for the Colonies and I was placed on Mr. Herbert's right hand the Governor of Ceylon being only on his left, and the Colonial Agents General in worse places. My "morbid vanity," for which the Argus vouch, was abundantly gratified. Michie has almost entirely recovered his voice; he has introduced me to the doctor who cured him. I hope I will do as well.
When I arrived in Paris, Marshal MacMahon was President of the Republic, and I was much interested in seeing so notable an Irishman in such a position. An extract from my diary will tell all that need be said of that time:—
April 23, 1875.—Went to a reception of the President of the Republic at the Elysee, where his predecessor concocted the coup d'etat MacMahon looks very Irish—not intrinsically different from many Irish soldiers whom I have seen, or even many Irish policemen—large frank fiery. The French officers, of whom there were many present had less of what we are accustomed to call the look of gentlemen than officers of the British Army, and among the civilians there was often a decidedly commonplace looking person. Several of the Orleans princes were there, and one of them, the Due d'Alençon, is one of the handsomest young men I have ever seen; Providence has been too good to him. The Duke of Némours, who is gray and furrowed, has a soldierly bearing and noble address. There were many of the old Irish—Nugent, O'Brien, O'Neill —0 as soldiers or officials. Nugent is a fine old man and had the air of a nobleman as much as any one there. They are all Legitimists, I understand, and scarcely any one of them speaks a word of English. One of them, Captain MacDermott I think, made a very effective retort upon me. I expressed my surprise that he did not continue to speak English in memory of his ancestors. "Monsieur," said he, "when my ancestors lived in their native country they spoke their native tongue." Vive le MacDermott! The ladies, though covered with jewels, were not dazzling by their beauty. In fact I was amazed at the small proportion of handsome women.
I asked Count Nugent to point out the Ministers of the Republic, and he said, contemptuously, that they were gentlemen he didn't know.
During this visit to Paris and many subsequent visits, I saw much of Mr. J. P. Leonard, who was a type of the best class of Irish exiles. He lived all his life, from boyhood, in France, but everything Irish engaged his constant interest and attention, and he laboured as systematically to foster Irish interests, and spread an intelligent knowledge of Ireland in France as if he were Chargé d'affaires of a National Government. His métier was a professorship in the College of St. Barbe. On these occasions I also saw much of Mr. O'Leary, who had been released from imprisonment on condition of living abroad. He was a Fenian of a class which I had never seen before, and rarely afterwards; moderate in opinion, generally just to opponents, and entirely without passion or enthusiasm
