covery of the delinquent; but this only made the affair more public; for no one would 'peach, and whenever he performed at his theatre, his ears were sure to be saluted, from the gallery, with the ominous words-" Halloo! you 'tilleryman! let auf that there rocket!"

At a large party in Munster, the celebrated O'Connor was asked, and gave permission that his piper should be present to entertain the company. This man was considered to be the most capital performer on the bag-pipes, of his time, in all Ireland. On the present occasion, he played several airs so delightfully, and with such expression, that all were in raptures.

In the course of the evening, one of the guests, desirous of making a display of his loyalty, called for " God save the King!" To which the minstrel objected, saying, he did not play that tune." The gentleman persevered in his request; but the more importunate he was in urging it, the more obstinate was the piper in declining to play.

At length, having tried the poor man upon

every key, he demanded, if the air was not grand, sublime," &c. &c. : to which the minstrel readily acceded.

Why not play it, then," continued the gentleman.

"I don't approve of the words," was the reply. The gentleman endeavoured to obviate this objection, by observing that the company did not want the words; they wished merely to hear the air.

Impossible to separate them," replied the minstrel; "I make my pipes speak!"

Much has been said," observed an Irish nobleman, "respecting potatoes, as food for the Irish; as if they could not eat or drink like other people-in fact, there are some persons who actually imagine that Paddy dislikes the very sight of fish, flesh, and fowl; and that he has no notion of any kind of drink save raw potyeen, or whiskey!

"That the potatoe contains a considerable quantity of nutritious matter, cannot be denied ; but that three-fourths of a nation, from whatever

cause, should be compelled to feed entirely upon this root, or starve, is disgraceful to the government which permits such a state of things; whilst it exhibits to an astonished world a greater degree of patience under oppression, than was ever before shown by any nation upon the face of the earth. I once asked an Irishman, whose wretched family was greedily devouring a dish of potatoes in their skins, why he did not kill one of his pigs to feed himself and children?-he answered, Oh! by the powers! your honur, that's more than I daur do! If I only laid a finger on a pig, or a cow, or a sheep, with intent to kill, I'd have the landlord, and the parson, and the tithe proctor upon me, before I could turn myself round! No, no, masthur, the craturs must go to pay the rent, and tythes, and other dues, that myself knows nothing of; the divil fly away with them all!—if I can get a little dhrop of milk for the young childer, with their praetees, sure it's myself is content; for it's beyond the power of me to make things better.' But, let the opinion of one Irishman suffice for all upon this subject. I one day asked a poor fellow whether he was fond of potatoes.

He answered, Plaise yer honur, I do'nt dislike them at all;-sure, they're very well with a bit o' maet.' Now, this poor fellow, and all his equals for miles round, to my certain knowledge, never ate a bit of animal food, from the first day of January until the thirty-first of December, except a morsel of old ram, or bull beef, for three days at Christmas!

But to show you, gentlemen," continued the speaker, that the Irish, though fond enough of animal food, are temperate in their diet (for they are by no means gross feeders in any case, whatever attachment they may have to good drinking, and plenty of it), I will relate a conversation, in which a gentleman of my acquaintance bore a part."

My friend, travelling by the Cork mail to Dublin, on a fine summer's evening, having abandoned his seat within, mounted the coach box, where he was much entertained with the sallies of wit from the coachman and guards.

Learning that the coachman had been in the Tiperrary militia, and in England, he was desirous to hear his account of the sister kingdom; and

said to him,

So, Pat, you have been in

England; what do you think of that place?"

My name is Michael, plaise your honour;" returned the coachman, with a slight degree of hauteur.*

"I ask your pardon, Michael," said the gen'I meant no offence."

tleman,

66

"I thank your honur," replied the coachman, "I would niver suspect it."

do

Well, Michael," continued the querist, “what you think of England?"

"Indeed, Sir, it is a fine country," responded Michael; " and what wonder is that!-aren't the Sassonacs plundering the four quarters of the globe, and Ireland in the bargain, to help out their extravagance? Ounly look at our own poor country-what a figure they have made of it!"

"You are a bit of a politician, Michael," observed the gentleman.

"Plase yer honur," replied the coachman, "it does not require much knowledge for an Irishman

* No Irishman likes to be called Pat, unless his name be Patrick he considers such familiarity to be an insult to his country as well as to himself.

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