may be ranked the Penny Society; for, if it is laudable and . charitable to relieve destitute room-keepers of bodily disease, it must surely be so, to supply them with nourishment, food, and clothing.

This Society was established in 1815 by the late Hon. Mrs. William Knox, the late Lady Hill, the late Lady Ferguson, the late Mrs. Davenport, Mrs. D. Watt, and Mrs. Benson, The support of the Society is derived from subscriptions, donations, legacies, &c. and it is to be regretted that the supply to the funds is not more ample. The name has been conferred on the Society from the original limitation subscription of one penny a week, from each subscriber. The management of the funds is vested in a President, Patroness, and a Committee of ladies, with a Secretary and a Treasurer. The business is transacted in a rented house in Magazine-street.

A Poor-Shop for the sale of articles of clothing to the indigent, at first cost, on security, with payment of one penny per week in the shilling, has been in existence since 1821: it is managed similarly to the preceding.

The Clergymen's Widows' Fund is supported by the Clergy of the Established Church-each in proportion to his professional income.

Stanley's Charity arises from the proceeds of a Bequest of a profit rent of £42 per annum, on premises in Derry, made to the poor by Alderman Peter Stanley, about the middle of the last century. The income has accumulated to £60 per annum, in addition to £450 lodged in bank: relief is, in consequence, afforded to thirty reduced persons, annually.

Evory's Charity arises from a bequest of £20 per annum, made to the Church Wardens for the use of the poor, by Miss Evory, who died in 1831.

Riddall's Charity is a benefaction of £200, lately vested in funds by a benevolent gentleman, Hans Riddall, Esq. who was resident in our City for several years, for the relief of four poor persons of religious character.

There is a Penitentiary, supported by subscriptions and donations. The object is to reform unfortunate females, who are employed, when in the Institution, in plain work; the proceeds, or their earnings, are deposited in the Savings' Bank, for general purposes. The superintendence and the funds are managed by a few compassionate ladies.

Y

CHAPTER XVII.

General Education-Authors, natives of Derry-Schools—

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Antiquities.

On approaching this subject, we do it with considerable precaution, but, as a Derry-man should not desert his colours," our Annalist must finish the task which he has been induced to undertake. In reflecting on literary deficiency, it is, we believe, (as in the way of Ethics,) sometimes granted, that people are more reconciled to hear their friends chide them for imperfections, than to bear, for the same, the blazoned reproaches of strangers. Not having ever had reason to write or speak disparagingly of the talents of our fellow-citizens, there is not now, we presume, much danger to be apprehended: the wholesome advice of the poet is still retained in our recollection :—

"Hic murus aheneus esto,

Nil conscire sibi, nulla pallescere culpa."

Londonderry, though renowned, "in days of yore," for great exploits, has not been hitherto acknowledged, generally, as a great literary or scientific repository, and, indeed, so far as we have heard or known, the inhabitants have never considered it as such; yet, it cannot be denied that the mass of the people are both intelligent and acutely discriminating taking the Citizens collectively, we do not include professional gentlemen, nor gentlemen of the press, nor yet poor men and women who have been labouring incessantly in the monotonous routine of a school, for a precarious and scanty subsistence-Till this hour our City, as has been observed, has never been honoured with a resident titled aristocracy, (with the exception of now and again a few Baronets.) We have had, therefore, no Meconases to encourage and lead young aspirants on in the path of literary or scientific eminence; and, destitute of every encouragement for the obtaining of that noble object from the Denizens of London, the Citizens of Derry have been permitted to plod their way, unassisted, as they best could, to literary and scientific distinction. As yet, we have never enjoyed the advantages of a home-collegiate education; no professors' chairs, endowed for raising our literary and scientific character; no public or free Lectures for the general

improvement of all classes of our community; no public library, nor museum, nor botanic-garden; no school of arts or design; no architectural drawing for the effectual initiation of our mechanics, or to stimulate them to scientific enterprise.* To assert as some would wish to do, that Derrymen have never possessed talents for high or noble studies, would be to assert a palpable falsehood: unfortunately, however, their talents have been fostered in an "unproductive soil," or have been too often, and too much directed by the influence of some, into a wrong or rugged channel, for (the express purpose of advancing the interests of candidates for parliamentary suffrages.

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The eleemosynary or charitable annuities granted, of late years, to most of our Schools, it may be necessary to notice. Previous to the establishment of Sunday and National Schools, there was no such thing, (so far as we have been able to learn,) as an annual gratuity conferred by our patrons in London," for the encouragement of education, upon any School in Derry, with only one solitary exception, which shall be noticed bye and bye. In the spring of 1815, the first Sunday School in this town, was opened in the Civil Bill Court of the Town-house (for convenience,) by four Citizens (laymen) with the encouragement and co-operation of one venerable Clergyman, who is still alive, and who has completed his 92d year. Two of the four Citizens alluded to are also alive. This was the only Sunday School then in

* Indeed, so far as we can recollect, very ew of the youth of Derry, in proportion to the number of inhabitants, have been permitted to take an extensive course of science and classics. The length of time allotted to pupils for the acquisition of such, is, in most instances, too limited; in consequence of which, all that has been acquired for two, three, or even four years, in preparatory schools, cannot amount to much more than an indigestaque moles.

