modesty, and virtuous conduct. We could have imagined him otherwise engaged than in endeavouring to destroy the authority of those spiritual guides, in whose place the Catholic people of Ireland will never acknowledge any

an innate or native modesty more clearly legible than it has ever been my fortune to read in journeying through any other country on the globe. Of the pure and estimable character of Englishwomen, I believe no one is a more enthusiastic admirer than myself; nevertheless, I must adhere to the truth of what I have above stated; and I do so without apology, because I am convinced that no man of ordinary observation can have travelled, or can now travel, through Ireland without corroborating the fact" (pp. 226.7.) The reader will do well to compare the evidence collected by Sir F. Head from the Irish constabulary, (who, by the way, are his main source of information, just as the priests in Egypt were the informants of the more reverential mind of Herodotus,) as to the chastity and purity of Irish women in general, and of the " "degraded" town of Galway, and especially in that most squalid and "degraded" portion of it, called the Claddagh, a "little city of cabins, entirely inhabited by fishermen and other families," who constitute almost a separate race, and will not marry out of their own people. It is needless to add that these people are very poor, and all Catholics. The chastity of these people seems "extraordi nary" in the eyes of Sir Francis Head, as one " Qui mores hominum multorum vidit et urbes," so that like a thorough-going Protestant believer in the total depravity of human nature, and in the incompatibility of poverty and squalid rags with virtue and morality, he confesses himself" unable to believe" the evidence to Irish chastity afforded to him even by his favourite officials, "from the Resident Commissioner of the Board of National Education in the metropolis, down to the governors of gaols, and masters of the remotest workhouses." "In truth," not forgetting his pet constabulary, adds the astonished Baronet, "I was infinitely more puzzled by what I heard than by the simple evidence of my own eyes." (p. 227.) As a good Protestant, Sir Francis probably disbelieves in supernatural grace, or in the existence of chastity, and still more, of celibacy. though we could have pardoned him for withholding his belief on these points before he came to Ireland, yet what right has he as a true Protestant to disbelieve, we do not say the testimony of persons whose authority on other points he regards as almost infallible, but the evidence of his own eyes? Surely in justice to himself he ought not here to throw overboard the good old Protestant maxim, which tells him that "seeing is believing." We should add, that the constables all agree in asserting that "they never yet heard of an illegitimate child being born in the town of Galway, and that, poor as the place is, the crime of theft, until lately, had been

But

other authority in matters of religion and faith, and without whose spiritual instructions they would soon cease to have any regard for their most sacred duties towards God and towards man. Did not Sir Francis, of course, believe that a Protestant parson could equally supply all that is wanted in so secondary a department as that of doctrinal teaching and religious guidance, we should almost feel tempted to say that we could scarcely fancy to ourselves. an object more truly diabolical than that which our author so openly and, as we hope, sincerely, avows.

Such, then, is the confessed end of our author's work, which consists of two parts. In order to secure the interest of the reader on his side, he devotes one part to a somewhat pompous narrative of his visit to Dublin and Maynooth, and to what he entitles, par excellence, "My Tour," extending, as we may here remark, from the Irish capital by railway to Athlone, and thence by car through the counties of Mayo and Galway. In fact, with the exception of what he saw in Dublin, and the one half day which he devoted to Maynooth,. Sir Francis seems to consider that he who has seen Mayo and Galway has seen Ireland, and to desire to lead his readers, on the principle of ab uno disce omnes, to make an induction as to the state of the four provinces from a very partial survey of two counties of one of the four. The latter half of his volume, in other words, part II., is devoted to a far different subject. The headings of each page will give a pretty good idea of the drift and contents of the chapters which it contains; the "Degraded condition of the Irish People," and the "Tactics of the Irish Priesthood," are speedily followed by the "Published Speeches and Letters of the Priests," in reference to the recent general election, together with a most astounding array of "Printed extracts from the Priest's Press," and "Evidence collected by myself," all bearing upon the same period of political excitement; and the second part concludes with a short chapter on "What is to be done?"

Upon the first half of the book we have but few remarks to offer, with a single exception, the chapter in which he

utterly unknown among the fishermen, and was almost unknown now." We should like to know whether the constabulary will be able to bear a like witness fifty years hence, if the religion of Dr. Plunkett of Tuam should ever make an entrance into the Claddagh.

relates his visit to St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, which shall follow in their proper place. We have read a very great number of tours in Ireland, which furnish us with far more interesting details, and supply a very much more valuable array of facts for Her Majesty's loyal subjects to generalize. On the other hand, there is every now and then to be detected a graphic touch of description, reminding us of a rapid careless sketch by one of our celebrated water-colour painters-a De Wint or a Turner, for instance-and conveying a very vivid impression, both of scenery and character, to the mind of the untravelled reader. In fact, if Sir Francis had not studied to be so mischievous, and had only been content to furnish the public with no more than a readable piece of railway literature, with a dash of anecdote and wit, we not only could have pardoned him, but probably we should have voted him a most agreeable companion. As it is, the constant recurrence of his malice, page after page, and the way in which he contrives to make every trivial incident tell in favour of his pet object, the degradation of the priesthood of degraded Ireland, are by themselves sufficient to create an unfavourable impression on our minds, of which we cannot divest ourselves. As it is, the very assumption of an open-hearted spirit of bonhommie and generosity, which is so prominent a feature in the former portion of his volume, is, in our opinion, by far the most dangerous feature in the entire work, and the one of all others against which we should wish to put our readers on their guard; as we feel that it is only by gaining the affections of his readers through this affectation of honesty and sincerity, that he will be able to enlist their sympathies on behalf of the monstrous doctrines and propositions with which the latter portion of his volume is so awfully stored. Against any credit which Sir Francis Head may gain for good intentions towards Ireland from his opening chapters, we feel ourselves bound to enter, once for all, our very strongest protest.

