to the remotest of them they appear to breed in every suitable locality of north britain and ireland in the breeding season they themselves on the edges of grounds or should these be too and extensive for their purposes they resort to the or to the shores of the northern lakes the ground nest is merely a out lined with such materials as are at hand the position a dry on raised ground in the southern districts the grounds of or the low moist grounds in forest tracks are selected the young remain long after and as long as the weather near their shooting breeding places but under un circumstances they will speedily change their quarters the frost of very severe weather however will sometimes keep them from removal till it is broken up again we have known where you would little calculate upon them in low willow grounds among and scattered and we have seen them perch close to the of man in bound up weather in search of that moisture necessary to their existence the loud noise of the common heard in his descending flight made by the of its wings with the air was at one time thought to come from his throat its pipe as it sits among the is well known to the and marsh and even to the mere for it is often upon in but little suited to its ordinary habits its range is says it in and mr in extensive and in the districts of and russia and as breeding countries and the east is given it by various authorities while others it to europe says the birds of america are distinct the common is called the or its length is about or near twelve inches the bill a good three inches it about four the has many enemies among them the most destructive is perhaps the shooting blue hawk this bird in has a peculiar or jerk with the tail which it at the time in a like its flight is rapid but it is thin in

august and not then very good eating about november it is as full and as the can desire it is not a shy bird except where it together when it becomes much more wary and timid there are often varieties of this as well as all the other species of the tribes there is the red in a small flock of these was seen in speaks of a singular that was shot near its throat breast back and wings were beautifully covered or with white and on its forehead was a star of the natural colour it had also a ring round the neck and tail with the tips of the wings of the same colour we have ourselves seen an odd brick or orange legged the is named by british authors the brown brown grey from the varieties of its winter and summer it is of the and not one of the true is known as hi north as the sea and is a native of north america the great major in the southern districts of our island we find this as an occasional bird of passage it is of unusual occurrence both in ireland and scotland men shooting the that the great is nearly al met with in autumn comparatively few being found in the spring or on their re this is the great double or solitary of british authors so named from its habits of alone or in pairs its flight is heavy and peculiar and its tail out fan like its is very similar to that of the common with some it has sixteen tail feathers the five beautifully marked black bars on white and on belly sides and from the tip of the bill to the toes it might measure rather more than fourteen inches its weight about eight bill about four inches long the internal structure of the great is said to be remarkably similar to that of the the bird has been not met with in and in various parts of its most usual breeding continental range appears to be and and in holland more rarely that in comparison with the common the bill and legs are short the bare for only a short distance above the joint three specimens of a large but which could not clearly be ascertained as a distinct species or whether it its bulk and change of from age and its solitary habits from ceasing to breed there is a species of infinitely more rare than the solitary it appears an between that and the tlie known specimens of this bird in england are few in number one was procured from queen s county ireland where it was shot and another was killed in the neighbourhood of in as we have not examined these specimens or others in the museum it will be more satisfactory to the reader to introduce that eminent sir w s description of this species s first that its call is described as from that of other and its habits said to be similar an irish specimen produced by mr was shot at thrice without exhibiting fear or shyness it alighted after being fired at but a short distance from the same spot the upper parts are nearly of a dusky brown varied by narrow bands of pale brown the under parts are also dusky brown alternately barred with pale yellow brown the tail containing twelve feathers has tlie half black the half brown barred with black or brown entirely to the knees the entire length of the bird is from ten to twelve inches of which the will measure from two to three ij g s s shooting the jack this little specimen of his species like his great type the solitary is much more easily shot than the common it lies closer flies slower and presents a much easier mark still as it undoubtedly is as a general rule the jack k like the after affording perhaps half a dozen shots as if he were but half awake will take to his wings and make use of them in good earnest moreover in windy weather he is as wild as the common is tame when you have flushed and marked him down you must take care he does not jack shooting rise secretly take a second flight or a long run and afterwards get up behind you the jack comes to us later and leaves earlier than the common and has rarely been known to breed in this country though a short he knows how to take care of himself and will often set the best dogs and men at defiance the jack this is the pet of the both for its and its flesh as to the latter let people say what they will of the we will back the jack half or for a bit against any in the world it does not flock together like the common but chooses in pairs or singly its low or abode if the jack comes to us rather later than the larger it remains with us longer than others always staying through march when its feathers are approaching towards their full beauty at this time indeed it is far the in dress of any species of the bird either known in great britain or foreign its glossy back so richly in and its delicately distinct of wood brown and the yellow and the pure white underneath which so contrast these brighter hues its green grey legs and dusky bill and its plump but elegant form to render it one of our prettiest when five or six are seen together they look like animated gems or jewels as they rise from covert their wings quivering in rapid jack shooting motion and glistening with brightness although these birds lie close enough they are far from being shy but will remain at times their

