The Queen not only acceded, but was entirely disposed to countenance and encourage the design; but here, in effect, the whole matter, so far as instruction through the medium of the vernacular tongue was concerned, came to an end! Objections were raised, both to the memorial and petition already mentioned. The zeal of the petitioners, however wise and welldirected, had gone too far for the prejudices then existing, and the insertion of but a single sentence relative to Irish books or Irish ministers proved fatal to their wishes. By several individuals from Ireland, it was suggested that such proposals were "destructive of the English interest, contrary to law, and inconsistent with the authority of synods and convocations ;" and although all such objections not only had no foundation in Scripture, law, or reason, but were grounded on a mistaken view of the memorial, to say nothing of the positive step taken so long before by Elizabeth, and the canons of the Irish church,*—still, that tide of mistaken and injurious prejudice against the language began to set in, which was not to ebb for a hundred years, and it was therefore deemed prudent to remain stationary till the convocation should be again consulted, and another application should be made to parliament. As soon, however, as it assembled, the Lower House took up the subject,—the end was approved, the opinions respecting the means were various and contradictory,—the time for application to parliament for necessary funds was passing away, when the Right Hon. Charles O'Neil, at the request of a well-wisher, moved that the matter should be resumed. A committee was immediately appointed,-a report was made, and resolutions passed,—but any allusion to Irish books, or the Irish language, would now, it seems, have proved impolitic! The House of Commons, however, unwilling to drop the subject altogether as to the Native Irish, still resolved, "That it will be requisite that a competent number of ministers, duly qualified to instruct them, and perform the offices of religion to them in their own language, be provided and encouraged by a suitable maintenance." On the question being put, the House agreed,

"And where all, or the most part of the people are Irish, they (the churchwardens) shall provide also the said books, viz. two books of Common Prayer and the Bible, in the Irish tongue, so soon as they may be had. The charge of these Irish books to be borne also wholly by the parish."-Canon 94 of the Church of Ireland. See also fifth line from the bottom, page 46.

that such among their number as were members of her Majesty's Privy-Council should attend the Lord Lieutenant, desiring that he should lay the whole before the Queen, as the resolution of that House. Pursuant to this order, a bill was prepared and sent to the Lords; but just as it was brought to the door of the House, parliament had adjourned,—the other bills were soon transmitted to England. No more could be done in the affair during that session,-nor was the subject ever seriously resumed from that time (1710) to the present hour, whether relating to Irish education or any other means whatever, through the medium of their own tongue. It is true the House of Commons published their sentiments, dedicated to both houses of convocation, and in 1711 they again talked of " a sufficient number of Bibles and Prayer-Books being provided at the public charge, in the Irish language,” as being necessary; but it was all in vain. The entire abolition of the language was about to become the prevalent and favourite idea, as it continued to be during the whole of the eighteenth century,-so that to this hour the real merits of the case have never been brought before any sitting of parliament, whether in Ireland or Britain.

The benevolent wishes of these excellent men being thus disappointed, one individual, who had been deeply interested in the memorial, could not remain inactive.—The Rev. John Richardson, Rector of Annah, or Belturbit, in the diocese of Kilmore. Though living at the distance of half a century from Bedell, he seemed as if he had caught his mantle. Like him, he had acquired the language, and, indeed, while the discussions were going on in public, he was printing a volume of sermons in the Irish language; in which he was assisted by another minister in the same county, the Rev. Philip Brady, a man of genius and learning, and particularly versed in the language of his country. This was a selection on the principal points of religion, from Bishop Beveridge and others. It was published in 1711. Even before this time he had been engaged in a translation of the liturgy, which Bishop Nicholson, in the preface to his Irish historical library, reports to have been considered "correct." This was in the press to the extent of 6000 in 1712, and was printed in the Irish character; for which Richardson, in common with every enlightened Irish scholar, was a warm advocate: there was also a parallel column in English. An edition of the Church Catechism in Irish, with

Lewis's Scripture Proofs, he also published. In the preface, he states that his design had been not only encouraged by the Duke of Ormond and others in Ireland, but that the generality of the English prelates agreed with his own sentiments,— that the likeliest method of enlightening the natives was " by proposing to them the saving truths of religion in their own language, that being the only tongue understood by some, and most acceptable to all." At the same time he was aware that "the work would meet with discouragement and opposition," yet he was resolved to proceed, " hoping that God would raise up friends to his undertaking." "For whatever," says he, "may be the causes of that great aversion which some have entertained against the language, an open and avowed attempt to abolish it is not the way to unite the two nations in their hearts and affections." Mr Richardson being a member of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, applied there, and with success. The result was 6000 copies of both publications, part of which was distributed in the Highlands of Scotland, as well as in Ireland.

