The true northerner., 1875-06-11

Morpheus. After an hour had elapsed,
Morgan opened his eyes and Intercepted
his friend thus
Has anything happenedT
"To be sure there has, said the other.
Has there, by the powers !" exclaim-
ed Morgan, pricking mp his ears in the
plenitude of his anxiety to learn what it
was.
"Yes, Morgan, and something very
important, too"
"Be jabbers, then, and why don't you
be afther telling it me at onoel What
was it about"
"About the virtues of the Irish potato,
Morgan"
"was it the Irish potato You said,
Peter?"
"The Irish potato and most
eloquent speech it was.
"Thunder and lightning, then, and
why don't you tell it me at oncei"
"I1l read it from my notebook, Morgan,
and you can take it down rs 1 go on,
said Peter.
"Och, its myself, shure, that's ready
at any time to write what mimber says
about our praties. Are You ready to
begin Z"
"Quite ready" said Peter.
"Now then," said Morgan, with an
energy which strangely contrasted with
the previous languor of his manner
"now then, Peter, my boy"
Peter, affecting to read from his note
book, commenced thus:
"The honorable member said that
il"
"Och, be aisy a bit," interrupted
Morgan "who was the honorable MINI
Der 2"
Peter, hesitating for moment, "Was
it the name you asked" Sure it was
Mr.. Wilberforce.
"Mr. Wilberforce! Och, very well,
then"
Peter resumed: "Mr. Wilberforce
said that it always appeared to him be-
yond all question that the great cause
why Irish laborers were, as q body, so
much stronger and capable Of enduring
so much greater physical fatigue than
the English, was the surprising virtue of
their potato. And he"
"Peter, my dear fellow" shouted
Morgan, at the mention OF the Irish
potato, his countenance lighting up with
ecstasy as he spoke, "Peter, my dear
fellow, this is so important that we must
give it in the first person.
"Do You think So" said Peter.
"Troth, and do, answered Morgan
every well" said the other.
Peter then resumed "And ! have no
doubt" continued Mr.. Wilberforce,
"that had it not been my lot to be born
and reared in"
"Did the miraber say reared ?" inter
rupted Morgan, exultingly, evidently
associating the word with the growth of
potatoes in his own blessed country"
"Faith, and he did say reared" OBJ
served the other, who then resumed:
"'Had it been my lot to be born and
reared in Ireland where my food would
have principally consisted of the potato
that most nutritious and salubrious
root-instead of being the poor, infirm,
shriveled, stunted creature you, sir, and
the honorable gentlemen now behold
me, 1 would have been tall, stout, ath-
letic man, and able to carry an enormous
weight"
Here Morgan O'Sullivan observed,
looking his friend eagerly in the face:
Faith, Peter, and that's what 1 call
thrue eloquence Go on"
"I hold continued Mr.. Wilberforce,
that root to be invaluable; and the man
who first cultivated it in Ireland, 1 re-
gard as benefactor of the first magni-
tude to his country. Andmore than that,
my decided opinion is that never until
we grow potatoes in England in sufficient
,,,,on{,t.aa 20 faaI oil Lob xx.,I1
those laborers be so able-bodied class
as the Irish. ('Hear, hear = from both
sides of the House,"
"Well, by st. Patrick, but that bates
everything" observed Morgan, on finish
ing his notes. "That's rale philosophy.
And the other members cried, Hear,
hear' did theys"
"The other members cried Hear,
hear 7" answered Peter.
In quarter of an hour afterward the
House rose.
Peter went away direct to the office OF
the paper-the Morning Chronicle, for
which he was employed; while Morgan,
in perfect ecstasies ut the eulogium
which had been pronounced on the vir-
tues of the potatoes of "ould Ireland;"
ran in breathless haste to public house
where the reporters, who should have
been on duty for the other morning pa
pers, were assembled, and, having CON-
municated to them the important speech
which they had by their absence missed,
they asked him to read over his notes to
them, which, of course, Morgan readily
did. They copied them verbatim, and
not being at the time in the best possible
condition for Judging of the probability
of Mr.. Wilberforce delivering such
speech, they repaired to their respective
offices, and actually gave a copy of it
into the hands of the printer. Next
morning it appeared in all the papers,
except the one with which Peter Finner-
ty was connected. The sensation and
surprise it created in town exceeded
everything. Had it only appeared in
one or two of the papers, persons Of or
binary intelligence must at once have
concluded that there was some mistake
about the matter. But its appearance
in all of the journals except one, and
that one at the time not so well known
as at other periods of its history, the fact
forced, as it were, people to the conclu-
sion that it must have been actually
spoken. The inference was plain. Every