CURRAN.

$27 to attend the hoase of commons, and detail the debates there, with due attention to the ministérial speakers, whose speeches were either very partially given, or wholly sup- pressed, in the popular prints of the day.i To this gen- tleman, who was certainly a man of very competent ability, and who was sitting in the gallery one night, Mr. Curran, in one of his phillipies against the profusion of ministers, alluded personally, by a veryl gross epithet, charging "ministers with " sending a miscreant into that gallery, at the public expensey to misrepresent the speeches of inembers on that side of the house." He mentioned no name; and if he had, it would have been a breach of pri- vilege to call a member to account out of doors for words uttered in parliament. The next day, however, this gen- tleman saw Mr. Curran in the street, in company with his friend Mr. Egao, and shook bis walking-stick at him across the way. Mr. Curran, perhaps, thinking it beneath his dignity to notice the person from whom this affront pro- ceeded, took another course, which he probably thought more honourable, and which was to send lis friend Mr Egan, with a message to the chief secretary, Major Hobart (the late Earl of Buckinghamshire) demanding this alterbative-either, that he should immiediately di miss the offender from his place in the customs, or meet Mr. Currau in the field. Major Hobart, with great calm- ness, answered that he had nothing to do with the private quarrels of the geutleman in question ; nor could he assume any control over his conduct beyond the line of hisboffice: but, as he bad always understood he was a faithful public officer in the discharge of his duty, he cer- tainly could not think of dismissing him for the private cause stated. Mr. Egan then mentioned the other alter- native: to which Major Hobart replied, that it was some- what singular he should be called on thus by a gentleman with whom he bad no personal difference; however, he Is- this al was a soldier, and did not consider himself at liberty to decline the invitation. The parties inet, with their seconds. Mr. Curran called on his antagonist to fire first. Major