14 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 
which i think i must come down to finish & print in Edinburgh, 
you would be of no little service. Who or what is Eobert 
Colvelle? Can you get me the two (or more) poems he has pub¬ 
lished ? 
I am, 
Your sincere friend & 
well-wisher, 
J. Eitson. 
Mr. Wm. Laing, 
Bookseller, 
ChessePs Buildings 
Canongate 
Edinburgh. 
The four letters forming the following group are addressed 
to George Chalmers (1742-1825), Scottish antiquary, author of 
Caledonia, and life long friend of Eitson. They are concerned 
mainly with the borrowing of books from Chalmers’ library. 
The volumes asked for in the first letter—sixteenth century gram¬ 
mars and orthographies—were of interest to Eitson because he 
was at this time working on his own scheme of grammar and 
orthography. As a result of his labors with these and other 
books, he left in manuscript at his death: ^‘Dissertation on 
the use of ‘Self,’ ” “An orthographico-etymological dictionary 
of the English language, ’ ’ and ‘ ‘ Gleanings of English grammar, 
chiefly with a view to illustrate and establish a just system of 
orthography, upon etymological principles.” From the 
transcript of the Stationers’ Eegister, with which the remaining 
letters of the group are concerned, Eitson gleaned much mater¬ 
ial for his Bibliographia Poetica, and many songs and ballads 
for his various collections. He left a manuscript of “Extracts 
of entries (chiefly of songs and ballads) in the Stationers’ books, 
from a transcript by the late W. Herbert.” 
MS. Montagu d. 15, fol. 216, 218. ^ 
1. Derickes Image of Ireland, 1581. 44) 
^ John Derricke’s Image of Ireland, in two parts, written in 1578, pub¬ 
lished 1581, was reprinted with notes by Sir Walter Scott in Somers^ Tracts, 
1809, and a limited edition was put out by John Small in 1883. The full 
title of this book, containing- 153 words, is given in Bibliographia Poetica, 
pp. 186-7. See also Letters, Vol. II, p. 148. 