These benevolent and enlightened friends of the Native Irish were now hastening to the grave, and, during this century, they had no successors! I know not in what year Richardson died, but this is the last recorded instance of his benevolence. His printed proposals embraced an edition of the Irish Scriptures, in which he was encouraged by the learned George Hickes and Edmund Gibson, John Chamberlayne, Henry Hoare, Sir George Wheeler, and above forty other respectable individuals in Ireland and England; but no such edition followed. The year after this, 1713, both Marsh and Wetenhall died, so that again we are under the painful necessity of looking abroad.

Whatever might be resolved upon at home, the presses on the Continent were not unemployed. In 1728 the Elements of the Irish language were published in 8vo, by Hugh MacCurtin; but this was only preparatory to a much larger work which he printed in quarto at Paris in 1732,-" An EnglishIrish Dictionary and Grammar." This dictionary was, at least, completed by the Rev. Connor O'Begley, the grammar was MacCurtin's; so the title-page bears, that the volume was the joint production of both. This volume he proposed to follow up by another, or Irish-English Dictionary. In the preface to the present work, referring to his countrymen, he says,-" To

give them all the helps I can, I propose to print several books in Irish on different subjects, in which I have the good fortune to meet with some learned public-spirited countrymen here, (Paris), who have promised me their assistance, and are generously resolved to join their labours to mine in carrying on so useful a work." MacCurtin, who was born about 1663 in the parish of Kilmanaheen, county of Clare, was, at the time of publishing this dictionary, Irish professor in Paris. He returned, however, to his native place, carrying with him a valuable collection of Irish books. After his death, all these, as well as others belonging to a brother, Andrew MacCurtin, and not a few besides, collected throughout Clare, Kerry, and Limerick, were conveyed over to France by Chevalier O'Gorman about the year 1770. In 1739 there was compiled for publication a large Irish dictionary, containing many thousand Irish words more than in any previous lexicon, by Teig O'Nachten; but, like similar attempts on Irish ground, it failed to meet with encouragement, and was never printed. It is now in the library of Trinity College, Dublin.

In 1742 another Catechism, entitled "Christian Doctrine, by way of Question and Answer," &c. in the Irish language and character, with corresponding pages in English, was published at Paris, with the approbation of Louis XV., by the Rev. Andrew Doulevy, prefect of the Irish community in that city. The author, who compiled this work for the education of the youth of his country,' had now been absent from it about thirty years. In the preface it is stated, that P. J. Perrot, Lord of the Manor of Barmon, had, of a long time, been well-affected to the Irish nation,-had often given proofs of his affection for several of them, and that, without his concurrence, the work would never have seen the light. As this Catechism, which is in fact an octavo volume of 574 pages, with a clear type and excellent paper, is more complete than any that had preceded it, some farther notice of it may not be uninteresting. "It is," says the author," the great scarcity of those large Irish Catechisms, published upwards of a hundred years ago by the laborious and learned Franciscans of Louvain, and the consideration of those great evils which arise from ignorance, partly from want of instructive books, together with a great desire of contributing to the instruction of the poor Irish youth, that gave birth to the following Irish Catechism:"

-“The plainest and most obvious Irish is used therein, préferring, after the example of St Augustine, rather to be censured by grammarians, than misunderstood by the people.' Care also was taken to explain certain words which are not used in some cantons of the kingdom, and the words that explain them are set down at the bottom of the page. As to the English part thereof, it was translated, upon a second thought, perhaps too literally, from the Irish, in favour of those who speak only English." In his preface or advertisement, the author, without a single reference to politics, laments over the state of his countrymen, the Native Irish, as to their ignorance and want of books. He refers to " the negli gence, or ignorance, and impiety of parents, who commonly bestow all their care in educating their children in vanity, and in the love of earthly goods; partly for want of virtuous and well-instructed schoolmasters or catechists, who would zealously employ their time and labour in making youth understand the science of salvation; partly through the fault of children themselves, who little care for instruction, and often shun it, to their eternal ruin; and partly, also, for want of little pious books, whereby they may be instructed and formed to devotion as soon as they are teachable and capable of receiving pious impressions; for, as the Holy Ghost saith, A child trained up in the way he should go, will not, even when he is old, depart from it."" The volume concludes with the Elements of Irish Grammar," in favour of such as would fain learn to read it, and thereby be useful to their neighbour." With many of the sentiments contained in this book, the present writer will not be supposed to agree,-yet such are some of the expressions contained in a volume published at this period in France, for the use of Ireland, and they serve to prove what were the views and feelings of a Native Irishman, when permitted to speak out, after an absence of above thirty years from his native land.

In 1735, indeed, there was one effort upon Irish ground. Seventeen sermons in Irish were published by the titular Bishop of Raphoe, James Gallagher, who had been educated abroad. In conformity with the prejudice of the day, these

Alas! is it not high time that such compliments were returned, and with compound interest for past neglect, in favour of those who speak only Irish?