City,
O'Connell died in his seventy-second year. Lacordaire, who but shortly
before this had pronounced his greatest of funeral orations over the bier
of General Drouot, thus spoke of O'Connell: "Honor, glory and eternal
gratitude for the man who gave to his country the boon of liberty of
conscience. Where is a man in the Church since the time of Constantine who
has at one stroke enfranchised six millions of souls?" When the body of
O'Connell was buried at Glasnevin, it was followed to the grave by fifty
thousand mourners, among whom Orangemen and Ribbonmen walked side by side.
In England, O'Connell's death was regarded with a feeling akin to relief.
There his persistent demands of "justice for Ireland" had come to be
regarded with derision, bringing him the nickname of "Big Beggarman."

[Sidenote: Death of Thomas Chalmers]

[Sidenote: "Vanity Fair"]

[Sidenote: "Jane Eyre"]

[Sidenote: Jenny Lind]

Another spirit that won religious renown in England passed away with Thomas
Chalmers, the great Scotch divine. As a teacher of theology at Edinburgh he
wrote no less than twenty-five volumes, the most famous of which is his
"Evidences of the Christian Revelations," a reprint of his article on
"Christianity" contributed to the "Encyclopedia Britannica." In other
respects it was a notable year for English letters. Charles Dickens had
just published his famous stories "Dombey and Son" and "The Haunted Man."
The success of these novels was surpassed by that of Thackeray's "Vanity
Fair." Three writers now made their appearance. Anthony Trollope brought
out his "MacDermotts of Ballycoran"; Emily Bronte published her first
novel, "Wuthering Heights," while her sister, Charlotte Bronte, at the same
time achieved an immense success with her story of "Jane Eyre." These
successes were more than rivalled by that of Jenny Lind, the great soprano
singer, who made her first appearance in London during this season. Another
event for intellectual England was the sale at auction of Shakespeare's
house at Stratford. It was acquired by a united committee of Shakespeare
lovers for the sum of L3,000.

[Sidenote: Jewish disabilities reconfirmed]

The oft-mooted question of the civil disabilities of the Jews in England
was brought up again by the election of Baron Rothschild as a member of
Parliament for London, together with Lord John Russell. The Premier, whose
name was already identified with the cause of civil and religious liberty,
mad