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believed, if they did not come from such good authority." His lordship at length discovered the deception, and passing into the opposite extreme, became (often ludicrously) wary and incredulous as to every thing that Mr. Curran stated. Still, however, the latter persisted, and, quickening his invention as the difficulties. increased, continued from year to year to gain many a humourous triumph over all the defensive caution of his friend. Even upon the bench, Lord Avonmore evinced the same superstitious apprehension of the advocate's ingenuity, whom he would frequently interrupt, sometimes in a tone of endearment, sometimes of impatience, saying, “Mr. Curran, I know your cleverness; but it's quite in vain for you to go on. I see the drift of it all, and you are only giving yourself and me unnecessary trouble." Upon one of these occasions, the judge having frequently interposed to prevent the counsel's putting forward some topic that was really relative and necessary to his case, declaring, as often as it was attempted, that the tendency of his argument was quite obvious, and that he was totally straying from the question, Mr. Curran addressed him thus: "Perhaps, my lord, I am straying; but you must impute it to the extreme agitation of my mind. I have just witnessed so dreadful a circumstance, that my imagination has not yet recovered from the shock." His lordship was now all attention. "On my way to court, my lord, as I passed by one of the markets, I observed a butcher proceeding to slaughter a calf. Just as his hand was raised, a lovely little child approached him unperceived, and, terrible to relate-I still see the life-blood gushing out, the poor child's bosom was under his hand, when he plunged his knife into-into "—"Into the bosom of the child!" cried out the judge, with much emotion-"into the neck of the calf, my lord; but your lordship sometimes anticipates."*

There are no reports of Mr. Curran's early speeches at the bar; but the celerity of his ascent to distinction in his profession, and in the public estimation, may be inferred from the date of his

Phillips also tells this story, but has worked it up too dramatically.-M.

entrance into Parliament. He had been only seven years at the bar, when Mr. Longfield (afterwards Lord Longueville) had him returned for a borough in his disposal.* At this time boroughs were the subject of notorious traffic, and it seldom happened that the members returned for them did not bind themselves to remunerate the patrons in money or in services. There was no such stipulation in the present instance; the seat was given to Mr. Curran upon the express condition of perfect freedom on his part; but having soon differed from Mr. Longfield on political subjects, and there being then no way of vacating, he insisted upon purchasing a seat, to be filled by any person whom that gentleman might appoint; an arrangement against which, it is but justice to add, that Mr. Longfield anxiously endeavoured to dissuade him.t

*The borough of Kilbeggan, for which the other member was the celebrated Mr. Flood. It was also about this period that Mr. Curran obtained a silk gown.-C.

+ In the succeeding parliament Mr. Curran also came in, at his own expense, for the borough of Rathcormack.-C.

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CHAPTER V.

The Irish House of Commons, in 1783-Sketch of the previous history of Ireland--Effects of the revolution of 1683-Catholic penal code-System of governing Ireland-Described by Mr. Curran-Intolerance and degradation of the Irish parliament-Change of system-Octennial bill-American Revolution-Its effects upon Ireland-The Irish volunteers-Described by Mr. Curran―Their numbers, and influence upon public measures -Irish revolution of 1782-Mr. Grattan's public services-Observations upon the subsequent conduct of the Irish Parliament.

Ir was at the eventful era of 1783 that Mr. Curran became a member of the Irish House of Commons*-an assembly at that day thronged with groups of original historic characters,† the

The manner in which Curran got a seat in Parliament has been thus related, as" well authenticated:" Lord Longueville, an Irish peer, with vast property, and large boroughinterest, wishing to avail himself of Curran's talents, offered him a seat in Parliament. Curran replied that his politics were opposed to the party to which Lord L. belonged. He was reminded, with a laugh, that patriotism was unprofitable, and that, with a young family, his good sense would tell him so. Some time after, one of Curran's friends asked him for a frank, and informed him that he was gazetted as member for one of Lord Longueville's boroughs. He took his seat, and voted against Lord L.'s friend, the minister. In explanation, he said that he entered Parliament independent and unshackled, and that so he would remain. At that time, he had saved only five hundred pounds. This money, and about twice as much more, which he borrowed from his friends, he sent to Lord Longueville, in payment for his seat.-M.

✦ of some of these, Mr. Grattan (in his answer to Lord Clare's pamphlet, 1801) has given the following masterly sketches, over which he has, perhaps, unconsciously distributed the noble traits which, if collected, would form the portrait of himself.

"I follow the author through the graves of these honourable dead men, for most of them are so, and I beg to raise up their tombstones as he throws them down; I feel it more instructive to converse with their ashes than with his compositions.

"Mr. Malone, one of the characters of 1753, was a man of the finest intellect that any country ever produced. The three ablest men I ever heard were Mr. Pitt (the father), Mr. Murray, and Mr. Malone. For a popular assembly, I would choose Mr. Pitt; for a privy council, Murray; for twelve wise men, Malone.' This was the opinion which Lord Sackville, the secretary of 1753, gave to a gentleman from whom I heard it. He is a great sea in the calm,' said Mr. Gerrard Hamilton, another great judge of men and talents; Ay,' It was replied, but had you seen him when he was young, you would have

vigorous product of unsettled times: great public benefactors, great public delinquents, but both of rare capacity and enterprise,

said he was a great sea in a storm.' And like the sea, whether in calm or storm, he was a great production of nature.

