Hogan, indicted for wilful murder. The chief evidence against the prisoner was the finding of his hat near the corpse. That a foul murder had been committed was an undoubted fact, but, except for the hat, there was not much to fasten guilt upon the accused.

This O'Connell felt, so when he came to cross-examine the witness who swore to finding the hatPat Hogan's hat-near the body, and that the hat was identified, he took it up.

"You are quite sure, my man," he said, in an insinuating tone, "this is the same hat you found near the dead body?"

"It is, please your honour."

"Was the name of the prisoner, PAT HOGAN"-he spelled it slowly-" in it, then ? "

"Twas, surely."

You could not be mistaken ?" "Och no, counsellor."

You may go down," said O'Connell, and addressing the judge, he said, "My lord, there is, really, no case for the jury here. They cannot rely on the last witness. There is no name in this hat."

The prisoner was acquitted.

On another occasion, when he sought to discredit a witness to a case of assault, the witness admitted "he had been drinking with the prisoner, but denied he was 80 drunk he did not know what happened."

"On your oath, man," shouted O'Connell, "did you not drink a pint of whisky?"

"Well, I tuk my share ov it." "By your oath, was not that all but the pewter!"

"Troth, then, it just was." The jury acquitted in this case also. When O'Connell was first called to the bar, Limerick was then much disturbed by Whiteboys, and he had usually the dock to defend,

one of the officials in the gaol of that city engaging him for that purpose. The other counties also felt the benefit of his talents; and throughout the whole circuit he was pre-eminently the prisoners' counsel. When he became distinguished as a nisi prius lawyer, he was not able to devote as much of his time to criminal business as formerly; but so long as he would accept these briefs no one else would be retained.

Among other members of the circuit, natives of Kerry, were George Blake Hickson, Q.C.; John Leahy, Q.C., chairman for some years for the county of Limerick; Thomas Gallwey, and some others.

Our route to Cork usually induced us to visit, and re-visit, the lovely Lakes of Killarney, and the source of the Lee. All this scenery has been repeatedly described by competent pens, but nowhere is the scenery of the Lee better described than in the beautifully written account of the Lee in the pages of the DUBLIN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE,* the production of one whose writings confer alike instruction by their learning, and delight by the grace and charm of a perfect style. To these pages we recommend our readers.

Cork, the last and chief town on the Munster Circuit, is called from the corcagh, or fen, on which it is built. The principal street, Patrick Street, is built upon a branch of the River Lee which formerly intersected the city, like the canals of Venice; and now, in seasons of flood, the river asserts its power, and converts the streets into miniature canals. There has been very considerable improvement in the appearance of the capital of Munster of late years. In Patrick Street, the statue of the Apostle of Temperance reminds the citizens of the

benefits conferred by that humble friar, a fact which the votaries of Bacchus seem very much disposed to ignore. At the end of Patrick Street, to the left of the Grand Parade, Great George's Street branches to the right, and the court-house is built at the end of Great George's Street. The splendid Corinthian columns supporting the portico won the applause of Lord Macaulay, who declared "they would do honour to Palladio." There are two courts, with rooms for the bar, and spacious grand jury rooms, and long passages, with several offices and apartments. In the county grand jury room is a wooden statue of King William III., which, according to Mr. Windele, was originally intended for his father-in-law, James II. This statue, on the defeat of the Stuarts, was first decapitated, and then hidden away beneath the stairs of the old court-house, called the King's Old Castle. When this building was being repaired, in 1806, the mutilated statue of King James was found, taken from beneath the stairs, placed in the grand jury room, and the headless trunk perfected with the head of William III. From this room it was removed to the grand jury room in the present court-house in 1836. Statues seem not much in favour in Cork. The statue which was ordered by the Corporation of Admiral Lord Hawke, was left on the artist's hands, and purchased by the Marquis of Thomond. His lordship placed it near the battery at Rostellan, with its back to the ungrateful city. It is now in the hall of that noble mansion, amid a collection of weapons and curiosities amassed by the present estimable owner, Dr. Wise.

A statue voted by the Corporation of Cork to Lord Chatham, was also ignominiously treated. His lordship so lauded the city and citizens for

their support to his views of state policy, that, in a fit of enthusiasm, they voted him a statue, and the freedom of the city in a gold box. But on some occasion, when the conduct of the great statesman was not such as the Corporation approved of, and Cork was referred to as censuring him, he is stated to have said, "Quote Cork against me, forsooth! What do I care for what is done in Cork, that refuge for pirates, that spawning ground for smugglers, and prolific nursery of privateers." These strong terms so incensed the citizens that they stowed away the statue in a woodeur box, from which it has recently emerged, and now adorns the Cork Athenæum.

The environs of Cork afforded the members of the Munster Circuit. many agreeable tours-to Blarney Cove, now Queenstown, the lovely Carrigalin river, Rostellan, Ast Ferry, &c. These localities are so familiar to my readers, that it would be waste of time to attempt any description of them. The bar mess in my time was held at the Imperial Hotel, and the excellent fare provided for us, and the attention of the proprietors and waiters, evinced their gratitude for our preference. In the neighbouring South Mall the judges had their lodgings, and they too were well catered for.

I have now gone through the circuit towns, and proceed to mention some of the natives of Cork who have gained merited distinction in our legal history:

Sir Richard Cox, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, was born at Bandon, in the county of Cork, March 25, 1650.

Alan Brodrick, Lord Midleton, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, was born at Midleton, in the county of Cork, about 1660.

Barry Yelverton, Lord Avonmore, Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, born at Kanurk, county Cork, in 1736.

Hugh Carleton, Lord Carleton, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, born at Cork in 1739.

John Philpot Curran, Master of the Rolls, born at Newmarket, county Cork, in 1750.

