sers had not come into fashion,) and sat down to work again in downright earnest. Mr. Powell, a jolly apothecary, (till he was killed, by singing I suppose,) led, in my time, the vocal band; and after a dozen speeches, accompanied by numerous replenishments of the jugs, &c. every body who had any thing to do in the morning generally withdrew, leaving the rest of the loyalists to finish the last drop.

The idea of "Orange Societies" arose, in my opinion, from this association. I believe it exists still; but has, I understand, degenerated into a sort of half-mounted club;-not exclusive enough for gentlemen, and too fine for wig-makers: it has sunk into a paltry and unimportant corporate utensil.

I recollect an amusing circumstance which many years back occurred in this lodge. Until politics grew too hot, Napper Tandy and several other of the patriots were aldermen: but finding that ultra-loyalty was making way too fast for their notions, they sought some fair opportunity of seceding from the club, stealing the mace, and regenerating the whole board and establishment of Skinners'-alley! and the opportunity was not long wanting.

An apothecary, of the name of M'Mahon, had become an alderman solely to avoid being considered a friend of the Pope: this, in point of reality, he was; but since, at that period, his creed was not the popular one, he conceived that he might thrive better in his business by appearing a staunch Protestant; or at least might learn by association, some valuable secrets, and then betray them to his own sect.

But McMahon, although a clever person, was, like many an honest fellow, vastly more candid when he got "the sup in" than he had ever intended to be; indeed, in these circumstances, whatever a man thinks often comes out in spite of him, as if it disagreed with his liquor! Thus one unfortunate night, "Doctor M Mahon, the apothecary," (as he was termed in Armiger-street,) having made too free amongst his brother-aldermen and being completely overmastered by the blue jug, forgot his company, and began to speak rather unkindly of King William. His worthy associates, who had made similar applications to the blue and white, took fire at this sacrilege offered to their patron saint: one word brought on another;the Doctor grew outrageous; and, in his paroxysm, (not having the fear of flogging before his eyes,) actually damned King William! proceeding, in the enthusiasm of his popery, most thoughtlessly for himself and for the unhappy king's bust then staring before him, to strike it with his huge fat fist plump in the face!

The bust immediately showed most evident and marvellous

symptoms of maltreatment by the apothecary; its beautiful virgin white marble appearing to be actually stained with blood! This miracle caused one of the aldermen to roar out in a fright, "That villain, M'Mahon, has broken the king's nose!". "The king's nose?" ran throughout the room: some, who had been dozing, hearing this cry of high treason from every quarter, rose and rushed with the rest upon the Doctor: his clothes were soon turned into ribbons, and the cry of "throw him out of the window!" was unanimously and resolutely adopted: the window was opened; the Doctor, after exerting all his muscular powers, (and he was a strong, active man) was compelled to yield to numbers, and out he went into the street, very much to the ease and satisfaction of the loyal aldermen. The window was now closed again, the "Glorious Memory" drunk, the king's nose washed clean from the blood, formerly belonging to the Doctor's knuckles, (which his majesty's feature had unmercifully scarified) and all restored to peace and tranquillity.

As for the poor Doctor, out he went, as we have said, clean and cleverly, one good story. But (whether through chance or Providence we will not pretend to determine,) fortunately. for him, a lamp and lamp-iron stood immediately under the window whereby he had made so sudden an exit! Hence, the Doctor's route downwards was impeded by a crash against the lamp; the glass and other materials all yielded to the precious weight, and very probably prevented the pavement from having the honour of braining him: he held a moment by the iron, and then dropped quite gently into the arms of a couple of guardians of the night, who, attracted by the uproar in the room above, and seeing the window open, and the Doctor getting out feet foremost, conceived that it was only a drunken frolic, and so placed themselves underneath "to keep the gentleman out of the gutter."

The Doctor scarcely waited to thank his preservers, set out pretty well sobered to his home, and the next day, summoning all the humane and patriotic aldermen, to whom he told his own story, they determined to secede and set up a new corps at the King's Arms in Fowns'-street. The old aldermen defended their conduct as loyal subjects; the others stigmatized it as the act of a set of man-slaughterers: these old and young guards of the British Constitution from that day set about advertising each other, and making proselytes on either side; and the Orange and United Irishmen parties gained as many recruiting serjeants by the fracas, as there were permanents or seceders amongst those illustrious aldermen.

