Twenty Years' Recollections of an Irish Police MagistratePorter, Frank Thorpe
History
Twenty Years' Recollections of an Irish Police Magistrate
Porter, Frank Thorpe
Crime -- Ireland; Criminals -- Ireland; Ireland -- Social life and customs; Porter, Frank Thorpe, 1801-1882
Several months elapsed after the exciting and gratifying demonstrations
to which I have last adverted, during which time we had profound
quietude, and a total cessation of political turmoils. I cannot
recollect any incident, public or official, which I would consider worth
a reader's notice. I shall mention, however, that there was then here an
individual character with whom I had occasional communication, and from
whom I derived considerable amusement almost every time we met. He was a
man of high military rank, holding an important garrison appointment.
Kind, courteous, and affable, he had, nevertheless, some extraordinary
prejudices, which I took every opportunity to induce him to express. He
was a Scotchman, who insisted that his country and its people were
superior to every other region and race, and who did not hesitate to
disparage any attempt to assign even an equality with the Scotch to the
natives of any other kingdom. His greatest explosions of indignation
seemed specially reserved for a comparison, if at all favourable, of the
Irish with the Scotch. Consequently, I boldly ascribed a manifest
superiority to my countrymen over his in intelligence, integrity,
diligence, neatness, promptitude of action, and all other estimable
qualities which could be evinced in either peaceful or martial
avocations; so that I was sure to produce a denial of all my statements,
and a suggestion that I should never repeat them without blushing. Still
I persevered, and enjoyed the excitement which my expressions elicited.
A few days before he left Dublin we had a conference, and, as usual, I
boasted of Burke, Grattan, Curran, Goldsmith, Moore, Sheridan,
Wellington, Gough, &c. He insisted that Scotland could produce equal or
perhaps superior characters, if she had the opportunity. I remarked that
even when Irishmen engaged in nefarious criminal pursuits, they evinced
superior dexterity, and that our thieves were peculiarly knowing and
adroit. "Your thieves!" he exclaimed, "I'll be d----d if we haven't
thieves in Edinburgh or Glasgow that your Dublin fellows couldn't hold a
candle to."
A POLICE BILL STIGMATISED.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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