[162] Mr. Hayward’s Letters, Vol. II., p. 307.
[163] Mr. Hayward’s Letters, Vol. II., p. 308.
[164] Hansard, Vol. CCLIII., p. 1663.
[165] The origin of the term was as follows:—Captain Boycott, an agent of Lord Earne, and a farmer at Lough Mask, had served notices of eviction on the Earne tenantry. Suddenly he found himself “marooned,” as it were, on his farm. Nobody would work for him, speak to him, do business with him, or even supply him at any price with the necessaries of life. Police guards watched over him and his family whilst they did their own farm and household work. At last some of the Orange lodges in the North sent down a gang of armed labourers to help him out of his difficulties. These were called “Emergency men.” Subsequently the dispute between Lord Earne and his tenants was arranged, and all of a sudden Captain Boycott found that the leper’s ban had been removed from his household, and he himself treated as if he had been all his life the most popular person in the neighbourhood.
[166] The Rifle regiments were not supplied with colours, because in the old days they were supposed to fight in more extended order than the Infantry of the Line. Now there is no difference in this respect between the rifleman and the linesman. Of the cavalry, only the heavy dragoons carried colours, but they always left them at home when they went to war.
[167] The Rifle Brigade was originally formed out of detachments from fourteen different line regiments, and was long known as “Manningham’s Sharpshooters.” From 1800 to 1802 it was known as the Rifle Corps. Down to 1816 it got the name of the “Old 95th,” after which year till now it has been called the Rifle Brigade. The Prince Consort was its colonel, and in his portraits he is often seen wearing its sombre green heavily-braided uniform. Hence it got the title of the Prince Consort’s Own Rifle Brigade. The Prince of Wales became its Colonel-in-Chief till he was appointed Colonel of the Household Cavalry. He was succeeded by the Duke of Connaught, who began his meritorious though modest career as a lieutenant in the 1st Battalion.
[168] Mr. C. D. Boyd was shot by a gang of men with blackened faces whilst driving on the 8th of August from New Ross to Shanlough. He was the son of the agent to Mr. Tottenham, and there was reason to suppose that it was his father (who was with him) who was aimed at. Lord Mountmorres was waylaid near Clonbur and shot on the 25th of September. He had only fifteen tenants, had evicted only two of them, and his household was boycotted. He lived among the people, and was fairly popular with them, so that his murder is to this day somewhat of a mystery.
[169] This antiquated form of silencing a Member had not been heard of for two centuries, till Mr. Gladstone had himself revived it in the previous Session, for the purpose of silencing Mr. O’Donnell when he attempted to make a personal attack on M. Challemel-Lacour, who had come to England as the Ambassador of France.
[170] See Hansard, Vol. CCLVIII., p. 68 et seq.
[171] The Parnell Movement, by T. P. O’Connor, M.P., Chapter XI.