“Indeed, it has been stated from more quarters than one, that the withholding of the medal from me, in the first instance, and the substituting thereinstead a nominal premium of twenty pounds, originated from a personal pique against me individually. Such a report I would fain disbelieve, and yet it is hard not to give it some credence, seeing that the irresistible cogency of my truths and the indubitable value of my literary discoveries are not only not rewarded, but kept back from publication, until someone else more fortunate, or rather more favoured, shall run away with the credit of my cherished disclosures.[35] I wish—I desire—I most intensely covet—that the Academy would convince me that this is not an act of the most aggravated injustice.
“You will please lay this before the Council, and tell them from me, respectfully, that I do not want them either to ‘alter’ or ‘revoke’ their award, but simply to vote me ‘an equivalent gold medal and premium’ for my combined essay, or, if they prefer, the new portion of it. Should this be refused, I will put my cause, etc. etc.—I have the honour to be, etc. etc.
“Henry O’Brien.
“To the Rev. Richard Row,
“Clerk to the Academy.”
They bestowed some days in consultation upon the above; meanwhile, the transmission of the Dublin Penny Journal to London was countermanded, and not a copy of it was allowed, for some months afterwards, to come within hundreds of miles of the place of my residence. In the interim the ingenious author of the Celtic Druids, and who had been partly in possession of my development of the “Towers” for some time previously, favoured me with a visit, during which we conversed principally on historical questions. The next day I addressed him a note, a copy of which, with its answer, I take leave to subjoin, for the sake of the terminating clause of the latter, being the self-convicting acknowledgment of the “Academy’s” disingenuousness.
(No. 5.)
“May 2, 1833.
“Dear Sir,—I hope you will not feel displeased at the frankness of this question which I am about to propose to you, viz. have you any objection to show me in manuscript, before you send to print, the terms in which you speak of me, in reference to those points of information which I entrusted to your confidence—such as the ancient names of Ireland and their derivation, the towers and founders, dates, etc.?
“Should you think proper to consent to this feeling of anxiety on my part, I shall be most willing to share with you those other ‘points’ which I exclusively retain.
“To the full extent you shall have them. The only condition I require is, the credit of originality, which I have laboriously earned. Please to drop me a line in reply to this, and allow me to subscribe myself, with great respect,—Dear sir, your obedient,