CORRESPONDENCE, &C. 247 



to shut his eyes and close his ears against every fad which did not 

 square with his preconceived theory. 



Permit me further to remark, that if the writer of the article in 

 your Magazine means to say that I described the Achill islanders as 

 sinners above the rest of their countrymen, he grievously misrepre- 

 sents my sentiments. I believe that all men, whether they be Papists 

 or nominal Protestants, if unconverted and unregenerated, are alike 

 sinners before God. Without at all infringing on this truth, I admit 

 that some men are naturally more gentle and tractable as regards their 

 intercourse with their fellow-men, than others ; and I have always 

 given the Achill people credit for a large share of this animal amiability ; 

 indeed, I never experienced anything but kindness from them, until 

 their passions were kindled by the inflammatory harangues of their 

 priests ; since then we have lived in an element of violence and out- 

 rage, many of us have suffered personal violence, and one has been 

 murdered. I allude to Mr. Reynolds, whose testimony I have quoted 

 in a former part of this letter. We, however, do not repine. I trust 

 we can say of our persecutors, in the forgiving spirit of our blessed 

 Master, " Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." 



The establishment entrusted to my superintendence being depend- 

 ant for support upon the voluntary contributions of the christian pub- 

 lic, I trust that a sense of justice will constrain you to publish this 

 reply to the misrepresentations put forth by the writer in your Maga- 

 zine, which, if uncontradicted, might tend materially to diminish its 

 claims upon their benevolent assistance. 



I am. Sir, 



Your faithful Servant, 



EDWARD NANGLE. 



To the Editor of the ' Mag. Nat. Hist.' 



[When our correspondent, Mr. Newman, in his " Notes on Irish Natural 

 History" incidentally alluded to the * Settlement' at Achill, we knew no- 

 thing of the nature of that establishment, and consequently we did not 

 foresee that the wish expressed in reference to " unpolitical philanthro- 

 pists, &c." involved anything like a reflection iipon the institution carried 

 on under Mr. Nangle's superintendence. The reasons assigned by the 

 writer have induced us to give insertion to the present letter, but we can- 

 not find room for any further discussion upon the morality of the people 



Why an anonymous correspondent should have taken the trouble to send 

 Mr. Nangle an extract from our pages, but have left it to his ingenuity to 

 guess who might be the writer of that extract, is a matter we don't quite 

 understand. We have shortened the communication, but in so doing have 

 omitted nothing of importance to the legitimate object of the writer. — Ed.] 



Dublin Natural History Society. — Extract of a letter from the 

 Secretary to the Editor, dated April 20, 1840. — " It has often 

 occurred to me, that the Natural History of Ireland had been wo- 

 fully neglected, there being no public collection of it in Dublin, 

 nor any place where young men interested in its investigation could 

 Vol. IV.— No. 41. N. s. 2g ' 



