nover

said, never had so poor a country every one of his College con. so fine a capital. The Govern- temporaries who afterwards ment spent its spare revenue rose to distinction had entered in erecting magnificent publio the University as a sizar—that buildings much too big for is, as one so poor as to have their business. The _gentry, to earn his education by aotfrom the Duke of Leinster ing as a servitor to the other down, mortgaged their estates students. And yet it cannot to build fine town mansions. be doubted that there was Their sons, disdaining the Ox- great ability among these ford and Cambridge to which young noblemen and gentlethey now resort, went in & men, when we remember that body to Trinity College, where the great Duke of Wellington, they led very merry lives. though not educated at Trinity, Being the sons of noblemen led in his youth while in Dublin and gentlemen, they were the same life as they did, and above the law. If an actor might, had not fortune reoffended them, they wreoked moved him to another sphere, his theatre; if & trades man have been, and in fact nearly dunned them, they wrecked was, ruined by that life. his shop

The authorities Gaming was the vice which

ventared to oppose nearly ruined the youthful them; and the first cheok Wellesley; but drinking was which was given to these the vice which destroyed most sort of proceedings was by of the young men. Of course

. a chemist in College Street. drinking was also the comThey were wreoking his shop monest vice in the England when he, instead of running of that time too; but among away as other tradesmen did, the better classes in England appeared at the window with little but port and olaret was a pair of pistols and pro- consumed, while among the ceeded to shoot; whereapon game classes in Ireland whisky the students, who never an

an- entered largely into their potaticipated this sort of recep- tions-an intoxicant then al. tion, for a change themselves most unknown out of Sootland ran away. This chemist was and Ireland. In Dublin many named John Giffard, the grand societies were founded for the father of Lord Halsbury, and express purpose of drinking. the man whom Grattan, with The most celebrated of these

, better rhetorio than sense, de

Was " « The Monks of the nounced as a coward.

Sorew," of which Curran was The life whioh these young prior, and to which many of noblemen led at Trinity and the most distinguished men of afterwards in Dublin was the age belonged. A statuette

W& joyous enough, but it did not of St Patrick graced the sideconduce to their prosperity or board, and the members were longevity. Sir Jonah Barring- robed in monk's gowns, and in ton has noted that almost & song written by Curran were contained the direotions of the and a cask of claret and some saint to the monks. One verge gallons of whisky brought in of this will be sufficient: some and a great fire lighted. All of them are unprintable. the doors and windows were

then closed ; Sir Jonah and the “My children, be chaste till you're sportsmen sat down on the

tempted-
While sober, be wise and discreet-

straw-covered floor; the cook And humble your bodies with fasting cut off great steaks from the Whene'er you've got nothing to oow and flang them on the grideat."

iron; the Claret ask was Such being the principles of broached and hot water was this olub, Curran had the ag. boiled for the whisky; and surance, years after it had the piper began to pipe. ceased to exist, to refer to it When the steaks were ready in a speech to Lord Avon- for consumption they were more, Lord Chief Baron, who thrown on plates and each man was one of its original mem.

began to eat and drink, and bers, in this way: “Yes, my tumbled back in the straw and

oontinued doing so until he lord, we oan remember those tumbled back in the straw and nights with no other regret went asleep. When he awoke, than that they can

he resumed eating and drinking,

return no more. For

and continued doing so till he

again tumbled back in the * We spent them not in toys, or lust, straw and went asleep. This or wine,

oontinued till the frost was But search of deep philosophy, Wit, eloquence, and poesy

ver, when most of the oow Arts which I loved ; for they, my

and all the olaret and whisky friend, were thine.'

had disappeared.

There were three olasses of Evidently in Carran's opin- gentry in the country: halfion “The Monks of the Sorew” mounted gentlemen, gentlemen was not a club of what were every inob of them, and gentlethen called “hard - goers.

men to the baokbone. The What hard going really was first class consisted of the one oan learn from a little tale smaller squireens and larger told by Sir Jonah Barrington. freehold farmers; the second

When Sir Jonah went home of the larger squireens and from College one winter, he smaller squires; the third of the found that hunting had been great landowners. The half- . stopped by snow and frost. mounted gentlemen might do His elder brother, however, and a little in the way of trade, but

, fellow-sportsmen were deter. the other two olagges and all mined not to waste the time their descendants held trade in on that account. They took abhorrence. The only oallings possession of an empty out their younger sons would think house, installed there å oook of were the Army, the Churoh, and a piper. Then they had a and the Bar; and of these the heifer killed and hung up in it, Bar was the favourite, as it was

"

the chief road to places of the discussion after he had returned profitable kind.

to Dablin. No doubt another circum- Many, indeed most, of the stance which contributed to illustrious members of the the popularity of the Bar as a Bench and Bar of Ireland in profession for younger sons was that day sprang from the lower that no severe study was needed middle-class. Curran's father to attain sucoess in it: a sound was a poor seneschal of a manor knowledge of the law was not in County Cork, and Curran half as useful as a straight aim would never have received & with the pistol, and all the sons liberal eduoation but for the of the gentlemen every inch of bounty of a stranger. Plunkett them and the gentlemen to the was the son of a Presbyterian backbone had that by nature. minister who died prematurely, I have often wondered what leaving a large family practithe late Lord Collins, Master of oally unprovided for. Barry the Rolls in England and after. Yelverton - afterwards Lord

wards Lord of Appeal, Avonmore - began life as a thought of the story told school teacher. But whatever of his anoestor, Mr Justice his origin, once a man became Henn,

& oounsellor be ranked with the The story is that once when gentleman every inch of him, Mr Justice Henn was going and the gentleman to the backcircuit, a point of law arose in a bone. The attorney was in gase before him. Counsel on quite a different category. He the one side alleged that the never was regarded as more, at law on the point was 80 and so, the most, than a half-mounted and the counsel on the other gentleman, and very seldom as side alleged it was the very even that. Apparently this reverse ; and then they both view of him was not mistakasked for his decision.

