commencement of a noble exordium by the Major telling him he was drunk.

"Drunk," says Tully, who, though he had suppressed, was still "nursing his wrath to keep it warm," ,"-" Drunk!" and he levelled an indignant look at the Major, which, by some fortunate angle of incidence, reverted upon me. "If, as a gentleman-'

Here the custom-house officer took up the argument, but in a style so oracular, and so evidently full of a strong inspiration, that the court either would not or could not understand its mystic meaning.

Resolving to try what a plain statement of facts would effect, unadorned by the vivid and strong epithets in which those who preceded me indulged, I took up the narration, and begun by informing the Major that three of us were strangers, not acquainted with the habits of the city, and not aware of any harm in playing through the streets.

66

'Strangers ?"-Who are the strangers?" he asked, rather quickly, and in a tone that seemed not to augur favorably to us.

I pointed to my two companions.

"And pray what's your business in this town?"

"We belong to Mr. S-'s company of comedians." "Oh!"

"and, being about to leave to-morrow, were invited by these gentlemen to pass the evening with them. We sat rather long-and were somewhat noisy going home; but not to the extent that the serjeant would

make it appear. My two companions play upon the clarionet, and, being asked for a tune as we came along, did not hesitate to comply."

The Major lectured us on the impropriety of breaking the quiet of the city, at such an hour, and at such a disturbed time. If he acted with severity, he said, he would have us locked up for the night; but, as he knew some of the party to be respectable, (he looked at our custom-house friend) we may go quietly to our homes, on a promise of appearing again in the morning.

"But he that sent me to the d-1?" asked the serjeant.

"Be silent, sir."

We thanked the Major for his lenity, and departed. "Twas rather fortunate for us that we left the Fuans. Though they all insisted on being gentlemen, and would on no account drink punch before dinner; they quieted their scruples by calling it "flip" in the morning, and "hot grog" during the day. During the evening it rejoiced in its more legitimate denomination.

Our next destination was Ennis-a small, but as I understood spirited little town for theatricals, about twenty miles from Limerick. The manager not having wherewithal to send us by one of the stages, we consented to set out on foot, getting an occasional lift on the carts which carried the scenery. My two companions, having a taste for painting, had to set out before the others of the company to refresh the theatre, and I resolved to go with them.

We started before the carts, and had scarcely got two miles beyond the city, when my friends seeing a point of view from a neighbouring hill, went up to make a sketch. I walked slowly on the road, spouting out of my book of characters, some ranting passage from Bulcazim Muley, in which I was to open, when, at a sudden turn, I was near being run down by a gig, occupied by a military gentleman and another in colored clothes, and followed by two dragoons. Annoyed at being caught in my ranting humour I stared them out of countenance, and turned to look after them. I perceived that the two sketchers on the hill attracted their attention. They stopped the gig to observe them, and having waited a little while, as if in consultation, frequently turning from them to me, at last drove away. We passed by Cratlow Wood, famous for whiskey and Whiteboyism, and left the noble ruin of Bunratty Castle behind us. At a little town (I think it is called Newmarket) we stopped to bait at a snug public-house, and had abundance of bread, butter, cheese, and porter-with a little of the native. In the midst of a hearty repast the thought struck us "had we enough of cash to cover the expense ?' On strict inquiry our whole stock proved to be no more than one shilling and eleven pence halfpenny, whilst- -as near as we could calculate the items-the bill amounted to two shillings and three pence. This put a sudden pause to our hitherto vigorous mastication. I volunteered to go out and explain the matter to the landlady; but feeling it too repugnant

a business to acknowledge that three respectablelooking lads, travelling twenty miles, had but one and eleven pence halfpenny for their expenses, I travelled along the road, ungenerously enough leaving my companions to settle it as they could.

On joining me they were quite wroth at my desertion, but I soon won them into an explanatory mood. When they found I had cut, they called in the landlady and told her they had but so much small change. She said it was no matter-the amount was but two pe nce over (we had miscalculated) and, beside, they had left as much of the provisions as would amount to that. On this they waxed more confident, and spoke of changing a five pound note; but the poor woman would not hear to it, saying, if they insisted on giving the difference, they could pay it on their

return.

As I went along the way, I took every opportunity of conversing with the peasantry by the road side. They were very anxious to hear news from the disturbed districts, and evinced an inclination to "do likewise." I endeavoured to prove to them the folly of these partial and undigested insurrections; and to shew them that, even where oppression seemed to warrant resistance, some prospect of success was required to render it justifiable. Though apt enough for the practise, they did not at all appear inclined to enter into the philosophy of rebellion. My friends were not politicians, and did not much relish these conversations. They appeared to think that the adventure of the evening before should have checked my political propensities.

Within about five miles of Ennis, and about an hour of night-fall, we overtook a servant-sort of man, who, in consequence of the approach of night and the loneliness of the way, requested permission to join us-undertaking, at the same time, to shew us a short cut of more than a mile through the fields. We willingly consented. Our new fellowtraveller was an intelligent lad, and well acquainted with the neighbourhood. He pointed out to me the different gentlemens' places, as we passed them, and gave me brief sketches of their characters. Shortly after we passed Clare Castle, and within about three quarters of a mile of Ennis, the same gig which we had seen in the morning, similarly attended, drove by us. Perceiving that the persons in it eyed us narrowly, I inquired of my new acquaintance whether he knew them. It was Major W. he said, and the Colonel of the Scotch Greys, after a visit, he supposed, to Major D. at Limerick.

Just as we got into Ennis, my two friends being some yards a-head, talking of the sketches they had made, my fellow traveller observed "I wonder what the police are about?"

"I looked round; but not perceiving them, asked "Where are they?"

"There they are, Sir," he replied, “in colored clothes."

I looked again, and then turning to my companion, was about to say I could not recognise them, when I found he had absconded. I moved on to overtake my friends; the footway was narrow and