bagh, and this, he says, "is the liquor which the czar Peter the Great was so fond of, that he used to say,' Of all wines, Irish wine was the best!'" But not the czar alone lauded Erin's whisky; even the King of England is said highly to have approved thereof. In February 1821, when an address to George IV. was under consideration by the Court of D'Oyer hundred of Cork, the question of his majesty's partiality for whisky-punch was seriously entertained. The mover of this grave matter prefaced his question to the mayor, who presided, by observing that the tendency of the inquiry he was about to make would be the more to endear the king to his Irish subjects. He then requested of Sir Anthony Perrier (the mayor) to state the correctness of the public rumour, that when his worship was enjoying the pleasure of a cool bottle at the Pavilion at Brighton, the king was pleased to pronounce a high panegyric upon the merits of whiskypunch? The late Mr. Connell, who was Recorder of Kinsale, solemnly protested against the mayor answering this question. His majesty's Irish subjects, he observed, were, for the sake of the peace of the country, already sufficiently partial to whiskypunch; and, no doubt, they would become more so, if a recommendation of the national beverage, coming from so high a quarter, were to be thus publicly promulgated by the highest civic authority. The mayor having good-humouredly declined making any reply to the question put to him, in con sequence of the legal opinion expressed by his worthy and learned friend, the Recorder of Kinsale, the querist closed the debate by observing, that he would take his worship's silence as assent to the correctness of the report, and would therefore consider" the native" to be especially in royal favour. AN IRISHMAN'S CHRISTENING May be fairly supposed, from the national character for blunders, to be like many other serious matters, not free from mistakes. Coleman makes an Irishman sing,— "The day I was christened, my poor mother saw On my face our dog Dennis was putting his paw; says she, So Dennis Bulgruddery they christened me." In the present instance we find an unlucky Irishman baptised with whisky instead of water, the melancholy effect of which is evident in his having "never forgot His first taste of whisky." Indeed the pathetic exclamation of hillaloo is sufficient to shew the unhappy state of his existence. Yet such is the fascination of whisky, that he declares, if such a thing was possible, he would "Call out from his grave to be christened again," and, no doubt, in the same manner. It is no uncommon assertion by an Irishman that, "If his mother had reared him upon whisky, he'd have been a sucking babe to the day of his death." Of myself, my dear joy, if you wish to be told. The parson was sent for to christen the child; He looked at the water, he grinned and he smiled; So the day I was christened, I've never forgot And could that be a wonder, my boy? So, you see, I loved whisky while yet but a boy, Hillaloo ! When I went to be married, they asked for the ring; Says I, "Wait a minute, I'll give you that thing," So," says I," as it's here, we'll just taste it, I think, To the bride's happy wedding we'll all of us drink;" And could that be a wonder, my boy? I drank to her health, and drank on to her death, One day I must follow her to the cold ground, Where, to moisten the throat, no whisky is found, Where, to moisten the throat, no whisky is found, Though the nights are so long, and so cold is the ground; Then should a dead man of his christening dream, LOVE AND WHISKY. The most popular song of the heyday of Irish Volunteerism (see pp. 39-42), and which song continued a general favourite until the dissolution of the Irish Yeomanry Corps, when, notwithstanding that both Love and Whisky, as there is every reason to believe, continued as potent as ever in Ireland, this excellent lyric, in which the similarity of their influence is explained, fell most unaccountably into disuse; and a copy of it has been, with some difficulty, procured by the Editor. The allusion to invasion, so skilfully introduced in the last verse, probably originally referred to Thurot's capture of Carrickfergus, in 1760, although from that period, until 1805, Ireland was in a constant state of excitement respecting a French descent upon her coasts. Air-Bobbin Joan. Love and whisky both, Rejoice an honest fellow; Unripe joys of life Love and whisky mellow. Both the head and heart Set in palpitation; From both I've often found A mighty sweet sensation. In the thread of life, Faith, we can't resist 'em. But love's jealous pang, In heart-ache oft we find it; Whisky, in its turn, A head-ache leaves behind it. Thus, of love or drink, We curse th' enchanted cup, sir; All its charms forswear, Then take another sup, sir. Love and whisky's joys, Let us gaily twist 'em, In the thread of life, Faith, we can't resist 'em. Love and whisky can To any thing persuade us; No other power we fear That ever can invade us. Should others dare intrude, They'll find our lads so frisky, By none can be subdued, E |