Joseph Devonsher

Jackson, Judge of the Common Pleas, born in Cork.

David Richard Pigot, Chief Baron of the Exchequer, born in Kilworth, county of Cork.

Richard Deasy, Baron of the Exchequer, born in Clonakilty, Clonakilty, county of Cork.

Hedge Eyre Chatterton, ViceChancellor, born in Cork.

Edward Sullivan, Master of the Rolls, born in Mallow, county Cork.

Robert Richard Warren, Judge of the Probate Court, was, I believe,

born in county Cork; at all events he belongs to a Cork family.

Mounteford Longfield, Judge of the Landed Estates Court, born in county Cork.

John FitzHenry Townsend, Judge of the Admiralty Court, born in county Cork.

These are some of the natives of the Yorkshire of Ireland who have attained the dignity of the bench. There are a number of others, natives of the province of Munster, now winning fame and fortune at the bar, to whom, I make no doubt, the future historian of the circuit will turn, and mention as adding to the illustrious men it has been my province to enumerate.

We now resume the detail of the business of the circuit for the early part of the present century.

I.

"THEODORE," said Professor Wittembach, "be kind enough to hand me that manuscript bound with parchment, on the second shelf above the writing-table-no, not that the little one, in octavo. I have collected all the notes of my journal of 1866 in it, at least all those referring to Count Szémioth."

The professor put on his spectacles, and amid the most profound silence, read as follows the story of

LOKIS,

With this Lithuanian proverb for its motto,

Miszka su Lokiu,* Abu du tokiu.

*

When the first translation of the Scriptures into the Lithuanian language appeared in London, I published in the "Scientific and Literary Journal" of Koenigsberg an article, in which, while rendering full justice to the labours of the learned translator and to the good intentions of the Biblical Society, I also thought it my duty to point out some slight mistakes, and to remark that this version could be of use to only one part of the Lithuanian population. The dialect that had been used is under

stood only with difficulty by the inhabitants of the districts where the Jomaïtic language (commonly called Jmond) is spoken, that is to say in the palatinate of Samogitia. This language is more akin to Sanscrit even than the high Lithuanian. My remark, notwithstanding the furious criticisms it drew forth from a certain professor well known at the university of Dorpat, enlightened the honourable members of the Council of the Biblical Society, and they unhesitatingly made me the flattering proposal that I should direct and superintend the translation of the gospel of St. Matthew into Samogitian. I was then too much occupied with my studies of trans-Uralian languages to take up a larger work which would have embraced the four gospels. Postponing, accordingly, my marriage with Mlle. Gertrude Weber, I set off for Kowno, in order to collect all the linguistical monuments I could procure, whether printed or written, in the Jmond language, without neglecting, be it understood, the popular poems, dainos, and tales and legends, pasakos, which would furnish me with materials for a Jomaïtic vocabulary, a work which would necessarily precede that off the translation.

I had been given a letter of introduction to the young Count Michel Szémioth, whose father I

was assured had owned the famous Catechismus Samogiticus of Father Lawicki, a work so rare that its existence even had been disputed, notably by the Dorpat professor to whom I have already alluded. In his library, according to my information, an old collection of dainos was to be found, as well as poetry written in the ancient Prussian language. Having written to Count Szémioth to lay before him the object of my visit, I received a most kind invitation to spend all the time necessary for my researches at his residence, Medintiltas. He concluded his letter by informing me in the most graceful manner that he prided himself upon speaking Jmond almost as well as his peasants, and that he would be happy to join his efforts to mine in an enterprise that he characterized as grand and interesting. some others among the wealthiest Lithuanian proprietors, he was a member of the Evangelical Church, of which I have the honour to be a minister. I was warned that I should find him of a somewhat eccentric character, but very hospitable, with literary and scientific tastes, and particularly friendly to those who were of the same bent. I accordingly set out for Medintiltas.

Like

Upon the castle steps I was received by the Count's steward, who led the way at once to a room prepared for me.

"My lord the Count," he said, "is much distressed, sir, that he cannot join you at dinner to-day. He has a bad headache-an ailment to which he is unfortunately rather subject. If you do not wish to have something sent up to your own room, you will dine with Dr. Froeber, my lady the Countess's medical attendant. Dinner will be ready in an hour, and evening dress is not in the least necessary. If you have any orders to give, sir,

If

there is the bell;" and he withdrew, making me a low bow.

The room was large, well furnished, and ornamented with mirrors and gilding. From one side of it there was a view of the garden or park, while the other looked out upon the court-yard. Notwithstanding the intimation as to there being no necessity for evening dress, I thought it proper to get my black coat out of my trunk. I was in my shirt-sleeves and busy unpacking my things, when the noise of wheels drew me to the window facing the yard. A handsome carriage had just driven in. Its occupants were a lady in black, a man, and a woman dressed like the Lithuanian peasants, but so tall and strongly built, that I was tempted at first sight to take her for a man in disguise. She got out first; two other women, of equally robust make, were also standing on the steps. The man leaned forward in the direction of the lady in black, and, to my great surprise, unbuckled a large leathern belt which had secured her to her place in the carriage. I observed that this lady had long white hair which was much dishevelled, and her dilated eyes seemed inanimate; in fact her face might have been that of a wax-figure. After having unloosed her, her companion spoke to her in a low voice, and very respectfully, but she seemed to pay no attention to him. Then he turned towards the attendants and made them a slight sign with his head, whereupon the three women immediately seized the lady in black, and in spite of her efforts to cling to the carriage carried her off as if she were a feather into the interior of the castle. Several servants of the establishment were spectators of this scene, and seemed to think it a very ordinary performance. The man who had directed the operation looked at his watch and asked if dinner were nearly ready.