J. F. Campbell Collection > Transactions of the Ossianic Society > Volume 4

some of the letters of the Irish alphabet. His purse was ever
open to promote the usefulness of the institution ; and on one oc-
casion, a short time previous to its amalgamation with the Irish
Arch.tiological Society, at a meeting held at Dr. Wilde's in Westland-
row, he discharged a debt incurred by the council, to the amount
of over three hundred pounds ! When Mr. John O'Daly arrived from
Kilkenny, for the purpose of establishing the Celtic Society, Mr.
Hudson was the first to take him warmly by the hand, and support
his efforts. He was, in fact, the main spring of the Society, and
owing to liis exertions it attained a prominence that gave promise
of final success. In the year 1853 Mr. O'Daly conceived the idea
of forming an Association for the Preservation and Publication of
MSS. in the Irish language illustrative of the Fenian period of Irish
History, aud having consulted Mr. Hudson, then as ever foremost
to promote every endeavour to pi'eserve from oblivion, those docu-
ments in which our ancestors recorded " all important events con-
nected with their father-land;'' he received his warmest encourage-
ment and support. A meeting was called at Anglesea-street on St.
Patrick's day, 1853, at which was formed the Ossianic Society^
not as a rival but as an auxiliary to other similar institutions. Mr.
Hudson took an active aud lively interest in fostering it to maturity,
and a prominent part in its proceedings during the short period of its
existence previous to his decease. His health, however, broken down
by frequent paralytic attacks, rendered him incapable of affording
the Association that help which the Celtic Society had derived from
his extensive knowledge and exertions. His death, which occurred
on the 23rd of June, 1853, may be truly regarded as a heavy blow
and irreparable loss to the best interests of our Society. His name
gave it character, and the interest which he manifested in the under-
taking assisted in bringing it into notice.
The success of " The Library of Ireland," and of " The Spirit of
the Nation" are in some measure due to Mr. Hudson. Indeed the
writer of this paper, has been informed, by Mr. James Duffy, the
publisher of these Avorks, that ]\lr. Hudson advanced three hundred
pounds towards defraying the expenses incurred in bringing out the
quarto edition of the latter publication.