"DEAR MR. GASKIN, "CHISWICK, May 8, 1858. "I am extremely obliged by your timely and friendly vindication.* "Yours faithfully, "CARLISLE." Small service is true service, while it lasts; Of friends, however humble, spurn not one: The daisy, by the shadow that it casts, Protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun. On the resignation of the Earl of Derby's Administration, in June, 1859, the Earl of Carlisle was again appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The Author was honoured with the following letters relative to his exertions in vocal culture during the second Viceroyalty of the Earl of Carlisle : "DEAR MR. GASKIN, "DUBLIN CASTLE, Jan. 25, 1861. "I rejoice most sincerely in your success. Just now my time is very much engrossed, but I shall hope to have some opportunity shortly of hearing your Classes. "Yours truly, "CARLISLE." "DEAR MR. GASKIN, "DUBLIN CASTLE, Feb. 27, 1861. "I regret much that my leisure time in this country has not admitted of my oftener witnessing your exertions in vocal culture. I cordially wish you all success and prosperity. "Yours very faithfully, "CARLISLE." Having composed a work entitled "The History, Theory, and Practice of Vocal Music made Interesting," the Author applied to the Earl of Carlisle for permission to dedicate it to his Lordship, and received the following reply: : * Vide "Dublin Evening Post," May 6th, 1858. "TO HIS EXCELLENCY GEORGE FREDERICK WILLIAM, EARL OF CARLISLE, K. G., "Lord Lieutenant General, and General Governor of Ireland, &c. &c. "MY LORD, "A life devoted to the noblest and most philanthropic purposes, in raising the standard of our social, moral, and educational institutions—a life of purity, charity, and Gospel benevolence-a life illumined by the sunlight of literary fame and exquisite taste, so worthily employed in adorning the numerous incidents of our growing prosperity-a life on whose every page is written the maxim, To educate is to govern'-a life affectionately wedded to the spirit of unity in the regeneration of our country, so happily anticipated by Moore, in the melody "Erin, thy silent tear never shall cease, Erin, thy languid smile ne'er shall increase, Till, like the rainbow's light, Thy various tints unite, And form in Heaven's sight One arch of peace.' --this life, realized in the exalted person of your Lordship, has completely changed the spirit of your ancestral motto, Volo non Vuleo.' Under your Lordship's benign rule, every branch of popular knowledge has been advanced-and none more so than vocal music-as an essential branch of primary education. Milton, in his well-known letters on Education, speaks of music, and of 'elegant voices, tuned to religious, martial, or civic ditties, which,' he says, 'if wise men and prophets be not extremely out, have a great power over dispositions and manners, to smoothe and make them gentle from rustic harshness and distempered passions.' In our own day this truth has been more generally received. The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone thus testifies to its humanizing influence : "They who consider music to be a powerless thing, who think it ranks amongst the trifles of existence, are in gross error; because, from the beginning of the world down to us. the present time, it has been one of the most forcible instruments both for training, for arousing, and for governing the mind and the spirit of man. The foundations lie deep in our nature; they have been placed there by the Author of that nature; and it is, in an humble sense, doing His work, and cultivating the gifts with which He has endowed There was a time when letters and civilization had but begun to dawn upon the world. In that day music was not unknown. On the contrary, it was so far from being a mere servant and handmaid of common and light amusement, that the great and noble art of poetry was essentially wedded to that of music, so much so, that there was no poet who was not a musician; there was no verse spoken in the early ages of the world but that music was adopted as its vehicle, showing thereby the universal consciousness that in that way the straightest and most effectual road would be found to the heart and affections of man. So long as fourteen hundred years ago, the greatest and most eminent of all Christian men, the great St. Augustine, left upon record, as one of the auxiliary instruments of his conversion from Heathenism to become a preacher of the Gospel, the influence which the sweet strains of the Christian Church exercised upon his yet untutored soul.' "The distinguished patronage and support which your Lordship has so generously bestowed on all our musical and art societies, coupled with heartfelt gratitude for past favours, have induced me to dedicate this work on the Early History, Theory, and Practice of Vocal Music, to your Lordship, whose life is so pleasingly intertwined with the recent history of this country. To pray for its prosperity