can find no fitter designation than his miserable jackal."

The gentleman thus insulted was very proud, and we can well imagine his feelings at being thus spoken of in a public court.

Later in the day, while walking through George Street, he beheld Harry advancing towards him, with outstretched hand, and exclaiming, "My dear John, I am so glad to see you."

"I wonder," replied the other, refusing the proffered hand, "how you dare address me after the gross insults you inflicted upon me this morning." He was about passing on, when the cool barrister said,"Never mind, John, I am going to dine with you to-day."

"If you go to my house you won't find me at home," was the reply.

"All the better," retorted the imperturbable Harry, "for, in that case, I shall have Mary (John's wife) all to myself."

So many of Harry Deane Grady's daughters were married to titled personages, Lord Massareene, Lord Muskerry, Sir David Roch, &c., that his mansion, in Merrion Square, was called "The House of Lords." He lived to a very advanced age.

Of course every visitor to Limerick finds time to visit the ancient cathedral, its time-honoured towers having traces of its having survived the shocks of war. During the sieges of Ireton and De Genkle, it was a mark for the artillery of the invaders, though it is said the latter general desired it should be spared, presenting such an ornament to the city. It served as a store for the garrison, where they placed their provisions, and appear, thoughtlessly, to have invited the enemy's guns, by causing cannon to be directed from its towers against the besiegers.*

In this ancient cathedral many monuments of great interest are placed. Time and the ruthless hands of Ireton's troopers have dealt hardly with many, but others are in perfect preservation, and the love for everything elevating human life in this world, or disposing it for a better in the world to come, which has preeminently distinguished the learned and accomplished Charles Graves, D.D., Lord Bishop of Limerick, my valued and respected friend, is a guarantee that every memorial of the past shall be carefully protected.

Many eminent preachers have awakened the hearts of the congregation to the fleeting nature of this life. Among the most celebrated was Dean Kirwan, son of the more distinguished Rev. Walter Blake Kirwan, who died in 1805. When first ordained, the Dean's talent for elocution was aided by instruction from John Kemble, the great tragedian, and the clergyman's style was regarded as quite theatrical. Like Sydney Smith, he used to strike the pulpit cushion with such energy as to raise a cloud of dust, enough to hide him from the congregation. This could not be allowed to continue, so one Sunday the Bishop, Dr. Jebb, invited him to lunch after preaching, resolved to give him a quiet hint.

"My dear young friend," said his lordship, "you are determined to save the sexton all trouble in dusting the pulpit cushion, you beat it with such sweeping energy; and I am told Lady Palmer, who sat beneath you, was in a perfect agony, finding her new satin bonnet quite soiled, such clouds of dust fell on it."

The hint was not lost, the energy was toned down in future.

The Dean was unsparing in his efforts to moderate the love of the Limerick belles for dancing and

ball-going. It is said he went to greater lengths than were necessary. On one occasion he gave special offence to the ladies present by the startling strength of his language, in which he reprobated their mode of dressing for the ball-room. Many left the church, and others, who remained, blushed as bright a red as the uniforms of the military gentlemen whom, in unmeasured terms, he denounced. Apropos of the Limerick belles, I conclude my notice of the attractions of the city by relating an anecdote of its “bells." They are said to have been cast by an Italian for a convent close by his home, in the sunny land of his birth. In the wars between the Italians and Spaniards,

the bellfounder had the misfortune to lose his sons, who joined the army of Italy, and having no other children, enjoyed, as the solace of his woes, the sweet tones of his bells. During a prolonged absence from his native village, the convent had been plundered and despoiled of its bells. This severed the tie which bound the old man to his home beneath the Appenines. He resolved to search the wide world over in hopes of hearing their sound once again. I tell what chanced in the graceful lines of my friend, Denis Florence M'Carthy :

:

A bark bound for Erin lay waiting: he enter'd like one in a dream, Fair winds in the full purple sails led him soon to the Shannon's broad stream.

*

Borne on the current, the vessel glides

smoothly but swiftly away, By Carrigaholt, and by many a green

sloping headland and bay, Twixt Cralse's blue hills and green woods, and the soft sunny shores of Tervoe.

And now the fair city of Limerick spreads out on the broad banks below.

