We had written to bespeak two cars and horses, to take us on to Dingle; but, as usual in Ireland, nothing was ready when we arrived. So I sat at the inn window for nearly one hour, looking at the figures beneath, admiring the smiling philosophy with which the poor wretched beggars endured their ever recurring disappointments. Multitudes of dirty hands were constantly thrust out in begging attitude to all comers and goers, but few were the pence that gladdened the dingy palms! A very honest and unselfish spirit pervades Irish beggars. However small the sum may be that one of them receives, I have always observed, that it seems to be regarded as a contribution to a common stock, to be divided between them; and this even when there has been no stipulation to that effect by the giver. A penny bestowed on one miserable object always causes the departure of four or five others, to purchase whiskey or potatoes; and if sixpence be given, it generally clears away the whole crowd. After numerous benedictions of long lives,' happy deaths,' &c., have been uttered, off go the clamorous throng."

What an amusing fraternity they are to be sure, and how droll and humorous amid all their rags and wretchedness! Naas was the greatest

66

re

union" we ever recollect of them round the coach when changing horses. What figures were there!-blind, lame, halt, hump-backed, one-legged and nolegged, fat and lean, saucy, simpering, bullying, insinuating, joking, coaxing, and occasionally cursing. Maybe the ould lady wid the glasses is not going to give me something; she's her hand in her bag." "Hould yer prate, Moll, it's his honour in the red whiskers that'll do it; glory to ye, and send us a halfpenny; I've nine orphants, and their father out of work this ten weeks."

The heavens be your bed, master, and give us a little sixpence."

These and such like are the addresses on every side, mingled with an occasional scramble, and sometimes a fight, as a few pence are thrown among the crowd. A favourite pastime with the young attorneys on circuit here was, throwing out halfpence heated nearly red hot upon a fire shovel, which being eagerly caught at and speedily relinquished, gave rise to most bloody battles.

DINGLE, which she introduces by a very pretty and picturesque description, she mentions as having neither a resident doctor, nor yet an attorney.

As regards the former, it is not singular, being only the more like "Gilead," of which, we are told in Scripture→→ "There is no physician there!" The other deficiency, we believe, has few parallels, and more's the pity.

Then follows some account of the state of law aud justice in the good town, that appears wonderfully primitive:

"Law, Sir,' repeated the man of Dingle, with a look of astonishment and affright, Law, Sir! we never mind the law in our court. We judge by the honesty of the case that comes before us; and let me tell you, Sir, that if every court few attorneys, and the country would be were so conducted, there would be but quiet and happy.'

"But what would you do if any person brought an attorney these twenty-two long miles and hilly road (from Tralee), and introduced him into your court, and that he started some points of law, which required professional skill to reply to?'

"I'll tell you what I did myself,' was the reply to this apparently perplexing question. When I was deputy sovereign, two fools in this town employed each of them an attorney, whom they brought at a great expense from Tralee. When the attorneys went into court and settled themselves with their bags and and one of them was getting up to speak, papers, all done up with red bits of tape,

Si

Crier,' said I, 'command silence.' lence in the court!' says he. So I stood up, and looking first at one attorney, and then at the other, I said with a solemn voice, I adjourn this court for a month."

God save the King,' said the crier, and then I left them all; and I assure you,' he added, that from that day to this no attorney ever appeared in our court; and please God we never will mind law in it, but go on judging by the honour and honesty of the cases that come before us.'

We remember something far better than this on our circuit formerly. Old Mills that used to go the north-west for the Chief Justice occasionally, always decided the cases alternately for the plaintiff and defendant. It saved him a deal of trouble, and he believed he was dispensing "equal" justice. Johnston one day, however, was counsel in a case for a plaintiff, and the preceding trial having been given in favour of a plaintiff, he of course knew he must lose his cause. So he addressed the bench, and begged a prorogation, which being refused for want of sufficient ground, he said, "Your lordship

having just decided for a plaintiff, I know your lordship's sense of impartiality will lead you to pronounce now for the defendant; and so we had rather wait one turn more." The judge laughed heartily, and all the court, and the plea was admitted.

The native politeness of the peasantry is repeatedly alluded to in these volumes, and always instanced by what is ever the true test of good breeding -the total oblivion of self. The following short description of a mountain ramble is both strikingly illustrative of this as well as of the light and sketchy style in which the whole book is writ

ten :

"That I might have plenty of time to make drawings of the objects and inscriptions I started off at half-past eight. My conveyance was a little jingling nondescript vehicle, drawn by a rough pony, whose solemn pace and philosophical contempt for the whip, showed that he was little accustomed to convey parties of pleasure to view antiquities. We, or rather he, (the horse) was driven by our grave friend the waiter, a sort of matterof-fact, yet good-humoured man of all work to the inn; who clambered up the little dickey, and perched himself on its narrow summit, with a degree of trembling caution which made me apprehend he would find as much difficulty in keeping bis own seat, as in driving the horse. I expected this the more surely, from having seen our experienced and able jingleman from Tralee pitched off his box, and deposited under the wheels of the jaunting-car, by one of those tremendous jolts which are of such common occurrence on these roads.

"However, to-day our route, for the first two miles was along the high road to Tralee, and by dint of sage advice, which I suddenly felt competent to give relative to the noble art of driving, by often telling my charioteer not to hold himself so tight on by the reins, just at the moment of administering a sharp whipping to the horse, &c. &c, we got on three miles the first hour without accident.

"But beyond this the good road did not last; we came to a narrow stony track, with a deep ditch full of black water, on either side, in one or other of which the pony seemed much inclined to take refuge. We then came to a broad but apparently shallow river, over which there was no bridge.