heads and bills from the ground as children hide their in the mother s lap when they think to conceal themselves it is veiy whether they breed in these islands even in solitary instances for all attempts to find the nest have hitherto failed the bird has been shot during summer and this is the only for the supposition that they do so sir w says in an excursion to some years since we thought we had found a breeding station for this bird near tongue the there an intelligent man said that he frequently met with them and their young in august while shooting and every cross questioning that could be put would not allow him to think that he was mistaken by the young of the common he mentioned the breeding places frequented by them and which when visited were exactly the spots we should have expected or looked for a jack our search however was fruitless and far as this point is concerned we have been unable to fill it up in scotland the or as it is termed about two is from seven and a half to eight and a half inches long bill nearly two inches the tail and consists of twelve feathers lance like in shape the wings are black tipped with white the p jack shooting edged with white and shot with the under parts white the tinted with a grey black and brown the feet and legs and patches or broad bars of rich brown about the head an yellow separating them the eggs of the jack are the size of a lark s haunts the same as those of the common its range seems to be the parts of europe during the process of and it is a winter in france and central countries says that it in the neighbourhood of some writers have considered it identical with the indian species found in the n describes in his history of a bird he calls the jack as seen by thousands on the sea shore that it must be a bad who does not kill sixty at once with fine shot land that he killed eighty five at a single discharge that the flesh is excellent but the bird so small that he could eat twenty at a meal from all we know of this bird it would never be found in numbers according with this description says has probably mistaken the ox birds which fly in vast flocks for this s and s delight this is the of french writers the dog having now brought to a termination our notices of those birds which come properly under the of game as also our outlines of the natural history and characteristic properties of the dogs used in their pursuit we will proceed to the second portion of our work it and closing the first part with a brief sketch of an animal not absolutely connected with either but whose eminent sagacity and peculiar for the service of man render him a most useful agent both to the game and the wild fowl of all dogs take him in the the is perhaps the most generally sagacious we have found him beyond others of the sub gentle and useful it is our opinion that in most cases he might be made the most valuable of sporting dogs his intelligence or instinct if such indeed it merely be appearing to be called into action in a greater variety of instances than in any other dog except the original mountain or shepherd dog as a he possesses a quality of value that of his game without breaking it and as we have before said he may be brought into the field with without interfering with their province as a watch dog his fidelity is we ourselves possessed a dog of this species f that upon a night of lai s broke his chain through a long yard in which he was kept and taking an enormous leap upwards caught hold of a fellow by the dog the tail of bis coat who was entering the of a on the first floor and brought down the between his teeth nor did this content him for utterly a bit of poisoned meat thrown at him he pointed and at the thief till the alarm was given and the fellow discovered the same dog permitted a robin through a whole winter to take shelter in his den it was a most singular spectacle to witness for so much familiarity and as it seemed affection grew up between them that while and about between his shaggy or upon his head and body our would stand or lie perfectly still his small brown eyes and and his well clothed tail gently to and fro with satisfaction a feat of this dog deserves a boy belonging to the house had not returned home at the usual hour to the great alarm of ms mother the dog above mentioned seeming to share in the general disturbance followed the servant sent in one direction to seek out the but soon and lost sight of him and was the first to discover the boy s apparel on the water s edge and a few minutes after the boy himself in the river who was then sinking the noble animal plunged in and rescued the child who it appeared had run off with his elder brother s and being of a determined and independent character had ventured to swim by himself at the moment of time of the dog s approach he had got embarrassed and en i the dog tangled in bis machinery and must certainly have been drowned but for this assistance the fine animal now so common in britain is usually a cross between the original or dog and others of the race and is therefore found somewhat both in form and colour says that the hound seems to have

