Α FORTNIGHT IN IRELAND. PART I. DUBLIN. It was blowing half a gale of wind, raining, and, at intervals, thundering rather loudly, when the 9h. 15m. A.M. London express train of the 11th of August, AN. DOM. 1852, reached Holyhead at 5h. 40m. P.M. The smoke from the funnel of a large black steamer, moored alongside the pier, although dispersed to atoms the instant it escaped therefrom, was evidently connected with the white steam that in like manner and in the same direction scudded from the engine; in fact, the vessel for upwards of an hour had been awaiting the arrival of the train. The storm-as storms always are— was really pitiless; and as I sat in the carriage waiting for my baggage, which the guard had kindly undertaken to bring to me, I observed more than one umbrella from being convex suddenly become concave, and while the unhappy owner, spell-bound, with stern to windward, was violently struggling with the calamity, a motley crowd of passengers in macintoshes, cloaks, shawls, gowns, and other garments, all more or less B fluttering to leeward, were to be seen hurrying at unequal rates towards the confines of a broad wooden declivity, down which they descended to the deck of the vessel. As soon as I obtained my luggage I followed, and as, on entering the gentlemen's cabin, I found that the circular line of sofas, divided into berths or beds of about six feet each, were not only engaged, but that most of their occupants, with a pillow under their heads, were already reclining on them at full length, anxious to be as close to fresh air as possible, I sat down on one nearest the door. "You've no right to be here!" said a voice to me, rather sulkily. Begging its pardon, I arose, and, seeing that a berth above, from which I could look down upon the grumbler beneath, was disengaged, I at once took possession of it, and, as a horizontal position appeared to be the order of the day, I obediently followed the fashion. As in my exalted position I had plenty of air, I remained not only perfectly well, but, I may almost say, merry; and, as my friend beneath me, who had been suffering dreadfully, had, I remarked, always commenced his paroxysms of anguish by a peculiar small sigh, I just once, as a slight punishment for his sulkiness, looked seriously down upon him, and, although I did not imitate his sigh, I really believe that if I had pointed a 24-pounder at him I could not have suddenly produced in his countenance a greater amount of alarm, which, tempering justice with mercy, in a few seconds I dispersed by a friendly smile, expressive of the words, Fear not! In due time a lulling of the waters announced to us, in our captivity, that we were in Dublin Bay; and accordingly, arising, or descending from our respective lairs, we staggered on deck, from whence all that I could see of Ireland consisted of a couple of very large red eyes and one white one, glaring as beacons through darkness and rain. On our reaching the pier a scene of great confusion ensued. The baggage of all the passengers was handed up through a hatchway from the very bottom of the hold, and, almost as fast as it appeared, was carried away, I knew not where, by a set of porters whom everybody appeared desirous to engage, and who, nevertheless, without seeking for employers, rushed at the baggage, well knowing that, possession being nine points of their law, the tenth portion, in the shape of the owner, would be sure to find them. I felt myself much too frail to engage in a contest between such boisterous competitors, and I had almost made up my mind that my portmanteau would become the adopted child of a stronger parent, when, joyfully espying it among the mass, I enlisted a man to carry it up steps and down steps to the train that was in waiting, and in a few minutes we were all flying in the dark towards our goal. In about a quarter of an hour we reached it. Here again there was a little scramble and confusion; however, with the assistance of a porter I got all my traps deposited on the front seat of a comfortable carriage, and, sitting opposite to them, I called out to the coachman to drive me to Morrison's hotel. To my vast surprise, instead of moving forwards, as I expected, the vehicle, like a crab, started off sideways, and in that humiliating position it trundled me |