I have wept 'till my cheek has been furrowed with tears,
And the marks on my brow have outnumbered my years;
And the halo of glory that circled my head,

Took the hue of the livid light over the dead;

But my griefs are gone by, all my sorrows are o'er,---
Let the tears of the past then be thought of no more;
We'll be happy again, and remember to live
Is to suck from each hour all the sweets it can give.

II,

Then mine be the merry heart, reckless and free
As the sailor boy's thoughts on a calm summer sea!
There are tempests to come-aye, and tempests that blew,
But with past or with future we've nothing to do!

Raise the light laugh of mirth-touch the liveliest chords-
Wed the music of these to the gayest of words,

And thus, while we live, let us pluck from the bowers
That encircle our pathway, the sunniest flowers.

III.

Bright, bright be the fragments of life that remain :

Add a new ray of lustre for every stain,

Which the tears of the past may have dimmed them with then,
Till like jewels they shine over brilliant again.

When the casket is broken-why then let it break
Like a cloud in the sky-like a wave on the lake-

But oh! while we live, let us live but to gather,

All the sweets of fair climes--all the hues of good weather!

ON SEEING MADAME DE SEVIGNE PLAYING AT
BLIND-MAN'S BUFF.

De toutes les façons, vous avez droit de plaire
Mais surtout vous scavez nous charmer en ce jour
Voyant vos yeux bandes on vous prend pour l'amour
Les voyant decouverts, on vous prend pour sa mere.

Thou hast, with all the arts of pleasing,

To-day another charm found;
Blindfold, thou art Cupid teazing,-

Venus self, with eyes unbound.

L.

SCENES AND SKETCHES.--NO. IX.

THE SMUGGLERS.-PART II. CHAP. II.

THADY OGE and his companion were not long making their way to Castletown; and passing rapidly through the village, directed their course to a dwelling some short distance from it, then, as now, known by the name of "Brandy Hall." At the avenue gate they were met by a servant, who taking Thady's horse, whispered him, that the "masther" was expecting him, and then led the way to the stable, followed by Morty, who muttered a hearty Irish curse upon the builders, riggers, officers and crew of the three revenue cruisers that lay quietly at anchor in the harbour, their taunt topmasts towering over the masts of the various craft around, like lofty forest-trees in a shrubbery. Within the house all was wild revelry, hard drinking, and dancing, more joyous than graceful. In the hall were seated a piper and fiddler, who scraped and puffed away at two different jigs to the same couple of dancers. In one of the parlours a second piper was installed, who worked away at country dances, to which the youthful gentry, male and female, and the mates of the cutters, "shook a loose leg," to use the expression of their musician. From the other parlour the words of the well-known "Cruishkeen Lawn" issued, at the very highest pitch of a powerful voice, which threatened to drown all the other mixtures of the musical "olla podrida," which voice, as Thady Oge entered the house, he recognised to be that of his father-whom, on going into the parlour, he found fully employed in installing him as a grandson of the jolly god, in the verse

"Immortal and divine,

Great Bacchus, God of Wine,

Create me by adoption your son."

Thady, my dear boy! exclaimed the master of the feast, starting from his seat, you are welcome from Iveragh-where is the captain ? Safe, at Castle Cove, Sir, answered Thady. How did you come over? inquired the other. In the Gannish whale-boat, was the reply. And is all right, over the way? Quite so, as yet, Sir-but the captain has business which keeps him for a day or two.

The two last answers, being those which it had been agreed upon should denote the successful termination of the cruise of the John, gave evident satisfaction to the asker; and calling for something for Thady Oge, "by the way of dinner," he gave himself up once more to the occupation which he had been successfully engaged in up to the moment of his entrance-namely, that of making the commanders of the cruisers as drunk as possible. For this purpose his measures had been taken most admirably. Each of the devoted seamen had been placed between two of the hardest drinkers in that hard-drinking country, who took special care that their protegès should duly fill and empty their glasses at every toast; and not only kept up a by-battle of extra bumpers beside, but on the slightest indication of a heel-tap, fined the unfortunate offender no more than one brimmer, to make amends for his default. The natural conse