and the continuance of your life is my duty, as it is my ambition to appear on all occasions "Your Lordship's "Most obedient, grateful, and devoted Servant, "JAMES J. GASKIN." The Author, having presented Lord Carlisle with a copy of the work, had the honour of receiving the following gracious acknowledgment: "MY DEAR MR. GASKIN, "VICEREGAL LODGE, Nov. 26th, 1861. "I have received your beautiful book. I wish I deserved half the things you so kindly say. I fear you have more than repaid any little kindness I was formerly able to show. "Your honourable career has been essentially your own merit; but my complacency cannot help mixing a slight degree of credit with the genuine satisfaction it has afforded me. "Yours very faithfully, "CARLISLE." Kind and noble Carlisle, thy gracious and valued testimony shall ever remain deeply-indelibly-impressed on the Author's mind. For some few years longer, during which the Author enjoyed his Lordship's unvarying friendship and confidence, the mild administration of Lord Carlisle continued in Ireland; then followed his Lordship's afflicting malady, consequent resignation, and retirement from the cares of public life to the calm and necessary repose of his ancestral home. The Author might add a great many incidents, proving the sincere and generous friendship of Lord Carlisle. It will, however, sufficeto state that, up to the sadday of his departure from Ireland,* Lord Carlisle continued to favour him with his friendship, kind patronage, and cheering words of advice; and he reasonably hopes to be excused for giving a place in this narrative to personal On the day of Lord Carlisle's final departure from Ireland the Author sent the following letter to his Lordship: "MY LORD, "I stood on the 'Carlisle Pier' this morning at six o'clock, my heart laden with sorrow and regret, to look a last farewell, and at a distance to bid a mental adieu to the generous and pure-minded patron and friend of my youth, whom I may never see again. My prayer night and morning shall ever be-May the Great Father of Mercy-the Almighty and Eternal God, bless, protect, and speedily restore your Lordship to good health." To which he received the following reply from Lady Elizabeth Grey, the affectionats sister who accompanied him from Ireland : "DEAR SIR, "CASTLE HOWARD, Aug. 15, 1864. "Lord Carlisle wishes me to thank you very heartily for your kind words of farewell. We hope he is beginning to recover from the fatigue of the journey; and that, through God's blessing, he may find benefit from the repose he can enjoy here. "Yours, obliged, "ELIZABETH GREY." feelings, in order to indicate the impelling motives of affection and gratitude which, besides public considerations, induced him to pay his humble tribute to the memory of his noble benefactor, whose name will ever be held sacred and revered by a grateful heart. October, 1864.-Shadows are now deepening round the life of the noble Earl. He is surrounded by affectionate sisters and brothers, whom he tenderly loved. Within the princely halls of Castle Howard all is anxiety and hope for his recovery. At this period of Lord Carlisle's illness, the Author-unconscious of the dangerous nature of the crisis-wrote the following letter to his Lordship on the subject of the publication of this Volume :"40, GREAT BRUNSWICK-STREET, DUBLIN, October 19, 1864. "MY LORD, "A labour of love,' extending over a period of nine years, is finished. A work containing a faithful and interesting record of the various incidents in Ireland's history since the first hour your Lordship arrived in this country as the representative of our beloved Queen, is now completed in classified sections, ready for publication—in a style somewhat similar to the Speeches and Addresses of his Royal Highness the late Prince Consort. The two MS. volumes, which I have the honour of forwarding for your Lordship's perusal, contain nearly all those charming Speeches, which you so happily delivered during your long and prosperous Government of this country. The volumes also contain your Addresses and Lectures at Mechanics' Institutes, and a few of your Occasional Poems. To perpetuate those chaste and elegant effusions in a collective form, so that they may reach the homesteads of the humble as well as the mansions of the wealthy, is now and has been for years past the aim and object of my mind; and, with God's blessing, I shall publish this work in a style worthy of your Lordship's brilliant genius and exalted position, accompanied as it is by a pure and benevolent life, which knows no selfishness, but has rather blossomed and nobly expanded in large-heartedness and universal sympathy for your fellow-man in every clime. I undertake the publication of this really national work con amore. I have already received assurances of support from gentlemen representing all shades of political opinions. Your Lordship's warmhearted and affectionate friend, the Right Hon. Alexander Mac Donnell, |