PREFATORY NOTE. 



William Hamilton Maxwell (1792-1850) born at 

 Newry, County Down, was the son of James Maxwell, 

 of the Maxwells of Nithsdale. His mother was the 

 daughter of William Hamilton, of good family. He 

 entered Trinity College, Dublin, at the age of 15, and 

 graduated there with distinction, and afterwards served 

 in the Peninsular Campaigns and at Waterloo, as a Captain 

 in the 88th Regiment. 



On the disbanding of the forces, he returned to Newry 

 and spent some years desultorily, reading, hunting and 

 shooting, and got into money difHculties, but mended 

 his fortune by marriage and took holy orders, obtaining 

 the living of Ballagh, in Connemara, a place without a 

 congregation, but full of game. 



Here he wrote his first novel, " O'Hara " ; '' Wild 

 Sports of the West," praised by Professor Wilson in 

 ' Noctes Ambrosianae " as the work of a true sportsman ; 

 *' Stories of Waterloo," his best known work ; a " Life 

 of the Duke of Wellington,'' repeatedly reprinted ; " A 

 History of the Rebellion in 1798"; and was also the 

 author of a variety of sketches and novels chiefly on 

 sporting and military subjects, and many magazine 

 articles It may be said of him that if Maginn's 

 " O'Doherty " suggested the Irish military novel. 

 Maxwell anticipated his friend and admirer, Charles 

 Lever, in this literary direction. 



In appearance Maxwell was tall and good-looking, 

 a brilliant conversationalist, and an agreeable host and 

 guest 



But he made no provision for the future, and after 

 spending several years in ill-health and distress, retired 

 to Musselburgh, near Edinburgh, where he died on 

 Z9th December, .850.^^^^^^^ 



