THE LIFE OF PARNELL.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] Sre.,—In your review on the above subject in the Spectator of November 19th, you describe my late sister as being "excitable to the verge of madness," and advance the extra- ordinary theory that this alleged temperament caused her death. I cannot make out whether this assertion rests on your own authority or on Mr. O'Brien's, but in either case it is a wanton misrepresentation of a dead woman by sonic person who is plainly not sufficiently informed on the subject to speak with authority on it at all. She was never abnor. mally excitable. The only foundation for the anecdote quoted is that she remarked on seeing the daily paper, on the morning of her death, "I believe Arabi is going to whip the English." A few millions of people probably made nearly the same observation at the same time. She contracted a tendency to rheumatism and weak heart's action in childhood from a common cause, scarlet fever. Another common cause, ill-usage in childhood, confirmed this tendency and produced a permanent delicacy of constitution which predisposed her to succumb to any severe illness. The immediate cause of her death was failure of the heart's action during con- valescence from rheumatic fever, due to travelling in winter in the interest of the Land League.—I am, Sir, &c.,
A. PARNELL.
[We regret to have given Miss Parnell pain by the reference to her sister in oar last issue.—En. Spectator.]
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