O'NEILL DAUNT'S GENTLEMAN IN DELT. * To exhibit Irish society in

the provinces and the capital some cen- tury ago, is the design of Mr. Daunt's novel. For this end, the elements are better than either the plan or the execution. The gentleman in debt, "the O'Carroll of Castle Carroll," is of Roman Whelk descent, but he turned Protestant to save his estate, when a relation talked of a bill of discovery under the penal laws, which forbade a Papist to hold land, or at least forfeited it to the next of kin being Protestant. He is a jovial "hospitable" Irishman, given, like most of the gentry of his day, to hunting and hard drinking, and by nature rather inclined to the " deadness " of a state religion than the ". vitality" necessary to the voluntary prin- ciple, so far as he gives the subject any thought. Of course the O'Carroll is in debt ; and at the opening of the tale his encum- brances are thickening, so that after a while he has to mount guard in the castle' and only venture out on Sundays, when once in a way he has a fox-hunt. Round the O'Carroll, as round a centre, are grouped various other persons—Milesian, but it strikes us, of a later day, and hardly in dramatic consistency and completeness with any day. There is first and foremost Sir Hya- cinth Blake, a tyrannical, licentious baronet, the father of Emily, the heroine; whom he is bent upon marrying to an aristocratic, fashionable, roue parson, the son of a bishop, and sufficiently near of kin to an earl to have expectations of succeeding to the title. There is the baronet's brother, Julius Blake; intended to represent the polished, able, eloquent, pamphleteering parson of the last century, and the man of excellent sentiments and feelings but de- ficient conduct, and who seems to have been suggested by a cele- brated divine of the day. There are also some other Irish parsons and country gentlemen ; with a Captain Bodkin, a sponge and a roué who seems more English than Irish. In this sort of society Maurice O'Carroll is born and bred; but a perception of his father's wasted existence, a knowledge of his em- barrassments, and an attachment to Emily Blake, induce Maurice to migrate to Dublin in search of fortune—that is, a place under Government. This adventure is designed to exhibit the troubles and disappointments of a plaoehunter, the state of Dublin so- ciety, and the gross corruption of the Government at the close of George the Second's reign : but it is not very happily managed. It wants breadth, invention, and refinement. Mr. Daunt's jobs are too like the vulgar notion of jobbery. The idea is a very good one—the germ of an Irish Gil Bias, differing as Dublin differed from Madrid, and the racy Milesian squire of the eighteenth century from the Spaniard of the seventeenth; but Mr. Daunt lacked the humour, versatility, and spirit to carry out the idea successfully. With this picture of Irish corruption in- duced by English misrule is connected an attempt to depict the evil workings of religious penal laws, which is not more effective than the political delineation. The management of the love and romance parts of the story are about as deficient. Mr. Daunt wants dramatic power and inven- tion for scenes that pass beyond everyday occurrences; the in- cidents which carry on the story are poor, and the manner of ex- hibiting them fiat. In more level scenes the author has enough of the dramatist to bring out the Irish character, especially among the lower orders—his gentry generally have too much of the Saxon in them.

• The Gentleman in Debt ; a Novel. By William J. O'Neil/ Daunt, Esq., Author

.0 " Hugh Talbot," "Saints and Sinners," &c. In three volumes. Published by Newby.

The amusing qualities of The Gentleman in .Debt consist in jt sketches of character and manners descriptive of life in IreLtnci rather than as a story. • Perhaps the manners, too, are More conven- tional than real—the Irishman of the stage and fiction, rather than of life. There is, however, a pervading truth of an essential kind in the Irish love of place, and the deadening effect of this single object upon the Irishman's spirit and exertions, even theoretically ; for the idea of independent exertion never seems to cross his mind. that is, of exertion which is not connected with Government patron- age. Mr. Daunt, indeed, would ascribe this to the blighting in- fluence of the English domination ; but we are only speaking of

the fact.

