CXl 



amount of labour thus imposed on him, that he was absolutely 

 compelled to employ a secretary on this kind of correspondence. 

 As a further proof of Mr. Kirwan's liberality, it is stated by a mem- 

 ber of his family, that he derived no pecuniary advantage from the 

 publication of his numerous works, although his publishers made 

 large profits ; his work on mineralogy, especially, realized a large 

 sum. He did not forget the claims of the poor, and never passed 

 a beggar in the street without giving a small sum, such as would 

 supply an immediate necessity ; but he made it a point never to give 

 more, fearing that it might be turned to a bad account. 



But on proper occasions he could be munificent. He gave an 

 estate of £800 a-year to his brother Andrew, at a peppercorn rent ; 

 and, under some peculiar circumstances, he forgave a debt of 

 £4000, rather than pursue the debtor. These acts may be explained 

 either by generosity of character or by indifference to wealth, the 

 latter of which qualities often influenced his actions, as is shown by 

 the following remarkable fact. At one period of his life, Lord 

 Chancellor Clare happened to be trying a cause of disputed pro- 

 perty; in the course of the trial he exclaimed, " Why this property 

 does not belong to either of these parties ; it belongs to Mr. Kir- 

 wan the philosopher; how came he to overlook it?" " My Lord," 

 said Counsellor Lynch, " Mr. Kirwan did not overlook it; but he 

 is a philosopher ; he said he had enough already, and did not want 

 it." It is very probable that not one person in the Court could 

 comprehend such philosophy. 



He appears to have been equally indifferent to honours. Lord 

 Castlereagh offered to confer a baronetage on him, in the expecta- 

 tion that his great influence would assist in accomplishing the 

 legislative union then in contemplation. This dignity Mr. Kirwan 

 at once declined. 



The present representative of the family, and possessor of the 

 estates, is Richard Kirwan, Esq., grand-nephewof the philosopher, 

 formerly an ofiicer in the army. 



Notwithstanding his long life of study, seven or eight hours being 

 every day devoted to reading and writing for so many years, his 

 sight remained unimpaired; and although he lived to be nearly se- 

 venty-nine years of age, he never used spectacles. He had a peculiar, 



