BURTON, N.J. [Nathaniel Joseph] Letters from Harold’s Cross.

Dublin: Printed by John F. Fowler, 1850. 12mo. pp. vii, [1], 142. Modern quarter calf on cloth boards, title in gilt on red morocco label on spine; original wrappers bound in; stain to upper wrapper. Signature of W.W. Burton on upper wrapper and front endpaper. A very good copy. Extremely rare.

No copy located on COPAC or WorldCat 2.
A series of letters from Nathaniel Joseph Burton to his friend Norman Wagstaff in Lancashire. In the Preface the author
tells us: “From the title of this book, my readers may perhaps expect an account of the antiquities of this district; but,
ancient as the place undoubtedly is, I believe there are few, if any, records respecting it worthwhile relating.” He points
out that these letters are written to a private friend and people should remember this if they appear objectionable. He
concludes: “but I always feel disposed to celebrate the place in which I reside, and where I have experienced the kind
attention of the inhabitants; and that person must be fastidious, who would not yield to Harold’s Cross the tribute it
deserves of being one of the most happy specimens of suburban simplicity, neatness, and tranquillity that now exists in
the changing vicinity of so large a metropolis. The unostentatious appearance of the village reposing on its height - the
abodes of piety that exist within it - the attention paid to the concerns of the poor, superintended by the illustrious
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, male and female, render it a most favoured locality, and tend to keep in check those
germs of vice, which, despite of the utmost vigilance, contend for growth.”

[L1BC 3B]