The scenes, if too conventional, are often very amusing. This is the parting gift and advice of The O'Carroll, when Mautice has rather suddenly announced his determination to seek his fortune in Dublin. He is going in company with Julius Blake, who is bent upon extracting some preferment from the Ministry by service or opposition. " My father hid his face in his hands, and seemed much affected. At last he said, God prosper you, ray poor boy ! you are willing to repair, if you can, the mischiefs—I fear irreparable—that I have inflicted on your prospects. It is well to have Julius to advise you at a pinch—a knowing shot is Julius, and he means very well, I dare say. I heartily wish I could send you forth into the world in a style beseeming your ancient birth and just pretensions. As it is, I cannot give you a guinea ; for I may truly say, as I once heard M'Grail say in the Silver and gold I have none, but I'll give you what I have '—and that is a pair of tip-top duelling-pistols, my boy, and your father's blessing along with them. They are feather- springs, and I am confident that I put them into worthy hands. It has pleased Providence that you should be an excellent shot, and I feel certain that the honour of our house will not suffer in your keeping.' "Overcome with emotion, my father rose to get the pistols, which, in their neat mahogany case, reposed in his cabinet. When he placed them in my hands, he said in an emphatic manner, 'Never accept a slight from any man breathing. These are the lads' (touching the weapons as he spoke) that will bring a refractory customer to his senses. Look, my son, at these six notches on the handle of this one—every notch commemorates the death of some troublesome fellow. Two of them I winged in midsummer, and the wounds mortified; one of theta I shot through the thorax, one through the lime, and two through the heart. I thought I should have kept these pistols as long as I lived; but I feel it a solemn duty, as you are now going out into the world, my dear son, to bestow them upon you. Take them, my- boy, and may Heaven guide and prosper you in the use of thorn! Remember '—(and his voice faltered with emotion as he spoke the words)—' remember that when I shall be gathered to my fathers, you will be then The O'Carroll." ' On the road to Dublin, they come upon a gathering of the clan Blake, to which Maurice is invited through Julius. The convi- viality of the meeting is troubled, not by the presence of a death's head, but by an apparition which many had less rather see—a poor relation.

"Just at this moment the harmony of the meeting was disturbed by the sudden entrance of a dragoon-soldier, who opened the door of the apartment with some violence and slapped it as violently after him. This mar- tial apparition produced much more surprise on my part than on that of any other person present. In fact, the rest of the company surveyed the intruder with a gaze that evinced recognition—disagreeable recognition, no doubt, but still recognition. The possessor of Droumballyknoekawn was the first to reprove him for thrusting himself uninvited and unwelcome, among the company, and to threaten a complaint to his commanding-officer. The dragoon, however, stood his ground unmoved; and when the dignitary had concluded his tart and acrimonious admonition, he replied—

"'Uninvited and unwelcome, do you call me ? And if I be so, pray whose fault is that but yours, that ought to have invited me and made me welcome? Am I not a true Blake as any of you—only somewhat lower down in the world? Were not my grandfather and yours brothers, Mr: Collector? And is your own flesh and blood to be deemed unfit to keep you company, because, forsooth, he wears a coarse red coat ?' "It was evident the dragoon was resolved to call his kindred to a reckon- ing for leaving him out of their muster. The Member for Aloyeullen got up, and accosting him in a bland and courteous manner, tried to coax him to leave the room ; but the soldier had qualified himself for the encounter by copious draughts of John Barleycorn, and was not to be soothed with sweet words.

" There's as good as a round dozen of the present company,' said he, who would be in no better plight this day than myself, if it wasn't that you're sponging, in one shape or another, on the public. My father ran the same rig that most of you are running—he ran it a little too fast; but, faith, you'll soon overtake him. Stand bask!' he cried, very fiercely, drawing a pistol, with which he kept at bay six or eight stout Blokes, who had rein- forced the Member for Moycullen ; 'stand back, or, by 444, you'll find Me dangerous! You didn't ask me to your feast, though you'd let in that beg- garly spark, young O'Carroll, that hasn't one drop of Blake blood in his bodv. But his father is a gentleman'—because he gets drunk every day at his wine-merchant's cost, defies the sheriff, and ventures to show his nose out of doors upon Sunday '— The orator here defeated a movement to surprise him in flank and resumed—

"'1 have invited myself to your muster, and d—n me, if I'll have my visit for nothing! Make a handsome subscription for ins, now; and if you come down well, why, mayhap, I won't trouble my relations for a good while again.' "Wh—wh—what's all this ? stammered the Major, who had sunk into a drunken reverie, and was now beginning, from the farther end of the table, to have a hazy perception that some disturbance had occurred.

