To his successor in office, the Right Hon. CHARLES GRANT, the compiler is indebted for a continuance of those facilities; thus evincing, as he hopes, an approbation of a design, the good effects of which Mr. Grant has had the best opportunity of appreciating in his native country.

The first practicable illustration of that system, in its perfect state, is now given in THE GENERAL REPORT OF SCOTLAND.

1. It was "the Statistical Account of Scotland," a work which furnishes an accurate description of every, Parochial District in that part of the United Kingdom, amounting in all to 893, which laid the foundation of that laborious undertaking.

2. To procure detailed accounts of the agricultural state, and political circumstances, of the several "counties or larger divisions," of which there are 33 in all, was the next step taken in the progress of the work.

3. But the great difficulty still remained, that of condensing, within a moderate compass, a mass of information, contained in fifty large volumes octavo, closely printed. That, however, is now happily accomplished in this General Report, which, though reduced to three volumes octavo, with two of Appendix, yet comprehends the substance of all the information collected in the former publications. With such a work to consult, a Britith Statesman is enabled to form as just an idea of the general circumstances of Scotland, and the means of its improvement, as a proprietor usually acquires regarding his own private estate. By adopting the same plan, in regard to England, Wales, and Ireland, what advantages might not accrue to those countries?

The practicability of carrying this system into effect being thus ascertained, instead of its being restricted to agricultural or political topics, it ought to be extended to every other branch of useful knowledge. By minute inquiries, many valuable facts and observations might be collected, which would otherwise be lost-and by adopting the plan of condensation afterwards, more advantage would be derived from the information thus acquired, than could be obtained from undigested loads of literature.

In its present state, knowledge may be compared to a small portion of gold, dispersed throughout a great quantity of ore.-In that rude condition, the strongest man cannot bear its weight, nor can any benefit be derived from it; but if the pure metal were separated from the dross, even a child might carry it without difficulty, and it may be used with advantage.

The Author's obligations to the CLERGY OF IRELAND are more than he can express. While they have evinced their extensive knowledge and learning, they have proved their willingness to render important services to their country.

"Semper honos, nomenque tuum laudesque manebunt."

It is obvious that a work of this magnitude could not have been conducted without much assistance; for this purpose, several of the compiler's literary friends, anxious to promote an object from the completion of which they conceived many benefits might accrue to the country, agreed to form themselves into a Committee in order to aid him in the arrangement and publication. The names of three of these gentlemen are already before the public, in the pages of this Survey, each of them having contributed a preliminary essay on a subject intimately connected with its objects.

WALTER THOM, Esq. Author of the History of ABERDEEN, and a contributor to the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and to Sir JOHN SINCLAIR'S great work, "The general Report of Scotland," has enriched the first volume with a Synoptical View of the Principles of Political Economy, -a branch of science, a correct and practical acquaintance with which, can only be attained through the medium of Statistics. To EDM. HYDE HALL, Esq. an English gentleman, the work is indebted for the elaborate and ingenious

Analysis of the Contents of the Down Survey, the value of which important document, his essay has made more generally known.* The manner in which a subject, apparently dry, and by many deemed uninteresting, has been treated in this Essay, must excite a strong wish in the mind of every well-informed person for undertaking a similar survey on a scale commensurate with the whole country:-an undertaking, by which only, can a true estimate be formed of the strength and resources of this important division of the empire. The Rev. EDWARD GROVES † has contributed to the volume now published an Essay respecting the Population of Ireland, calculated to afford fresh lights on a subject subject equally essential as the last mentioned, to the vital interests of the

* Mr. Hyde Hall is the author of a valuable tract, entitled, Suggestions towards the Improvement of the Education of the Lower Classes in Ireland. He has also prepared a History of Carnarvonshire, which is now ready for Press, but its publication has been, and it is to be apprehended will be long delayed, in consequence of a chronic attack with which he was visited shortly after he had made this country the place of his fixed residence. It is not easy to say whether the public or his friends, will he the greater sufferers, by this melancholy visitation; the former have been deprived by it of the exertions of an active mind and discriminating judgment, all whose bearings were directed to promote the improvement of this his adopted country-the latter will long deplore the loss of a friend, whose benevolence of disposition and urbanity of manners were so brilliantly set off by an exuberant splendor of conversational talent, that rendered his society a copious and never-failing current of intellectual enjoyment.

