The Merry Past 



it was made of cast iron, and intended to " raprisint 

 Charley Whox." The dispute ran high, and, as it 

 advanced, became mixed with party and provincial 

 feelings. 



With such provocations of mutual irritation, the 

 two Hibernians quickly appealed to the law of arms ; 

 and after putting the eyes of each other into half- 

 mourning, they agreed to adjourn the battle till the 

 next Sunday morning, and to decide it like "jontle- 

 men " by the cudgel. The meeting took place at Chalk 

 Farm, and each was attended to the field by a numerous 

 train of partisans, male and female, from the warlike 

 purlieus of Dyott Street and Saffron Hill. They were 

 armed with blackthorn cudgels of no ordinary di- 

 mensions, and having set-to, without ceremony or 

 parade, each belaboured his antagonist for above an 

 hour in a style that would have struck terror into 

 the stoutest of the Burkes and Belchers, and enamelled 

 each other from head to foot with lasting testimonies 

 of vigour and dexterity. The air was rent by the 

 triumphant shouts of their respective partisans, as 

 either alternately bit the ground. At length Mr. 

 O'Shaughnessy yielded the victory, and Mr. O'Flanna- 

 gan was borne off the field with his brows enwreathed 

 by the Sunday shawl of a milk-woman, his sweet- 

 heart, who witnessed the combat, and crowned the 

 conqueror with her own fair hands. 



Another statue, erected on the site of Carlton House 

 in 1837, attracted much unfavourable comment. This 

 was the Duke of York's column, the designs and pro- 

 portions of which were ironically said to be those 



191 



