1873] BOTANICAL CORRESPONDENCE. 371 



I know from himself that he kept next to no notes, and that his 

 herbarium was to a large extent made up by the help of a " man 

 from the garden," after he had lost the power of going after the 

 plants himself. I know also that all the trouble about the name of 

 E. Mackaiana was caused by his want of care. I gave him the 

 plant first, also a name and description for his Flora ; he sent the 

 specimens without any name to Sir J. Hooker, and lost my notes, 

 and forgot all about them. I mention this to shew his want of care, 

 even at the time when he was collecting materials for his Flora, 

 and just going to press with it. I felt hurt at the time, and it has 

 caused trouble ever since. We have spent most of our time at 

 Dublin and in Connemara, in visiting the schools and stations of the 

 Irish Church Mission. We have had the great benefit of the com- 

 pany of Mr. Cory in all our visits, and thus have seen the inner 

 working of the mission in a way which we could not otherwise have 

 done. To-day we are going by sea to spend Sunday and Monday 

 at Moyrus, the most secluded of the stations, with the Rev. Mr. 

 Conerney, the missionary there. It is really more like visiting 

 missions on the wild coast of Newfoundland than anything else to 

 be met with on the British coasts. I am very much struck by the 

 effects of the mission in this wild district, as well as in Dublin. 

 The schools are admirable, and the number of adult converts 

 remaining in the country not a few. A great many converts have 

 gone to America. Who can wonder at it when we consider the life 

 the peasantry live here, and the constant trouble to which a convert 

 is subject amongst his Roman Catholic friends and family 1 I saw a 

 letter a few days since from one who had gone to New England, 

 and been lost sight of for some time. He writes to say, amongst 

 other things, that he has got a little colony of Roman Catholic 

 converts together at Boston, — some converted here, others in 

 America. It was a most interesting letter from a poor illiterate 

 man, and shews how much may be doing by the blessing of God, of 

 which we know nothing, and a great encouragement to the workers 

 in Ireland. There is a great change in the temper of the people 

 out of the large towns. The priests have much less power, and the 

 Protestant clergy are much respected, and treated quite differently 

 to what used to be the case. What do you think of a clergyman of 

 my acquaintance, and connected with the mission, being asked in a 

 fair to separate two Roman Catholic men who were going to fight, 

 and succeeding at once in doing it ! When I formerly knew this 

 district, he could not have attempted to separate them, except at 

 the risk of his life, and totally without success. This is only one 

 illustration of the change which has come, and is coming over the 

 country. Let us pray God that it may be the harbinger of much 

 success in drawing the people to the truth, and away from Rome. 

 My wife desires to be kindly remembered to Mrs. Balfour and your- 

 self. We leave this place on Tuesday the 23rd, on our way to 

 Cambridge. — Yours very truly, Charles C. Babington. 



