Mr. Bianconi must now have been in good
circumstances, as he settled two thousand pounds upon his wife on
their marriage-day. His early married life was divided between
his cars, electioneering, and Repeal agitation--for he was always
a great ally of O'Connell. Though he joined in the Repeal
movement, his sympathies were not with it; for he preferred
Imperial to Home Rule. But he could never deny himself the
pleasure of following O'Connell, "right or wrong."
Let us give a picture of Bianconi now. The curly-haired Italian
boy had grown a handsome man. His black locks curled all over
his head like those of an ancient Roman bust. His face was full
of power, his chin was firm, his nose was finely cut and
well-formed; his eyes were keen and sparkling, as if throwing out
a challenge to fortune. He was active, energetic, healthy, and
strong, spending his time mostly in the open air. He had a
wonderful recollection of faces, and rarely forgot to recognise
the countenance that he had once seen. He even knew all his
horses by name. He spent little of his time at home, but was
constantly rushing about the country after business, extending
his connections, organizing his staff, and arranging the centres
of his traffic.
To return to the car arrangements. A line was early opened from
Clonmel --which was at first the centre of the entire
connection--to Cork; and that line was extended northward,
through Mallow and Limerick.
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