Heel-tappers, insisted on being made dead drunk no less than three times before they promised to support him in the old way. Sir Ignatius Slattery's life has been so occupied by more important matters, that he has been rather inattentive to several branches of popular learning. He knows little or nothing of ancient or modern history, ethics, statistics, polite literature, grammar, spelling, or punctuation. The politics of Dublin have been his vocation, and there he shines as the leader of a powerful party in the Corporation. His political talents depend mainly upon his oratory; and that again consists not so much upon his own powers of speech, for he is rather apt to mis-pronounce, as in his rare capacity for interrupting and embarrassing an opponent. He is the ablest cougher-down within the liberties of Ďublin, and gains periodic laurels upon every post and quarter-day, by the boisterous felicity of his cries "to order," and his still more energetic bellowings for an adjournment. He usually makes merry upon all this when the effort is over, for it is a part of his character to be waggish and self-rallying upon his civic displays. There is indeed in his ordinary intercourse with both friends and foes a certain turbulent blunt facetiousness, which wonderfully endears him to the congenial souls of his city friends. This quality, and the circumstance of his being supposed to have picked up a few of the feelings of a gentleman since he was made a city knight, caused him to be admitted at the Castle as the butt and bosom friend of more than one Irish viceroy. His present Excellency has, however, for some Popish reason or other, been strangely insensible to the worthy corporator's claim upon his familiarity; and deep and ineffable is the ire with which he resents the affront. The idea of Ireland being tranquillized without the aid and sanction and occasional veto of the most loyal of cutlers, is a thing so monstrous in itself, and so subversive of every established bye-notion of the Corporation, that he has vowed to bring the patrons of the innovation to public shame. This he does in many ways. He collects authentic calumnies for the anti-Castle press, which, with a few grammatical corrections, produce a profound effect. At public dinners, he is the first to vociferate for "the Exports of Ireland," and such is his zeal, even " tips the wink for the Glorious" before half the company are drunk. He keeps up the spirits of the Orange democracy by calling conciliation a humbug; rouses their fury by wily encomiums upon their forbearance; and by certain hems and nods and other symbols of fraternal significance, conveys to them the inspiring assurance, that, let them go what lengths they please, they will not want friends in the city to back them. When the time arrives, he does all he can to keep his word; for it is in his deep sense of the duties of a political juror, that Sir Ignatius preeminently excels. His golden rule for the jury-box is, never to consent to a verdict against a friend. For this he is content to make the greatest of all sacrifices the loss of a dinner, and a night's rest. To make the inconvenience however as tolerable as possible, he takes care, on the morning of the trial, to come down to court with his nightcap, a box of sandwiches, and a case-bottle of old sherry in his pocket; and with these he will hold out against the law and the facts of any given case for eight-and-forty hours." And call you not this backing his friends ?" His services in this way, or rather his known readiness to serve, for he has more than once been challenged, have made so deep an impression upon his party, that they have lately proposed setting him up for the city at the next election, as a man of decided parliamentary talents upon Irish questions. The rumour of this (for he has not yet openly declared himself) was no sooner circulated through the lodges than his own (No. 1603) appointed a deputation of five to wait upon him at his country-house, with a voluntary tender of every vote in the lodge, at the moderate rate of five pounds each. Sir Ignatius "thanked them (from a paper which he held in his left hand); he did so from the bot tom of his heart (upon which he placed his right). He talked of the approbation of his conscience and his love of the constitution being the sole guides of his political life;-exhorted them not to be bullied by any man, or set of men, out of their good old principles of conditional allegiance, and their unalienable privileges of knocking down Papists and dressing the statue ;-assured them that while an Orange ribbon was manufactured in Ireland, he would be found at his post; for that he for one would never submit to see the freemen of Dublin governed like Indian slaves ;-and concluded by appreciating (without pledging himself to accept of it) the high honour which his valued brethren of 1603 proposed to confer upon him."-(Great applause.) The oratory and cheering over, the deputation were ushered into an adjoining room, where a cold collation, got up by the Knight's direc tions in the very natest style, was prepared on the occasion. Lady Slattery apologized for the absence of Orange lilies, it being the winter sason; but to make amends, Miss S. who presided at the pianoforte, regaled their ears with some favourite constitutional melodies, among which, the "Boyne Water," and "Crappies lie down," with variations of her own, were rapturously applauded. The deputation returned to Dublin in the evening, and conducted themselves so peaceably, that they assaulted only three out of the many Catholic passengers whom they met upon the way. The general opinion in the lodge is, that should Sir Ignatius be returned, Lord Wellesley and his government will be annihilated by his first speech.* EPIGRAM. On a Physician observing that he had lost three Patients during an absence from * Since the above was written, Sir Ignatius has been seen at Archer's, enquiring for the best Pronouncing Dictionary. NOW PUBLISHING BY S. H. PARKER, 12 CORNHILL, BOSTON. Prospectus OF THIS CHEAP AND ELEGANT EDITION OF THE WORKS OF MARIA EDGEWORTH IN TWELVE OCTAVO VOLUMES, VIZ. VOL. I.-Practical Education. VOL. II.-Letters for Literary Ladies,-Castle Rackrent,-Leonora,-Irish Bulls. VOL. III.-Belinda. VOL. IV. Popular Tales, viz. Lame Jervas-The Will-The Limerick Gloves-Out of Debt out of Danger-The Lottery-RosannaMurad the Unlucky-the Manufacturers-The Contrast-The Grate ful Negro-To-morrow. VOL. V.-Tales of Fashionable Life, viz. Ennui-Almeria-Madame de Fleury-Dun-Manoeuvring. VOL. VI.-Tales of Fashionable Life, continued; viz. AbsenteeEmilie de Coulanges-Vivian. VOL. VII.-Patronage. VOL. VIII. Harrington and Ormond. VOL. IX.-Griselda,-Moral Tales, viz. Forrester-The Prussian Vase-The Good Aunt-Angelina-The Good French Governess→→ Mademoiselle Panache-the Knapsack. VOL. X.-Parent's Assistant. VOL. XI.-Early Lessons. VOL. XII.-Sequel to Frank,-Readings on Poetry,-Comic Dra mas. The price to Subscribers is One Dollar and a Half, per volume, payable on delivery of each volume. It is not intended to print many more than shall be subscribed for, and the price will be raised on the completion of the edition. The works are printed from the latest English edition, and volumes 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 are already done to show as a specimen of the edition. An early subscription is respectfully solicited." Subscriptions to the above works are received by the Publisher, 12 Cornhill, and by Munroe & Francis, No. 4 Cornhill, Boston; by George Dana, Providence; Cushing & Appleton, Salem; and John W. Foster, Portsmouth. BOSTON, February, 1824. |