DA.IINT'S PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF O ' CONNELL, Mn. J. O'N. DAUNT is

an Elizabethan " Saxon" by descent, an Ira Tory by family and.assceiation, but a Repealer by sentiment and judg. ment—so far as the latter quality can avail hint on a subject requiring large considerations. Though a Protestant, he rejoiced at Catholic Email- cipation ; and when the Liberator began to move in Repeal, Mr. Daunt enlisted under O'Connell's banner. An aptitude for agitation and that devoted personal loyalty which all potentates love more than a sterner independence even if associated with greater ability, raised Mr. Daunt to the post of one of Dan's lieutenants, as the newspaper reader will remem- ber. In the two volumes Wore us, he has recorded his own reminit- e,ences of his general, from their first meeting at dinner, in 1833, up to O'Connell's death.

There is a good deal of commonplace in the book, though seldom with. out indication of O'Connell either personally or as a politician ; and sometimes there are traits of that reverence by which the loyal follower turns every-day things into matters of wonderment. It is, however, a readable collection of anecdotes, traits of character, and description of Irish politicians behind the curtain ; forming a Boswellian contribution to O'Connell's biography. We see the Liberator slightly but pretty dis- tinctly in Mr. Daunt's Recollections; not the less truly, perhaps, that Mr. Daunt himself does not always see him. Humbug and roguery were O'Connell's nature—not "second," but essential. The humbug perhaps never left him, at least while exposed to human observation; his roguery was sometimes covered by his humbug, but not so frequently as might be supposed from his powers of blarney and deception, simply because he was himself unconscious that there was much if anything wrong in it. O'Connell's Milesian nature, his legal training, his long connexion with Irish factions, and possibly his St. Omer education, overlaid all sense of what was fair and manly, and blinded him to the enduring power of truth. Many people, especially in polities, have recourse to tricks, and are careless of their means if they conduce to an end ; but most people, out of Ireland, either deny the motive or the character of the deed. O'Connell alone, we think, bragged of his deceptions.- Hence, On 'Several occasions he avows the dishonest arts of a dishonest demagogue, as if they were rather feathers in the cap. The mask of humbug he never dis- carded. If we 'suppose that he really believedin the feasibility of Repeal, he must have known the fallacy of its instant attainment: yet he kept up in private the same system of promises by, which he gulled the rabble in public, even when his " devoted " were themselves persuaded of the impossibility of his promises, and tbcee with less de- velopment of the organ of veneration seem to have treated the idea in the spirit of "I wish you may get it." "He was always sanguine of success. Staunton told me that O'Connell came to the Weekly Register office, one day while that paper was printed in Suffolk Street, and called him down stairs, saying,Staunton my dear fellow ! Repeal is now quite certain: all that remains is to settle the terms." I ain very glad to hear it,' replied Staunton; with a feeling, however, that the news of proximate success was rather too good to be true."

"Truth is mighty, and will prevail." Notwithstanding O'Connell's thorough knowledge of the Milesian character' and its readiness to be satisfied with the splendid vision instead of labouring to attain the sober reality—notwithstanding his powers of cajolery, the great services he had rendered to Ireland, and their magnified scale in the popular mind —his falsehood struck him down at last. Yet even when the truthful- ness of Davis, and in a less degree of Smith O'Brien and Duffy, had revolted from the false and fraudulent practices of their leader, and carried off so many dissentients from the tyranny of humbug and the sordidness of self-seeking, O'Connell could not be brought to look at the truth, but clung pertinaciously to his delusion. "O'Connell was inexpressibly pained by the secessions which were daily taking place. The Young Irelanders had swept off a monstrous segment from the As- sociation. Steele said to me one evening, at the Corn Exchange, It is sad to contemplate the vast difference between the O'Connell of 1843 and the O'Connell of 1846. The people have ebbed away from him; and when I hint their alien- ation, he gets excited, and says I must be mistaken, and he either takes up a book or changes the subject. I talk to John; and John goes on studying his Re- pealIstdaintiellicsw,tor with O'Connellesonrea Sunday; does write heed dinner, I mentioned some instances of clerical sympathy with the seceders ui the inmheis."study before

county Cork.

Why., you know,' said he, their Bishop, Dr. Murphy, was never a Repealer, and therefore I cannot wonder at any of his clergy holding aloof from me.' "'The Bishop's politics raight, perhaps, account for the inactivity of his clergy about Repeal,' I replied, but not for thew sympathy with the secession.'

"'Oh, my dear fellow, you must be mistaken,' was his answer. I saw that the topic gave him so much pain that I did not pursue it."

Perhaps the only things which he did not conceal were his envy and his vanity. Cobbett, in his loyal days said that the motto of every demagogue was that of, Milton's Satan,." /letter to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." It certainly was the device of O'Connell. However he might cover it by blarney, he seems to have been dissatisfied unless he was playing first fiddle. It is probable that his failures in England provoked him to set actively about the Repeal agitation, as his waning ipeueuce in Parliament might latterly be the motive of his keeping away. gis vanity, in fact, was the source of his blarney. He seems, like Ad- dison, to have been surrounded by "a little senate," who" wondered with a foolish face of praise " ; and thus long he was gracious : but he became sulky when not lord paramount. His envy took the turn of de- preciating rivals. The following judgment on Emmet is just enough— it is the animus that betrays the jealousy : the remark about Shell is ludicrous, from the way in which the self-sufficiency comes out.

