Read Ebook: Personal Sketches of His Own Times Vol. 2 (of 3) by Barrington Jonah Sir

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Ebook has 624 lines and 117550 words, and 13 pages

THE SECOND VOLUME.

THE FIRE-EATERS.

Passion for duelling in Ireland--Ancient duel before the judges and law authorities, &c. &c. at the Castle of Dublin--List of official and judicial duellists in author's time--Family weapons described--The Fire-eaters' Society--Their chiefs--Elegant institution of the Knights of Tara--Description of them--Their exhibitions and meetings--The rules of duelling and points of honour established by the fire-eaters, called the Thirty-six Commandments--Singular duel between the author and Mr. Richard Daley, a remarkable duellist and fop--Daley hit--Author's second the celebrated Balloon Crosby--His singular appearance and character p. 1

DUELLING EXTRAORDINARY.

GEORGE HARTPOLE.

HAMILTON ROWAN AND THE BAR.

Sketch of the character of Mr. Hamilton Rowan--His Quixotic spirit of philanthropy--Case of Mary Neil, taken up by Mr. Rowan--Dinner-club among the briefless barristers of Dublin--Apparition of Mr. Hamilton Rowan and his dog--More frightened than hurt--An unanswerable query--Mr. Rowan's subsequent adventures--The Rev. Mr. Jackson--He is brought up to receive sentence for high treason, and expires in court 110

SELF-DECAPITATION.

FATHER O'LEARY.

Humorous story of Father O'Leary and a bear--Mistaken notions respecting Ireland on the Continent--Lord Ventry and his tenant: an anecdote characteristic of the Irish peasant 131

DEATH OF LORD ROSSMORE.

MEMORANDA CRITICA.

MEMORANDA POETICA.

Poets and poetasters--Major Roche's extraordinary poem on the battle of Waterloo--"Tears of the British Muse"--French climax of love--A man's age discovered by his poetry--Evils of a motto--Amorous feelings of youth--Love verses of a boy; of a young man--"Loves of the Angels"--Dinner verses of an Oxonian--"The Highlander," a poem--Extracts from the poetical manuscripts of Miss Tylden, &c. 168

THEATRICAL RECOLLECTIONS.

MRS. JORDAN.

MRS. JORDAN IN FRANCE.

Decline of Mrs. Jordan's health--Description of her cottage and grounds at Boulogne-sur-Mer--Madame Ducamp and her servant Agnes--Their account of Mrs. Jordan's habits and manners--Removal of that lady to Versailles and subsequently to St. Cloud--Account of her illness and last moments 238

MEMORY.

Letter from the author to Mr. Burne, relating to the political conduct of the former at the period of the Union--Extracts from letters written to the author by Lord Westmoreland--General reflections on the political condition of Ireland at the present time--Hint toward the revival of a curious old statute--Clerical justices--The king in Ireland--The Corporation of Dublin--The "Glorious Memory"--Catholics and Protestants--Mischievous virulence of party feeling 258

SCENES AT HAVRE DE GRACE.

COMMENCEMENT OF THE HUNDRED DAYS.

A family council--Journey from Havre to Paris--Attention of the French officers to the author and his party--Peaceable condition of the intervening country--Thoughts on revolutions in general--Ireland in 1798--Arrival in the French capital--Admirable state of the police--Henry Thevenot--Misgivings of the author--His interview with Count Bertrand--Polite conduct of the Count--The Emperor's chapel--Napoleon at mass--His deportment--Treasonable garments--Col. Gowen--Military inspection after mass--Alteration in the manner of the Emperor--Enthusiasm of the soldiers 295

THE ENGLISH IN PARIS.

INAUGURATION OF THE EMPEROR.

PROMULGATION OF THE CONSTITUTION.

LAST DAYS OF THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT.

DETENTION AT VILETTE.

PROJECTED ESCAPE OF NAPOLEON.

BATTLE OF SEVRES AND ISSY.

CAPITULATION OF PARIS.

THE CATACOMBS AND PERE LA CHAISE.

The Catacombs of Paris--Ineffective nature of the written description of these as compared with the reality--Author's descent into them--His speedy return--Contrast presented by the cemetery of P?re la Chaise--Tomb of Abelard and Heloise--An English capitalist's notions of sentiment 423

PEDIGREE-HUNTING.

PERSONAL SKETCHES.

THE FIRE-EATERS.

Passion for duelling in Ireland--Ancient duel before the judges and law authorities, &c. &c. at the Castle of Dublin--List of official and judicial duellists in author's time--Family weapons described--The Fire-eaters' Society--Their chiefs--Elegant institution of the Knights of Tara--Description of them--Their exhibitions and meetings--The rules of duelling and points of honour established by the fire-eaters, called the Thirty-six Commandments--Singular duel between the author and Mr. Richard Daley, a remarkable duellist and fop--Daley hit--Author's second the celebrated Balloon Crosby--His singular appearance and character.

It may be objected that anecdotes of duelling have more than their due proportion of space in these sketches, and that no writer should publish feats of that nature , especially when performed by persons holding grave offices, or by public functionaries. These are very plausible, rational observations, and are now anticipated for the purpose of being answered.

Footnote 1:

The last exhibition of that nature I have read of was between two Irish gentlemen, Connor Mac Cormac O'Connor, and Teige Mac Kilpatrick O'Connor. They fought with broadswords and skeens , in the castle of Dublin, in the presence of the archbishop and all the chief authorities and ladies of rank. They had hewed each other for a full hour, when Mr. Mac Kilpatrick O'Connor happening to miss his footing, Mr. Mac Cormac O'Connor began to cut his head off very expertly with his knife; which, after a good deal of cutting, struggling, and hacking, he was at length so fortunate as to effect; and, having got the head clear off the shoulders, he handed it to the lords justices , and by whom the head and neck was most graciously received.

Earl Clare, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, fought the Master of the Rolls, the Right Honourable John Philpot Curran, with twelve-inch pistols.

The Earl of Clonmell, Chief Justice of the King's Bench, fought Lord Tyrawly, about his wife, and the Earl Landaff, about his sister; and others, with sword or pistol, on miscellaneous subjects.

Footnote 2:

On the duel between Judge Egan and Counsellor Roger Barret a curious incident occurred, of hackneyed celebrity, but very illustrative of that volatile eccentricity with which the gravest events were frequently accompanied in that country.

On the combatants taking their ground , Roger immediately fired without much aim, and missing his antagonist, coolly said, "Egan, now my honour is satisfied," and began to walk away with great stateliness and composure.

Roger obeyed; and with the same composure cried out, "Very well, fire away, Jack."

The First Counsel to the Revenue, Henry Deane Grady, Esq., K. C., fought Counsellor O'Maher, Counsellor Campbell, and others:--very stout work.

The Right Honourable the Master of the Rolls fought Lord Buckinghamshire, because he would not dismiss an official person.

The Provost of the University of Dublin, the Right Honourable Hely Hutchinson, fought Mr. Doyle, master in Chancery: they went to the plains of Minden to fight!

N.B. The spirit of the Hutchinson family was proverbial, and their good nature was no less so.

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