TO SIR JAMES EMERSON TENNENT, BART. ETC. ETC. MY DEAR TENNENT, WHEN I LATELY TOLD YOU IN LONDON I WOULD DEDICATE MY NEXT VOLUME OF O'DOWDERIES TO YOU, YOU LOOKED ABOUT AS MUCH ALARMED AS IF I HAD INVITED YOU TO DINNER TO MEET THE HEAD CENTRE OF THE FENIANS. YOU WERE, HOWEVER, TOO POLITE TO REFUSE WHAT WAS MEANT AT LEAST AS A POLITENESS. NOW COMES THE TEST OF YOUR COURAGE. TO YOU, WITH ALL ITS INDISCRETIONS, I DEVOTE THIS BOOK, ONLY SORRY THAT I HAVE NOTHING MORE WORTHY OF AN OLD FRIEND'S ACCEPTANCE, AND, AT THE SAME TIME, WELL PLEASED TO WRITE MY NAME ON THE SAME PAGE THAT BEARS YOUR OWN, AND SIGN MYSELF, YOURS IN ALL CORDIALITY, LAGO MAGGIORE, Dec. 1, 1865. CORNELIUS O'DOWD. |