At
Waterford he did a good trade in small prints. Besides the
Scripture pieces, he sold portraits of the Royal Family, as well
as of Bonaparte and his most distinguished generals. "Bony" was
the dread of all magistrates, especially in Ireland. At Passage,
near Waterford, Bianconi was arrested for having sold a leaden
framed picture of the famous French Emperor. He was thrown into
a cold guard-room, and spent the night there without bed, or
fire, or food. Next morning he was discharged by the magistrate,
but cautioned that he must not sell any more of such pictures.
Many things struck Bianconi in making his first journeys through
Ireland. He was astonished at the dram-drinking of the men, and
the pipe-smoking of the women. The violent faction-fights which
took place at the fairs which he frequented, were of a kind which
he had never before observed among the pacific people of North
Italy. These faction-fights were the result, partly of
dram-drinking, and partly of the fighting mania which then
prevailed in Ireland. There were also numbers of crippled and
deformed beggars in every town,--quarrelling and fighting in the
streets,--rows and drinkings at wakes,--gambling, duelling, and
riotous living amongst all classes of the people,--things which
could not but strike any ordinary observer at the time, but which
have now, for the most part, happily passed away.
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