A CURIOUS FACT IN THE CAREER OF DANIEL O'CONNELL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VI, Issue 271, 12 July 1878, Page 7

A CURIOUS FACT IN THE CAREER OF DANIEL O'CONNELL.

A gentleman who, though he differed materially in politics and in religion from the illustrious Daniel O'Oonnell, enjoyed much of his genial kindness, and greatly admired his private character, told me that he had received the following account from him of his first great success at the Bai\ He was retained as counsel in an action between the City of W and another party, respecting a salmon-weir on the river. The corporation claimed it as belonging to them ; their opponents maintained it was an open fishery. Little was known of its history further than that it was in the neighbourhood of an ancient Danish colony. But it had always been known by the name of " the lax weir," and this formed the chief ground of legal resistance to the city's claim. Able counsel was urgingit, while O'Oonnell, who had to reply for the city, was anxiously racking his fertile brain for a reply. But little relief came thence. Lax, it was argued, meant loose ; and loose was the opposite. of reserved, or preserved, or guarded, or uuder any custody of a corporation. The point was turned every way, and put in every light, and looked brilliant and dazzling to audience, litigants and counsel. The jury were pawing the ground, or rather shuffling their feet, in impatience for their verdict and their dinner, and the dictating eye of the court, which had long ceased taking notes, was bunking a drowsy assent. Nothing could be plainer. A "lax" weir could not be a " close" weir (though such reasoning might not apply to corporations or constituencies) ; and no weir could have borne the title of lax if it ever had been a close one. At this critical juncture some one threw across the table to O'Connell a little screwed-up twist of paper, according to the wont of courts of justice. He opened, read it, and nodded grateful thanks. A change came over his countenance ; the well-known O'Connell smile, half -frolic, half-sarcasm, played about his lips ; he was quite at his ease, and blandly waited the conclusion of his antagonist's speech. He rose to reply, with hardly a listener. By degrees, the jury was motionless ; the lack-lustre eye of the court regained its brightness ; the opposing counsel stared in amazement and incredulity, and O'Connell's clients rubbed their hands in delight. What had he clone ? Merely repeated to the gentlemen of the jury the words of the little twist of paper., " Are you aware that in Danish ' lachs ' mean salmon 1 "

The reader may imagine with what wit and scorn the question was prepared, with what an air of triumph it was put, and by what a confident demolition of all the adversary's " lax " argumentation it was followed. Whether there was then at hand a Danish dictionary (a German one would have sufficed), or the judge reserved the point, I know not : but the confutation proved triumphant. O'Connell carried the day, was made standing counsel for the City of W , and never after wanted a brief. But he sought in vain, after his speech, for his timely succourer. No one knew who had thrown the note ; whoever it was, he had disappeared, and O'Connell could never make out to whom he was indebted. — Cardinal Wiseman in Recollections of the Last Four Popes.