"Darby's courtesy was taken in good part; and after he had retired, the conversation turned upon his extraordinary humour. At length, Colonel St. Leger, seeming to recollect himself, said, 'I am afraid, my Lord Duke, your Excellency made a bit of a blunder last night you conferred the honour of knighthood on this same landlord.'-' Did I, by heaven!' exclaimed his Grace. That you did,' replied the Colonel. ‘D—n it! how unfortunate !-why didn't you prevent me?'

I endeavoured to do so with all my might, but your Excellency's arm was too potent; and I preferred seeing your weapon fall upon his shoulder, rather than have it thrust into me.'-'What an unfortunate affair!' exclaimed the Duke, rising; but I suppose the fellow doesn't recollect the circumstance more than myself: let us call him in. I wouldn't have such a thing reported at St. James's for the world. I should be recalled, and be the laughing stock of every one at the Court. Bd and 'ounds! to knight the landlord of a common punch-house !-the thing is surely impossible!'

"Both possible and true,' replied the Colonel; but let us ring for him, and hear what he himself knows about the matter.'-Darby, who was in attendance on the outside of the door, heard all that passed, and resolved to resist every attempt at depriving him of his newly acquired honours. On his entering the room, the following dialogue took place :

"Duke of Rutland. I say, landlord, we were all quite jolly last night?

"Darby Monaghan. Your Honour's noble Grace may say that same: we drank thirteen whacking bowls of punch amongst five of us.

"Duke. Ah! so we did, I believe,-thirteen to the dozen, and you supped with us?

"Darby. Many thanks to your Grace's Excellency, Darby Monaghan did himself that same honour. "Duke. No honour at all, my good fellow. But I say, Darby, do you recollect any thing particular that I did,-in the way of joke, you know; some foolish thing, when we were all as drunk as fiddlers? "Darby. By J-s! yer Dukeship may say that, any how. I dare say the Colonel well remimbers your filling up the last bowl from the whiskey jug, instade of from that containing the hot water. By the powers! I could not stand that; it set me off, whizzing like a top; and I doesn't recollect one single thing after we emptied it.

"Duke. (laughing.) Oh, then you don't remember my drawing my sword, and threatening to run you through the body?

"Darby. The Lord above for iver presarve yer Dukeship's Highness from cru'l murder and sudden death, all the days of yer life! I don't remimber any such thing; but I remimber well the whack yer Excellency's Royl Highness gave me with that same sword over my shoulder, when ye bid me 'rise up, Sir Darby Monaghan.'

"Duke. You do? eh! But that was all in jest, you know, Darby; and so we must think no more about it.

"Darby. Long life to your Highness! but I took it in right arnest; more by token that my shouldher aches at this moment with the blow: but I mustn't mind that, for it was given upon an honourable occasion, and

resaived with good will: so, thanks to yer Excellency for all favours, now and hereafter.

"Duke. But you don't presume to suppose, my good fellow, that I actually conferred upon you the honour of knighthood?

"Darby. By the powers! yer Highness, but I do. Sure, I wouldn't be after doing yer Highness such discredit as to think ye meant to break yer royl word to man or mortal.

"Duke. Oh, the devil! (whispering,) I say, Colonel, what is to be done?

"Colonel. (whispering.) Give him some birth, and make him promise to say nothing about the frolic.

“Duke. Well, Darby, I don't mean to act scurvily towards you; I can give you a tide-waiter's place, or something in the excise, that will bring you in about one hundred and fifty pounds a-year, and make you independent for life.

"Darby. (kneeling, and kissing the Duke's hand.) Let me go on my marrey-bones once again, to thank yer Royl Highness for being so good and marcifull to poor Darby Monaghan! He'll niver forgit to remimber to pray for yer Excellency to the blessed Saints, on Sunday or holyday.

"Duke. Well, then, Darby, it is settled that you give up the title, and that nothing shall ever be said about last night's adventure?

"Darby. Give up the title! yer Grace? and not be called Sur! after all?—I thought the hundred and fifty pounds a-year was to keep up my style as a true and loyal knight.

"Duke. No, faith! you sha'n't have place and title too so choose without delay.

"Darby. (pausing.) Well, yer Grace, if yer Excellency plaises, I'd rather keep the title: for, d'ye see, it'll be such a wonderment for a punch-house to be kept by Sir Darby Monaghan, that I'll soon have all the custom of Dublin city; and that'll be better than a tide-waither's place, any how.

"Duke. (laughing.) Well, then, without more argument about the matter, you shall have a place of two hundred and fifty pounds a-year, and you must give up your knighthood this instant.

"Darby. (going out.) Plase yer Excellency, then, I'll just step up-stairs and ax her Ladyship's advice; and, I dare say, she'd rather have the money. So, I'll inform your Honour's Grace in a twinkling.

"Her Ladyship was accordingly consulted on this important question; and she wisely, and without hesitation, voted for the income of two hundred and fifty pounds, which they enjoyed for many years. The title, too, stuck by them till the last; for, after the Duke's departure from his Viceroyalty, the affair was bruited abroad, to the great amusement of the middle and lower orders in Dublin, who never failed to address the fortunate couple by the appellations of Sir Darby and Lady Monaghan." "

Soon after the commencement of Mr. Brougham's popularity in the House of Commons, Sir Thomas Stepney, speaking of him one evening at Brookes's, said that he put him greatly in mind of Lord Ashburton, formerly Mr. Dunning, whom, he said, he resembled, both in person, and as a speaker at the Bar and in the Senate. Besides describing the great talents of this lawyer, he related several characteristic anecdotes of him, as follow:

Dunning was a short, thick man, with sallow complexion and turn-up nose; he had a constant shake of the head, and latterly a hectic cough, which gave him great interruption whilst speaking; but even these physical disabilities he overcame by the splendour of his genius, and the extent of his knowledge, not only of the law, but of almost every other subject. Although an excellent common lawyer, his elocution, which was flowing and classical, partook more of the spirit than of the letter of the laws in this respect he greatly resembled Lord Erskine; and in what is termed the Copia Verborum, he was the very prototype of Mr. Pitt. He was, moreover, a complete master of various kinds of style; and not only in many cases set the court in a roar of laughter, by the effervescence