With every allowance for political excitement, for the delusions in feel-. ing, and acting to which the Irishman is urged by others, it must be allowed, even by merciful observers, that there is in his temperament a propensity to wild and savage deeds, a facility of being wrought up to them, that makes him a fierce and eager instrument to right his wrongs in blood and death. His frank and generous nature, his ebullitions of warm and affectionate feeling, which bid him "rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them that weep," cannot cover this fearful blemish in his character. A child of contrast, he can pass from one passionate extreme to another; the hand that dried the tears of the widow and orphan, or soothed the dying pillow of a friend, may the next day be red with the blood of the innocent, shed pitilessly.

Is there any reasonable ground for supposing, that Ireland will in time become a Protestant country, in the majority of its population and wealth? Are there any examples to be found of this great change in the mass of a people, taking place in any country through the force of truth alone-unconnected with the motives of deliverance from Popish power and temporal thraldom, or unassisted by other concurring causes, as the scandalous lives of the clergy, and the detection of wide-spread abuses and deceptions? Is not an adherence to the Romish church strengthened in Ireland, by circumstances which have not combined, to the same extent, in any other case? Connected as it is with dormant but still cherished claims of property, with the native language of a considerable body of the people, and with real or supposed political wrongs, the enlightenment of the Irish mind must, with such formidable obstacles, be a work of time, perseverance, and the patience of hope even against hope.

The Irish are very reluctant to see converts from popery, and would fain draw them back again. A young and accomplished woman, gave me the following recital:

"One evening I was surprised at a visit from two strangers; one was old, with a look which spoke of blasted hopes; the other young, with a countenance so deeply interesting, that all the feelings of her soul seemed to vibrate in it, but there was that burning on her cheek, which told me painfully but plainly, I should not long have to look on her. She named a poor street, and a still poorer house, as the place of her abode, adding in a hurried manner, Will you indeed come? but the stairs are broken.' I found her alone in a poor garret, and asked her when she came to Cork.

"I left Limerick,' she replied, greatly agitated, on the death of my husband, whose loss I could not bear. I fled from place to place for rest-I have been a wanderer! I have slept night after night in the fields. Lady, shall I find rest here?' laying her hand on the inspired volume I had brought with me.

"We sat and read together: thus passed many an evening during that winter; and, as spring approached, it seemed as if the spring of hope and happiness had arisen on that desolate one. Having procured her some work, which she always executed beautifully, her room began to look comfortable, and her person so neat, that while I gazed on her speaking features, and listened to her words, full of feeling, I could not help thinking her a very attractive being. But there came many a

Roman-Catholic woman to her room, with every kind of mockery and

taunt.

"At last, in the hope of reclaiming her back to popery, they allured or conveyed her away; the neighbours told me she was gone they knew not where. I went up that poor broken stair-I looked on the bed where she had slept, and near which we had sat, on the broken stool, the old box, her only furniture, and the beautiful work, half-finished, left behind. I went to the window, and looked out through it, the clouds seemed to sail gently as they were wont to do, when Mary used to point my attention to them and say, 'Lady, there may be peace there for the broken-hearted.'

"For two years I never heard of her, and began to think death had laid her low, when one day my servant told me a stranger wanted to see me. It was Mary:-but, oh! how changed, pale, and emaciated! "She told me she came once more to hear that book which first caused her to hope for mercy, Would I read it to her again-would I have pity?'

Having procured her a lodging and some work, she seemed to recruit a little; but one evening, on trying to open her door, I felt there must be something against it. I found her lying on the ground, and tried to raise her, but was not strong enough; I then brought a little pillow and placed it under her head, for which, in an almost inaudible voice, she blessed me. She was dying:-I saw this, and asked her, would she think of Him who died for the guilty? She said slowly, For ever!' That night was the last of her mortal suffering; before day dawned, the spirit had departed.",

THE ATTORNEY AT EGLINTOUN.

A SONNET.

SMIT with romance, I left my palling home,
Madly agape for scenes of olden time

To be anew revealed in Scotia's clime :
What joy, methought, 'mid knighthood's haunts to roam!
There lords and ladies, affable and grand,

Seemed but to wait my coming-while the sun
In envy hid his face. What glorious fun

In pomp's own circle thus to take one's stand!-
Then came "the sports ;"-but-such a wash of rain!
Poor chivalry, half-drowned, lost all its beams.

