son for remaining in the country, and will probably shut
up his house, dismiss his servants, and leave Ireland; but this he
will not do until he has "had his own."

VIII.

PATRIOTS.

ENNIS, CO. CLARE, _Nov. 22nd._

Ennis, on deliberate inspection, proves to be by far the most
interesting western town I have yet visited. To paraphrase a familiar
saying, its politics and its liquor are as strong as they are
abundant. Ennis is famous for its electioneering fights, for its three
bridges, for its public square "forenint" O'Connell's statue, said to
have held thirty thousand people on a space which would not contain a
fifth of that number, for its numerous banks, for its fine salmon
river, the Fergus, for its police barrack, once the mansion of the
Crowe family, and for its long since closed Turkish bath, the ruined
proprietor whereof is now in the lunatic asylum on the road to
Ballyalla. Ennis is also proud of its County Club, of its handsome
drapery stores, of its brand-new waterworks, of its hundred and odd
whisky-shops, and of its patriots. Of the latter by far the most
eminent is a certain man named in newspaper reports M.G. Considine,
Esq., but better known to his fellow-citizens as "Dirty Mick." Mr.
Considine is a fine specimen of the good old crusted Irish patriot. He
has pursued patriotism ever since the day of Daniel O'Connell, and it
redounds greatly to his honour that he is now as poor as when he
started in that profession.

This Milesian Diogenes is in many respects the most remarkable man in
county Clare, after, if not before, The O'Gorman Mahon himself. He is
also the dirtiest. But the grime on Mr. Considine has a romantic
origin. It is the fakir's robe of filth. When he was only a budding
patriot the great Liberator once kissed him. Mr. Considine determined
that the cheek sanctified by the embrace of O'Connell should never
again be profaned by water, that the kiss should never be washed off.
Without speculating as to the degree of cleanliness previously
favoured by Mr. Considine, it must be conceded that it is very
difficult to wash day by day, or week by week, as the case may be,
round a certain spot on one cheek which, moreover, would soon get out
of harmony with the remainder of the countenance. It is easier,
"wiser, better far," to bring the whole face into harmony with the
sacred sunny side of it.

This has been done; and the result is a picture worthy of Murillo or
Zurbaran. From the gri