out of the window left open on account of the heat reached his master s home with his prize when from in the pocket everything but the shilling was enabled to be returned to the owner and the singular circumstance this anecdote very strongly that before related of the frenchman s for story we do not personally the s feat came actually under our own observation the dog from the race in many respects having greater freedom of joint and muscle being longer in the back of a more flowing and fur a thicker and more ears the st john s breed is preferred by as being the more intelligent with remarkable powers of scent and to an almost unlimited extent the fact of the superiority of the is we presume to be traced to their vicinity to the capital of the state everything being found more intelligent and sagacious within a reasonable distance of a metropolis that some years ago these dogs could be readily procured at and when well broken were veiy valuable that some gentlemen who purchased them found them so the dog capable of general that they have given up most other sporting varieties and contented themselves with these and indeed the places of the others perfectly well filled up this he to occur however principally in and districts he speaks of a valuable dog of this sort the property of a gentleman who resided near whenever it was likely wild fowl would come in shore and that consequently would go along the to them then she was sure to be found waiting for and attending on them as long as they stayed either out of the sea or the river spite of ice or snow any that were shot she had been known to stay two entire days and nights and as was supposed without food waiting at the shore side to assist any shooting parties that might go out for at the time we allude to an intense frost of two or three weeks had frozen up every river and stream here indeed was and she truly had a sporting colonel the of these dogs to buy them ready broken as by the time they are trained by the process of half starving the chances are that they will have got over the a disease particularly in the kind he also gives us a hint of which our own experience has proved the wisdom never to use violent means to make him do what you want which will but to him any fault you may rate and beat him the dog the st john s breed of these dogs is chiefly used on their native coast by their sense of smelling is scarcely to be they will scent a wounded through a whole covert of game or a wild fowl through a or of it will therefore be seen that we have not placed the biography of this remarkable dog out of place to the game he is capable of rendering the most essential services some of the very best we have known having directly descended from him indeed a friend of ours had a pure which was perfect at the business for this reason we have associated as will be seen with this race the or as the and of that sport no wild fowl none of the hardy race of who go down to the sea in and occupy themselves in the dreadful trade of in search of water fowl should ever be without one of these friends at his side it birds which are not game although mention has been made of the and the among the game birds of the british islands neither of them in fact belong to that class the when it is found is so constantly met with among that it seemed most convenient to associate its history with theirs and as the is now rarely seen at all it appeared where its reminiscences might be given in strict sporting indeed several others set down in the list of game birds do not belong to that tribe but as they were necessary to preserve the routine of shooting we thought it best to preserve the of our sport rather than the order of the acting still further upon that principle we purpose now treating of those land and birds not being game that are sought after by and concluding with wild fowl shooting as weu on the as on inland waters the latter as followed on the q shooting the one of the most exciting sports to be had in great britain foremost among birds stands the a of places and mid regions whose race seems fast wearing away as far as relates to these islands his chief abode now is in the and mountain of ireland to find him is the difficult point for the when met with he is an easy prey his flight is heavy and slow save when very suddenly flushed when he will and with considerable rapidity when shooting with a double gun on raising a which thus towers we would recommend one barrel being given to him on the instant the second may be sent after him when he has begun to if you bring down a and he is only winged or slightly hit bear in mind that he is at such times very dangerous to approach you will therefore take such precautions to destroy it as may least injure its for we count upon your intention to preserve it as a memorial of no very common h c i i g h shooting the as the days of are now or at least on their very last legs it may be lawful to draw upon this bird a practice long among sports shooting the men more honoured in the breach than in the the keen and strict of

year in which it is a bird its attitudes are natural and graceful its dark purple and grey beautifully with white and light shades its crest its outstretched neck the bright hides and deep yellow bill the two broad of lengthened black feathers that relieve the pure white of the breast at the centre and its size which will exceed three feet render it a striking object as it is seen now now its crest its long legs in the water feeding upon and attacking every tribe of fish within its capacity an old writer thus describes its i have seen a that had been shot that had seventeen in his belly at once which he will in six or seven hours and then to fishing again i have seen a taken out of a s belly nine inches and a half long several gentlemen who kept tame to try what quantity one of them would eat in a day have put several smaller the and da ce in a tub and they have found him eat fifty in a day one day with another id this manner a single will destroy fifteen thousand in six months the takes his prey either in the water or hovering over it in shallow places with that bird s eye accuracy of his species he the element with his organ and down upon his prey with certainty his long neck a second imder water and the next rising on the wing the or yet alive in his bill he flies to the shore quickly to it and again returning to the waters for more it has been said that he more fish in a week than an in three months in the winter season however he but ill for the fish have retreated into the deep waters and even water rats or are scarce at such times his indolent