pellation. He was poffeffed of a very extensive and complete apparatus, particularly in the optical way, and, this trifle being written at the Lecture on that fubject, the critical reader is requefted to remember, that fuch terms and allufions as feemed naturally to arife from and to correfpond with the occafion were intentionally preferred. They had been carefully explained and were perfectly familiar to the beautiful and intelligent auditors, most of whom were the author's pupils.

Verfe 8. In charming Emily, &c.-The Right Hon. Lady Amelia Fitz-Gerald, eldest daughter of his Grace the late Duke of Leinster, and fifter to the prefent Duke.

Verse 21. Belov'd Eliza, &c.—Miss Montgomery, eldest daughter of Sir William Montgomery, baronet, the late Mrs. Gardiner, confort of the Right Hon. Luke Gardiner, now Lord Mountjoy.

Werfe 31.-In Anna's Speaking eyes, &c.-Mifs Ann Montgomery, the prefent amiable Marchionefs of Townshend, youngest of the GRACES (as the fifters were emphatically called) at whose instance the poem was written, and it may be justly affirmed extempore; for her Ladyfhip would be complied with, and to obviate every objection, furnished the author, as he fat on the bench at her foot, with a pencil and cards for the purpose, which she took from him as they were filled, and afterwards tranfcribed with her own hand for the Shamrock, in which the vei fes were first published.

Verfe 44.-Who could a fifter's claim, &c.-This is to be under. flood of Mifs Barbara Montgomery, Sir William's fecond daughter, now the Hon. Mrs. Beresford, at that time on a vifit with her uncle, the Lord Advocate for Scotland.—Cynofure: properly the Polar Star, the great object of attention to mariners, by which they regulate their courfe; metaphorically here the Star of Beauty, referring alfo to her situation in the North.

Verfe 57-In Fanny, &c.-Mifs Nugent of Clonloft, the late Hon. Mrs. Rochfort. Several of the author's pupils about this

time

time honoured him with their pictures, one of whom was the Lady here mentioned. Hers was a model in wax, by Cunningham, an eminent ftatuary, brother to Cunningham the poet, an admired comic actor; but from the fatality too, commonly attending the children of Thefpis, not even his amiable muse could protect him. The statuary made two or three unsuccessful attempts before he hit the likeness of this Lady, alluded to in the concluding line of the defcription.

Verfe 68.-Fair Grofbie, &c.-Mifs Eliza Crosbie.

Verfe 71.-Mifs Bowerman of the county of Cork, now Mrs. Neville, of Furnace, county of Kildare.

Verfe 80.The foul confpicuous in Weftmeath.—The TRULY Right Hon. Catherine Countess of Westmeath, daughter of J. Whyte, Efq. of Pitchford's Town, and mother to the present Earl of Westmeath.

Page 183, verfe 49.

It is my pride, fome fay my failing,

To cherish candour and plain dealing.

'This may be called an Irish rhyme; perhaps it is fo; but in lighter compofitions and Hudibraftic measures, fuch terminations may occafionally pass mufter. Butler has taken more unprecedented liberties; there are many worse in our arts of poetry and rhyming dictionaries, under the denomination of allowable rhymes, authorised by the ufage of the best poets; but, with fo little relation in point of found, that if the eye did not impose upon the ear, their similarity would never be recognized. Our author is no advocate for fuch licences, and is probably more nice in this particular than is ufual with writers on this fide the water, for which our brethren on the other are too apt to ridicule them; yet if they open a volume of Dryden, Pope or Addison, they will find them upon an average as reprehenfible in this refpect, as Swift, Farquhar, Dunkin, Shepherd, Hartfon, Sterling, Boyd, Preston and others, who courted the mufes on the banks of the Liffey.

In like manner they reproach this country for an abfurd custom, formerly it is faid prevalent among the untaught natives, of ploughing their horfes by the tails; not reflecting that the cultivated and enlightened Britons of the prefent day are chargeable with a practice no less barbarous and unphilosophical, that of yoking Oxen by the horns; a dexterous wit might conftrue this a bull, though not an Irish bull; of whatever foil, an abuse it affuredly is, and militates equally against the principles of mechanics and the dictates of humanity. The Ox is a valuable unoffending animal: why should we in the fame moment subject him to flavery, and put him to the torture? I would advise my good Friend, John Bull, to make use of a little common fense, and, while the work of reform is going on, to set shoulders to this bufinefs; and no longer fuffer fuch a notorious violation of the Rights of Oxen.

