“1st. That the question be advertised again as follows:—
“‘The Royal Irish Academy hereby give notice that they will give a Premium of Fifty Pounds and the Gold Medal to the author of an approved Essay on the Round Towers of Ireland, in which it is expected that the characteristic architectural peculiarities belonging to all those ancient buildings now existing shall be noticed, and the uncertainty in which their origin and uses are involved be satisfactorily removed.’
“2nd. That the time be extended to the 1st of June next, for receiving other Essays on said subject, and for allowing the authors of the Essays already given in to enlarge and improve them; for which purpose they will be returned, on application at the Academy House.
“All Essays, as usual, to be sent post free to the Rev. J. H. Singer, D.D., Secretary, at the Academy House, 114 Grafton Street, Dublin; each Essay being inscribed with some motto, and accompanied with a sealed billet, superscribed with same motto, in which shall be written the author’s name and address.”
A few days before this appeared, I heard, for the first time, of the subject having been for competition. Wishing to ascertain whether it was decided or not, I availed myself of a pretext for calling upon Dr. M‘Donnell, one of the Secretaries to the Academy, when the following conversation took place between us:—
“I wish to know, sir,” said I, “whether the Council would patronise a translation of Ibernia Phœnicia, which I have just embarked in, with Dr. Villanueva’s consent?”
“The Council have already subscribed to the original, and I believe they feel no difficulty in understanding it in that form,” was the reply.
“I do not at all question their competency,” I rejoined; “but to the public, Doctor, it is a sealed volume; and I cannot think it foreign from the spirit of your institution to countenance such an idea. Besides, it is not a mere echo of the original that I intend to give. I purpose to enlarge it by many additions of my own, accompanying it all through with notes and illustrations.”
“To what points in particular will those additions refer?”
“To the development of the mystery which overhangs the Round Towers.”