of their conceptions and capacities.  Thus for many weary months, with his energies, as it were, chained down to a cold stone, toiled and strove Thomas Davis.  His influence first began to be felt as chairman of a sub-committee on the registers.  This position afforded him an opportunity of entering into correspondence with the leading politicians of the party, and whenever he saw in any man’s replies evidence of depth, capacity or earnestness, he at once entered into friendly and unreserved communication, exhorting him in language full of passionate entreaty.  In these, his early efforts, John Dillon shared his labours, his ambition and his heart.

[Illustration:  Truly yours, Thomas Davis.]

About this time Mr. Stanton, proprietor of the Morning Register, committed to the two young graduates the writing of his journal.  His preference was not so much owing to their character as politicians as it was to their pre-eminence in literary attainments.  The press of Dublin had then sunk to the lowest level.  Newspaper literature had even fallen, too.  It was divided into three sections, each of which was the whining slave of one or other of the great predominating factions of the country.  The Register was generally regarded as ranking among the mercenaries of the Castle.  But no sooner did it fall into the hands of the college friends than all Dublin was startled by the originality, vigour and brilliancy of its articles.  When the Whigs were about retiring they determined on a gross and scandalous abuse of power for the purpose of rewarding an unscrupulous partisan, even though it involved an affront to one of their oldest and ablest friends, the then Irish Chancellor.  That man was Lord Plunket, who had served the Whigs so faithfully, honourably and fearlessly.  He was commanded to retire in order to make room for Sir John Campbell, who was thereby to be qualified for the English peerage.

The stipendiaried journals of the Castle exhausted their adulation, and had received their last reward for upholding the appointment.  The Tory press, hungry for the spoil which it maddened the others to lose, paid back the compliments by intense vituperation.  The slang of party warfare was bandied in the usual fashion, without thought or a care beyond the interest of party.  The Register, to everybody’s astonishment, took up the one cause not represented, namely, that of the country.  Davis denounced the appointment as an insult to that country, and with a bold hand vindicated the superiority of its Bar, without any reference to party, above the adventurers whom each faction placed over it in turn.