Page 185, flanza 4. Bright precedents! firft, fweet retreat! &c.--A building in the Turkish style, commanding a beautiful and extenfive prospect to the north.- For BELVIDERE read BELVEDERE.

Stanza 8.-That pillar'd dome, &c.—The Ice-houfe; a temple delightfully fancied in the ruftic tafte, elevated on a pleasant mount, the excavation of which is converted into a repofitory for ice; the upper apartments ferving the purposes of elegant reception, and focial entertainment.

Stanza II. Even Fiber, &c.—Mr. Jonathan Fisher, an eminent landscape painter, who, under the patronage of the noble owner, exercised his admirable talents, and proved the fertility of his genius in the charming views he exhibited of Belvedere.

Page 198 To Richard Crosbie, Efq. on his attempting a fecond aerial excurfion, &c.-In the new square of the barracks, next Oxmantown-green. Thursday, May the 12th, 1785.

Verfe 10.-A Dedalus, firft launch'd, &c.-From the lawn in the gardens before Ranelagh House, January 19th, 1785.At forty three minutes after two the rope was cut, and the

balloon

balloon flowly afcended; when, throwing out a large quantity of ballast, he rapidly fhot up into the wide expanse-at an immense height he stood up in his chariot, and faluted the spectators, upwards of eighty thousand in number, who now broke the most profound filence with reiterated acclamations.-In three minutes and fifty seconds from his first ascending, he entered a white cloud, and was instantly out of fight.————He afterwards paffed through two other distant ranges of clouds fucceffively-his greatest ascent, the mercury in the barometer standing at fifteen inches ninety-nine hundredths, equivalent nearly to two Irish miles, 13,440 feet. In compliance with the advice and intreaties of his friends, who, on account of the lateness of the hour, and the unfavourable state of the weather, the wind fcarcely continuing for two minutes together in the fame point, had requefted of him not to push the experiment too far, he now prepared to return, and in his way, encountering different currents of air, was carried over the Bay, and passing near Lord Charlemont's feat at Marino, he landed on the Strand, near low-water mark, in perfect fafety, amidst a prodigious concourfe of people, who crowded to receive him.They teftified their applause, by carrying him in his Aerial Chariot, with the Balloon floating over it, on their shoulders, to Lord Charlemont's house in Dublin, all ranks of people vying with each other in congratulations on his safety, and admiration of his intrepidity.

Dublin, Grafton-fireet, May 14th, 1785.

Page 198.-THE EGG, &c.-Verse 37, for may, read will illuftrate. In another of the author's MSS. which had escaped the editor till after the poem was printed off, there appeared a different reading in verse 90, which is fucceeded by eight verfes omitted in our copy, as follows:

'Suppose then serious business we fufpend,

And for amusement fet the egg an-end.

The ableft timoneer, expert and clever,

Can't hold the watch and keep the deck for ever;

U u

90

· Tis

Tis not for me with cavaliers to fbine,
And in your courtly games no Skill is mine;
The egg imported from abroad I own,
Where bulls are fcarce and ombre is unknown:

Try it, my gracious Lord! two minutes labour

• The rule prescribes, then pass it to your neighbour.
At his request, &c.

Some biographers relate the story of Columbus and his egg in the following manner:

3.

W

When Columbus, to his immortal honour, had newly perfected his discovery to the Weft-Indies, the Spaniards went up and down in clubs and cabals, vilifying the action, and derogating from the glory of the work. They faw nothing in the bufinefs, they said, but another body might do it as well as he; the paffage, they cried, was fafe and eafy; the thing itself was obvious, and it lay every jot as fair for a Spaniard as for an Italian. Columbus was once incog at one of thefe meetings; and when he had fate still awhile, as a perfon not at all concerned in the difcourfe, he called for a hen's egg, which was immediately brought him. He took it; and after viewing and turning it one way and the other, Gentlemen!' fays he, 'I would be very glad to fee any man here fet this egg upright upon the table; they fell a whispering and fleering upon one another, and after several trials, concluded the thing was not to be done. 'Pardon me,' fays Columbus, there is nothing easier in nature, and fo he took the egg, cracked it, and fet it up an-end. The company, upon fecond thoughts, took the hint as he intended it, and the tongue of detraction got a check.

"

:

Page 204. THE NEW FERRY, addressed to the Mayor of LIVERPOOL, &c.-Modern geographers and tour-writers have been very erroneous in their accounts of this opulent feat of commerce. Liverpool, Leverpool, or Lerpool, as it is commonly called, is fituated on the eastern banks of the River Merfey, in the county Palatine of Lancaster and hundred of

weft