As nothing is so much calculated to gratify the aldermen of Skinners'-alley as anecdotes respecting his Holiness the Pope,

or their eminencies the cardinals, I am happy in being enabled to afford them one, of which I was an eye-witness. I had the honour of touching his Holiness's bull to the late Sir Francis Gould, (of gallant memory) and of seeing the beautiful candles therewith-six feet and an inch in their sockets: and if the saving clause in the bull should disappoint the aldermen, they must blame the caution of Cardinal Gonsalvi for having it inserted (though, I believe, a lay cardinal.) I regret that at present I can furnish them with no other anecdotes of the kind, (at least that came within my own knowledge;) but the following will serve excellently well to elucidate the Pope's bulls of absolution.

A few years since, the present Sir John Bourke, of Glinsk, Bart., travelled with his new-married lady and establishment to Rome-not solely for his pleasure, but, as an Irish Catholic, to pay his respects to the Pope, kiss his Holiness's toe, and purchase antiquities.

The late Sir Francis Gould, then at Paris, requested Sir John (before me) that as he fancied he felt himself in a declining state of health, and unable to travel so far as Rome, he (Sir John) would take the proper steps, through Cardinal Gonsalvi, to procure him from his Holiness a bull of plenary absolution, and, if possible, an indulgence also; adding that Sir John might hint to the Cardinal, that he intended to bequeath a good deal of his property amongst the clergy,

Sir John undertook the matter,-proceeded to Rome,-saw the Cardinal, and, as far as the absolution went, succeeded. He was himself at the same time created "Marchese de Bourke of the Holy Roman Empire;" and a bull was duly made out for Sir Francis Gould, at very considerable expense. Sir John received also a couple of blessed candles, six feet long, to burn whilst the bull was being read. Its express terms, and conditions, however, were:-" Provided the penitent, Sir Francis Gould, should not again voluntarily commit the same sins now forgiven;" (which list included nearly all the sins the Cardinal could think of!) in the other case, the forgiveness would be void, and the two sets of sins come slap upon the soul of Sir Francis at once, no doubt with compound interest;—and which nothing but severe penance, some hundred full masses, and a great deal of mass-money, would ever be able to bring him through.

Sir John having brought home the bull magnificently enclosed, and sewed up in a silk bag, sealed officially by the Cardinal, informed Sir Francis (as we were all dining together at Bourke's Hotel) that he had that day unpacked his luggage, had the Pope's bull perfectly safe, and would hand it to him instantly.

Sir Francis asked him its exact purport. "I have had two others," said he; "but they are null, for I sinned again, and so can't depend upon them."/

Sir John informed him of the purport, so far as his Latin went: when Sir Francis calmly said, "My dear Bourke, don't give me the bull yet awhile: its operation, I find, is only retrospective, and does not affect sins committed after its delivery: why did you not bring me one that would answer always?"

"Such a one would cost a damned deal more," replied Sir John.

"Well, then," said Sir Francis, send it to me in about ten days or a fortnight—not sooner: it will answer then pretty well, as I am about taking away a beautiful young creature, my landlady's daughter, next week, and I should have that sin to answer for, if you gave me the bull before I had her clean out of Paris!",

He kept his word, took off the girl, then got the absolution; and in a very short time, poor fellow! was afforded, by death, an opportunity of trying its efficacy.

PROCESSION OF THE TRADES.

Dublin corporation anecdote-Splendid triennial procession of the Dublin corporation, called Fringes (franchises) described.

NOTHING can better show the high opinion entertained by the Irish of their own importance, and particularly by that celebrated body called the corporation of Dublin, than the following incident. Mr. Willis, a leather-breeches-maker in Dame-street, and a famous orator at the corporation meetings, holding forth one day about the parochial watch (a subject which he considered as of the utmost general importance) discoursed as follows:-"This, my friends, is a subject neither trifling nor obscure; the character of our corporation is at stake on your decision!-recollect," continued he, "recollect, brother freemen, that the eyes of all Europe are upon us!"

One of the customs of Dublin which prevailed in my early days made such a strong impression upon my mind, that it never could be obliterated. The most magnificent and showy procession, I really believe, except those of Rome, then took place in the Irish metropolis every third year, and attracted a number of English quite surprising, if we take into account the great difficulty existing at that time with regard to travelling from London to Dublin.

The corporation of the latter city were by the terms of their charter bound, once in three years, to perambulate the limits of the lord mayor's jurisdiction, to make stands or stations at various points, and to skirt the earl of Meath's liberties-a part of the city at that era in great prosperity, but forming a local jurisdiction of its own, (in the nature of a manor,) totally distinct from that of Dublin.

This procession being in fact partly intended to mark and to designate the extreme boundaries of his Lordship's jurisdiction, at those points where they touch the Earl of Meath's liberty, the lord mayor thrust his sword through the wall of a certain house; and then concluded the ceremony by approaching the sea at low water, and hurling a javelin as far upon the sands as his strength admitted, which was understood to form the boundary between him and Neptune.

The trade of Dublin is comprised of twenty-five corpora