2na S. No 89., Skpt. 12. '57.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 



203 



which are found in ancient history, the testimony 

 is not such as to enable us to scrutinise it in 

 detail. L. 



ANONYMOUS MANUSCRII'T. 



I have in my possession a manuscript book 

 which I purchased at a bookstall in London some 

 years ago. The writer's name is not mentioned ; 

 I shouhl feel obliged if you or any of your corre- 

 spondents could give me a clue to the author. I 

 have sent a few extracts, and also a list of sub- 

 jects treated upon. 



Subjects. — " See that ye love one another," 

 1 Peter, i. 22. ; On Second Sight ; William Pitt, 

 Earl of Chatham ; Frederick the Great : Beauties 

 of Nature ; On Fish ; Pope the Poet ; Voltaire ; 

 Lord Chatham ; Tippoo Saib ; The Propagation 

 of Plants ; The Improvement of Morality ; Lord 

 Chatham's Administration ; The late Naval En- 

 gagement (Keppel) ; Character of Lord Hard- 

 wicke ; The Old and New Worlds ; Memoir of 

 H. Baker, the Naturalist ; On the Vicissitude of 

 National Character ; On Music ; The Character 

 of Anne ; On Scarcity of Food ; On Young ; L. 

 Hospital ; Sir H. Spelman ; Flattery ; Dr, Jortin 

 and his Sermons ; Kelly (dramatic writer) ; two 

 pieces of poetry, and one or two other pieces of 

 prose. 



One of the pieces of poetry is entitled, " To 



David G , Esq., at Mount Edgecomb, by the 



late Earl of C ." The other piece is a sar- 

 castic address to some one whose name is not 

 given. I think most of the papers were read 

 before some Society. 



" Pope the Poet. — Pope ia conversation was below him- 

 self; he was seldom easy and natural, and seemed afraid 

 that the man should degrade the poet, which made him 

 attempt wit and humour often unsuccessfully, and too 

 often unseasonably. I have been with him a week at a 

 time at his house at Twickenham, where 1 necessarily saw 

 his mind in its undress, when he was both an agreeable 

 and instructive companion. His moral character has 

 been warmly attacked and but weakly defended, the 

 natural consequence of his shining turn to satire, of which 

 many felt and all feared the smart. It must be owned he 

 was the most irritable of all the genus irritabile vatum, 

 offended with trifles, and never forgetting or forgiving 

 them ; but in this I really think that the poet was more 

 in fault than the man." 



"Earl of Chatham. — The following qualities, with 

 their consequent circumstances, seem peculiar to the Earl 

 of Chatham, and conspired to his own and his country's 

 greatness : 



1. He was the minister of the people. 



2. He did not promote the business of corruption; 

 neither was he the tool, nor did he suffer the nation to be 

 the dupe, of parliamentary influence. 



3. He sought not to enrich himself, his family, or con- 

 nexions. 



4. He exerted a continual, active, and unparalleled di- 

 ligence in the duties of his office. 



5. He possessed the art of seeing into the secret designs 



of foreign cabinets, and the information he obtained from 

 thence was early, authentic, univer,s;i], and essential. 



6. His insight into the characters of men was quick, 

 penetrating, and decisive, by which he was enabled to 

 make that wise and distinguished choice of persons em- 

 ployed in his administration, &c." 



" Voltaire. — Voltaire, the great Voltaire, is dead at last. 

 That extraordinary man, who has for so many years en- 

 gaged the attention of the world by his happy talents, 

 and even by the agreeable dress he was able to give to 

 his prejudices and weaknesses, is now no more. Whether 

 the clergj"- of all denominations, whom he has so often 

 provoked, will have charitj' enough to let the ashes of a 

 departed antagonist rest in peace, I neither know, nor is 

 it worth a thought ; but with your permission I will en- 

 deavour to sketch some of the principal outlines of the 

 character of a man over whose ashes Wit will mourn. 

 Charity send forth a sigh. Virtue look serene and un- 

 moved, and Religion disdain to assume an aspect of either 

 pleasure or triumph." 



" 1 Peter, i. 22. : ' See that ye love one another.' — Did 

 we love one another with a pure heart fervently-, we 

 should not be wanting in the discharge of every obliga- 

 tion we owe to society or ourselves. Sobriety, justice, 

 harmony, and benevolence, would diffuse their pleasing 

 influence through all orders and degrees of men, and this 

 world would present the image of celestial bliss." 



K. W. Jacob. 



Leeds. 



UNION OF ENGLAND AND IRELAND. 



The following, which is a copy of a little docu- 

 ment in MS. in my possession, written about the 

 year 1731, may be worth recording in the pages of 

 "N. &Q." It contains some curious statistical 

 information concerning Ireland at that period, to- 

 gether with the views then prevailing as to the 

 benefits to be derived from a union with England, 

 which did not take place for sixty-nine years 

 afterwards. It appears to have been extracted 

 from a tract or broadside then privately-handed 

 about on the " Trade, Condition, and Interest of 

 His Majesty's Dominions." 



"Ireland alwaj's reconed one of the British Islands, 

 placed by y« great Creator nearest to Great Britain, the 

 Envy of France and Spain: this noble Island, much ne- 

 glected in former Reignes, well deserves our care, after 

 we have been masters of it 559 years. But such is our 

 Temper, that mere necessit}', nay general calamities, can 

 seldom rouze our attention to the public weal, witness y^ 

 Behaviour of our divided ancestors, who were subject to 

 the Romans about 500 years, then to the Saxons and 

 Danes above 500 years; and Britain stood divided into 

 two distinct monarchies above a third 500 j'ears. Many 

 of the old Irish nobility are indeed extinct, but not a few 

 remain, descended from their antient petty Kings, &c., 

 who tho' now in low circumstances wait for an opportu- 

 nity, knowing thej' have above 100,000 stanch Friends in 

 Ireland, and perhaps not fewer in Britain among Papists 

 and deluded protestants. Now if y" popish Powers should 

 unite in a Catholic League, where must our security be? 

 I know none under God, but a firmer union among our- 

 selves and J'" discharge of our National Debts. 



" The first good step towards both, may be the union of 

 Ireland with Great Britain, in Burdens, Priviledges, and 

 one Parliament. As to Religion 'tis to be hoped the 



