The following letter was written in the dark cholera times to Mr. John Primrose, his agent at Cahirciveen. It shows very practically that O'Connell held with Mr. Drummond that "property has its duties as well as its rights." MY DEAR JOHN, LONDON, 3rd March, 1834. As far as I am concerned, spare no expense that can possibly alleviate the sufferings of the people. You had better at once get Maurice O'Connor from Tralee, so as to have one medical man in Cahirciveen and another to go to the country villages or single houses wherever the disorder appears. If it breaks out at all about Darrynane, Dr. O'Connor should go there at once to give the people every possible assistance. I will pay him readily two guineas a day whilst he is in the country. Do not delay, my dear John. Everybody should live as full as possible, eating meat twice a day. Get meat for the poor as much as possible. I wish my poor people about Darrynane should begin a meat diet before the disorder arrives amongst them. Two, three, four beeves I would think nothing of. Coarse blankets also may be very useful, if got for them promptly. Could you not get coals from Dingle? If not, get them from Cork. In short, if I could contribute to save one life, I would deem it a great blessing at the expense of a year's income. I spoke to Mr. Roche; he will write this day to Mr. Sullivan of Cove to give Father O'Connell £20 for that parish, particularly for Hartopp's tenants. But a physician is most wanting. Give me the fullest details, but above and before all things. be prodigal of relief out of my means. Beef, bread, mutton, medicines, physician, everything you can think of. Write off to Father O'Connell to take every previous precaution. A Mass every possible day, and getting the people to go to confession and communion; rosaries and other public prayers to avert the Divine wrath. love to Rickarda and her babes, With tenderest Ever, my dear John, Yours most affectionately, POSTSCRIPT TO "IRISH CHILDREN AND THE HOLY CHILDHOOD." IN examining a pretty book called "Our Birthday Bouquet," of which we must reserve our opinion for our next number, we turned to the day of the year which was then passing, and is now passedJune 16-and we found an excellent summary of the life and works of the saint of the day, St. John Francis Régis: a stanza very appropriately quoted from another Jesuit, the martyr-poet, Robert Southwell, and a "favourite practice" suggested, connected with the foreign Missions, rather than with the home Missions, with which the Apostle of Valais is identified. "Favourite practice-to manifest a practical interest in the Association of the Holy Childhood." We determined to do so by supplementing some remarks which occupy our last pages for May.* Indeed our remarks overflowed the last page of all, and the printer was obliged to suppress a paragraph or two. This mischance, like many another mischance, may be turned to good account, as an excuse for returning to the subject, in order to supply a few omissions in our comments on the latest financial report of that organisation of Christian zeal, as pursuing its work in Ireland. In enumerating some of its Irish benefactors, we omitted to convey the thanks of the Association to the prelates, who have "shown a practical interest" in it, by contributing to its too scanty funds, namely, the Cardinal Archbishop of Dublin, the Archbishop of Cashel, and the Bishops of Elphin, Raphoe, Dromore, Cloyne, and Ardagh, with the Coadjutor Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin. Who was it that first called attention to the fact, that the postscript of a lady's letter is pretty sure to contain the most important item of all? Certainly the most important item of the financial statement to which we are now, for the second time, referring, was reserved for a note at the end, which announces 66 a munificent donation of £602 3s. 4d., given to the Holy Childhood, by a generous benefactor whose name is not to be published." May it be published on the Last Day, and meanwhile may it be written in the Book of Life! Some of our readers will be eager, we trust, to adopt henceforth the "favourite practice," which the American "Birthday Bouquet t" aforesaid has linked with the feast of St. John Francis Regis. Their anxiety to "exhibit a practical interest in the Association of the Holy Childhood," will make them wish for that fuller information which they can obtain by putting themselves in communication with any one of the hon. secretaries, whose zeal has given an impetus to the holy work in Ireland: namely, Mrs. Clarke, Frankfort House, Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Miss D'Alton, 1 Brighton-terrace, Monkstown, Co. Dublin; Mrs. Edward Hussey, 21 Belvidere-place,; and Miss Rafferty, Frankfort House, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. Lady O'Hagan is the President of the Association; Father Conlan, of the Cathedral, Marlborough-street, is Treasurer; and Father Hyland, C.S.S., of the French College, Blackrock, is the Central Director for Ireland. *See antea, p. 268. NOTES ON NEW BOOKS. We have more than once begun our monthly notices of books by. stating that, though we do not go in search of new publications, but confine our attention to those which authors and publishers send for review, nevertheless if we devoted anything like adequate space to our account of the books of the month we should have no room left for our poets, philosophers, essayists, and story-tellers. Some of the newest accessions to our book-basket must, indeed, form hereafter the subject of separate articles. For instance, we must treat in this manner the biography and bibliography of James Clarence Mangan, adding a few original materials in our possession to the full and most interesting details furnished by the Rev. C. P. Meehan, in his introduction to the two new editions, issued by Messrs. James Duffy and Sons, of the "Poetry of Munster," and of the "German Anthology." Father Meehan has proved himself as kind and true a friend to the poet's memory as he was to the poet himself in the last years in his not too prosperous life. Still more impossible is it to give more than a few words of welcome to the most recent issue of the poems of Aubrey de Vere. Of this edition, brought out with faultless taste, by Messrs. Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., the first volume contains, "The Search after Proserpine, and other Poems, Classical and Meditative;" and the second, "The Legends of St. Patrick, and Legends of Ireland's Heroic Age." We are specially delighted to notice that the first volume includes "The Sisters," to which is added here the explanatory title, "Ireland in the Nineteenth Century." This has always been a particular favourite of ours.