sion. He was not without learning had it been properly applied, though with few or no pretensions to genius. He lived in wretchedness, and seems never to have aimed at escaping from it by the exertion of active industry; yet he had pride enough to conceal his lodgings so effectually from all his acquaintance, that no ingenuity could discover them, although one gentleman is said to have walked with him with this view as far as Whitechapel, when he gave up the pursuit, as Hiffernan intended he should, in despair. It appeared afterward that he occupied wretched apartments in St. Martin's Lane. To Goldsmith he presented no point of rivalry, and was frequently an object of his bounty; and besides the allusion in the poem, we may readily believe that from him and such as him, the pictures of distressed authors found in his Essays were drawn.

Like the Roman His

EARLY in August 1771, the History of England, agreed for two years before, and the contract for which, notwithstanding complaints of his dilatoriness seems to have been pretty punctually fulfilled, appeared in four volumes.* tory, it was meant as a succinct and elegant abstract of our known annals; a medium for the statement of facts, rather than an opportunity sought of reasoning upon them. He claims the merit of having read much upon the subject, but does not desire. to be considered "a reader of forgotten books," and is indisposed to display erudition upon minute or controverted points, or even to repeat new anecdotes, when all his space was required for matters which were material.

As Hume formed his chief guide, the facts differ little from what we find in that writer. Without wholly discarding reflection, or those pointed observations which give history much of its value, he

* Public Advertiser, Aug. 6, 1771.

has contrived to fulfil Dr. Johnson's idea of history, by "putting into his book as much as his book would contain ;" and the ease and perspicuity with which this is done, add much to the interest of the narrative. Numerous passages it has been observed, are transcribed verbatim from the "Letters of a Nobleman to his Son," many of which were marked for transcription by the writer, but their number precludes insertion here; while others are varied merely by the introduction of a few words. This saved him labour, and passed at the moment without observation. The critic failed to discover what he doubtless would have thought redounded to the credit of his research, and proved a fruitful theme for censure had he been so disposed; while the author probably willing enough to profit by this oversight of the enemy, was not reduced to the necessity of making public the avowal that such materials though seemingly borrowed, were really his

own.

Carelessness in slight circumstances, arising evidently from trusting to memory, is obvious in some of the details. Thus in treating of the civil war between Charles and his Parliament, Naseby in Northamptonshire, the scene of the battle, is mentioned as being in Yorkshire, confounding it no doubt with Knaresborough.

Another instance occurs, in which speaking of the siege of Londonderry in Ireland, so nobly defended by the inhabitants and a few soldiers against a large army of James II. in 1689, he mentions

one of the chief heroes on that occasion as "one Walker, a dissenting minister," whereas he was a clergyman, and afterwards a dignitary of the established church. A private letter from a correspondent in Ireland* apprised him of the error, which was corrected in the second edition. The person alluded to, occupies too prominent a station in the history of Ireland at that period to be so cursorily noticed. He was an extraordinary man drawn forth by the pressure of unusual circumstances, who having passed the usual term of human life as a minister of peace, became in old age a leader in war, and who displayed in that situation energies unexpected from his age and habits, and of the possession of which he was not perhaps previously conscious. To him the safety of the north of Ireland, and of the Protestant party, from the army of James, is said to be owing, and as a tribute of

"SIR,

*" To Dr. Goldsmith.

"I beg leave to acquaint you, there is a mistake in your Abridgement of the History of England, respecting Dr. Walker, viz.-one Walker, a dissenting minister.

I venture to assure you, Mr. Walker was a clergyman of the Established Church of Ireland, that was appointed Bishop of Dromore, by King William, for his services at Derry; but was unfortunately killed at the battle of the Boyne. Which I hope you will be pleased to insert in future editions of your late book. "The Duke of Schomberg was certainly killed in passing the river Boyne. I am, Sir, with great respect,

"Your most obedient, humble servant,
"THOMAS WOOLSEY.

"Dundalk, April 10th, 1772."

historical justice some account of him from private sources of information is subjoined.*

*The Rev. George Walker had been 26 years Rector of the parishes of Donoughmore and Erigle in Tyrone, when at the age of 70 or more, the disturbed state of Ireland, produced by the Revolution in England, involved him and all of his faith in imminent personal danger. The intrigues of James II., and the measures of his Viceroy, Tyrconnel, added to intimidation and outrage in various forms, seconded by the array of physical force, threatened at this moment extinction to the lives and properties of all Protestants. Ulster was the first province to make head against this tyranny, the contending parties there being more equally balanced than in the others. Great efforts having been made after James had fled from England to France, to secure Ireland in his interest, one of the means adopted was to dispatch from Dublin several Popish regiments to the North to secure its strongholds, such as Dungannon, Enniskillen and Londonderry. This, the Protestants in aid of the main object of the Revolution, were desirous to prevent, and Mr. Walker was first noticed in raising men for the defence of Dungannon; but the preponderance of the enemy in the field soon drove them into the fortified places. Londonderry offering the best means of defence, his energy, courage and skill became so conspicuous as to win the confidence of the inhabitants, who finding more than one of the chief officers in command guilty of treachery, at length elected Mr. Walker, joint Governor, first with Major Baker, and upon his death during the siege, afterwards with Colonel Michelburn.

The inhabitants of this small place, and particularly the "Apprentice boys" who thence derive peculiar honours and consideration from the event, left almost wholly to their own resources, exhibited extraordinary devotion and courage in defence of their city. The place was very ill fortified, scarcely a gun being well mounted, the military force within it sinall; and arms and munitions of war even of the ordinary stamp, very scanty in supply. Famine soon added its miseries to those with which they were already contending, so that horses, dogs, and all living animals, with tallow, greaves, hides, and