well, and struck out a patriotic line of his
own, which failed because it was made in absolute ignorance of the Irish
character. But he never intended to involve his colleagues, although
numbers of people chose to regard him as a Tory Home Ruler. His previous
action in resigning the Secretaryship of the Colonies in Lord Derby's
third administration, owing to a difference of opinion on parliamentary
reform, and his subsequent resignation because he disapproved of Lord
Beaconsfield's Eastern action in 1878, showed him to be a man of marked
and fearless opinions. Lord Salisbury ought to have known that he was
thrusting a brand into the fire when he sent him to be the official
bellows-blower of the Hibernian pot.

Lord Aberdeen will always be remembered as the husband of his wife. Lady
Aberdeen was a more ardent Home Ruler than even her brother, Lord
Tweedmouth. On one occasion Lord Morris was next her at dinner, and she
said she supposed the majority of people in Ireland were in favour of
Home Rule.

'Indeed, then, with the exception of yourself and the waiters, there's
not one in the room,' was his answer.

'Of course, not in the Castle,' she replied with dignity; 'but in your
profession, and when you are on circuit, surely you must meet a good
many?'

'Occasionally--in the dock,' he drily retorted, after which she
discreetly dropped the subject.

Lord Aberdeen was most exemplary during his brief tenure of office, and
certainly it was not in his time that the folk christened the royal box
at the theatre the 'loose box,' in allusion to the rather dubious
English guests of the vivacious viceroy.

Lord Londonderry and Lord Zetland may be both briefly bracketed together
as having done their duty admirably in times less out of joint than
those of their predecessors. Lord Londonderry always drank Irish whisky
himself, and recommended it to his guests as a capital beverage--a thing
which the licensed victuallers did not mind mentioning to Paddy and Mick
when they were having a drop, despite their vaunted contempt of all at
'the Castle.'

No other Lord-Lieutenant ever had such a mournful experience as Lord
Houghton. Son of Monckton Milnes, the 'cool of the evening,' he needed
his father's temperament to enable him to endure the boycott which Irish
society inflicted on him as the representative of the Home Rule
disruption policy. With no class did he go down, and on a crowded
market-day in Tralee not a hat was raised to