patience seems to serve him instead of food and he will even take up with the sea weeds or lake of his locality in forests its long wings and legs give it an awkward and constrained appearance perched on branches of trees or flying along its legs and claws outstretched its attitudes might sometimes excite the its nest on tops of the highest trees or on cliffs that the sea shore in cultivated districts it will select the oldest timber to build upon generally in despite as it were of its timidity it chooses situations close to a the nests are made of sticks and the lined with wool and in building flock together sometimes they choose a solitary by the side of a or mountain stream and sometimes it is said though not they will breed upon the ground their produced by their habits of is so excessive that they will not be at the trouble of building a nest if they happen to find one ready made for their purpose these birds great britain and ireland they are said to be plentiful in and indeed they are generally spread over our islands where this bird is preserved in a it has been known to do mischief to the fish of thus describes a method for them having first discovered the haunt of the get three or four small or and having provided a strong hook with a wire to it this is drawn just within side the skin of the fish beginning without side the and running it to the tail by which the fish will not be killed but continue for four or five days alive then having a strong line made of silk and wire about two yards and a half long it is tied to a stone at one end the fish with the hook being suffered to swim about at the other this being properly disposed in shallow water the will seize upon the fish to its own destruction we cannot but here close our notices with an extract from north s his love of sport is expressed too not to interest the young that are to the pursued on flood field and fell that cloud like thy nest on yonder mass of pines to us thy flight seems the very of a long lone life of peace as thou thy wide wings on the bough beneath thee tower the ruins where many generations sleep thou like a dream nor thy gradually descending course for the eagle that fer above thy line of travel comes rushing from his prey in distant of the sea and again where he speaks of the of hall hush stoop kneel crawl for by all our hopes of mercy a a an dangling across his bill and now the has disappeared from morning dawn hath the fowl been fishing here perhaps on that very stone for it is one of those days when are a in the and the knows that they are as likely to pass by that stone as any other from morning dawn and tis now past be oh ye and never never shall he again fold his wings on the edge of his gaping nest on the trees that the only tower left of the castle another and we too can crawl silent as the serpent flash bang over he goes dead no not dead but how unlike that flapping as head over heels he goes spinning over the to the serene of himself from sod or stone when his and his filled with fish for his far off brood he used the to lift his blue bulk into the air and with long depending legs at first floated away like a wearied thing but soon as his felt the current of air flowing urged and his easy course and lazy no more leaving behind him ere you had shifted your motion in watching his cloud like career soon invisible among the woods into the

dog therefore one may be able to kill several of these birds in the which they frequent the afternoon is the best time as prefer the during the morning this is the whose eggs are so popular the knot this is the second bird in rank of the species or the most beautiful and abundant the of which along our is the or or of british authors the knot or red and ash coloured does not as as is known breed in england nor is it so regular an attendant upon our as the beautiful but at times it visits us in great numbers the seasons for its accustomed appearance are autumn and winter its summer and winter of respective red and hues has assisted in its various and its estimation as a bit for the of our northern and procured for it its present familiar name of knot as before stated it is a bird where it follows the retiring tides and in the soft mud of such where it almost regardless of danger although at times shy and of approach knots stay on our shores sufficiently long to change their summer dress the tops of the rocks in the different and in scotland and ireland are sometimes at fullest tide covered with them here they will sit and rest the live long day or until the waves sufficiently for them to pursue their search for food says he procured many specimens of them in holy island on the coast of with stones merely as they will shortly after their allow themselves to be approached within the distance of a few yards he also states that the nests are placed under or by the side of some the knot q or bush of grass or often concealed but exhibiting little except a little and pressing of the dried grass to the bottom the entire length of these birds is about seven inches and a half their breasts are and and where they pick up abundance of food they become an almost as as the after we find the of a orange the sides of the head are slightly spotted with a black while the crown and back of the head have the feathers with the same tints the middle of the back and long are of a dark brown save where with a orange colour or with yellow the under parts are pure white with small dark in centre the dark brown paler on the inside the shafts white and broad the tail is brown tinted with green and brown characters of bill of the same length or slightly longer than the head often gently curved soft and wings rather long sharp pointed the first longest and feet of middle length toes joined at the base and narrowly fringed on the edges with a small on the types t c in winter as we have said the or is the most natural history of the land rail numerous as well as the most beautiful species of the it is distributed along almost all our from north to south in winter the birds in almost innumerable on the shores and where they follow the tide in their feeding parties with great they hare the most picturesque effect possible thus