" Be quiet, Major,' said Knockfadda, fumbling for some silver in his pooket : 'it is only that unfortunate son of Phil Blake's, who enlisted; he says he'll go away if we give him some money.'

" ' Oh, give the poor devil something,' compassionately advised the sena- tor, feeling for his purse. 'Collector, you are the richest man amongst us ; I think you should been.'

"'I yield to the Church,' replied the Collector; the Dean could buy and sell me ten times over.'

"The Dean disclaimed the imputation of superior wealth; but, seeing the dragoon's eye fiercely fixed upon him with a gaze that combined ferocity and recklestmesst (the moral effect of the said ferocious look being greatly assisted by the upraised pistol,) the Dean, I say, under this influence, cut short his disclaimer, and threw a guinea on the table. The Collector, Knockfadda, Castle Blake, and Droumballyknockawn, immediately followed his example. But the soldier demurred to the amount tendered by the last-named person- ag-e=*Aii old-briatibler -eiin—UfbaTo Ve twice as generous as a man thit"-Ws sous to pull -his purio-strings open—a' guinea won't do,- old boy ! you Most gire. nie two.' 4" You infernal vagabond!' exclaimed. the itiocnsed proprietor,'fl-have you tried by a drum-head court-martial.' " 'Oh, give him the other guinea' 'Give it r 'Give it !' was pleaded upon all sides. 'Don't talk of courts-martial—remember the poor fellow is a "'Ay—my pistol may help you to remember it,' mutteitd the dragoon, as he walked past me to pocket the money. But this an't all ? there are More of ye yet to subscribe—Parson Blake, your tithes are 800/. a year ; -all I ask is a guinea or two out of that—you often have spent your money much

worse! •

"The parson submitted to the mulct. But as the obstreperous applicant proceeded, he found it more difficult to extort contributions. Many of the junior squires were next door to penniless, and surrendered their crown pieces and shillings with such rueful glances as might indicate a strong op- prehension of Tim. Costigan's unwillingness to give trust. Julius had con- trived, during the thickest of the mdlee to make his escape unperceived through an inner door. Doctor Toni Blake exhibited the emptiness of his pockets by turning them inside out ; assuring his military cousin with infi- nite pathos, that he had come to the feast in the hope of finding there some richer relative who might be generous enough to pay his lawimg. I pleaded immunity on the score of being no Blake and had my claim allowed, with a military curse or two. When at last the dragoon had got all he could ex- pect, he ended this singular scene by retreating as unceremoniously as he had entered, banging the door loudly after him."

Here is another little bit of farce, but laughable.

"My father now amused himself in writing cards to his intended guests, including the English officer who had been mentioned by Jack Walsh. A card was despatched to him in the customary style of our Milesian invitations, which, for the benefit of my readers on the Eastern side of the Irish sea, I transcribe= The O'Carroll and Madame O'Carroll present their compliments to Major and Mrs. Bullman, and request the honour of their company to din- ner at five o'clock on Thursday next.' "'Castle Carroll, Monday.' "It so fell out that gunman, who, being a stranger, was perfectly un- acquainted with the style assumed by the representatives of ancient Celtic families, was extremely perplexed by my father's hereditary designation. Prior to answering the card, he chanced to meet Bodkin, whom he slightly knew, and to whom he immediately applied for information. This is the oddest thing, Mr. Bodkin!' said the Major; 'I have got an invitation from a gentleman who does not call himself Mister, but prefixes The to his name ; and his lady is Madame. Can you explain it all ?

"'Oh dear, yes!' replied Bodkin; it is the universal custom in this part of the world ; and if you wish to pay a particular compliment, the rule is, that you must adopt precisely the same style yourself in your reply.' " ' Certainly, whatever is right,' said the unsuspecting Major ; I wish to conform to the etiquette of the country in everything.' "Acting under the treacherous instructions of Bodkin, the Major wrote the following answer : The Bullman and Madame Millman present their compliments to Mr. and Mrs. O'Carroll, and will have the honour of accept- ing their invitation to dinner on Thursday next.'

"Woods are indeed faint to describe my father's rage on receiving this answer. He stamped, stormed, and swore the English rascal should pay for his audacious insult : How dares he ridicule my hereditary title with his rascally Bullman parody ? The fellow shall fight me in the hall, since my evil fate confines me to the house.'"