" HIBERNICISMS."
ITo THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."1 SIR,—Reading your article on this subject in the Spectator of September 27th reminds me that the strongest " Hibernicism" I ever heard fell from the lips of a Scotchman. I can vouch for the truth of the following story, as I was present at the time the incident occurred :-
One evening, in the principal gold-mining camp in the Trans- vaal, nine or ten years ago, a man, partially intoxicated and supposed to be actuated by jealousy, attempted suicide. He first took morphia; but this not proving strong enough, he tried to hang himself, but was prevented, and handed over to the Sheriff, to be kept in safe custody for the night, and to be tried before the Acting Gold Commissioner (a shrewd and solemn Scot) the next morning. As there was no law to have prevented him from committing suicide if he thought fit, but it being desirable to punish him in some way, it was decided to bring a charge of drunkenness and disorderly conduct against him. To this the prisoner pleaded guilty ; whereupon the Acting Gold Commissioner, without the ghost of a smile, delivered the follow- ing extraordinary judgment :—" Mr. —, I shall fine ye twa panda for your drunkenness ; but I'll just gie ye to understand that I ken vera weel what ye attempted to dae, and, had ye suc- .ceeded in your attempt, your poonishment would have bin vera much more severe than it is !"* Whilst I write, another story comes to my mind. An old miner of my acquaintance had the following story current about him :—Whilst in British Columbia he appeared as witness in a Court of Justice, and the Judge, not satisfied with his answers, angrily told him he was " prevaricating."—" Can't help it, Jedge," said the unabashed miner.—" Can't help it!" said the Judge, " why, what do you mean ?"—" Just so, Jedge, three years ago I was packing ' in Idaho, and one of them 'tarnal mules reached out and tuk off three of my front teeth, and I've prevaricated ever since !"—I am, Sir, &c., A CONSTANT COLONIAL READER. Cape of Good Hope, October 31st.
P.S.—A story is at the present moment going the round of the Colonial newspapers. A well-known Colonial Judge, who is an Irishman, has just returned from Circuit, and, at one of the last places in which he held his Court, he told a witness to " hold his tongue, and give his evidence clearly."
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