quence of all this extreme attention, was, that the victims had been made as drunk as wine could make them, long prior to Thady's arrival in the dining-room of Brandy Hall; and the subsequent efforts of their assiduous persecutors-to use the phrase of the ancient butler who supplied him with the materials for his meal-were "like throwing water on a drowned rat"-and, as he feelingly went on," 'twas a pity to be wasting good brandy and claret on such a set of savages, when whiskey' and Benecarlo would answer just as well; for you know, Sir, when once a man is drunk, its all the same to him what he takes to keep him so." Be that as it might, it did not appear that the "founder of the feast" was of" old Patrick's" opinion, for still the glasses of his guests were crowned, and still the wine was claret, or a judicious combination thereof with brandy, much recommended by the right and left-hand neighbours of each of them. Thady Oge, having finished a hasty meal, had just taken his place at " the table," and bowed to all around, in return for "the honor done him, by drinking his health," when the concord of sweet sounds which had heretofore prevailed in the Dutch concert of the various musicians already described, combined with the vocal powers of the bacchanalian songsters in the parlour, (par excellence) was interrupted by the noise of strife in the hall and first "crushed a sturdy oath of stout John Ball, who damned away his eyes, as heretofore," but consigned at the same time those of some Irish "beggar" to everlasting perdition. Next arose a long string of Irish curses, in the well-known accents of Morty Paddy, mingled with reproaches upon some female for her inconstancy; and thirdly, the shrill notes of the lady were heard loud in self-exculpation, and retorting sharply upon Morty for his breach of promise, in being so long absent. Morty had commenced in reply with a promise of explanation of the causes of such absence, when the chief arising rather hastily from his place at the head of the table, called upon all to follow and assist him in "quelling the row," and hurried from the room. Thady and he reached the hall at the same moment, just in time to prevent Morty from making a communication which would have defeated all their plans, by informing "all hands" of the arrival of the Smugglers; and their demand of "what's the matter, Morty?" was followed by the "hallo, Ivors, what's in the wind now ?" hiccuped forth by the captain of the Chance, as he rolled along in a drunken state between his "bottle holders." Ivors, the tall gunner's mate already mentioned, was the first to reply. He stated, "that he had asked that black-eyed girl," pointing to pretty Peggy Donovan, who hung weeping round Morty's neck, while he in vain endeavoured to unclasp her arms, in order to get at the Englishman, "to dance with him that she had refused for a long time, but at last agreed to take a cruise in company-that just as she did so, that young chap," pointing to Morty, "what was a sweetheart of hers like, came in, and said she promised to dance with him, and no one else, and so,' he continued," says I to him joking-like, why, do you see, she likes me better, and so she's changed her mind; and with that the chap called me an English blackguard, that was trying to coax his sweetheart from him, and so I damned him for his pains, and he says