O'CONNELL ON EMMET AND HIMSELF.

The Ulster gentleman asked whether Robert Emmet's character should not be exempted from the censure Mr. O'Connell had pronounced upon the insurgent leaders in general. "Poor man, he meant well," said O'Connell; "but I ask whether a madder scheme was ever devised by a Bedlamite? Here was Mr. Emmet, having got to- gether about 1,2001. in money and seventy-four men • whereupon he makes war upon King George the Third with 150,000 of the best troops in Europe, and the wealth of three kingdoms at his command! Why, my good sir, poor Emmet's scheme was as wild as anything in romance! No—I always saw, that divided as Ireland is and has been, physical force could never be made an available weapon to regenerate her. I saw that the best and only effective combination must be that of moral force. I have combined the peasantry in moral organization; and on them, with their revered pastors to guide them, do I place my reliance. And I =proud of them: they are the finest people in the whole world!"

SHELL'S MISTAKE.

O'Connell always spoke with the highest admiration of Shell's extraordinary abilities, and with strong personal regard for his old fellow leader in the struggle for Emancipation. "But ill tell you a mistake he made," he would add; "he was wrong to have taken a silk gown before I got one."

The contents of these volumes are as various as well can be in a book devoted to a single person. The form is a sketch, in chronological order, of Mr. Daunt's personal recollections when he was in "the presence "; the most important intervals being filled up by second-band information. The topics handled are O'Connell's general habits, his conduct in busi- ness, his amusements at Darrynane, his appearance and behaviour on different occasions, and an account of the various jotumies on pleasure or agitation when Mr. Daunt was O'Connell's companion. The most pre- dominant topic however, is the Liberator's talk. This is sometimes autobiographical, sometimes political or legal, involving reminiscences of the men anti times of his early career ; and much of it is anecdotical- H good Stories " of the Irish bar and Irish society, especially of his youth. These stories are occasionally versions of well-known anecdotes, but given itith more appropriate circumstances, so as to tell better ; and some of them have been garnished by O'Caunelli:Aar he had swallowed an impro- bability. The part of the following extriet relating to Fox is not credible either of Fox or the Prince.

"A recent writer had praised George the Fourth's colloquial abilities.

"'Why,' said O'Connell, 'from his rank, he of course found ready listeners; and he could talk familiarly of royal personages, concerning whom there is usually some curiosity felt. That kind of talk might have passed for agreeable; but his favourite conversation was like that of a profligate, half-drunken trooper.'

"'Was he in your opinion, a handsome, princely-looking fellow ? '

"'When I saw him in 1794; replied O'Connell, 'he was a remarkably hand- some-faced man; his figure was faulty, narrow shoulders, and enormous hips; yet altogether he was certainly a very fine-looking fellow. But when I saw him in Dublin, in 1821, age and the results of dissipation had made him a most hideous object; he had a flabby, tallow-coloured face, and his frame was quite debilitated. He came to Ireland to humbug the Catholics; who, he thought, would take sweet words instead of useful deeds. Ah! we were not to be humbugged!' "'I believe,' he added, 'that there never was a greater scoundrel than George the Fourth. To his other evil qualities he added a perfect disregard of truth Daring his connexion with Mrs. Fitzherbert, Charles James Fox dined with him one day in that lady's company. After dinner, Mrs. Fitzherbert said, 'By the by, Mr. Fox, I had almost forgotten to ask you, what you did say about me in the House of Commons the other night? The newspapers misrepresent so very strangely, that one cannot depend on them. You were made to say, that the Prince authorized you to deny himarriage with me!' The Prince made moni- tory at Fox, and immediately said, 'Upon my honour, my dear, I never authorized him to deny it.' 'Upon my honour, sir, you did,' said Fox, rising from table: I had always thought your father the greatest liar in England, but now I see that you are.' Fox would not associate with the Prince for some years; until one day that he walked in, unannounced, and found Fox at dinner. Fox rose as the Prince entered, and said that he had but one coarse consistent with his hospi- table duty as an English gentlemen, and that was to admit him.'"

O'CONNELL ON PITT AND FOX.

When we were en route from Bianconi's something led us to talk of Pitt, whom O'Connell said he had heard in a debate "on the state of the nation."

"He struck me," said O'Connell, "as having the most majestic flow of language and the finest voice imaginable. He managed his voice admirably. It was from him I learned to throw out the lower tones at the close of my sentences. Most Hen either let their voice fall at the end of their sentences, or else force it into a shout or screech. This is because they end with the upper instead of the lower notes. Pitt knew better. He threw his voice so completely round the House, that every syllable he uttered was distinctly heard by every man in the House." "Did you hear Fox in the debate of Which you are speaking? "asked I.

"Yes—and he spoke delightfully; his speech was better than Pitt's. The forte of Pitt as an orator was majestic declamation, and an inimitable felicity of phrase. The word he used was always the very best word that could be got to express his idea. The only man I ever knew who approached Pitt iu this particular excel- lence was Charles Kendal Bushe, whose phrases were always admirably happy."