Protestant,
there being too few of them in our ranks. He had a fresh, pleasant,
shrewd-looking face, and spoke with a decided northern accent, which had
somewhat of a metallic ring. Some of his brother Members of Parliament
thought his "obstruction" methods highly ungentlemanly, but he believed
in fighting England with her own weapons. If good Irish measures were
not allowed to pass, he would throw every obstacle in the way of English
measures being carried. The tempest of rage that assailed him in the
"House" only added to his popularity outside. Not only was he an immense
favourite amongst Irishmen, but with democratic Englishmen also; and at
great mass meetings of English miners and agricultural labourers he
could always get resolutions carried by the honest, hard-handed sons of
toil in favour of the restoration of Ireland's rights.

Biggar used to get many letters approving of the attitude he and Parnell
had taken up in Parliament. One in particular, from a warm admirer, he
used to show to his friends with great glee. It was a song in the old
"Come-all-ye" style. A few lines I can remember sang in words of high
commendation of--

--Joseph Biggar,
That man of rigour,
Whose form and figure
Do foes appal!

My place being the head-quarters of the Confederation at this time, the
fact of my being known to be generally on the spot made me a kind of
"man in the gap," to fill up engagements likely to fall through for want
of a speaker. In this way I was often rushed off to distant parts of the
country at the shortest notice.

The most important Irish event in 1875 was the celebration of the
O'Connell Centenary in Dublin, on Friday, August 6th. Our Confederation
was well represented in the processions, there being, as might be
expected from its proximity, a large contingent from Liverpool. So great
was the rush to cross the Channel for the celebration that we chartered
several of the fine steamers of the City of Dublin Company, and kept
them for several days fully employed in crossing and recrossing.

The pity of it was that there should be two processions--the magnificent
display organised by the official Centenary Committee and the procession
got up by the Amnesty Association.

The speeches of Messrs. Butt, Sullivan, and Power on the platform
erected in what was then Sackville Street, when the outdoor display
broke up, explained why the Amnesty Committee and their friends
considered that a protest was nec