hope to perform.
Mr. O'Connor speaks in the epic style. He reminds you of Bombastes
Furioso, or Ancient Pistol, with a subtle admixture of Falstaff and
Parolles. He belongs to the lime-light and blue fire school of
oratory, and backs up a vivid imagination with a virulent hatred of
England. The raging sea of sedition which surged around us is now
silent enough. It Now hath quite forgot to rave While birds of calm
sit brooding on the charmed wave. The reason why is plain or should be
plain to anything above the level of a Gladstonian intellect. It
cannot be amiss, though, to recall a specimen of Mr. Arthur O'Connor's
style, that so we may judge of his superior acceptability to the
people of East Donegal. Speaking after the Union of Hearts had been
invented and patented (provisionally), Mr. O'Connor said:--

"I know it to be a fact that in whatever war Great Britain may be
involved, whatever Power she may have to struggle with, that Power can
count on a hundred thousand Irish arms to fight under her flag against
Great Britain--(great cheering). Does not the Government of the United
States know perfectly well that at three days' notice it could have a
force, of which one hundred thousand would only be a fraction, a force
willing to serve against Great Britain for the love of the thing,
without any pay?--(renewed applause). And it is not amiss that the
Government of England should know it also"--(continued applause). The
M.P. who made this speech is one of the politicians now dominating the
English Parliament at Westminster. It is in response to the clamour of
him and his sort that the gag is put on men like Balfour, Goschen,
Chamberlain. This little gem set in the silver sea, this isle, this
realm, this England, is becoming a paltry concern, is fast being
Gladstoned into drivelling imbecility. What does O'Connor mean by the
100,000 Irish arms? Does he mean 50,000 Irishmen? The point is
obscure, as will be seen from the oratory of another distinguished
patriot, who said, "Ten millions of Irish hearts are beating with high
anticipation, ten millions of eyes are looking forward to the passing
of the bill." A very large number of one-eyed Irishry.

The _Irish Catholic_ makes a slip. The journal approves of Mr.
Gladstone's closure, but with reference to the refusal of a newspaper
to print a Dr. Laggan's letter about, something delivers itself
thus:--

The application of the gag in polities has always been the resort
of