splendid manner in which he had protected
the important interests confided to his care, and for his defence of the
honour of the flag of the United States, and the rights and dignity of
American citizenship.

All this was endorsed in the most emphatic manner by the leading
statesmen and naval and military commanders of America, including
Secretary of State James G. Blaine, Rear Admiral Evans, Admiral Brown,
Rear-Admiral McCann, and numerous other officers of the army and navy.

The strongest eulogies of Mr. Egan's conduct of the Chilian legation
were written by the ex-President of the United States, Theodore
Roosevelt, who, in 1892, gave a dinner at his home in Washington, D.C.,
in his honour. In a public letter Mr. Roosevelt said, "Minister Egan has
acted as an American representative in a way that proves that he
deserves well of all Americans, and I earnestly hope that his career in
our diplomatic service may be long, and that in it he may rise to the
highest positions."

When I started a new series of my "Irish Library" in January, 1902, I
received words of encouragement from John Redmond, from Michael Davitt,
and from other distinguished Irishmen, but there was none I valued more
highly than the letter of appreciation of my works from Pat Egan. Of
these he asked me to send him a set, including my "Irish in Britain."

In a letter he sent me in the May following, I could see the yearning of
the exile for news from the "old sod" when he said "Write me a line to
say how you are, and how goes the good old cause. I often think with
much interest of the last time I had the pleasure of seeing you in
Liverpool."

I have made my references to Patrick Egan somewhat lengthy, perhaps, but
it is because in no work that I have ever seen has an adequate tribute
been paid to his services to Ireland. Unlike other men who are better
known, he was little seen and not much heard of in the Land League
movement, but his influence in shaping the movement was second only to
that of Davitt. He was eminently the practical patriot, and his motto
was "deeds not words." If she had had in the past many men like Egan,
Ireland would be both free and prosperous to-day.

CHAPTER XIX.

GENERAL ELECTION OF 1885--PARNELL A CANDIDATE FOR EXCHANGE
DIVISION--RETIRES IN FAVOUR OF O'SHEA--T.P. O'CONNOR ELECTED FOR
SCOTLAND DIVISION OF LIVERPOOL.

The Franchise and Re-Distribution Acts of 1884 and 1885, besides
placing, for the first time, t