FROM Limerick to Tralee there were many modes of proceeding, by coach, or by boat, to Tarbart, and thence by road to Tralee. Those members of the bar who had plenty of time, and did not fear to encounter the motion of the water, enjoyed the fine scenery of the Shannon, and went by boat. The Shannon washes the banks of many handsome seats in the vicinity of Limerick, as it flows westward, and, at a distance. of about thirty-five miles below the city, it expands into a noble estuary about twelve miles across. On the Clare side nestles the town of Kilrush; on the opposite shore, where the counties of Kerry and Limerick approximate, is built the town of Tarbart. On this side is the

village of Glyn, whence a branch of the once puissant house of Desmond takes its knightly title. Tarbart lies about twenty-five miles from Tralee, and is well situated on the south bank of the Shannon. At the commencement of the present century it was an inconsiderable place, but increasing commerce has added to its wealth, increased its size, and improved its appearance. It has now expanded into a thriving town, and many handsome mansions have sprung up in its neighbourhood. There was usually a pleasant party on the coach as we proceeded from Tarbart to Tralee, passing through Listowel, which gives the title of Earl to the family of Hare. The Earl does not reside in Kerry, where his estates are situated, but at his charming seat, Convamore, on the banks of the Blackwater, county Cork. Tralee, the assize town of the county of Kerry, derives its name from the strand of the Leigh, a small river which discharges itself into Tralee Bay. This river is very deceptive; for, small as it glides along in summer, when swollen by the mountain streams in winter, or after heavy rain, it is a source of danger and terror from its sweeping floods. In Queen Elizabeth's time the Earl of Desmond, who claimed the title of Palatine of Kerry, denied the right of the Queen's judges to hold assizes here, and when the Lord Deputy proceeded to visit him in his castle at Tralee, Desmond attempted to capture him, as has been mentioned in our opening chapter. In 1579 the effort to hold assizes at Tralee resulted in the murder of the two provincial judges sent there to execute justice in the Queen's name, together with all their attendants.* A better order things exists now, and no attempt at molestation awaits the Queen's

of

judges on the Munster Circuit. The town of Tralee is picturesquely situated at the foot of a mountain range about a mile and a half from the bay. The site being low, subjects it to occasional floods, and these are sure to occur when the spring tides from the bay throw back the streams flowing into the Leigh from the mountains. The chief street is a straggling one, over a mile in length, from which several smaller ones diverge. A pretty promenade is formed by the continuation of Denny Street, where the old castle of the Desmonds was placed. Clubs and reading rooms are situated in this street, and considerable trade is carried on by the mercantile community. The court-house, near the east end of Denny Street, is a very fine building. It replaced one much inferior in appearance and convenience. The entrance is beneath a Grecian portico, approached by a flight of spacious steps, surmounted by a well-designed pediment. The accommodation for the purposes of business, and rooms for the judges and the bar, are well arranged. The gaol is a substantial building on the radiating principle, with accommodation for over two hundred prisoners.

There is a racecourse at Tralee, where, in the year 1805, a somewhat novel match took place. The articles for this match, we are told, had been drafted by counsel-no other than Daniel O'Connell. Hence we give it a place here. "Sixty pounds given by the gentlemen of the law of the county of Kerry for all horses, mares, and geldings, carrying nine stone, fourmile heats.

"Horses starting for this race must be bonâ fide the property of gentlemen who shall have, prior to the first day of the meeting, actually

expended in fair adverse litigation the sum of £200.

"Horses, &c., of all persons who have so expended the sum of £1,000, allowed 3 lbs. All horses to be qualified upon the honour of an attorney if required by the stewards of this meeting.

"As this plate is intended solely for amateurs, no practising professional gentleman will be allowed to start a horse."

This sporting legal event came off at the Tralee course on Thursday, August 29, 1805.

The conditions prevented a large number of horses competing, and only three came to the post.

A well-contested race tried the powers of the horses, and the skill of the jockeys. The plate was won by the horse of a Protestant clergyman, the Rev. M. Dennis, of Wicklow. He claimed, and was allowed, the 3lbs., having expended upwards of £1,000 in litigation.

I do not remember any other case in which the articles of the race were drawn by counsel, though questions respecting bets have often been subjects of litigation. The late Professor Barry once amused Judge Ball by an application on behalf of a man who was a dealer in horses and sugar-sticks. The incongruity of his avocations struck the judge. "What a strange junction of trades!" said Judge Ball.

"I see a close resemblance between horses and sugar-sticks," said the witty barrister.

"In what way?" inquired his lordship.

"The more you lick them the faster they go," was the reply.

