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created." The ancient British Chronicle traces the reign- 

 ing Sovereign through Egbert, to the Runic Woden, and 

 thence to Gomer, Noah, and Adam : the Irishman, in like 

 manner, pretends to show that the present Viscount O'Neill 

 is descended through the Christian and Pagan Kings of 

 that country from Milesius, and thence through the 

 Spaniards, to perhaps the Carthaginians or Phoeni- 

 cians. In both these cases, the Genealogist is led astray 

 by the Historian, inasmuch as it is national, not family 

 vanity that is to be gratified. The remarks go to show, 

 however, that both subjects are liable to abuse, but that 

 both are susceptible of great correctness when entered upon 

 in a proper spirit, and with suitable materials. 



When authentic records are not made of passing or of 

 past events, and when at the same time tradition ceases to 

 make mention of them, the materials for History disappear. 

 It is through the very same causes, that investigations in 

 Genealogy are interrupted, — the absence of written docu- 

 ments, and the silence of tradition. The concurrence of 

 the two, when totally independent of each other, gives a 

 degree of probability which is irresistible, and when still 

 farther confirmed, as they often are, by Heraldic emblazon, 

 the conclusions are rendered completely unquestionable. 

 But it often happens that a comparatively clear stream is 

 lost for a time, and that another appears at some distance, 

 possessing strong features of identity ; and here we are left 

 of course to speculation, and to an examination of the 

 Historic probabilities. Thus, the son of a King takes rank 

 and precedence as a Duke, the son of a Duke as a Marquis, 

 and so on down, the son of a legal Esquire being only a 

 plain Gentleman. Hence it may happen, and indeed is a 

 fact of every day occurrence in our own country, that the 

 blood Royal flows in the veins of peasants, the hewers of 

 wood, and the drawers of water among their brethren. The 

 same facts occur with the younger sons of younger sons in 



