A CRITICISM ON MR. GRAVES.
[To Tam EDITOR 0E SPECTATOR.''] SIR,—Thero is a blemish which spoils the joyous and thoroughly Irish lines of Mr. Alfred Graves, on "Herring is King," pub- lished in the last number of the Spectator. In the Irish line of the refrain, " ling " is written in mistake for " Hun." This makes the line nonsense to an Irish-speaking man. it is as if one were to write in English the word " sing " for " sin." And for English readers, the right word—" lino " —would rhyme more harmoniously with the word "in," which ends the following line.
In some verses by Mr. Graves, published, I think, some two or three years ago, in the Spectate,', and headed " Father O'Flynn," a line occurs,—
" You've such a way wid you, Father avick !"—
which spoils the rest, for any one, like myself, who speaks and reads the Irish language. " Avick," translated into English, is"my son," and is a common form of address in Irish from an older to a younger limn, but sounds strange when placed in
opposition with " father." I so thoroughly admire Mr. Graves's verses, that I am grieved to see these imperfections in them.— Laindois Hills Rectory, Romford, August 20th.
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