HOME LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE. 227 



city, is a small place, but beautifully situated. It is built on 

 and among a number of small bills, with, deep valleys between ; 

 the houses neat and of stone (Armagh marble), and the streets 

 clean. There is a very respectable public park for the citizens, 

 neatly enclosed, and with gravelled walks. But our attraction 

 was the cathedral, which stands on the highest hill quite above 

 all the other buildings. We arrived after a two hours' drive on 

 an Irish car, and entered the church just as the Psalms were 

 begun. The service was choral, of course — well performed, and 

 the music very good ; but what delighted me especially was to 

 see nave, aisles, and every part beautifully clean — a rare thing 

 in our cathedrals. Most of them are dilapidated — shame on 

 our bishops, deans, and chapters. I was also greatly pleased to 

 find that there were no pews — all open seats — the rich and poor 

 treated alike, and half of the congregation were of the humbler 

 classes. All the seats were cushioned with the same stuff, and 

 each person had a hassock to kneel on. There was nothing to 

 prevent a mixture of ranks in the same seat ; but on looking 

 over the congregation you saw that each had gone to the side 

 where it saw most of its neighbours. The building has been 

 restored from dilapidation by the present primate, who expended 

 20,000?. of his personal property on the good work ; and it does 

 him great credit. It is in early Gothic style, before very pointed 

 arches came into fashion. Compared with an English cathedral, 

 the whole is small and simple. I never enjoyed the choral 

 service so much, or felt that it was so un operatic. 



After service, we walked about the town, and climbed an- 

 other hill, on which a Roman Catholic cathedral is being built 

 in a style of magnificence which will quite throw the Old Church 

 into littleness. The famine, however, interrupted the work, 

 and for the last five years nothing has been done. 



On another hill is the Observatory ; but as it was Sunday 

 we only climbed this so far as to get a view of the primate's 

 park and palace — a worthy residence for the chief of the church, 

 and such as St. Paul never enjoyed, nor even St. Patrick. The 

 present occupant is a very estimable character, and greatly 

 beloved by rich and poor ; but, I am sorry to add, is nearly 

 eighty, so that we cannot hope to have him much longer ; and 

 we may have in his place some good-for-nothing supporter of 

 Government. Oh, the poor Church ! No wonder we do not 



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