during Mr. O’Connell’s absence at Derrynane.  The effort was continued after his arrival in town, which led to differences of opinion with him, in committee.  Sinecure situations, created by him, were abolished, and inquiries were instituted which gave him great annoyance.  He particularly resented and resisted the removal from one of those offices of Doctor Nagle.  Doctor Nagle was appointed to be “curator of manuscripts”, the ostensible duty of which was to superintend the reports (then daily issuing from the press, and written for the most part by the Seceders) for the purpose of preventing the publication of anything illegal or dangerous.  In effect, he was nominally, literary, legal and moral censor.  But the unanimous and loud indignation of the essayists rendered his task a light one.  He was content to accept the salary and leave those gentlemen the guardians of their own safety, their character and literary fame.  Doctor Nagle continued to act as librarian and, weekly, delivered to the secretary certain lists of contributions that had been previously furnished him by that gentleman.  His salary and certain fees given to other “patriots,” came under the cognisance of a sub-committee consisting, as well as I remember, of the present member for Dublin,[7] a Mr. O’Meara and someone whose name I now forget.  Their report adjudged the office useless, and recommended its immediate abolition.  A motion was accordingly made in committee for Doctor Nagle’s dismissal.  Mr. O’Connell was in the chair.  All his sons were present, one of whom, I think, moved an amendment to the effect that he be continued at his then salary.  A division took place, when the majority against the amendment was considerably over two to one.  Mr.

O’Connell expressed himself deeply mortified at this result.  Another amendment to the same effect was then proposed and negatived by a majority numerically somewhat less, when Sir Colman O’Loghlen moved, and John Loyd Fitzgerald seconded, an amendment to the effect that he be continued as clerk of the library at half his salary, that is L50 a year.  The result would have been the same as before but that many of the majority had withdrawn under the impression that the question was disposed of; the number for the amendment was twenty-two, and the number against only twenty-three.  Mr. O’Connell assumed the right to give two votes, one as member, which made the numbers equal, and a casting vote as chairman.  It was then proposed and carried that every chairman should in future have two votes, and Sir Colman’s amendment was allowed to pass in the affirmative.  Doctor Nagle continued to fill his office until his appointment to a more lucrative one under the Whig Government.

The Eighty-Two Club which was projected in prison was finally organised in January, 1845.  The differences which manifested themselves in Conciliation Hall imperceptibly extended to this body.  The original members constituted the committee and were self-appointed.  The others had to submit to a ballot.  Some few were rejected, at which Mr. O’Connell’s friends took umbrage, and the rejected aspirants were sure to attribute their decision to their devotion to the “Liberator.”  Thus it happened that most objectionable candidates could not be resisted without incurring the imputation of opposing and thwarting the “saviour of his country.”