crowded together after or before their either on the rocks or the beach they are from seven to eight inches long wherever in scotland or our own country the sea forms or the country is studded with there be sure this beautifully little creature may be seen in flocks in its attire hunting for the food the ox bird or the land rail or com we cannot write of the land rail before dinner without a certain from the this fat little bird must not be confounded with the water rail besides that its bill is much shorter it is much more indeed so much so as to be almost invisible but to tlie most and and it is made so strong in the lower limbs by the length of the leg and toes that its rapidity of motion appears next to miraculous what need of wings at all to a creature considering its proportions with such an enormous capacity of stretch talk of seven league boots indeed you must drop the and think ob corn of the railroad car it is named com from its noise or call which may be heard now here now there now everywhere and thb land a l now nowhere and wherefore simply that the bird is an and you into the belief that he is at any spot the farthest from the actual one in many respects its habits are similar to those of the water rail for though the first seeks the thick grass meadows and moist and sheltered yet are its chiefly taking to beds young grass or grain in moist places and low lying districts before any others here he will choose his position uttering his from a of earth and you shall be running on one side and the other and ever so far away after his the land call which possesses all the of distance the nest is made as carelessly as the a with some soft leaves or grass there it lays from ten to twelve eggs moss is sometimes introduced into the architecture of the nest and some natural hollow of the ground is always selected its eggs are of a dull white its food in summer insects worms and once took a mouse from the stomach of a com this bird will sometimes and swim in a singular manner we have read of a mr who possessed a young bird of this species that was fond of the water it would dart to the bottom and swim and splash about with the activity of a creature unused to any other element the com is found generally all over the british islands

but we wish it were in more plenty it extends north to and it has however almost disappeared in several where it was frequent in the south of scotland ten years ago it was ful it is now very rare in the same the is only uttered during the season of we give s description of the and characters over the eyes behind the and extending beyond the neck is a streak of grey into the colours on either side on the crown back of the upper parts and the ground colour or centre of the feathers is hair brown each being very edged with brown or a yellow tint of oil green the wing ob corn and feathers orange brown the a dull hair brown darkest on the inner the region of the eyes and sides of the neck are wood brown shaded into the throat and breast the former of which is white tinted with grey the latter brown the centre of the belly is nearly white gradually to the sides and which are with a red orange barred with hair brown pink towards the base legs and feet brown this bird to and to africa its varieties are the spotted or spotted which is also a summer to the british shores the little which is called s or of british authors the upper parts of which are delicately and most beautifully spotted with pure white this has been taken as far north as the last we have to is the spoken of above by this bird is of than the rest of the but in and habits it is similar characters of bill short strong at the base entering the of the forehead its outline slightly to the tip broad nostrils pierced in the wings at the angle armed with a or rather short second or third longest legs strong naked for natural history of the water rail a short space above the joint toes long slender to the base short nearly on the plane of the others types c c habits chiefly breed on the ground lay numerous eggs noisy and often the the water of british authors this is a bird of habits that or flat and and it is of the family the most of the it is abundant neither in our own country nor in scotland perhaps however it will be more correct to say that the shy and wary habits of the bird render its haunts little to the perseverance the water i i of man its powers of flight are very limited for its wings are short and and ill adapted for n of motion thus instead of trusting to this mode of safety it itself amid the vegetation of a low country to for its awkward and fluttering flight we find it has been given a structure of feet and legs admirably adapted for swiftness while the shape of its bill head and form is slender to enable it with to pierce through the of plants and of its specimens of the water rail are often procured in the winter when it is driven by the severity of the season to haunts nearer the reach of man into some or covered place where it is sometimes even taken by the hand sir w that in his own vicinity the bird will be met with in winter in the wet that do not easily where no doubt it can still procure food the same thus describes au male shot in his neighbourhood the accuracy of s makes them especially valuable to young this male bird has the crown and all the upper parts brown tinted with oil green the centre of each feather black on the centre of the back occupying nearly the whole feather but on the lower part and being in the centre only and there on the wings and tail allowing the pale colour to be the prevailing one nearly brown s the water rail on the forehead until beyond the line of the eyes tbe of each feather are strong and in a point the chin white the region of the eyes cheeks sides of the neck and under parts until in a line with the legs grey the black barred with white tips of the feathers wood brown forming a line of that colour along the centre of the vent joining with the under tail which are similar their half being black which sometimes appears mixed with them feathers barred with black and white the bill is brown at the tip at the base tile red becoming brighter and orange red upon the edges of the legs