Alexandria Gazette

A WALK ABOUT DUBLIN (IRELAND.)

Correspondence of the N. Y. Evening Post.

DUBLIN, (Ireland) October 13, 1858,-

With but two days' experience in sightseeing in this, the capital old city of Dublin, already am I more than convinced that Americans know but little of the many points of interest centered here.

As at the present time, whether under the short-lived independence of Ireland or as a part of the United Kingdom, this city has been the seat of government. Here are the records of the Irish Parliament. In the Parliament House, now used as the Bank of Ireland, you will find the chamber where this body held meetings; the throne, the numbered seats, with their cushions, all remain just as they were used many years ago. In the square fronting this building is an equestrian statue of William the Fourth; a life size figure of Tom Moore also stands between the Parliament House and Trinity College-both of these are very bad pieces of sculpture. I do not believe such a misshapen animal ever existed as the horse, and I am certain that the author of Lalla Rookh was neither bandy-legged nor bump-backed.

The buildings of Trinity College are an honor to any city or nation. The spacious buildings stand in an open space, enclosing a large area; in the centre of which is erected a handsome tower.

The library is one of the finest in the world, if not one of the most extensive. By act of Parliament it is obligatory upon publishers to send to this library a copy of every new work issued. The number of books is already more than 100,000, and, besides acquisitions from the above source, it receives constant additions in the way of bequests. We were shown here some very rare and curious manuscripts, illuminated copies of the New Testament, written in the eleventh century; and what was yet more interesting, two copies of the four Gospels, written in the original Gaelic in the fourth and fifth centuries. Around the library are placed busts of Swift, Sterne, Aristotle, so-called portraits of the philosophers, ancient and modern intermingled, nearly all of which are shockingly bad. A museum attached to the college contains some curiosities, but not of much importance; but a new building, devoted to certain departments of study and costing some million of dollars, is worth studying as an elegant specimen of modern architecture.

Besides the custom-house, which is a splendid building fronting the river Liffey, which at this point becomes an arm of the sea, there are the post office building and a noble column erected in honor of Nelson. This monument is conceived in good taste, simple, and consequently grand. Surmounting the plinth is a colossal figure of the great hero.

Every one has heard of the "jaunting cars," which are an institution peculiar to Ireland. Very handy and odd affairs are they, well adapted to the wide smoothly paved streets of Dublin, although they would not be practicable in either New York or Boston. Engaging one of these at the moderate sum of sixty-two cents an hour, we started for Prospect Cemetery, which is interesting as containing a queerly-shaped monument-we at first thought it was a shot tower--which covers the remains of O'Connell. Some hundred thousand people are buried in this cemetery: amidst the thickly strewn headstones a chased tomb marks the last resting place of Curran, the celebrated advocate. We tried to forget Curran's cruel treatment of his daughter, who clung so faithfully to the patriot Emmet, in his acknowledged pre-eminence as an orator and lawyer.

From this place to Phoenix Park is a half hour's ride, and another hour can be well spent within this enclosure of 1800 acres of smooth lawns, clean roads, and tastefully arranged statuary, for here are the elegant residences of the Lord Lieutenant and the Secretary, a school for the military education of the sons of deceased soldiers, and the extensive headquarters of the police system of the island.

From my first landing up to the present time I have continually noticed the presence of these tall stalwart patrolmen, dressed in their uniform of green and gold. These men are selected from the tallest in the land; several thousand are retained in these barracks, and from here drafted to different parts of Ireland. The bills for all this are paid out of the consolidated fund; what that is I have not been able yet to learn.

A drive out the Park and across the Liffey brings us to the "Hospital of Invalids," a group of large buildings, with but very few soldiers in them. The dining hall and chapel are worth traveling a long way to see. The first is a handsome apartment, containing a number of full-length portraits of celebrated people by celebrated artists. A picture of Charles II. by Vandyke attracts most attention. The ceiling of the chapel is the finest affair of its kind in the three kingdoms. It is not only a marvel of most intricate carving, but there is a delicacy and purity in the design that is absolutely fascinating. This beautiful production is one of Sir Christopher Wren's most labored efforts, and he justly considered it his masterpiece.

G. W. N.