"Sir Patricius, your most humble servant."
"Would you wish, Captain, to view the demesne?"
"Certainly, Sir Patrick—I mean Sir Patricius. I beg pardon, dear Sir; but will you first allow me to jump out of these leathern turrets? I hate all confounded French fashions."
The Captain retired to the chamber appropriated for him. There freely disengaged from the ponderous encumbrances which were worn at that era. After a few moments he rejoined the Baronet in the great hall of the castle. It was not then the fashion, á la Turke, to wear mustâches; nor was it considered necessary to announce the approach into the drawing-room or dancing saloon, of the man of war, by the loud clank and clatter of his iron heels, steel chains, and brass spurs, or the ponderosity of an immense sabre, enclosed in an iron sheath, and "dragging its slow length along." No; Captain Heaviside came in full-dress, according to the studied propriety and etiquette of the age.
The great baronial hall was sumptuously fitted up as an armoury; the walls were adorned with all the ancient arms and weapons which were peculiar to Ireland; it was wainscoted with carved native oak; the ceiling also was of oak, ornamented with carved, basso-relievos of armorial escutcheons, armour, warlike weapons, coats of arms, crests mottoes, &c. Several horns of the moose-deer, of immense dimensions, surmounted the architraves and door-cases. At either end of the hall were two large fire-places, with gigantic chimney-pieces of Irish marble; the central compartment of each was decorated with armorial sculpture, representing the Irish harp, surmounted by the radiate, or Irish crown, the supporters, two wolf-dogs of the Irish breed, and underneath, in Gælic, a motto under each device; the interpretation of which, partly in allusion to the Irish wolf-dog, as also to the manly character of the inhabitants of the island, was, "Gentle when soothed, fierce when provoked." Various war-weapons tastefully displayed and arranged, of ancient Irish make and form, glittered upon the walls; viz. spears and javelins, "the heavy broad-eyed spear of battle," swords, daggers, skeines of iron and brass, two-handled swords, and among them conspicuously shone forth the double-handled sword of the renowned Nial Necalloch, richly ornamented and inlaid with gold; metal halberts were arranged in the same class with tuagh-catha, i.e. battle-axes, tuagh suaighte or clipping axes, fiadhgha, crannuibhs, spears, clubs, Irish lances, spears, javelins, jacks, corslets, haubergeons, targets, bucklers, pavices (shields), cailmhions, salets, skulls (i.e. helmets), sceptres beautifully inlaid with gold, fibula (brooches) of brass, silver, and gold, richly and exquisitely wrought; bits and spurs of an enormous size, and inlaid with gold; druidical scythes, ancient Irish harps (the cithara), ancient Irish trumpets of various kinds and names, the stuic or stock, the buabhall, the beann, the adharc, and the corna or bugle-horn; the dudag, the gall-trompa, the cibbural or corabus, the cornan or cronan, and the iachdarchannus (quasi, cantus bassus.) But here we close our antiquarian summary, as we begin fairly to suspect that many of our readers have no partiality to such ancient researches; suffice it then to say, that all these various specimens were arranged in diversified ornamental shapes and forms of sun, moon, star, and crescent, that fancy could conceive or taste execute.
Here Sir Patricius again proposed to the Captain to accompany him in a ramble to view the grounds; to which Captain Heaviside readily and gladly assented. As they stood upon the terrace, Sir Patricius said, "My worthy Sir, just as you had arrived I was upon this spot, thinking with what taste and judgment my very excellent patron—
(O et præsidium et dulce decus meum!)
has so much improved and adorned these lawns, when, Captain, I can well remember what they were. Great natural capabilities, no doubt, presented them-selves, and His Grace has acted upon them with spirit, taste, and judgment, and withal no expense has been spared. However highly meriting the meed of praise, which doubtless His Grace so well is entitled to, I was just thinking of the great Archimedes, who so sagely and appropriately said,
DOSS MOI, TANE STIGMEN!
And I——"