378 DICKSON ON THE FIRST POWER 



if any literary merit, may serve so far as to be sufficient to 

 deserve your Excellency's order for its perusal, and as I am 

 to deliver to the India Office 1 98 copies for free circulation in. 

 India, for which I am to be paid 66 towards the expense of 

 printing (for which I have already paid 143), I hope that 

 my offer to place at your Excellency's disposal in Ireland 

 400 copies for the same amount, 66, in order that they may 

 get ventilation, through your Excellency's orders, into the 

 south and west of Ireland, may meet your Excellency's 

 prompt order to my publisher to have them sent forward to 

 the Castle in Dublin. 



" Your Excellency will, no doubt, by this time be aware, 

 that instructions on the Flax question are wanted in the south 

 and west of Ireland ; my book contains the Belgian system, 

 and the best method in Ulster preparing, also my improved 

 patent -method of cottonizing Flax and all such fibres, and on 

 the merits alone do I depend, and as the testimonials as to 

 the quantity in the work I have produced are set forth in my 

 book, I can only say, if your Excellency desires a trial to be 

 made in this particular, your orders shall have prompt atten- 

 tion as soon as I have my last improved machine ready for 

 work. Trusting your Excellency will excuse this liberty. 



"I have the honour to be, etc., 



"J. H. DICKSON." 



I did hope, when I wrote the above offer to the Lord 

 Lieutenant, that my work would deserve notice, but my 

 Third Edition had no patron ; my first was the Duke of 

 .Richmond, my second the noble Earl of Derby, and the third 

 wanted the name of (I supposed) the Premier, who sent Lord 

 Wodehouse to Ireland, therefore I received the following reply. 



" Viceregal Lodge, Dublin, December 12th, 1864. 

 " SIR, I am directed by the Lord-Lieutenant to acknow- 

 ledge your letter of the 6th instant, and the sheets of your 