something in Irish in a great passion, and wants to run at me, and I stood out here to fight him fair, and the girl she catches him round the neck, and falls a screeching, and then your honors comes out, and that's all I knows about the matter, only I don't care a rotten rope yarn for the fellow and all his generation; and if the girl would like me better, why, she has only to say so, and I'll protect her against forty such as he." A coquettish glance from Peggy Donovan's very black eyes was the reward of this gallant declaration; but at the same moment Morty broke from her hold, rushed on the Englishman-received, apparently without feeling them, the ** one, two," which the other delivered with much both of "skill and strength," and, grasping him round the waist, threw him a heavy cross buttock, coming down after the most approved fashion with his knee on his chest. There was an instantaneous rush forward. Thady Oge and such of the gentry as were sober endeavouring to tear Morty from his prostrate opponent, and the three or four of the Chance's crew who were present rushing to revenge their companion; but the voice of their captain was heard again, calling them to "stand back"-that Jack Ivors had got no more than he deserved, for he had no business trying first to take away the fellow's sweetheart, and then abusing himself, and if he's got his pretty face spoiled, why 'twill keep him quiet again, that's all; and I'll dance with the little girl myself, to shew we have no malice." This gallant proposition being received with an universal cheer, the combatants were forced asunder, Morty testifying no sign of the contest, save a slight contusion over one eye, caused by not stooping quite time enough to catch both the blows exactly on the crown of his head; Ivors perfectly senseless and unable to " come to time." The defeated party having been taken to bed, and the village doctor duly sent for to attend him, captain Cruize led out the pretty Peggy, and figured away in a jig such as seldom had been witnessed since the first invention of that exercise. A very few minutes, of course, sufficed to knock him up, and Peggy attacked each of the commanders in turn, and obtained a similar triumph over each. The complete prostration of the three worthies was then completed by the administration to each of a large tumbler of scalding hot whiskey punch, after which they were carefully conveyed to the barrack room," and left to sleep off the debauch at their leisure. Their absence did not, however, check the amusements of the evening. A profuse supper succeeded to the lengthened dance, and the minor officers and boats' crews of the cutters were plied with wine and whiskey, until their state was little, if anything superior to that of the captain's. At four or five in the morning the chief retired as if to bed; but slipping out at a back way found his horse ready saddled, and, accompanied by Thady Oge and Morty, rode rapidly off to the place where the schooners were at anchor. The sun had risen by the time they reached the shore, and they found on the beach our friends, the "captain," "Monsieur des Affaires," and sundry of the numerous gentry of the name of O'Sullivan, and a large body of tenantry assembled. The "John" was employed cruising off the headland, within sight of the little harbour, and numerous row boats, and a number of horses with baskets-the only

mode of land conveyance practicable on the mountain roads of that wild district, shewed that every necessary arrangement had been made for landing the cargoes of the Smugglers, and conveying the goods up the country. The arrival of the chief was the signal for commencing operations, and a few words having passed between him and Monsieur des Affaires, he repaired on board the larger Smuggler, while the work of unlading went merrily forward. Early in the afternoon the vessels were reported to be clear, and the supercargo, for such was Des Affaires' occupation, called for the wool with which they were to be partly refreighted. He was not long unsatisfied; the paniers, which had been laid by, in order to let the ponies graze at ease, were brought forward-the owners of several of the boats produced the store which they had landed in the morning, and concealed, until the proper period for producing it should arrive; and the quantity exhibited would have excited the surprise of any one who was not aware that the inhabitants were, in many instances, only the factors of their friends and relatives "up the country," and that it was then a frequent practice for the owners of the small hookers which abound in Beerhaven, to make short voyages along the neighbouring coast, especially at a period when a landing was expected, treating with the people for their produce, or receiving cargoes on commission, to be accounted for when they should next "come the way." The practice is still kept up, with the exception, however, that the great objects of trade are now eggs, fowls, and butter, and that they are destined for the Cork instead of the Dunkirk market. A considerable quantity of butter was also purchased and shipped by Des Affaires, as was a small number of hides, and some few pieces of coarse linen; and as each of the country people made their market, they applied themselves to the conveying away, to places of security, the tobacco, teas, brandy, and sugar, which had been landed from the Rapide and her consort, and which, till now, had lain untouched where they had been landed. In the transfer of the goods to Des Affaires, money was not employed as an apparent agent; he simply made an entry of the quantity received from each person, and marked a "lump value" after each, of which he gave a note to the individual. A similar account was kept by Thady Oge, on the part of the "masther," the understanding being that any thing over and above "the rent" should be paid to the peasant out of the produce of the sale of the foreign articles-and, when the last firkin of butter and bale of wool were shipped, the principal negociators compared notes, and the process for the moment was perfect. Long before that period, however, the chief had taken his departure for Castletown, to look after his diangerous guests; and Thady, as the evening closed, having first lunched on board, galloped after him. When he arrived within about a mile of Castletown, he was stopped by his younger brother, who had spent the day shooting, and who, in no very amiable temper, informed him that he had been directed to wait for him there-give him his birds and gun, and take his horse off to Quaylock, there to inquire for the captain, and spend the evening with him, if found; and so," after my day's walking, I am to be locked up in that empty old house, without any one to talk to if the captain is'nt come, and you're to have