Chilled, sad, I urged my wet way back again,

For Clement's-inn renouncing splendour's dreams,
And cried (like one who speaks as though to mourn he meant),
I, an attorney, am not for a tourney meant!

G. D.

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF PETER PRIGGINS,*

COLLEGE SCOUT AND BEDMAKER.

PART VI.

"AND what," said the vice-principal, " did the letter and parcel contain ?"

"That," said the Bursar, " is at present a mystery."

"And so it seems likely to remain," said Broome," after quoting these words from my No.I. you ought to have explained the mystery in No. II., Mr. Priggins, if you had any gumption in you; but you seem to treat the public very coolly, and ramble about, first to hunting, then to boating, then to shooting, and then to great-go parties, without any sort of order or arrangement."

"Yes," said Dusterly, "he's as herratic as Boots."

" Boots," cried I, never having heard the simile before, "what can you mean by that figure of speech ?"

Figger? why hi intends to hintimate that you wanders habout jist like that figger of the gentleman has one sees in the evens of a bright night, hall kivered over with stars, and in the picter books of hasteronomy-don't they call im boots?"

"Oh!" said I, smiling in spite of myself, " I presume you mean Bootes-the constellation ?"

"You may call im Bo-o-tes, or what you please-hi calls im Boots, jist has hi calls this," pointing to the tankard, "beer, and not be-er," replied Dusterly, evidently offended at my questioning the correctness of his pronounciation as he calls it. "You hought to be auled hover the coals, hafore you gets hinto an abit of being so dilatory."

"Read that," said I, indignantly throwing down before Broome the Number of the N. M. M. which contains my No. I.

"Read hit hout," suggested Dusterly.

Broome obeyed, and read thus: "I mean, as sayings and doings occur to me, to note those which may be published without hurting the feelings of any individual-without any order or arrangement. Like the Irish beggar, shan't wait to pick them, but take them as they

come.'

"That's hall very well," remarked Dusterly, "but hif we ad hadopted that here plan with hour master's rooms, hi'm hof hopinion we should ave got the sack' long hago. Horder's hevery thing, has the vice-chancellor hused to hobserve when e went to the theaytre in procession."

"Yes," replied Broome," and as the commercial gentleman said to his customers, much obliged for cash for last account-but an order is the thing I want."

"True hagin," cried Dusterly, "hand what his the speaker of the ouse of commons hallays saying? Why horder! horder!! to be

sure."

"Talking of Bagmen," said Broome, knocking the ashes out of his pipe, and preparing to replenish, or commercial gents, as they call themselves nowadays, I will tell you an anecdote if you are inclined

to listen to it."

Continued from No. ccxxv., page 116.

"Hoh, hah! hout with the hanicdote while you fills hagin," cried Dusterly," and then it won't be ha long un."

"One long vacation," commenced Broome, "I went to spend a few days with an old friend of mine, who keeps a commercial house at Witney-"

"What! ha hinn you mean? ha otel?"

"Yes-an inn, or hotel, which you please-as we were sitting smoking our pipes in the little bar one night, the waiter came in to say that the gent. as travels in the leather line, would be much obliged to master if he would allow him to take a pipe in the bar, as he was all alone by his-self.' My friend, the landlord, sent his compliments, and should be delighted to see him.'

"In a few minutes we heard a violent altercation under the window, a strange voice exclaiming,

"You ought to be athamed of yourthelf, thir, you call yourthelf a waither-why, thir, I could thpit a bether!'

"And the waiter, in a tone deprecatory expressing his sorrow for what had occurred

"I thall thell your mathter, thir, you'll forth me to thange my houthe.'

"The door opened, and a very little gentleman entered, apparently very angry. My friend offered him a chair, and introduced him to me as Mr. Sadly, saying, at the same time, that he was afraid something unpleasant had occurred.'

"The little man, who certainly was one of the ugliest specimens I had seen for some time, for he was frightfully marked with the smallpox, squinted horribly, and had no palate, which caused him to lisp very much, sat down, and holding his left foot in his hand, as it rested on his right knee, said, he was thurprithed to find tho much inattenthion in tho thelebrathed a houthe; why, thir, I ordered a glath of neguth, and told that fool of a waither not to make it too thweet, and to put a thmall thlithe of lemon in it. Well, thir, the fool emptieth the moith thugar bathin into it, and athidth it from the vinegar-crueth, I'm thure of it, thir, I'm thure of it.'