* It was probably with an eye to propitiate youthful eyes, in this premium-giving season, that Messrs M. H. Gill and Son have clothed Archbishop Moran's book, which we announced last month, on the "Persecutions of Irish Catholics," in a garb almost too brilliant for its theme and grave merits, and for our dim octogenarian eyes. Another extremely tasteful and appropriate premium would be the new cheap edition, published by Messrs Kegan Paul, and Co., of the wonderfully successful translation which Judge O'Hagan has given of "The Song of Roland." An accident has delayed our notice of a book which, after travelling over some thousand miles of land and sea, had a right to count on a more hospitable reception. Professor J. A. Lyons, of the Notre Dame University, Indiana, United States, is the publisher, and * Our other favourites are revealed in a few uncritical pages devoted to Mr. de Vere's poetry in the fifth volume of this Magazine, p. 645. For analyses of his dramas, "Alexander the Great" and St. Thomas of Canterbury," see "THE IRISH MONTHLY," vol. ii., p. 664, and vol. v., p. 85. Rev. J. M. Tuohey, C.S.C., is the translator of Franz von Seeburg's "Joseph Haydn: the Story of his Life." This is a charming translation from a charming original. Told even unsympathetically, the story of Haydn's life is full of interest; but told as it is here, the great musician seems to live again, and be a personal friend of every reader. Author and translator have performed a labour of love; and the result is a biography largely imaginative in its details, and all the more pleasing because it sets before us the real Haydn in a way which no mere authentic history could do. The conversations with his father and mother, with Capellmeister Reutter, with Keller's daughter-not the one he did, but the one he should have married-with Esterhazy, and with many others, had no Boswell to note them down for us. But he must have said just such things as Franz von Seeburg makes him say, and they paint him admirably to us as the gentle, pious, generous, unambitious youth and man, who gained almost every heart that came in contact with him. He never gained his wife's, and we can only pardon him the mistake he made in marrying her when we reflect that her greed for money made him labour as few men of genius have ever laboured. Genius without industry and industry without genius are not rare, but genius like Haydn's is rarely coupled with industry like his : and when it is, and time waits upon their labours, we have a perfect artistic life, which gives forth all its treasures, and sees all its harvest golden ere it dies. Many of our readers will be very much prepossessed in favour of "Notes on Catholic Missions," by A. H. Atteridge, S.J., when they are told that Father Atteridge is the writer of a biographical sketch which attracted much attention in our ninth volume-the account of the great Indian missionary, Robert de' Nobili.* The present work is most useful; for, to use its opening words, "most Catholics, we fear know very little of the mission work of the Church." Is there even as much practical interest in Ireland in the Propagation of the Faith as there was some years ago? Can the money test be applied here satisfactorily? We ask these questions in complete ignorance of the facts and statistics, and from a vague general impression only, that in such matters our community is practically too closely following Tallyrand's counsel: "Surtout point de zèle!" Perhaps part of this want of interest in Foreign Missions is owing to the uninteresting way that accounts of missionary work are set before us. One of the novices of Father Tracy Clarke, S.J., asked leave to make his spiritual lecture in the Lettres Edifiantes. "Et Curieuses-no," was Father Clarke's reply. He backed up his negative by merely naming the second quality claimed for the famous collection of letters from Jesuit missionaries. He feared the literary interest of the work might distract his novice. No such fear would be caused by the "Annals of the Progagation of the * "IRISH MONTHLY," vol. xi., p. 643. Faith." From one cause or another these contemporary annals are much less interesting than they might be made. Would that they were as full of facts set forth in as clear and animated a style as Father Atteridge's "Notes on Catholic Missions." We give no analysis and no extracts, for the essay is so cheap as to be easily procured by all who feel, or wish to feel, an interest in the work of the propagation of the Christian Faith. Rev. George Wenigen, S.J., has published, at the Bombay Examiner press, a second edition of his "Catholic Soldiers' Guide during his stay in India." We are sure it would be found very useful and interesting for soldiers at home also. The author, who has been military chaplain in the Bombay Presidency for more than fourteen years, lays down practical rules for the soldiers, and shows how the dangers of military life, as to religion and morality, may be obviated. The authorities provide great facilities for the practice of religion, and those who go astray have themselves to blame for it. Regimental workshops, schools, prisons, hospitals, and such topics, as drunkenness and marriage, are discussed from the poor soldier's point of view, in a homely manner, and with great zeal and earnestness that can scarcely fail to find the way to the wants of those for whom the book was written, The intermediate examinations are going on in various corners of Ireland at this moment of this sunny feast of St. Aloysius (June 21). The Christian Brothers have just published an "Intermediate Geography," (Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son). More than half the book very properly is devoted to Ireland, England, Scotland, and the British Colonies, and the facts are put forward in the manner which such practical teacher know to be most useful for young learners. Apropos of geography we have seen one printed in raised capital, letters for the use of the blind, by the Carmelite Community, who have charge of the Male Blind Asylum, recently transferred to Drumcondra Castle near Dublin, which was previously the residence of Lord James Butler, and (to go back a few hundred years) is said to have been the place where Hugh O'Neill married Mabel Bagenal. All honour, especially in the other world, to the men and women who devote themselves to the hard task of thus at least giving sight to the blind. American magazines have taken the front rank for the softness and delicacy of their engravings. One of the most richly and artistically illustrated books that we have seen is "Pilgrims and Shrines," by Miss Eliza Allen Starr (Chicago Publishing Company). It bears the Imprimatur of "Patritius Augustinus, Archiepiscopus Chicagiensis," whom the "Maynooth men" of some thirty years ago, who still survive, will affectionately recognise as Patrick Feehan of Cashel. Miss Starr is a very accomplished Catholic lady, who has devoted her talents to the cause of Catholic literature. Her "Patron Saints" is a work of great and increasing popularity; but "Pilgrims and |