Agreeably to your request, I send you a few Notes, elucidative of the letter you have received from the Reverend the Ghost of Dr Barrett. I return its letter therewith.

Yours, &c. &c.

T. C.

Hades,

MISTHER NORTH,

THE raisin I don't putt the day o' the month, is because there's no sitch thing here; but, as wan Southey says, in wan o' his prose works," time is not here, nor days, nor months, nor years, an everlasting now." And the raisin I write to ye at all is, because it's a great shame that you putt sitch a piddlin' notice o' my death in your obituary. "At Dublin, at an advanced period of life, Dr John Barrett, Vice-Provost of Trinity College in that city." Why, the Freeman says as much for a namesake o' mine that wasn't the Vice-Provost. On the 27th ult. John Barrett, Esq. of Carrigboy, county Cork." Me, that was your correspondent, an' wrote you the Haibrew poem on the death of Sir Donnelly, (1) that Hincks thranslated, and putt your Magazine into the Fellowship coorse; as you yourself acknowledge, in the 27th line of the 1st column of the 193d page of your Number for November, 1820. Now I send by opportunity the followin' aphorisms and anecdotes o' myself. The Weird Sisthers often come here, out o' kindness, to see William Shakespeare, because he tuck an' putt (2) them into his play o' Macbeth, which no other author ever done. They're goin' back to Scotland, an' promised to take an' dhrop my paper

into

your letther-box in Prence's Sthreet. An' as I'm not given to writin' English for magazines, but only the Haibrew, maybe ye won't, all o' ye, undherstand what I say; but has wan T. C., a correspondent o' yours, an' discreet graduate, that wrote them purty Spanish ballads, [be the by, he's too fond luggin in his localities. (3) He got seven best marks at scholarships; but I only gave him a third (4) best, because he said, that arno came from TM; and wance, at Haibrew examination, he gave as a root, instead o'

; but they called him rabbi in College for all that, because he used to get the head præmium in Haibrew. He'll putt glosses to it if ye will. An' as to people sayin' that I didn't know how to spake English right, it's all folly; for I didn't spake bad English because I knew no betther, [for how could that be when I was the Vice-Provost, but because it was only to Catty, an' Benson, an' the other porthers, that I Lad a right to spake English, an' they undher

(1) Sir, is a College designation for an A. B. The Christian name is always omitted. The ghostly Doctor was not aware of the impropriety of such an omission out of College. Sir Daniel Donnelly never graduated in Trinity College.

(2) Took and put." A favourite phrase of the Doctor's; originating, no doubt, from his long habit of taking the money, and putting it into the funds. "Put," in the Doctor's mouth, always rhymed to "cut."

(3) The Doctor is really very complimentary. After calling my Spanish Ballads (published in your Number for January, 1820) purty, [pretty,] he censures my localities, as he calls them. I have, to be sure, mentioned, in a breath, the village of Blankanese, situate on the Elbe, in Germany, where I abode for a day or two, in July, 1819; and the village of Stillorgan, near Dublin. Being habituated to vegetate within the College walls, the idea of such interminable distances were, I suppose, revolting to him. (4) By a privilege conceded of old to the natives of Ireland, the different degrees of answering at examination for Scholarship are marked, not by good, middle, and bad marks, but by best, middle, and bad marks. There are three gradations of middle and bad, and, therefore, of best also;-1st BEST, 2d BEST, and 3d BEST.

stud the bad betther nor the good. An' I always spell as its pronounced; (5) and that's the way all languages should be wrote. An' if the fellows didn't like me English, why did'nt they spake Latn, seein' that, by the statutes, they are bound so to do. An' as for the chap that tuck an' putt me notice into Carrick's paper, (6) you may just tell him, that it would be fitther for him to mind his own business, an' not to be bitin' a cherry about me want o' punctuation, an' sitch things as don't consarn him. An' now I'm done.

THE LATE JOHN BARRETT,

that was the Vice-Provost.

P. S.-It wasn't fair o' you to putt upon me in this way, an' lave me to write my own obituary. It's thrue enough what Virgil says about the occupations o' the dead. Catty an' I's here as fresh as ever.

TO MISTHER NORTH, that keeps the Magazine in Prence's Sthreet.
By favour of the Weird Sisthers.

(5) And, naturally enough, he pronounced foreign languages as he found them spelt. Thus, he would tell you, that claret came from Bour-de aux on the Ga-ron-ne, sounding every letter. But half the merit of the anecdotes about the Doctor is lost, by our not being able to print his face and voice.

(6) The notice alluded to runs as follows, and was affixed to the College gate some time before the King's visit to Ireland :

“The Library will close from the ** to the ** inst: for the purpose of cleaning JOHN BARRETT." The want of punctuation essentially altering the meaning, it was copied into a morning paper. "It's nonsense," said the Vice, now a ghost; "if I'm clane, I don't want to be claned; an' if I'm dirty, the library can't clane me."

(7) "Wance," once. From the root "wan," one. Do not see, but hear the late Vice-Provost PASSIM.

(8) The female servants in College are called College-women. Ugliness, age, and honesty, are the requisite qualifications.

(9) Hendher," hinder.

(10) "Blagard,” blackguard.

