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favourite sports of hunting and fishing. All through life he was a keen sportsman, and often expatiated on the delights of crouching " amid the heather, waiting for day; the larks springing all around, and the eager dogs struggling to get free from the arms that restrained them." O'Connell's first public speech was made on 13th January 1800, at a meeting of Catholics held in the Royal Exchange, Dublin, to protest against the Union. Five strong resolutions were passed against the measure, and O'Connell said: "Let every man who feels with me proclaim, that if the alternative were offered him of Union, or the re-enactment of the Penal Code in all its pristine horrors, that he would prefer without hesitation the latter, as the lesser and more sufferable evil; that he would rather confide in the justice of his brethren the Protestants of Ireland, who have al-already liberated him, than lay his country at the feet of foreigners." At this period he is thus described by his biographer: " The bright, kindly blue eyes flashed with intelligence and that dash of humour which seems inherent to the Irish character. His action was gentle, but sufficiently marked. His form was strong and muscular, but devoid of that portliness which gave dignity to his later years. The features were clearly cut and tolerably regular. It was not a handsome face, but it was a kindly one, and scarcely told all the power of mind that lay hidden within." The events of 1798, the Union, and the emeute of 1803, left an indelible impression on his mind: "I saw that fraternities, banded illegally, never could be safe; that invariably some person without principle would be sure to gain admission into such societies; and either for ordinary bribes, or else in times of danger for their own preservation, would betray their associates. Yes; the United Irishmen taught me that all work for Ireland must be done openly and above-board." O'Connell married a cousin in the summer of 1802. It seems to have been a love match. Late in life he often said that his "Mary gave him thirty-five years of the purest happiness that man ever enjoyed." His commanding talents were soon recognized at the Bar, and although a Catholic might not then aspire to a silk gown, he could not complain of want of business. His fees the first year amounted to £58; the second, £150; the third, £200; the fourth, £300; thenceforward they advanced rapidly, until in some years they amounted to £9,000. So early as 1811 he appears to have taken the house in Merrion-square, where he resided the rest of his life. His biographies abound in racy anecdotes of his wonderful readiness and ability at the Bar, and the effects of his brilliant though somewhat coarse rhetoric. The Whig party attained to power in 1806 under Lord Granville. They were the supporters of Catholic Emancipation, and the Catholics were elated, but divided as to their proper course of action. John Keogh, the old and trusted leader of the party, maintained that dignified silence was their true policy, while O'Connell advocated a course of constant agitation, and his opinions were endorsed, by 134 votes to 110, at a conference of the party. He soon became the undisputed leader of the Irish people. Whenever professional duties led him through Ireland, he managed to address audiences on the great questions of the day. A Repeal agitation was inaugurated in 1810 by the Dublin Corporation, then a purely Protestant body, and at a meeting of the freemen and freeholders in the Royal Exchange, O'Connell repeated the sentiments he had enunciated in 1800: "Were Mr. Percival to-morrow to offer me the repeal of the Union upon the terms of re-enacting the entire Penal Code, I declare it from my heart, and in the presence of my God, that I would most cheerfully embrace his offer." In May of the same year a banquet was given by O'Connell and the leading Catholics to some of their Protestant supporters. At the same time efforts were made by Government to suppress the Catholic" Association, on the ground of its being a seditious body. From 1813 to 1815, what with efforts to keep the Catholic party together, and his constantly increasing practice, O'Connell was overwhelmed with work. His defence of Magee, a Dublin newspaper proprietor, prosecuted in 18 13 for publishing an article reflecting on the Government, has been regarded as one of his master efforts at the Bar. At a meeting held in January 1815, O'Connell spoke of the "beggarly" Corporation of Dublin, and J. N. D'Esterre, one of the guild of merchants, challenged him for the insult. O'Connell was of all men hated by D'Esterre's party; the challenge became a matter of public notoriety; and as D'Esterre was a man of determination and courage, it was thought the duel would result in the death of one of them. They met on the afternoon of the 31st January, in Lord Ponsonby's demesne, thirteen miles from Dublin, a considerable number of spectators being present. Both combatants were perfectly cool and determined. D'Esterre fired first; O'Connell's shot took effect, and the crowd actually shouted with satisfaction. Some 700 gen-

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