JLLOCNTR AT

and used to get up carly and set off {from our housc 1n Baggot Street to watch the drills in the mornings at the Bigear's Bush Barracks. 1 used to get cartridges from the soldiers, which caused my people much annoyance. Yet not so much as they did the old watchman in his box at the corner of Baggot Street. We found him asleep one night, discharged a shot or twe mside, and pitched him and his box over mto the canal. He escaped, but we did not, for we caught 1t severely, and deserved it When the Spanish Legion was raised T made frantic appeals to jomm-—officer, private, any- thing —and was only prevented from running away with De Lacy Lvans’ heroes by the strong arm of authority.

“T entered Trimity College o 1838 at seventeen. Only the other day T was present at the tereentenary, and found myself the identical place 1T used to occupy at cxaminations when a student. There | again met an o old class-fellow Rawdon Macnamara, Prestdent

Physicians, Dublin. There were glorous domgs during clection times, when the

Trinity College students who were mostly Orangemen met the Roman Catholies and chgaged them i battle 5 but, alas ! they were Cvrannous and strong. "The coal porters were there - “the descendants of the Ivish KNings from the coal quay,” as Dan O Conncll called them. and sometimes we had to scck safety at the college gates. Somcetimes we had 1t all our own way, and made the most of 1t Away we would go to King William's statue on College Green, shouting,

“Down with the Pope! Down with the Pope !’ During one clection there was an cxhibittion i the Arcade of the wonder- ful spotted lady’ and “the Hungarnan

giant.” We made a charge, overturned the pay box, dismissed the proprictor, made *the Hungartan giant” run for his life, to sav nothing of sceing ‘the spotted lTady * coimng off into hysteries. The Dublin coal porters used to be called i to disperse us. We frequently parted with broken heads. We were often triumphant, though.”

Dr. Russcll left college for a couple of vears, during part of which he was mathema- tical master at Kensington Grammar School. He returnced to Trinity, and with the clections of 1841 camc his first real literary cffort, though he 1s very proud of a sketch and account of an alauda cristata, or crested lark, vhich appeared m the Duwdlin ey Journal when he was fifteen years of age—the bird was of his own shooting. A cousin, Mr. R.

ol the C()]]cgc of

INTERVIETNS, 5o

Russell, emploved on the Z7mes, came over to “do” the clections, and suggested the caning of a few guineas to the youny collegian by going to the Longford clection and writing an account of 1t. He accepted the suggestion, and not only penned a vivid description of the scene 1 the hospital where the wounded voters lay with bruised bodics and cracked crantums, but entered heartily imto the political campaign, and spoke and

fought in 1t con amore. His description dehighted the Z7mes people. He o receved

bank-notes and praise, both acceptable and novel; he continued to write more deserip- tive accounts of the meetings of the day, and Delane, the cditor, told him to expect con- stant cmployment.,

O'Connell 2 Dr. Russell knew him well, No orator has impressed him more, before or sIee.

O Connell king,” he

uncrowned wore o green velvet cap o with a0 gold band round i, and o coat with brass huttons. Sulll we had a crossing of swords occasion- alve The Zimes commissioner, Campbell I'oster, characterized a village on O'Connell's cstate, at Derrynane, moa letter on the state of Trcland, as a squalid, nmiscrable settlement ol cabing, not possessing a panc ol glass anyv of the houses. O'Connell declared this to bea lice 1 was requested by the Z7mes to repair to the spot with Maurice O'Connell to see for myself, and to deny or corroborate FFoster's assertion. I could not bhut corroho- rate 1. On entering a crowded mecting onc night at Conciliation Hall, O'Connell rose up and shouted @ “So this contemptble Russcll savs there s not a panc of glass Darvnane? 1 wish he had as many pains i his stomach !’

“ Yot O'Connell was always personally kind

was - really an sard. He

oreen

th me. Once my caurage broke down on the road to Dublin from a monster mect- mye. O'Connell’'s was passing at the time. He turned out poor Tom Stecle, gave me his place, and a good dimner ito

the bargain. * Honest Tom Steele,” as they all called him. He was devoted o O'Connell, and after s death became dis- consolate, and cventually threw himself off Waterloo Bridge.”

It was just before the arrest of O'Connell that Dr. Russell saw Lord Carcigan for the first time. He was with his regiment of hussars, ncar Clontarf, where there was a great display of the military who had been sent to prevent the great agitator from holding a meeting, which had been declared illegal by