THE WEST, PAST AND PRESENT. 379 



old churchyard of Turlough, that the place where his 

 remains lay was for a time uncertain. Accident in some 

 degree revealed it. In the confusion attendant upon 

 his hurried sepulture, it is said that a ring was forgotten 

 and left upon the finger. Afterwards, in opening 

 the ground, this relic was discovered ; and what more 

 satisfactorily proved it was that the skull was distinctly 

 fractured ; and it was a matter well known, that 

 Fitzgerald had been dangerously wounded by a pistol- 

 bullet in the head, in one of his numerous and sanguinary 

 duels on the continent. 



Denis Browne, when a young man, is said to have 

 been extremely handsome : but early in life he became 

 corpulent and engrossed in other pursuits, generally 

 careless and slovenly in his person, and neglected any 

 means to restrain his constitutional obesity. To strong, 

 natural abilities he united decision of character and 

 mental energy. He started in dangerous times ; several 

 influential families disputed political power with him — 

 he had a fierce and dangerous aristocracy to overcome 

 — men cold to every argument ** but the last and worst 

 one," the pistol. Hence in the very outset of his voyage, 

 his vessel all but foundered. It was his first contest 

 for the county, and he was opposed by the late Lord 

 Clanmorris. The Bingham party was bold and powerful, 

 and after a protracted contest, matters looked gloomily 

 enough, and the Brownes were likely to be defeated. 



" In this dilemma," to use his own words, ** I have 



applied to Counsellor , my legal adviser. 1 told 



him how badly things were, and inquired what was to 

 be done ? 



" * My dear Denis,' said he, with a grave and serious 

 movement of his full-bottomed wig, * the thing admits 



