ELECTIONEERING. 183 



put upon the road completing the communication 

 north, east, and west. So much had the traffic in- 

 creased that a hundred passengers frequently passed 

 between Clonmel and Waterford during the day. 



At the Waterford election of 1826, the Marquis 

 of Waterford's party, or rather the Beresford party, 

 who were all-powerful, asked Bianconi to supply them 

 with cars ; this he did ; but the most powerful party 

 was not the most popular. The popular party started 

 a candidate and asked Bianconi to help them, but this 

 he could not do, as his cars were all engaged by the 

 Beresford party. The morning after his refusal Bian- 

 coni was pelted with mud, and some of his cars and 

 horses were thrown over the bridge into the river. 

 Bianconi thereupon wrote to the Beresford agent 

 desiring to be released from his engagement ; on 

 receipt of his letter the Beresford party very generously 

 gave him his release ; he then engaged with the popu- 

 lar party, and was instrumental in winning the election 

 for them. For this he was paid the sum of one thou- 

 sand pounds ; thereby he was enabled to extend his 

 business. The year after the Waterford election he 

 found time to get married to a young Irishwoman, 

 Eliza Hayes, who was twenty years younger than him- 

 self, he being forty years of age. At this time he took 

 great interest in politics ; he was a great ally of 

 O'Connell. He had now established communication 

 between Clonmel and Cork, and extended this commu- 

 nication northward through Mallow and Limerick, and 

 so on from Limerick to Tralee, and from Tralee to 

 Cahirciveen on the south-west coast of Ireland. Com- 

 munication was also established northward from 

 Thurles to Roscrea, Ballinasloe, Athlone, Roscommon 

 and Sligo, and all the principal towns in the north-west 



