CHRONICLE. 
saving the man’s life remained ; nor 
was it until the operation of opening 
the windpipe had been performed, 
that the whole of the fish could be 
removed. The poor fellow has left a 
pregnant widow, with five small 
children. 
Sept. 8th. At his lodgings upon 
the Hot-well-road, Bristol, Mr. Pa- 
trick O‘Brien, usually denominated 
the Irish Giant, having fallen ‘a sa- 
erifice to a disease of the lungs, 
combined with an affection of the 
liver, in the 46th year of his age. 
His real name was Patrick Cotter, 
he was of obscure parentage in 
Kinsale, and by trade originally:a 
' bricklayer ; but his uncommon size 
rendered him a mark for the avarice 
of a showman,:who, for the pay- 
ment of 50]. perannum, obtained 
the liberty:of exhibiting him three 
years in ‘England. Not contented 
withhis bargain, the chapman at- 
tempted to under-let the liberty of 
shewing him to another speculator ; 
and poor Cotter, resisting this ne. 
farious transaction, was saddled with 
a fictitious debt, and thrown into a 
sponging-heuse, in Bristol. In this 
situation he was, happily for him, 
observed by a gentleman of the 
eity, who had some business to 
transact with the sheriff’s. officer. 
His simple demeanour and extreme 
distress, induced Mr. W. te make 
enquiries respecting him, and having 
reason to think that he was unjustly 
alctained, he very generously became 
this bail, and ultimately so far inves- 
_ tigated'the affair, that he not only 
| Obtained for him his Jiberty, but 
freed him ‘from all kind of obliga- 
tions to serve his task-master any 
_ longer.’ He was at this time eigh- 
‘teen, and retained to his last breath 
. 4 most lively sense of the:obligation 
'-@enferred upon him whewa stranger 
555: 
and ih neéd; an obligation which 
he manifested also by very honour~ 
able mention in his will. It haps 
pened to be September when he 
was liberated, and by the farther 
assistance of his benefactor, he was 
enabled to set up for himself, in the 
fair then heldin St. James’s:.Success 
crowned his undertaking’; in three 
days, instead of being in penury, he 
saw himself possessed of 301. Eng. 
lish money! Let those who know 
the peasantry of Ireland, judge of 
his riches ! he now commenced, and 
continued a regular exhibition of 
his person, until the two last years, 
when having realized an indepen- 
dence sufficient to keep a carriage, 
and secure to him the conveniencies 
of life, he declined what was ex. — 
ceedingly irksome to his feelings. 
To prevent any attempt to disturb 
his remains, of which he had the 
greatest horror, a grave is sunk to 
the depth of twelve feet in the solid 
rock, and such precautions taken as 
would effectually render abortive 
either force or stratagem. The stu- 
pendous coffin prepared for him 
by Mr. Panting, undertaker of 
Bristol, is in length nine feet five 
inches; five men got into it. with 
ease, and had the lid placed upon it. 
The brass-plate contains the fol- 
lowing inscription: ‘* Patrick Cot- 
ter O‘Brien, of Kinsale, Ireland, 
whose stature was eight feet one 
inch. Died Sept. 8, 1806, aged 
46 years.”? There are some em. 
blems on it, denoting the deceased 
to have belonged to the masonic cr. 
der of knights templars, : 
15th. Aged 77, Mr. Packer, o 
Drury-lane theatre, His decay had 
been for the six last months gradual, 
and his death was easy. He was 
the father of the stage, and had 
been near half a century on the 
London 
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