+ This gentleman has announced a work on our national Bibliography, somewhat similar but more extended than Bishop Nicholson's Irish Historical Library: such a publication has long been a desideratum in our literature and for which bis habits of laborious investigation and his literary oppor

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country. To JAMES HARDIMAN, Esq. the author of the History of Galway, the work is indebted for several illustrations of the antiquities of the coun. try, a department of national literature which his bent of studies has peculiarly qualified him to embellish. JOHN C. ERCK, Esq. author of the Irish Ecclesiastical Register, a work patronized by most of the dignitaries of the church, and in the hands of all the clergy, as an invaluable manual of information, is one of these gentlemen to whose persevering and disinterested labours the compiler is, in like manner, indebted. He hoped to have had to name another, to whom he can now only pay the tribute of grateful and sincere regret, JAMES JOHNSTON, Esq., a young Barrister, who at the moment in which he was beginning to enjoy the benefits of a profession, for which he had prepared himself by an indefatigable course of self

tunities peculiarly qualified him. Mr. Groves's name is also well known in this City, as an active and zealous promoter of several benevolent Institutions, and particularly of the ASSOCIATION FOR SUPPRESSING MENDICITY. He was also the acting Secretary to the BELFAST ACADEMICAL INSTITUTION at its commencement, and for several years afterwards. This singular undertaking originated with a few merchants in that spirited and enterprising town, on a fund of about 15,000l. raised wholly by private Subscriptions. The foundation stone of its buildings was laid in 1810, and in the short period that has since elapsed, it affords instruction to between 3 and 400 elementary, and 140 collegiate pupils. It now consists of two Schools, one for Classical, the other for English Instruction, besides Schools for Arithmetic, Writing, Modern Languages, &c. and has established professorships in Chemistry, Natural Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Belles Lettres, Natural History, Hebrew, Greek and English, besides two on Theology, suited to the different tenets of the Pupils intended to be prepared for the Ministry in this Seminary.

acquired instruction, and had given a promise of talents that must have done honor to himself and reflected lustre on his friends, was prematurely snatched away by a violent fever.

Although the compiler feels himself called upon to avow his peculiar obligations to the constant undeviating assistance of the friends now named, he would be equally unjustifiable were he to do so to the exclusion of many others by whom he has been encouraged or supported in this undertaking, either by literary assistance, by affording facilities of communication, or by extending his sources of information; among these, he is proud to mention the names of the Right Hon. Sir John Newport, Bart. Sheffield Grace, Esq. William Gregory, Esq. Under Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant, Sir Charles Wm. Flint, of the Irish Office, Thomas *Nowlan, Esq. John Brebner, Esq. Alex. Mangin, Esq. Dublin Castle, and Edward S. Lees, Esq. Gen. Post Office.

* Two Institutions which promise to be of singular utility to the country have originated from Mr. Nowlan's indefatigable and well-directed exertions for the improvement of his country. The first is the Feinaglian InstiTUTION in Dublin, in which a system of Education, founded on correct principles, has been introduced for the benefit of the higher classes; the other, the MERINO FACTORY, at Stoneyford, in the County of Kilkenny, the moral discipline of which has fully proved, not merely the practicability of carrying on the finer branches of woollen manufacture by means of the Irish peasantry, but the still more important fact of the facility of introducing habits of morality, industry, and forethought among that class, which the shortsighted or prejudiced inquirer has too often pronounced to be incapable of mental improvement.