1846 47 
THE ‘O’ IN O’CONNELL 
305 
reception of a new train of ideas. Mr. Brooke, in 
walking home with me, expressed strongly his 
sentiments as to accepting truth in whatever form 
it pleased God to vouchsafe it to us. Some 
pleasant bantering passed on the subject of Mr. 
Brooke’s excluding lawyers from his dominions. 
The characters of the natives of Borneo and their 
language were discussed. Some anecdotes of 
O’Connell were told. His proper family name 
Was “ Connell,” and so of all his family for some 
generations ; he did not assume the “ O ” till he 
got some property from an uncle, who made it by 
smuggling, and whose abode was anotorious receiv- 
ing house for run goods on the coast of Derrynane. 
We had a discussion about Lamartine and his 
“History of the Girondins,” and my end of the table 
Was much interested by some of my revelations 
from the secrets of the prison-houses at Paris — 
Hallam in particular. He had no idea that such 
documents were preserved as those I examined 
the Prefecture of Police.’ 
On December 3 Owen was nominated a 
Member of the Commission of Sewers ; ‘ not a 
'^ory pleasant task,’ he writes, ‘ as people strongly 
dislike being told of duties which they have been 
•^oglecting. ’ In a letter dated December 6, he 
•"ofers to the reason of this new Commission — 
'’•z. the report issued by the Commissioners for 
Health of the Metropolis, &c. ‘ I call it 
VOL. I. X 