"Lord Pery. He is not yet canonized by death; but he, like the rest, has been canon. ized by slander. He was more or less a party in all those measures which the pamphlet condemns, and indeed in every great statute and measure that took place in Ireland for the last fifty years. A man of the most legislative capacity I ever knew, and the most comprehensive reach of understanding I ever saw; with a deep-engraven impression of public care, accompanied by a temper which was adamant. In his train is every private virtue that can adorn human nature.

"Mr. Brownlow-Sir William Osborne.-I wish we had more of these criminals. The former seconded the address of 1782, and in the latter, and in both, there was a station of mind that would have become the proudest senate in Europe.

"Mr. Flood, my rival, as the pamphlet calls him: and I should be unworthy the character of his rival, if in the grave I did not do him justice.-lie had his faults; but he had great powers, great public effect; he persuaded the old, he inspired the young; the Castle vanished before him. On a small subject, he was miserable: put into his hand a distaff, and, like Hercules, he made sad work of it; but give him the thunderbolt, and he had the arm of a Jupiter. He misjudged when he transferred himself to the English Parliament; he forgot that he was a tree of the forest, too old and too great to be transplanted at fifty; and his fate in the British Parliament is a caution to the friends of union to stay at home, and make the country of their birth the seat of their action.

"Mr. Daly, my beloved friend.-He, in a great measure, drew the address of 1779, in favour of our trade, that ungracious measure;' and he saw, read, and approved of the address of 1782, in favour of our constitution, that address of separation.' He visited me in my illness, at that moment, and I had communication on those subjects with that man whose powers of oratory were next to perfection, and whose powers of understanding, I might say, from what has lately happened, bordered on the spirit of prophecy.

“Mr. Forbes—a name I shall ever regard, and a death I shall ever deplore.-Enlightened, sensible, laborious, and useful; proud in poverty, and patriotic; he preferred exile to apostacy, and met his death. I speak of the dead-I say nothing of the living; but that I attribute to this constellation of great men, in a great measure, the privileges of your country; and I attribute such a generation of men to the residence of your Parliament.

"Mr. Burgh: another great person in those scenes which it is not in the little quill of this author to depreciate. He was a man singularly gifted, with great talent, great variety-wit, oratory, and logic. He, too, had his weakness; but he had the pride of genius, also, and strove to raise his country along with himself, and never sought to build his elevation on the degradation of Ireland. I moved an amendment for a free export; he moved a better amendment, and he lost his place. I moved a declaration of rights: With my last breath will I support the right of the Irish Parliament,' was his note to me, when I applied to him for his support; he lost the chance of recovering his place and his way to the seals, for which he might have bartered. The gates of promotion were shut on him, as those of glory opened."-C.

Walter Hussey Burgh, thus eulogized by Grattan, merits more particular notice. Called

IIIS POLITICAL FERvor.

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and exhibiting in their virtues or their crimes all the turbulent energy of the storms that were agitating their country. The Irish revolution of 1782, with the memorable acts and deliberations of which period the political history of Ireland commences, had just taken place; and, although it preceded by a little time Mr. Curran's entrance into Parliament, it still cannot but be adverted to as an event which had a powerful influence upon the fortune and conduct of his future life. He was of too ardent a temper not to be deeply moved by the circumstances which accompanied that measure: he was the familiar friend of the eminent Parliamentary leaders who had been so instrumental in achieving it; he had witnessed the virtuous struggles and the scenes of civic heroism displayed by them, and by the nation, at this arduous crisis; and the impression that they made upon his imagination and his conviction was never after effaced. In order, therefore, fully to comprehend the feelings with which he entered upon his duties as an Irish senator, it will be necessary to make a few observations upon the condition in which he found his country, and upon that from which she had recently emerged. The fervour of his political opinions, and his devoted adherence to the popular cause, exposed him, at different periods of his life, to no little calumny and

to the Irish bar, in 1769, he had previously obtained a seat and won distinction in the Irish Parliament. In 1772, at the early age of thirty-five, he was placed at the head of the Irish bar, as Prime Serjeant, in which he continued for two years, when, siding with Grattan against the government, on the question of Ireland's right to a free export trade, he resigned his lucrative office. It was restored to him in 1782, in which year he was made Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, declining a proffered peerage. He died the following year, before he had completed the age of forty. Ireland might well be proud of such a man, whose persuasive eloquence made an æra at the Irish bar and in the senate, equally distinguished for the grace and harmony of his style, and the sweetness and fulness of his voice: of him it may be said, as of the Greek orator, he was the Bee. Burgh and Yelverton being both engaged on opposite sides in some great and important cause, all the powers of their talents were called forth, as well by the interest the case excited, as by a competition for fame. In speaking of the effect of Burgh's oration, Yelverton observed to a friend, that he would have been satisfied that he had obtained the victory; "But," said he, "when I perceived an old case-hardened attorney sitting in a distant corner of the court, and saw the tears silently coursing down his iron cheeks, and these wrung from him by the touching eloquence of Mr. Burgh, I confess," said Yelverton, "I felt myself vanquished."-M.