(11) "Butthery," buttery. The buttery-books are those in which the names of the students, &c. are enrolled, and the fines registered.

1

(14) October is a sort of malt drink used in college. The Doctor was, it appears, near realizing the words of the old song

And dies in October."

(15) If the vice-provost were in the humour, he might tell stories innumerable of his prodigious memory. He knew the local station of every book in the great library of Trinity College. He remembered in general the particular page on which any fact was to be found, and as to dates, names, numbers, &c. his memory was inexhaustible. Ask him about a book, and you would instantly be answered, It is in the compartment Aa-on the seventh shelf-and the eighteenth book, or the nineteenth book-I don't remember which it is the eighteenth book surely-on that shelf.

(16) "Manshit," manchet. The senior of the hall has a right to an additional roll and a draught of October every Saturday. The Doctor never failed to exact these dues. (17) A notorious village. The meaning of it in Irish is rather indelicate for your pages:-how shall I say it? the A-e, the sitting part of the mill. The inhabitants are a sort of Savoyards, always travelling round the world for sport. "Wherever," say the Mullinahonese, 66 you see three men together, you may be sure that one of them is

(18) Now, the ex-paddy Lynch. A man of considerable learning, who held a situation in the Record-Tower, Dublin Castle, for many years before his death.

(20) Here, and elsewhere, the names were given in full. I have taken the liberty of removing them.

*********

in

Street now? says

Now I know what you're come for, and first:-Before that same Sir ***** by G (21) I wont do it. You're go- became Sir *********, he was sent wan in to the counthry, and you want to get evening, about dusk, to me by his your things out at the gate (22). By uncle, Docther ****** *** who lived G-, I wont do it.-You must go to at some distance in the city that time. your tuther. (23)-You dont know at At this time the blagards used to be all what I want, says he,-an' its not puttin squibs and other misdemeanthat-It's not that, says I,-O, ho! an ours into my letther box, an' I used what is it that you do want?-Why, to be very cautious about openin the says he, if you'd given me time, I'd doore. And when I hard the knock, I have tould you what I wanted.-O, ho! says I, go on.-Why, says he, I've some friends to coffee this evening, and I wish to give the ladies a walk in the Fellows' Garden, and I'm come to request the loan of your kay.-O! I can't do it-I can't do it, says I.-O! well, says he, its no matther, I'll go elsewhere, I wish you'd let me spake at first, and he was goin' off.—1**** n to you, says I, what a hurry you're in, can't you sit down, an' I'll tell you the raisin why. Do you see, when I became a fellow I tuck my oath that I'd never lend the kay of the Nassau Sthreet gate, and do you see me Sir *********, I'll shew you it. The kay of the Nassau Sthreet gate, and the kay of the gate laiden into the coorts is sawthred (24) together, and if I lend you the kay of the gate laiden into the coorts, I must lend you the kay of the Nassau Sthreet gate. All the time I was spaiken he was thryin (25) to get away, till I said, Sure, Sir ********* I'd do any thing to oblige you :— -And now, wouldn't this do, if I'd send Catty over with you to unlock the gate, and couldn't you putt a stone against the gate, that the ladies and you need'nt be locked in all night in the Fellows' Garden, Sir *********

said, Who's there?—It's 1, says he.-
Who are you? says I.-I've a note from
Docther *********
says
he. Oho!
says I, an' I opened the doore, an walk-
ed out into the coort to identify him.
You've a note from Docther *********?
says I. So I brought him in. Well-
an' are you in College? says I.-Yes,
says he.-An' is Docther
his house in -
I.-Yes, says he.-Well, let us see this
note from Docther
says I.
I tuck an' read the note. Well, do you
see me now ? says I; do you sit down
there, an' I pointed to a chair be the
doore; an' don't stir from that; I have.
to go to the topo' the house to look for the
book which Docther ********* wants.
I went to the top o' the house, an'
brought down the book; an' then says
I, I'm not sure that this is the book
that Docther ********* wants, for,dye
see, it's a'most dark. But I'll tell you
what you'll do do you take it to
Docther ******
an' if it's not the
book he wants, bring it back to me, an'
I'll light a candle, an' get you the right

wan.

No. XI.

Wan evenin ****** the fellow came to me in the dusk, an' says I to him, Sit there near the window, for a candle's out o' the question.

No. XII.

F***** the fellow made a gradle o' money, an' lived abroad for some years in the city, an' came home to die in the College. An' when he was dead I asked how much he left (26) to the

(21) However innocent the Doctor may have considered his "little appales," I have thought it better to mollify them by a letter or two, wherever they occur.

(22) Without an order signed by a Fellow, no student is allowed to pass his furniture through the College gate.

(23) Tuther, -tutor.
(24) "Sawthred,"-soldered.
(25)" Thryin,"”—trying.

(26) This story comes with a peculiar bad grace from our ghost. The Doctor died worth nearly 100,0001. but, except a few legacies, left all to charity. As he specified no charitable institution, the will will be litigated. One legacy was bequeathed under this express condition-that the legatee should give up all connexion with Peg the

Nailer.

An' there's the sorte of an obituary you ought to have made for me.

(29) Lekchurer," lecturer. This officer gives official dinners; and the Doctor is not gasconading when he praises his. They were really splendid.