~ 1808.] 
tion of the poor in page 90, of the last 
edition of his book? =“ It is not proposed 
that the children of the poor be edu- 
cated in an expensive manner, or even 
generally taught to- write and cypher;” 
and in the same page, “ there is a risque 
ofelevating, by indiscriminate education, 
the minds of those doomed to the drud- 
gery of daily labour above their condi- 
tion, and thereby render them discon- 
tented in their lot.” Is not such lan- 
guage, in the mouth of a Scotchman, an 
unjust reflection on his own nation, where 
‘the universal diffusion of zeneral know= 
ledge,” introduced by the legislature, sup> 
ported by the country, patronized by 
all our successive kings since its intros 
duction, has now steod the test of al- 
inost two hundred years, with all the wa- 
versal good effects which, presuming ig- 
norance to be the mother of devotion, 
ignorance never produced in any age of 
the world? But is not such language, in 
the mouth of a professor of education, 
even when detailing his own suceeéss in 
é€ducating in a distant land the very out- 
casts of society, a libel on his own con- 
duct there? If hetried education par- 
tially, and found it good in the East In- 
dies; if he is a native of a land where: 
general education has been productive 
of much good, with what face can he, as 
a Secotchnvan and a schoolmaster, object 
to the uneducated poor being universally 
instructed, when they may obtain it on. 
the royal Lancaftrian plan, cheaper than 
in Scotland or the East Indies, by saving 
five parts out of six of the common ex- 
pence? As an advocate for keeping the 
poor generally m ignorance, with what 
face can he ciaim the invention of Lan- 
easter’s plan for affording knowledge to 
every uneducated child in the kingdom? 
The edvocatesof ignorance, who dare not 
hold up their hands in the face of day in 
their own cause, who write anonymous 
letters, and are ashawed of their own 
names, are now bringing forth the name 
of this avowed champion “of ignorance, 
under pretence of diffusing knowledge, 
but really to keep the poor in the dark. 
It is hoped that the public will see through 
the design, and not patronize their in- 
tentions. It must be obvious to every 
discerning mind, that whoever are wilful 
and active patrons of such sentiments as 
Dr. Bell’s, are not the friends of the 
poor, but the patrons of 7gnerance. 
- Your’s, &e. 
K. M‘Rae. 
Cambridge, April 12, 1808. 
Researches.) 
Primitive Inhabitants of Britain and Ireland. 387 
for the Monthly Magazine. 
AN ANALYSIS of GENERAL VALLANCEY’S 
recent OBSERVATIONS on the primitive 
INHABITANTS Of GREAT BRITAIN and 
IRELAND, 
har ae a man of letters, English by 
birth, and altogether unconnected 
with Ireland, should have been induced 
to devote above thirty years to the study 
and vindication of the history and anti- 
quities of that country, must appear the 
result of a perfect conviction that the 
subject of his labours was net only im- 
portant, but founded on the most au- 
thentic documents and well-substantiated 
facts; and, to inspire his readers with 
the samme conviction, the learned and vee 
nerable author has, ni P4i%@ork before 
me, condensed the prif/ 241 arguments 
which were scattered #hrough the pages 
of his former volumingus publication, and 
added much new. and original matter: 
the whole forming a mass of evidence in 
favour of his hypothesis, which, as far as 
I can judge, it will not be easy to over- 
throw, 
The title of this essay sufficiently ex- 
plains its main object; but some of your 
readers will probably learn with surprize, 
that General Wallancey traces the early 
inhabitants of Britain to an Irish source; 
and | find a great number of those wri- 
ters whom one might suppose hostile to 
sucha system, English, Scotch, and Welch 
antiquaries, adduced in those pages, as 
conceding and establishing this point. 
Sir William Jones, with his wonted 
penetration and learning, discovered the 
cradle of mankind, the origin of the fa- 
miulies Sof nations, in Iran or Persia, 
whence the various races Migrated, as 
from their common country. (See his 
Discourses in the first volume of Asiatic 
“On this subject (saysthe General) p.14, 
Thad often the pleasure of conversing 
with Sir Wilham, before he departed for 
India, and of a constant correspondence 
with him while in India to the time of his 
death, He was clearly of opinion that _ 
Persia was the centre of population of 
the western world; and he gave great 
credit to the Saxon Chronicle, which 
brings the first inhabitants of these islands 
from Armenia.” 
The linuts of your work will not pera 
mit me to follow very closely the learned 
General through the various processes by 
which he derives the people of these 
countries from an eastern origin. Erin, 
the ancient and vernaralar name ef Irc- 
land, 
