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THE CHOICE OF A LEADER.

No. III.

Feb. 20, 1815.

ALREADY (ere WHITBREAD or TIERNEY could close)
Brimful of a speech-on the tip of his toes-
With figure and visage so shrivel'd and weazen,
Already, nine times, little NEWPORT * had risen.

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One often has seen Savoyards, at a fair, Display the joint feats of a monkey and bear The bear dancing solemnly, while at his back Sits wriggle-tail, mischievous, jabbering Jack; Who, soon as old Bruin has finish'd his

prance, Starts up, in a twinkling, to chatter and dance. And thus, of the party which we are reviewing,

Old NEWPORT is Jacko and WHITBREAD is Bruin.+

* Sir John Newport, Bart. M. P. for Waterford.-E.
+ Quere, Brewing.

The speech Jacko utter'd, what pen can describe? "Abuse-peculation--corruption and bribe→→→ "Knave, jobber, and bigot-defaulter and rogue—” Were the civilest words of his voluble brogue. "The Meeting," he hoped, " would a leader elect, "Whose courage and skill might such culprits detect; "Whose zeal would not think it was going too far "To summon some thousands of rogues to the bar; "For him, he profess'd that he never would fail, "To examine each case in the greetest detail : "And that he already was furnish'd with plenty "To last him 'till March eighteen hundred and

twenty.

"Would summon two Boards-the Excise and the

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Stamps;

Eight Post-office clerks-five contractors for

lamps

(Against the last mention'd he'd prove beyond doubt

"At three in the morning, seven burners were out);

"The Lord Mayor of Dublin-who, as it is said, “On the first of July wore an Orange cockade"A Weigher and Deputy-weigher at Cork, "Who sunk half an ounce in one barrel of pork, "And (scarcely his tongue his abhorrence could utter) "Overcharg'd thirteen pounds in a cargo of butter.

"He also could shew, in direct violation "Of law, that a peer in an eminent station "Had brought to his Lady in this very town "A remnant of poplin to make her a gown.

3

"He further could state, that in plain contravention

"Of (if not the letter,) at least the intention
"Of that Act of Union so dear to us all,
"The Holyhead packets are vastly too small;-
"In blankets and basins but scantily found ;-
"And charging a Guinea instead of a Pound.

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"He pledged himself also to prove upon oath,

(Though the facts were obscure, and the witnesses loth,)

"That a gauger, last winter, named TIMOTHY MILLER,

"Had accepted a dram from a Dublin distiller.

"He'd prove that a Protestant Justice of Peace "Had wantonly seized a poor Catholic's geese "For arrears of his rent; though the fact would appear

"That the tenant was barely three years in arrear ; "And this very Justice, for reasons unknown, "At midsummer fair of Maccollopmahone, "Had dared to arrest a poor Popish Defendant, "For stealing a string-with a pig at the end on't!"

At last, he concluded-" Abuses like these "Are points which a Whig Opposition should seize : "And no man unpractised in Irish debate

"Is fit to conduct the affairs of the State.

"And, as to the rest, I will dare to advance, "Against even TIERNEY, my skill in finance;

"And WHITBREAD himself should acknowledge my right,

"Who have spoken with ease forty times in one night; "If any man doubts me, on this very floor, "And this very day, I will speak forty more."

"We grant it-we grant it-there's no man can

doubt,

"You could talk till Christmas," was echoed about:
And the Judges, in fright, took no pains to conceal
They wanted no proof of his lungs or his zeal;
But said, that a leader should sometimes permit
The rest of the party to flourish a bit :

Should have, they declared, some attention to fact,
A spice of good-nature, some candour, some tact;
Their friends would scarce choose, for his talent and
rank,

The partner or clerk in a small country bank

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