"The landlord, though he knew the statement was false, as he had manufactured the negus himself, offered to discharge the man at once. "No, thir, but if it occurth again I mutht thange my houthe; a bothom of brandy, if you pleathe-muth obliged, thir.'

"My friend, after giving him his dose, and expressing his regret at what had occurred, hoped he should not lose his custom.

66 6

Why, thir, you thee, thir, when I'm onthe ill-uthed at a houthe I never go to that houthe again-onthe, thir, I drove Mrs. Thadly, my wife, roundth with me one of my journieth. Well, thir, we came to Thevenelmth-Thevenelmth, in Thuthex, a very flinthy plathe, and capital for cuthing thoeth to pietheth; I thravel with leatherth, thir, but the thrade'th bad-billth, thir, no cath paymenth-billth at thix month'thand then they wanth them renewed; do a little in pathenth, but my commithion, two and a half per thent don't pay for thigarth. Well, thir, when we got to Thevenelmth, I drove in ath uthual, and gave my whip-my betht whip to the other, it wath a whip, thir, that I never uthe, ecthept Mrs. Thadly ith with me. Well, thir, I thaw the thingth took out of the thrap, I ordered thea and thoatht, while Mrs. Thadly went to thee the room.

and a thop, and wath very well thatithfied. Well, thir, I wenth out to

give my horthe hith oatths, and while I wath thanding theeing him eath, a thaithe and four drove up, and I heard the landlord thay, Thow the ladieth into number then.' Now, number then wath our thleeping-room, tho, thir, 'I came out and I thaid, Mithter King, thir,' thaid I, are you thenthible of my having taken pothethion of number then? Well, thir, inthtead of thaying he wath thorry, and all that, he thurned up hith nothe, and thaid they were genthlefolkth, and mutht have the room, and that number ninetheen was good enough for uth.'

“Well, thir, I thtood thtill in amathement, and thaid, 'What do you mean by that, thir?'

66 6

Why,' thaid he, you litthle inthignificant athomy, when you're at home you thleep under the counther."

"Now, thir, I can only thay that me and Mrs. Thadly thleep in a nithe four-poth, with dimithy curthainth and whithe thathelth; tho I thaid, What do you mean by that, feller'-I called him feller-and I would have knocked him down, thir, but he wath thix feet high.

666

'Well, thir,' thayth he, if you don't like the houthe, you may go over the way;' and tho I thould, but my horthe had not eath hith oatths.

"Well, thir, we went to bed in number ninetheen, and wath bit by the bugth frightful. Tho nectht morning I ordered my thrap out, and paid the bill, and had jutht theated Mrs. Thadly in her theat when the whip wath mithing-my betht whip ath I keep for Mrs. Thadly. Well, thir, we thearched high and low, and where do you think I found it? Why, thir, there wath that great thix-foot lout of a landlord a flogging thix great large thowth round the yard with it.

"I did not thay any think, but I went to the other houthe ever thinthe; and never patheth Mither King but I turn up my nothe at him.”” Broome lit his pipe.

"Well," said Dusterly, "his that hall ?"

"That's all," replied Broome; "I merely mentioned it à propos des

bottes."

Dusterly did not relish the allusion to Boots, and rose and took his jeave, and Broome with him. I began to consider with myself whether I had not better make the subject of this number,

SAM SMYTH'S MSS.

The readers of the N. M. M. may perchance recollect that our Bur sar was summoned to Trevenny by Messrs. Nibson and Inkspot, and returned to Oxford, bringing with him James Jobs, a MS., and a considerable quantity of the rain from heaven.

The vice-principal and our senior tutor had often pressed the Bursar to read the MS. to them in the common-room, but something or another had always occurred to prevent his complying with their wishes.

One evening, however, when they were by themselves, and wanted a fourth to make up a rubber, as they neither of them chose to take that convenient, but troublesome gentleman called dummy for a partner, the Bursar sent me for James Jobs, who was now regularly installed as groom to his old half-master, and ordered him to go to his bureau and bring him the papers consigned to his care by his other and "better half" master.

When they were brought and James dismissed-the decanter replenished from the old" bin, the candles snuffed and the fire poked into