name given
as having been present. How it occurred was through the reporter,
desiring, no doubt, to save himself the trouble of making out a new
list, giving the names of those who had been present at the Convention
as having attended the banquet. I had a somewhat similar experience at a
Newcastle-on-Tyne Convention--sixteen years later. The Newcastle men, in
the interval between the Convention and the banquet, asked my opinion
about the toast list. I gave them a sketch of what I thought a good one,
but said, "Don't have the Queen." They said they wouldn't, and I went to
the banquet. I was surprised to hear the chairman giving "The Queen,
Lords and Commons of Ireland." There was nothing for me to do but walk
out.

In Mr. Parnell Mr. Biggar found a colleague after his own heart in
working the "Obstruction" policy. From the time when I made the
acquaintance of Parnell, when he came amongst us, a shy-looking young
man, under the wing of Isaac Butt, we were drawn towards each other--he
because he looked upon me, from my life-long experience of them, as an
authority upon our people in this country, and I because I was impressed
by the terrible earnestness that I soon recognised underlying the young
man's apparently impassive and unemotional exterior. I was one of the
first he came in contact with in this country, and I believe he unbent
himself and showed more of his really enthusiastic nature to me than he
did to most men. He used to speak unreservedly to me. He knew my views
as to Irishmen taking the oath of allegiance and entering the British
Parliament, of which he was at that time a member. He knew that, holding
these views, I could not enter the British Parliament myself, though he
would have liked to see me there. With me it was a matter of conscience;
I could not take an oath of allegiance to any but an Irish Government.
At the same time, I have always been practical, and willing to fight
Ireland's battles with the weapons that come readiest to my hand. I,
therefore, always gave what support I could to the Irish Parliamentary
Party, who could conscientiously enter the House of Commons, and to the
recognised Irish organisations for the time being.

It is not to be expected that every Irishman, even every Irish
Nationalist, will be of one mind as to which way his duty lies in
serving his country. After all, a man who can honestly say "I am an
Irishman and I love my country" is already nine-tenths of the way to
being