a year's ineffectual trial, to remove to Waterford, a
more thriving centre of operations. He was now twenty-one years old.
He began again as a carver and gilder; and as business flowed in upon
him, he worked very hard, sometimes from six in the morning until two
hours after midnight. As usual, he made many friends. Among the best
of them was Edward Rice, the founder of the "Christian Brothers" in
Ireland. Edward Rice was a true benefactor to his country. He devoted
himself to the work of education, long before the National Schools were
established; investing the whole of his means in the foundation and
management of this noble institution.

Mr. Rice's advice and instruction set and kept Bianconi in the right
road. He helped the young foreigner to learn English. Bianconi was no
longer a dunce, as he had been at school; but a keen, active,
enterprising fellow, eager to make his way in the world. Mr. Rice
encouraged him to be sedulous and industrious, urged him to carefulness
and sobriety, and strengthened his religions impressions. The help and
friendship of this good man, operating upon the mind and soul of a
young man, whose habits of conduct and whose moral and religious
character were only in course of formation, could not fail to exercise,
as Bianconi always acknowledged they did, a most powerful influence
upon the whole of his after life.

Although "three removes" are said to be "as bad as a fire," Bianconi,
after remaining about two years at Waterford, made a third removal in
1809, to Clonmel, in the county of Tipperary. Clonmel is the centre of
a large corn trade, and is in water communication, by the Suir, with
Carrick and Waterford. Bianconi, therefore, merely extended his
connection; and still continued his dealings with his customers in the
other towns. He made himself more proficient in the mechanical part of
his business; and aimed at being the first carver and gilder in the
trade. Besides, he had always an eye open for new business. At that
time, when the war was raging with France, gold was at a premium. The
guinea was worth about twenty-six or twenty-seven shillings. Bianconi
therefore began to buy up the hoarded-up guineas of the peasantry. The
loyalists became alarmed at his proceedings, and began to circulate the
report that Bianconi, the foreigner, was buying up bullion to send
secretly to Bonaparte! The country people, however, parted with their
guineas readily; for they had no particu