The natives of Kerry who have gained celebrity at the Irish bar are not many, but of these one

stands forth pre-eminent-Daniel O'Connell. For several years he went the Munster Circuit, and gained the reputation of being the best criminal lawyer in Europe. He was called to the bar in the troubled year of 1798, and having relations in almost every county in Munster, he naturally selected the Munster Circuit. He had great personal and physical advantages. A fine, well-developed figure, clear blue eye, features expressive of keen intelligence, and a voice of great power, now rolling like tones of a grand organ, bursting forth in thunder, then dying away into deep pathos, rushing into rapid declamation, or, if engaged in denunciation, pouring forth epithets strong, fierce, and stinging. He was well versed in the technicalities of his profession, and soon his large practice, and the necessary reading it involved, made him a firstrate advocate. Then he possessed

a

wonderful knowledge of his countrymen; and who can compete with a Kerry man? He was irresistably comic when a joke was needed, and no man was more sarcastic when vituperation was required. He was extremely vigilant, and never lost a case through inattention.

It was, I believe, at Tralee he completely silenced an attorney who defied all gentle rebuke. This individual possessed a love for fighting not inferior to the Scotch terrier, that lost his appetite when he had "naething to worrit." "His person," we are told, was indicative of his disposition. His face was bold, menacing, and scornful in its expression. He had stamped upon him the defiance and resolution of a pugilist. Upon either temple there stood erect a lock of hair, which no brush could smooth down.

These locks looked like horns, and added to the combative expression of his countenance. He was fiery in his nature, excessively spirited, and ejaculated, rather than spoke, to an audience; his speeches consisting of a series of short, hissing, spluttering sentences, by no means devoid of talent of a certain kind. Add to this, that the gentleman was an Irish attorney, and an Orangeman, and the reader may easily suppose that he was a "character."

Upon the occasion referred to, this irrepressible attorney gave O'Connell great annoyance. He interrupted O'Connell several times; he improperly addressed the witnesses as they mounted to the witness chair, and, altogether, was quite unruly. The counsel engaged with O'Connell tried to keep him quiet; more than once the judge severely rebuked his improper interference, it was all in vain; up he would start, like a Jack-in-a-boxhiss out some remark which was sure to provoke O'Connell. At last, when O'Connell was pressing a hostile witness with a vital question, which the witness was seeking to evade answering, and this individual again interfered, as if for the purpose of annoyance, O'Connell, losing all patience, scowling at this man with a stern countenance, shouted in a voice of thunder, "Sit down, you audacious, snarling pugnacious ram-cat." We are told the words were no sooner uttered than every one in court saw the truth of his words. Judge, jury, counsel, attorneys, were convulsed with laughter. The judge extremely extremely enjoyed the happy epithets, which completely suited the combative attorney, who gasped with suppressed rage. He bore the sobriquet of RamCat for the rest of his natural life.

Of the many anecdotes related of O'Connell on the Munster Circuit, I have gleaned the following: He was employed to defend a man who

was indicted for stealing a number of coins collected by a virtuoso near Cork. Mr. Serjeant Lefroy had presided, shortly before, at a meeting for the conversion of the Hebrews, and O'Connell at an aggregate Catholic assemblage. The coins were some of the time of Herod, many dated with the Cæsars. Serjeant Lefroy tried the case, and when the coins, found near the prisoner's house, were produced for identification, the judge asked to see them. "Hand his lordship the Jewish ones," exclaimed Dan, very significantly, "but let me. have the Roman." When in Cork he usually lodged in Patrick Street, at a stationer's, named O'Hara. As he soon became the "man of the people," a crowd of loiterers thronged his door, ever ready to give him a cheer in exchange for the joke, or kindly greeting, of the "counsellor" par excellence. On one occasion a friend of O'Connell's, who formerly belonged to the bar, Mr. Kellett, paid him a visit. He found O'Connell at his lodgings, discussing a law case with a shrewdlooking farmer, who wanted his advice, as he was engaged on a "spot of law." The opinion sought was verbally given, as the farmer sought to save the cost of employing an attorney to prepare a case for counsel, and O'Connell had not received his fee when his old friend entered his sitting-room. While O'Connell was engaged in greeting Mr. Kellett, the farmer resolved to take himself off, and save counsel's fee as well as attorney's. He had the counsellor's advice, the counsellor had not his honorarium. O'Connell no sooner missed his client from the room than he hastened after him; but the lad had the start, and already was down the first flight of stairs. O'Connell leaned over the railing, and made a grasp at the farmer's hair, but, lo! caught, instead, his wig. He gave a shout