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Men of Invention and Industry-Part37_Samuel Smiles(1812-1904)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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burst!" "You are so very pleasant," said the magistrate, "that



you will have to spend forty-eight hours in gaol."

He was re-elected Mayor in the following year, very much against



his wish. He now began to buy land, for "land hunger" was strong

upon him. In 1846 he bought the estate of Longfield, in the



parish of Boherlahan, county of Tipperary. It consisted of about

a thousand acres of good land, with a large cheerful house



overlooking the river Suir. He went on buying more land, until

he became possessor of about eight thousand English acres.



One of his favourite sayings was: "Money melts, but land holds

while grass grows and water runs." He was an excellent landlord,



built comfortable houses for his tenantry, and did what he could

for their improvement. Without solicitation, the Government



appointed him a justice of the peace and a Deputy-lientenant for

the county of Tipperary. Everything that he did seemed to



thrive. He was honest, straightforward, loyal, and law-abiding.

On first taking possession of his estate at Longfield, he was met



by a procession of the tenantry, who received him with great

enthusiasm. In his address to them, he said, amongst other



things: "Allow me to impress upon you the great importance of

respecting the laws. The laws are made for the good and the



benefit of society, and for the punishment of the wicked. No one

but an enemy would counsel you to outrage the laws. Above all



things, avoid secret and unlawful societies. Much of the

improvement now going on amongst us is owing to the temperate



habits of the people, to the mission of my much respected friend,

Father Mathew, and to the advice of the Liberator. Follow the



advice of O'Connell; be temperate, moral, peaceable; and you will

advance your country, ameliorate your condition, and the blessing



of God will attend all your efforts."

Bianconi was always a great friend of O'Connell. From an early



period he joined him in the Catholic Emancipation movement. He

took part with him in founding the National Bank in Ireland. In



course of time the two became more intimately related.

Bianconi's son married O'Connell's granddaughter; and O'Connell's



nephew, Morgan John, married Bianconi's daughter. Bianconi's son

died in 1864, leaving three daughters, but no male heir to carry



on the family name. The old man bore the blow of his son's

premature death with fortitude, and laid his remains in the



mortuary chapel, which he built on his estate at Longfield.

In the following year, when he was seventy-eight, he met with a



severe accident. He was overturned, and his thigh was severely

fractured. He was laid up for six months, quite incapable of



stirring. He was afterwards able to get about in a marvellous

way, though quite crippled. As his life's work was over, he



determined to retire finally from business; and he handed over

the whole of his cars, coaches, horses, and plant, with all the



lines of road he was then working, to his employes, on the most

liberal terms.



My youngest son met Mr. Bianconi, by appointment, at the Roman

Catholic church at Boherlahan, in the summer of 1872. Although



the old gentleman had to be lifted into and out of his carriage

by his two men-servants, he was still as active-minded as ever.



Close to the church at Boherlahan is Bianconi's mortuary chapel,

which he built as a sort of hobby, for the last resting-place of



himself and his family. The first person interred in it was his

eldest daughter, who died in Italy; the second was his only son.



A beautiful monument with a bas-relief has been erected in the

chapel by Benzoni, an Italian sculptor, to the memory of his



daughter.

"As we were leaving the chapel," my son informs me, "we passed a



long Irish car containing about sixteen people, the tenants of

Mr. Bianconi, who are brought at his expense from all parts of



the estate. He is very popular with his tenantry, regarding

their interests as his own; and he often quotes the words of his



friend Mr. Drummond, that 'property has its duties as well as its

rights.' He has rebuilt nearly every house on his extensive






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