As a specimen of Sir Francis Head's assumed liberality of opinion, and also of his usual style, we give our readers the benefit of the following extracts.

"After talking with my companion about the state of the crops and the state of the country, I observed that it was a great pity that there should exist in Ireland so much unkindness of feeling on

account of religion.

That's all,' he replied, it's jist religion that's ruining us all. A marn should be allo in the religion of his farthur. I remain in the ro grandfarthur, and ought not to be interfered with. the blessing of Almighty God. Praise be to His Then looking upwards with apparently real devoti the Almighty God can relave men of a' religion country, this!' I observed, pointing to the crops on ea 'That's,' he said, 'because we have here the best land land-in a' the world, I may say,' giving the nea rather a sharp cut with his whip. He then proceede me various instances of the consideration and kindnes vidual he thus had praised."-p. 115.

The following description is most graph turesque, and as the only remark (properly which it embodies, is a just and becoming one, as one which will be read with interest, and as cimen of Sir Francis Head's manner, when h refrain from mischief.

"For some time I watched the ragged dresses of a and boys also loitering before the inn. Their cloth species of dissolving view. Occasionally I rubbed my I found it really impossible to decide whether the gar me had begun life by being blue cloth or thick fl correctly as I could calculate, there appeared about as of the one colour as of the other. The trowsers, us cloth, literally and without exaggeration, looked as if borrowed for half-an-hour by some one who had fil rats, that had been baited with Skye terriers, who, t the vermin, had not only bitten them to pieces, instances had literally torn them to atoms, which, wi ance of scraps of cloth, of a variety of other cold hurriedly replaced by people who had never before indeed, in many places the stitches were as rough as in several cases a considerable portion of the garm rently been eaten up by the dogs; and, accordingl saw a lad of about eighteen in trowsers, which could cally be called a 'pair,' inasmuch as the whole of one right leg was gone from the middle of the thigh down where, supported by a narrow irregular shred, say broad, there hung a remnant of about the size and i of a gaiter. Several men, down whose honest look rain was slowly trickling, were in coats which, alth and tatters, appeared to have been originally three different colours. Nobody had buttons behind; although he seemed perfectly unconscious of it, had,

a whole skirt, and was therefore, in fact, in half a jacket and half a long-tailed coat. Yet how painful is it to reflect that the most astonishing part of the enigma I have just described is, that every one of these apparently degraded beggars has under his rags as much intelligence, ingenuity, ability, and infinitely more wit, than the smock-frocked peasant of England, or the decently clothed labourer of Scotland. As regards the women of Ireland, their native modesty cannot fail to attract the observation of any stranger. Their dress was invariably decent, generally pleasing, and often strikingly picturesque. Almost all wore woollen peticoats, dyed by themselves, of a rich madder colour, between crimson and scarlet. Upon their shoulders, and occasionally from their heads, hung in a variety of beautiful folds, sometimes a plaid of red and green, sometimes a cloak, usually dark blue, or dingy white. Their garments, however, like those of the men, were occasionally to be seen hanging in tatters."—p. 125-7.

Our readers will willingly forgive us for placing here on record the following passage, considering that it is written by so prejudiced an individual as Sir Francis Head, and that it bears testimony to the abiding sense of religion to be found even under the most squalid rags in the breast of the Irish poor.

"Besides women and children, I observed among the jagged sharp triangular stone gable of these unroofed cabins, two or three men listlessly standing stock still; and, as I was a Saxon stranger in their land-as I was of the same religion as the landlord that had evicted them-and lastly, as I happened to have in my pocket, besides silver, a quantity of loose gold, I might not have unreasonably expected to receive among their hovels what is commonly called a rough welcome.........As, however, I was resuming my seat on the car, I saw among the tottering walls, women and children worming their way to me; as soon as I started, with uplifted hands, and bare feet, they exclaimed almost simultaneously, May the Almighty God preserve your Arnh'r!' Indeed, long after I had left them, I heard the same sounds reverberating through the rain that was falling cruelly on us all. They were really good people, and from what I read in their countenances, I feel confident that if, instead of distributing among them a few shillings, I had asked them to feed me, with the kindest hospitality they would readily have done so, and that with my gold in my pocket, I might have slept among them in the most perfect security. The devotional expressions of the lower class of Irish, and the meekness and resignation with which they bear misfortune or affliction, struck me very forcibly. I haven't aiten a bit this blessed day, glory to God!' said one woman. Troth, I've been suffering a long time from