THE FALLS OF BALLYSHANNON. 285 



— an Irishman trusts to his own right hand 

 and his own gaff-iron. Put your own plan 

 into execution your own self, man ; here is 

 my gaff to do it with. I'll not have a hand 

 in it ; it is not according to the genius of 

 my country." 



u Upon my word," said the Squire, join- 

 ing in the general laugh, " I do not think 

 the Parson far wrong ; Paddy is essentially 

 a law-breaking animal. It is a ' great 

 fact/ but why it should be so I cannot 

 imagine." 



" Paddy himself would ascribe it to Eng- 

 lish misgovernment," said the Captain. 



" Paddy himself would not be far wrong," 

 said the Parson ; " though it might not be 

 in the sense in which he understands it. 

 He has been terribly misgoverned, and is 

 terribly misgoverned now." 



" Hallo ! " said the Ballyshannoner ; u this 

 is something new. Are you turning Radical 

 at your time of life ? " 



" By no means," said the Parson. u Pad- 

 dy's idea of misgovernment and mine would 

 not exactly coincide. The fact is, that 

 nations pass from savagery to civilisation 

 through the intermediate stage of feudalism, 