We have a few Libraries and two News-rooms, both limited, of course, to subscribers: we had also a "Mechanics' Institution," "which died a natural death; (but, query, where are the books, electric machine, model-steam engine, &c.) and it is apprehended, that the Natural History Society will do the same; the "rare specimens " are, however, "still in keeping." The Londonderry Musical Society which was, in its way, for several years, an ornament of our City, has ceased; most of the members having dropped off: it was so spiritedly kept up, and so admirably conducted by gentlemen performers, that we can well recollect the pleasure and satisfaction evinced by a numerous and respectable audience, on every musical fete given in the Town-Hall.

the north, one in Belfast excepted: and for six years after no other Sunday School was opened in this City.* We have now several Sunday Schools; National Schools; Infant Schools; and others connected, in a measure, with some Society.

To the mode of distributing those little, annual gratuities (from £2 10s. and upwards,) there can be no reasonable objection, as they seem to be granted irrespective of any particular creed; but, we cannot suppose that it is so immensely praise-worthy, as some have stated, of the Irish Society to comply a little with the voice of the public, and to do that which it has been their duty to do, and which has been distinctly implied in the nature of their engagement with the Crown, and the important object of planting the Colony of Londonderry. To the occasional notices and stringent twitches of the Derry Press, are we, in a great measure, indebted for the recent liberality exhibited in the "enormous expenditure," of the Irish Society, towards promoting the cause of education, languid as it is and has always been, in our City. Indeed, before the establishing of Sunday and National Schools, the affairs of that Society, so far as they may have been connected with the interests of the Citizens, were but very little understood by the commonalty or bulk of the inhabitants.

Authors, natives of the City of Londonderry.-From the reasons already noticed, and which shall soon be farther stated, it must be acknowledged that few "stars" have risen above our literary horizon :

:

GEORGE FARQUHAR, Esq. born and educated in Derry,

* The merit of establishing the first Sunday School here, has been ascribed to two Rev. Gentlemen, who have been dead for several years; this has not been correct, as they then took no active part in establishing it.

Were the surplus, (viz. the balance remaining, after applying a portion of the Rental accruing from the property in and about Derry, to some improvements, repairing houses of Worhip, expenses of lawsuits, Civic entertainments in London, &c.) not applied to the erection of Schools, and the encouragement of Education among the humble classes of our community, the twelve Companies would doubtless be entitled to claim their respective portions of the surplus, according to the original arrangements--the Irish Society being only Trustees.

We have three respectable weekly Newspapers-the Journal, Sentinel, and Standard-cach edited by a talented gentleman.

anno 1674, or 1678, was a celebrated dramatic writer. He wrote seven comedies, with several minor productions. The Rev. WILLIAM HAMILTON, D. D. Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, and Rector of Clondevadock, in the Diocese of Raphoe, was a distinguished Writer. He was born and educated in Derry. Being a profound Scientific as well as a Classical Scholar, his works are of the higher order: those " concerning the Northern coast of the County of Antrim," are extremely important. Unfortunately for himself, and for society, he fell a victim to the brutish violence of party in 1797. The Rev. GEORGE VAUGHAN SAMPSON, Member of the Royal Irish Academy, and Honorary Member of the Geological Society of London, was also born in Derry: besides "being an accomplished Scholar in ancient and modern languages," he published an elaborate Work"The Statistical Survey of the County of Londonderry." JOHN FINLAY, Esq. Barrister, L. L. D. His "Digests on various Sections of the Civil Law," are considered Works of great merit.

The Rev. ARCHIBALD BOYD, M. A. Incumbent of Christ's

Church, Cheltenham. His works are, "Sermons on the Church." "Letters on Episcopacy." "Boyd, on Episcopacy."

The Rev. WILLIAM EWING, Rector of Donegal. Works: "The Lutheran Reformation "A Dissertation on the Book of Job."

EVORY KENNEDY, Esq. M. D.-A Treatise on Medical Practice.

Although the following eminent gentlemen cannot, so far as we are able to state, be ranked as Authors; yet as their distinguished talents have reflected honour on their native City, it is our duty to give them a place here :The Right Hon. FRANCIS ANDREWS, L. L. D. Provost of Trinity College, Dublin-born in the beginning of the 18th century. He represented Derry for three successive Parliaments in the Irish House of Commons. ALEXANDER KNOX, Esq.-Cotemporary with Mr. Sampson. As an accomplished Scholar, Mr. Knox was ranked high. His varied literary correspondences with Gen