nant-ball, Fanatic-hill, Roundhead-bawn, Canting-brook, or Mount-rebel, and the like; because there may, poffibly, come a time when those kind of founds may not be fo grateful to the ears of the kingdom. For I do not conceive it would be a mark of difcretion, upon fuppofing a gentleman, in allufion to his name, or the merit of his ancestors, to call his houfe Tyburn-hall.

But the fcheme I would propose, for changing the denominations of land into legible and audible fyllables, is by employing fome gentlemen in the University; who, by the knowledge of the Latintongue, and their judgment in founds, might imitate the Roman way, by tranflating thofe hideous words into their English meanings, and altering the termination, where a bare tranflation will not form a good cadence to the ear, or be easi. ly delivered from the mouth. And, when both these means happen to fail, then to name the parcels of land from the nature of the foil, or fome peculiar circumftance belonging to it; as, in England, Farnham, Oat-lands, Black-heath, Corn-bury, Rye-gate, Afh-burnham, Barn-elms, Coleortum, Sand-wich, and many others.

I am likewise apt to quarrel with some titles of Lords among us, that have a very ungracious found, which are apt to communicate mean ideas to those who have not the honour to be acquainted with their perfons, or their virtues, of whom I have the misfortune to be one. But I cannot pardon those gentlemen, who have gotten titles fince the judicature of the peers among us hath been taken away, to which they all submitted with a resignation that became good Chriftians, as undoubtedly they are. However, fince that time, I look upon a graceful harmonious title to be, at leaft, forty per cent. in the value intrinfick of an Irish peerage: And, fince it is as cheap as the worft, for any Irish law hitherto enacted in England to the contrary, I would advise the next fett, before they pass their patents, to call a confultation of scholars, and musical gentlemen, to adjust this most important and essential circumftance. The Scotch noblemen, though born almost under the North Pole, have much more tuneable appellations, except fome very few, which, I fuppofe, were given them by the Irish, along with their language, at the time when that kingdom

was

was conquered, and planted from hence; and, to this day, retain the denominations of places, and furnames of families, as all hiftorians agree.

I should likewife not be forry, if the names of fome bishops fees were so much obliged to the alphabet; that, upon pronouncing them, we might contract fome veneration for the order and perfons of thofe reverend peers, which the grofs ideas fometimes joined to their titles, is very unjustly apt to diminish.

то

FRANCIS GRANT, Esq;

MERCHANT IN LONDON.

[Francis Grant Efq; of London, Merchant, younger fon of Sir Francis Grant of Cullen, Baronet, having an bigb opinion of the herring and other fifheries in the British feas, writ and published a pamphlet, in the year 1733, on that fubject; principally with a view to excite the encouragement of the public, to fuch of the mercantile people as might engage in a project so extremely beneficial. The pamphlet was much efteemed; but the minifiry of England, in those days, fearing to offend the Dutch, were not inclined to favour it. Whereupon, Mr. Grant writ a letter to the Reverend Doctor Jonathan Swift, Dean of St. Patrick's Dublin, who was then very eminent in Ireland, to try if the patriot party there would efpouse the defign, and reap benefit to their country from what was thus rejected in England: To which letter the Dean writ the following Anfwer, which greatly fhews the man, as well as the general opinion he had of thofe times.]

SIR,

Dublin, March 23, 1733-4.

RETURN you my hearty thanks for your letter, and Difcourfe upon the Fishery: You difcover, in both, a true love of your country, and (excepting your civilities to me) a very good judgment, good wishes

4

to

to this ruined kingdom, and a perfect knowledge in the fubject you treat.' But you are more temperate than I, and confequently much wifer: For corruptions are apt to make me impatient, and give offence, which you prudently avoid.

Ever fince I began to think, I was enraged at the folly of England, in fuffering the Dutch to have almoft the whole advantage of our fishery, just under our nofes.

The laft Lord Wemys told me, he was governor of a castle in Scotland near which the Dutch used to fifh: He fent to them, in a civil manner, to defire they would fend him fome fish, which they brutishly refused; whereupon he ordered three or four cannon to be difcharged from the caftle, (for their boats were in reach of the fhot;) and, immediately, they fent him more than he wanted.

The Dutch are like a knot of sharpers among a parcel of honeft gentlemen, who think they understand play, and are bubbled of their money. I love them for the love they have to their country; which, however, is no virtue in them, because it is their private intereft, which is directly contrary