114 REMINISCENCES OF 



and a mounted dragoon every 200 yards. It was 

 fourteen miles, and these wretched ponies tired, and 

 occasionally tumbled down and halted the whole line. 

 If any cottages were near, the women used to run out, 

 hold up their petticoats, stick a knife into the sack, 

 get a petticoat full of meal and run away, and, of 

 course, the men could do nothing. It took a whole 

 day to go the distance. The meal was ground 

 Indian corn. In the prison the prisoners were 

 employed breaking stones. The inspector saw one 

 breaking his like powder (Provost Powder). On 

 asking the reason, he said, '* Sure, it's to mix with 

 the yellow meal ". 



1846. — In spring we marched up to Newbridge, 

 and took our hounds with us. The night we ar- 

 rived we dined with an infantry mess, and as soon 

 as it was daylight we saddled some horses, and 

 started a chap named Featherstonehaugh with a 

 napkinful of grilled bones and some spirits of wine 

 to run a drag. He started from the back gate of 

 the barracks, galloped about two miles through the 

 mowing grass, which was about up to the horses' 

 knees, and finished on the Curragh, over the white 

 rails in front of the stand. I let the hounds out, and 

 at first could not persuade them to run it ; but by 

 shouting and cheering them got up a straggling line, 

 and we arrived on the Curragh as the racehorses were 

 going out to exercise, much to their astonishment. 



1 5th June. — We marched into Dublin. My troop 

 to Islandbridge Barracks. Sir Edward Blakeney 

 was the General in command, and Colonel Clarke, 



