The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-04-05


tons fine service of silver plate, worth about
twelve thousand dollars, was in pawn with
Mr.. Grace, q we'll known jeweler in Dame
street, Dublin, who often advanced money,
with all an uncle's kindness to distressed in.
dividuals who could deposit with him the
safe security of valuable property. Bar
rington, who determined that his last din
ner in Dublin should be long remembered
for its magni6cence, and whose credit with
wine merchant, butcher, poulterer, fishmon.
ger, fruiterer, and grocer was very good,
determined that his guests should eat on
silver. He knew that Grace would not
part with the silver dinner-service without
full pay of all the advance made upon it.
He luckily caught Grace at his door, and,
after some conversation on general topics
said /: "By the way, Grace, you have never
dined with me. I shall have little dinner
next week. The Lord Lieutenant and Mr..
Peel will be of the party, and if you will
join it, shall take suitable opportunity
OF recommending you to both of them, and
can tell you, my boy, that if do, it is
almost certain that you will have heavy
orders from both, as l heard Peel say, few
days ago, that he thought it the duty of
1ilSu OiuCioAo W opCuu GAOiI AuOomCo III
Ireland, where they received it. He is
counting Miss Floyd, you know, and the
marriage. outfit will be splendid" Mr..
Grace was literally astonished as well as
charmed, with the prospect of dining in
company, at the table Of the Admiralty
Judge, with the Viceroy and chief secretary
of Ireland-to say nothing of the prospec-
tive advantages. He gratefully accepted
Sir Jonah's invitation for that day week,
and talked, condescendingly to his neighbors
about his coming honor. Until the forenoon
of the intended feast day, Darlington never
revisited Mr.. Grace. On the forenoon,
however, he happened, accidentally, as 1t
was) again to come across the rotund jew
eler and money lender, who, as before, was
airing himself at his shop door. "Don't for
get" he said, "that we dine at sharp seven.
BY the way, do you know any respectable
shop where man may have use of
little china, by paying for it?" Mr.. Grace
named Mr.. Kerr, in Chapel street, the most
extensive china dealer in dublin. "The
fact u.s." Sir Jonah continued, ri ought to
give Lord Whiteworth and his friends
dinner upon plate, but 1 am too hard up at
present to release the service of mine which
you have in safe custody, SO we must SUBJ
stitute china and make shift with that" At
once there rushed through Grace's mind
the idea that as he had manufactured Sir
Jonah's dinner service, certainly one of the
finest in Dublin, in would be capital policy
to have it on the table, as specimen of his
work, whenever Sir Jonah should introduce
the subject of luis skill as worker in pre-
cious metals. Frankly, then, he offered to
lend the plate to Sir Jonah for the dinner
Ito take 1t with him little before the
appointed dinner hour, and see it placed on
the table, and at the close of the banquet to
take the plate chests back with him to his
own shop. Thus, Sir Jonah Barrington's
friends did eat from silver, after all, and Sir
Jonah, true to his word, introduced Mr..
Grace, the plump jeweler, to his distin-
guished guests, who promised to btstew
portion of their patronage upon him. The
entertainment passed off most cOnvivially, as
was the habit of the time and place, and we
believe that some of the guests did not pre-
cisely recollect. on waking, at what hour,
or by what means, or in what house they
had gone to bed. Mr.. Grace did not wake
till eight the next morning, and was not
long in ascertaining that, precisely two
hours earlier, his liberal host, Sir Jonah
Darlington, had quietly quilted the house,
carefully taking the plate chests with him,
and was on his way, in the mail packet from
Dunleary, to HOlyhead-the next vessel not
sailing (for this was before steaming) until
the following morning. M
1t is fact that this comical Irish Judge,
who entertained Viceroys and Chief Secre-
taries, actually ran off with his own plate,
leaving Mr.. Grace in the lurch. Nor at
any subsequent period was reparation made.
Had poor man committed crime like
this, he would have been transported or i'm.
prisoned for life, but, when the offender was
rollicking Irish Judge, who had debts to
the amount of 100000, Dublin society only
laughed at his felony as good joke, and
remarked that it was so like Sir Jonah to
wind up by stealing his own property. So
that swndling only is good joke when the
culprit wears broadcloth and gives good
dinners. Such was the morality of the
times of Sheridan and Darlington; of
course, society is so we'll constituted for
such tricks noa0 y! of course fashionable
folks and such public persons are remarka-
bly, virtuous now ; even though we do hear
| VI ucldultcIS, duu OOuSTcSS las ulOTC Iudu
limited at the robbery of Indian bonds.
Sheridan, even when he had not shil-
ling in his pocket, would still feast his
friends. He had credit, and he freely
used it. He heard of young mans inten.
ton to pay all his bills on dropping into a
large legacy, and seriously demonstrated on
wasting money in that way.
But" we are told, "his finest tricks
were undoubtedly those by which he turn
ed, harlequin-like, creditor into lender.
This was done by sheer force of persuasion,
by assuming lofty indignation, or by put
ting forth his claims to mercy with the most
touching eloquence, over which he would
laugh heartily when his point was gained.
He was often compelled to do this during
his theatrical management; when trou.
5lesome creditor might have interfered with
the success OF the establishment, with a writ
of 1850, the latter handed him, instead,