other nation. Indeed, I have uniformly observed, that when no
religious or political feeling influences the heart and principles of an
Irish peasant, he is singularly sincere and faithful in his attachments,
and has always a bias to the generous and the disinterested. To my own
knowledge, circumstances frequently occur, in which the ebullition of
party spirit is, although temporary, subsiding after the cause that
produced it has passed away, and leaving the kind peasant to the
natural, affectionate, and generous impulses of his character. But
poor Paddy, unfortunately, is as combustible a material in politics or
religion as in fighting--thinking it his duty to take the weak side*,
without any other consideration than because it is the weak side.

* A gentleman once told me an anecdote, of which he was
an eye-witness. Some peasants, belonging to opposite
factions, had met under peculiar circumstances; there
were, however, two on one side, and four on the other--
in this case, there was likely to be no fight; but, in
order to balance the number, one of the more numerous
party joined the weak side--"bekase, boys, it would be
a burnin' shame, so it would, for four to kick two;
and, except I join them, by the powers, there's no
chance of there being a bit of sport, or a row, at all
at all!" Accordingly, he did join them, and the result
of it was, that he and his party were victorious, so
honestly did he fight.

When we entered the house I was almost suffocated with the strong
fumes of tobacco-smoke, snuff, and whiskey; and as I had been an old
school-fellow of Denis's, my appearance was the signal for a general
burst of grief among his relations, in which the more distant friends
and neighbors of the deceased joined, to keep up the keening.

I have often, indeed always, felt that there! is something extremely
touching in the Irish cry; in fact, that it breathes the very spirit
of wild and natural sorrow. The Irish peasantry, whenever a death
takes place, are exceedingly happy in seizing upon any contingent
circumstances that may occur, and making them subservient to the
excitement of grief for the departed, or the exaltation and praise
of his character and virtues. My entrance was a proof of this--I had
scarcely advanced to the middle of the floor, when my intimacy with the
deceased, our boyish sports, and even our quarrels, were adverted to
with a natural