brown white varieties sometimes occur characters are long compressed and slender long and wide nostrils pierced the middle of the length rounded short and wings the third and fourth of which are longest angle often armed with a legs of medium length bare above the joint long and slender feet toes to the base short near the plane of the others type r c habits cry of a power lay numerous eggs perch on rails fences or low trunks of trees feathers of the forehead with the shafts prolonged into points black this is a handsome bird breeding natural of the in the english and in and moist low grounds common to oar and the it is also known in ireland in the breeding season the of the is very fine being red of different shades varying from dusky to orange the head neck and breasts are usually of the paler tints faintest at the eyes and throat each feather of the crown being marked with a brown black the breast and sides are also marked with black the flank bars being wide and distinct there is a great deal of white underneath but barred and marked with dusky brown the ground upper colour is of a fine black glossy brown with a

purple hue and crossed by bars of pale orange coloured brown the and tail are white and the rest of the tail black of a rich hue the extremity of the tail slightly into forks when shut the of the wings are a deep black on the outer and edges to white inside the shafts of all the bill is orange into black brown at the extremity the legs and feet are grey in winter the hues the whole has a tea green and black effect but the is really brown darker along the the black and white of the tail pretty much the same as its summer dress to these periods there are many variations of hue the eye is large and full the range of the is extensive in the summer as as in the the winter it is known in in the islands and many other parts in exterior form it the and several of the kind from the length of its hill neck and legs and its joints which remarks remove it from the more or lowly figure of the and true it was formerly held in high estimation as a table delicacy and well is not now altogether despised the seldom in sheltered places its whole structure appearing adapted to an life in the open and being like most of the kind very aud noisy and in this as well as in the harder construction of the bill unlike the true we give as the most correct of all the character of the from sir w bill very long strong at the base compressed bending upwards smooth rounded dilated at the tip projecting beyond the wings long with the shafts very strong first longest legs long naked for the greater part of their length outer toes connected by a more than half the length of the joint hind toe on the habits in winter in breeding season europe asia america types l the common or red grey common or red of british authors red the s this is a variety of the black more generally abundant than it and yet fer from common colonel describes the red as larger than the last species weighing about twelve and measuring about eighteen inches it appears the early in august and remains with us through the winter it is more noisy than the former species and the peculiar of its cry as it flies uttering a sort of it at once it chooses a locality close to the shore or beach where it can make use of its long bill in the soft sand or mud here it in small parties and here it associates with many of the other birds to whom its habits or form bear it is most known northward in our islands and is said i to be a attendant of autumn in ihe sister kingdom the e changes from the of the summer to the grey of the winter hues sir w relates that he has never missed parties of them in the end of august and in september mingling with others of the and which are considered of less common occurrence on the border he is speaking of the river at and banks of the on the he also the low shores between holy island and the coast as a frequent locality for these birds their habits are greatly similar to those of the black species the general range of the bird is not considered so extensive as the last mentioned variety being chiefly confined to some portions of europe not so north a few portions of india and its islands it has a larger bill with longer legs than the species for the rest its manner of raising food breeding c is the same as that of the black the common the common green or of british authors provincial this may be termed the head of the and is the most noble in appearance its brightly varied and and its interesting habits to make it a great favourite with every this bird inland but as may be seen from the structure of its feet natural op the has an with the and tribes and its habits are therefore partly it also like these changes its it is however larger in size and though distinguished ia one or two species by its graceful an crest its are almost all like the whole of the british empire may boast the possession of the yet is it from the numerous it was once in our country has greatly on its and once with the cry of the parent birds and absolutely thronged with their lively are now but scattered over with their lessened numbers the likes wet and pastures low moist meadows the grounds and sub wherever these are situated either on the shore or inland may be found the haunt of the they at first early in the spring then separate into pairs as they proceed to breed at the season of the inland are covered with them and tumbling about in their anxiety to the from approaching their nests and performing the while those beautiful of flight for which the tribe is remarkable and which exhibit to such advantage the peculiar beauty variety and of the feather tints as they are seen by dancing and darting to and fro in the summer they chiefly feed or at dusk eggs so named are those of the and the young birds flesh is by no means to be despised as a table delicacy the nests of this bird are found by dogs trained for the purpose their instinct of scent is made use of and they will point as at game till the eggs are taken in the full e of the the crown c is black finely with purple the feathers springing from the in a waving or crest are narrow long and black gracefully upwards and to be raised at