from the Irish are to be found in his
_Targum_ published so far back as 1835, and many other translations from
the Irish poets were among the unpublished manuscripts that he left
behind him. It would therefore be with peculiar interest that he would
visit the Isle of Man which, at the beginning of the nineteenth century,
was an Irish-speaking land, but in 1855 was at a stage when the language
was falling fast into decay. What survived of it was still Irish with
trifling variations in the spelling of words. 'Cranu,' a tree, for
example, had become 'Cwan,' and so on--although the pronunciation was
apparently much the same. When the tall, white-haired Englishman talked
to the older inhabitants who knew something of the language they were
delighted. 'Mercy upon us,' said one old woman, 'I believe, sir, you are
of the old Manx!' Borrow was actually wandering in search of Manx
literature, as the title of the book that he announced implied. He
inquired about the old songs of the island, and of everything that
survived of its earlier language. Altogether Borrow must have had a good
time in thus following his favourite pursuit.

But Dr. Knapp's two notebooks, which are so largely taken up with these
philological matters, are less human than a similar notebook that has
fallen into my hands. This is a long leather pocket-book, in which,
under the title of 'Expedition to the Isle of Man,' we have, written in
pencil, a quite vivacious account of his adventures. It records that
Borrow and his wife and daughter set out through Bury to Peterborough,
Rugby, and Liverpool. It tells of the admiration with which
Peterborough's 'noble cathedral' inspired him. Liverpool he calls a
'London in miniature':

Strolled about town with my wife and Henrietta; wonderful docks
and quays, where all the ships of the world seemed to be
gathered--all the commerce of the world to be carried on; St.
George's Crescent; noble shops; strange people walking about,
an Herculean mulatto, for example; the old china shop; cups
with Chinese characters upon them; an horrible old Irishwoman
with naked feet; Assize Hall a noble edifice.

The party left Liverpool on 20th August, and Borrow, when in sight of
the Isle of Man, noticed a lofty ridge of mountains rising to the
clouds:

Entered into conversation with two of the crew--Manx
sailors--about the Manx language; one, a very tall man, said he
knew only a very li