He seems to have been a “How oan I decide it,” he gross between an unsorupulous exclaimed angrily, “when you moneylender and an unscrupuboth are contradicting each lous pettifogger. When Lord other?” Then turning to the Norbury was asked for a shilling registrar, who was always the to help to bary a poor attorney, bosom friend of the Judge, he though he parted hardly with said, “I wish to God, Billy his money, he handed the Harris, I knew what the law applicant a guinea, and said, on this point really is." "My “Here, bury twenty-one of

, lord,” replied Billy earnestly, them.” And when one oom“if I possessed that knowledge, mitted suicide in Dublin and I protest to God I would tell several of his clients shortly your lordship with a great deal afterwards did the same, the of pleasure." “If you can't general belief in the city was tell me, Billy," said the Judge, that the clients had determined "all I can

do is save the to follow bim in the hope of point”-that is, reserve it for being able to recover from him

en.

6

some of their property. In was considered fit to associate Castle Raokrent,' Miss Edge- or even fight both with gentleworth has given a vivid acoount men every inch of them and of the way in which the family gentlemen to the backbone. attorney too often acquired the And barristers in good praofamily estate.

tice had at that time to do a The aoid test of whether a good deal of fighting. Soarcely man belonged to the olass of one of them had less than half gentlemen every inch of them, & dozen duels to his oredit, or gentlemen to the backbone, Not merely did they fight one was whether other gentlemen another- & demarrer wbioh of those classes would fight showed up an opponent's laok with him. If they would not, of legal knowledge usually led the man, whatever his fortune to a duel—but they frequently or position, was an outoast. had to fight their opponents' Sometimes people were driven olients. The Earl of Kilkenny almost mad by the refusal of was much given to litigation, their fellows to fight. Leonard and very unfortunate in it. M'Nally, the now forgotten He oame to the conclusion that author of a song not likely the cause of his bad luck was soon to be forgotten, “Sweet the counsel employed by his Lass of Richmond Hill,” was a various opponents. There were barrister in fair practice. For no less than ten of these ; but reasons, better in faot than he and his sons resolved to they themselves knew, his challenge them all. fellow-barristers refused to fight nearly as unfortunate in his with him. He was in absolute duels as in his litigation; and, despair, and spent his spare what between this and the time insulting his oonfrères, in intervention of the Courts, he the hope that some one was stopped in bis wild oareer other would oall him out and after three or four of the 80 restore him to his proper counsel had been shot at. gooial position. At last Sir Gentlemen every inch of Jonah Barrington took pity on them and gentlemen to the him. They met in Phoenix baokbone, not to mention halfPark. At that time what are mounted gentlemen, never paid now called braves were oalled for anything for which they in Ireland gallows, as indeed oould avoid payment. They they are still. Sir Jonah, who fought it out instead. Of course fired straight, struok M'Nally, they would not fight with mere bat the ballet was stopped by tradesmen ; but when tradesthe buokle of his braces. “By men took out writs against J—8,"oried Sir Jonah's second, them, if they were served, the “this is the first time I have gentlemen usually took it out ever known & rogue saved by of the High Sheriff, who was the gallows." If the gallows a gentleman, and whom they saved his life, the bullet saved held responsible for the service his position. Henceforth he of the writ. Among them

He was

or

selves a duel always cancelled “Not much," said his friend, a debt; and sometimes, when and, taking a pin from tho one pressed another for pay. lapel of his coat, he stuck it in mont, he was given as & the bark. The next time they warning an example of the oame round he took out his debtor's skill in shooting. pistol and fired at the pin. He

George Robert Fitzgerald, struok it on the head and the most famous or infamous buried it in the trunk. “Come of the Connaught fire-eaters, in,” said Fitzgerald, "and I'll once when intending to give a pay you for that damned oreditor such & warning, re- horse. ceived one himself. He had The oareer of this remark. bought a horse from & friend able man has often been told, and forgot to pay for it. The but usually by writers who friend rode over to Fitzgerald's know more about his adhouse one morning to remind ventures in London and Paris him of the debt. Fitzgerald than about his proceedings in invited the friend into his Ireland; yet the latter are garden, in the middle of which most illustrative of life in Ire. stood a big tree with a round land, and especially in the hole bored through its trunk. western province in Grattan's As the two men walked round day. It was a usual saying the garden Fitzgerald sud- then that the King's writ did denly stopped, and, taking & not run in Connaught. Well, pistol from his pocket, fired at if it did not, the man who tried the hole in the tree's trunk. to serve it usually did. If be The ballet passed through the was overtaken, the recognised hole. “Not a bad shot," ob- treatment he received was served Fitzgerald. “I don't foroing him to eat the writ. see much in it,” replied the It was a report that a cerfriend; and the next time they tain process-server had been oame to the

the place whenoe treated thus which led Lord Fitzgerald fired, he took a Norbury to express a hope that pistol from his pocket and that writ was not returnable fired at the hole. His bullet in his Court. passed through it. Fitzgerald .

George Robert Fitzgerald made no remark; but looking came of good stock,

Hig about the path as they walked father was a soion of the Leinround the garden, he espied a ster family, and his mother was broad-headed nail. He picked the sister of the Earl of Bristol,

8