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XIV.

Julia Kavanagh.

Authoress of "Nathalie," "Adele," &c, &c. 1824-1877.


THERE is no mistake about the name of Kavanagh—it is Irish of the Irish. The Hy-Kavanaghs formed a famous sept, which included kings among it. King Dermot Mac Murrough was a Kavanagh, besides others of lesser note. Coming nearer to our times, one of the most daring exploits of the Indian Mutiny was performed by T. Henry Kavanagh who, disguised as a native, escaped from the besieged garrison at Lucknow, to carry a message from Sir James Outram to Sir Colin Campbell. For this achievement, which, had it failed, would have meant certain death, Kavanagh received the Victoria Cross, and was the first Civil servant who ever gained such a distinguished honour.

The career of his countrywoman, Julia Kavanagh, was a very different one. She dwelt among un-