against the church wall. Although heart-sick at the time, I had 

 the presence of mind to get one of the men employed to pick a 

 stone out of the church wall, directly over the head of the coffin, in 

 order that I might be able to identify the exact spot where my dear 

 master's remains lay, should no monument be erected to his me- 

 mory. I lately visited his grave, and felt the cavity in the wall. 

 Mr. Kirwan was attended in his last moments by the Rev. Arthur 

 Maguire, rector of St. Thomas's parish." Such is the statement, a 

 little abridged, of an eye-witness. In addition to these honours, 

 the Historical Society of the University offered prize medals to the 

 authors of the most approved eulogies on the deceased philosopher. 



Amongst his posthumous honours, the following resolution, 

 adopted at a meeting of the Royal Dublin Society, June 4, 1812, 

 when no less than seventy-seven of the most respectable citizens of 

 Dublin, its members, were present, is perhaps the highest eulogium 

 that could be pronounced: — " That this Society feels highly sensible 

 of the severe loss which they, in common with mankind, have 

 sustained by the death of their worthy member, Mr. Kirwan ; and 

 that, in testimony of their regard, they will attend his funeral to- 

 morrow." 



Sorry am I to say that, notwithstanding the suggestive anti- 

 cipations of the faithful and feeling servant, the only existing mo- 

 nument of the celebrated President of the Royal Irish Academy is 

 his works. Is this creditable to Ireland ? His fortune, his talents, 

 and his labours, were devoted to the honour of the Irish nation; 

 what has that nation, lauded for generosity of character, done for 

 him or his descendants in return ? Nothing — absolutely nothing. 

 That we may all live to see this blot removed from the scientific 

 records of our country are my concluding words. 



The following letter, found after the foregoing sketch was com- 

 pleted, evinces the early versatility of Mr. Kirwan, and his predi- 

 lection for chemistry. He was at this time seventeen years of 

 age. The letter also displays the excellent sense of his mother, the 

 writer. 