"Are you sure this is the way to Kinard?' I inquired of the trembling waiter, who looked with great dismay upon the rushing stream that barred our passage.

"At this moment of dilemma, when I saw by the grave blank visage of our waiter-coachman that he knew nothing about the matter, a countryman came galloping along the river side. I inquired of him whether we must pass the river to get to Kinard; he did not understand a word of English, but the waiter made him comprehend in Irish what we wished to know.

"The countryman was evidently much surprised, and wondered what could induce a lady to visit such a remote place as Kinard. He pointed to a little village half way up the rugged mountain before us, and gave our driver to understand that we must cross the river to get there.

"Now, though I was willing to be jolted or to walk any distance on dry land to see my favourite Ogham stones, I did not relish the idea of encountering that rough stream, and being upset in the water. The countryman, who, like most Irish peasants, was both good-natured and quick of apprehension, soon divined my fears; and to show that the water was not so deep as to float the carriage, he rode over and back again, at the same time making me a sign that there was no danger. But the water appeared deep and full of large stones, and I therefore inquired if there were no foot-bridge over any part of the stream. Of course there was none, for what would this primitive bare-footed population want of a dry passage over the river?

feared to

in spite of all his representations I still "The poor countryman, who saw that driver ask me if I would like to ride over on his horse, which he would lead through for me. I gladly accepted the poor man's offer, and mounted up into one of the empty panniers, which were slung over the horse's back. But what was now to become of my man and maid servant, whom I had brought with me in the jingle ?-and then, unless the vehicle could get over the river too, I despaired mountain to Kinard. of being able to walk all that way up the

cross the stream, made the

For

"However, I went, feeling confident that my energetic friend would devise some means of getting the whole party across. I was not wrong. He first led the jingle over empty, to prove it would not upset, and then took it back for its terrified driver and my servants. this service, and the long delay it caused him, the tattered peasant would accept no money! With a profound and respectful bow, and a smile which would not have ill-suited a gallant of the court of Louis the Fourteenth, he mounted his horse and galloped off."

through ruts and over stones that every minute threatened annihilation-the long-tailed chestnut contriving, even in his top speed, to show both his hind hoofs very near the judge's nose as he sat in the chaise, the postillion springing with wonderful agility from one side to the other, to avoid kicks that threatened every instant to smash his skull. Down they went, the pace increasing, the windows broken by the concussion, and one door flung wide open, and increasing by its banging noise the confusion of the scene. The road terminated at the foot of the mountain in a narrow bridge that led off at a very sharp angle from the line; and here the terrified judge expected as inevitable the fate that he had hitherto by miracle escaped. Down they came, the hot chestnut now half-mad from excitement springing four and five feet every bound, and dragging along the other horse at the most terrific rate. They reached the bridge-round went the chaise on two wheels, and in a moment more they pulled up in safety at the opposite side, both the horses being driven, collar-up, into a quickset hedge. Before the Chief Baron had time to speak, the fellow was down mending the harness with a piece of cord, as leisurely as if nothing remarkable had happened. "Tell me, my fine fellow," said his lordship, was that chestnut ever in

harness before?"

"Never, my lord; but the master says he'll give eight pound for her if she'd bring your lordship down this bit of Sliev-na-muck, without breaking the chaise or doing ye any harm."

66

Ontheir way to Coom-croun the little party of whom the authoress made one, and of which, we dare to wager, not the least agreeable member, were joined by a talented fellow, who offered to be their guide, and who, they were wonderfully surprised to find, was a mathe

matician.

"We did not give him credit for much acquirement in this branch; however, to ascertain the point, one of my compananions asked him if he knew the 5th proposition of the 1st book of Euclid,

known in school as the 'pons asinorum.' He was so perfect in this, and in the 47th proposition, that the inquirer would not venture any further, lest he might get out of his depth. We have remarked that the peasantry here are exceedingly disinterested and obliging, and much more intelligent and enlightened than in many places of greater resort. Our intelligent guide had also a considerable knowledge

Why so?' inquired one of my companions the rose is certainly more

beautiful.'

"It may be so to the eye,' replied the poor man; but it doesn't represent the Holy Trinity, as ours does. A blessed thought it was of the holy Saint Patrick to explain that great and wonderful mystery by this little bit of three

fold leaf.'

"When, after a long walk, we reached the cliffs which overlook Dingle Bay, our guide observed, the day was far spent, and he must leave us,' having much work to do for his master before evening. He evidently did so with reluctance. He resolutely refused some money that was offered him, and though in tatters. and evidently poor, we saw that it would hurt him to press it. He was a very finelooking man, with one of the most 'mind-illumined' faces I ever saw.

He told us he was only twenty-five years of age, but that he had a severe illness last year, which he said made him look much older, and that since then he had lost his countenance.""

A

Now, this is really excellent. better hoax there never was played off since he did pretty much the same thing with Archbishop Magee the talented poor fellow in this case being no less an individual than Miles Fitz

gerald, of Tralee, that is always fishing up in the mountains, and told us a few evenings after, how he humbugged the party, adding at the same time that his examiners in Euclid took his explanation of the 47th proposition to work out the 5th: just as the gentleman who bet, his friend could not say the Lord's Prayer, and listened to the creed instead, believed he had lost his wager, saying, "Why then, I didn't think you

could do it."

But enough we must conclude, though we have not said one-half of

what we wished or could have said For a truly about these volumes. amiable and kind-hearted delineation

of a romantic people in a picturesque country, they are unrivalled, neither disfigured by cant, nor biassed by political rancour, they bear the stamp of good sense, good feeling, refined taste, and a thorough and heartfelt appreciation of scenery, so that while we admire the book we cannot divest ourselves of a still warmer feeling of interest in the writer.