James Adams was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 Jesuit, commenced his noviciate at Watten

Watten, Nord

-Sights:The village is famous for its old ruined abbey, and for its mill, which was restored in the 1990s. These two buildings are located on the "Mountain of Watten" . Its church dates from the thirteenth century.-References:* *...

, 7 September 1756; afterwards taught the belles-lettres

Belles-lettres

Belles-lettres or belles lettres is a term that is used to describe a category of writing. A writer of belles-lettres is a belletrist. However, the boundaries of that category vary in different usages....

 at the College of St. Omer. Having exercised his functions as a missionary

Missionary

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

 for many years, he retired to Dublin, August, 1802, and died there in the following month of December.

Works

Adams was the author of the following works.

• Early Rules for Taking a Likeness. with plates. 8vo. London, 1792; translated from Bonamici.
• Oratio Academica Anglice et Latine. London, 1793.
• Euphonologia Linguae Anglicanae, Latine et Gallice. 8vo. London, 1794; for which he received the thanks of the Royal Society
  Royal Society
  The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
  
  .
• Rule Britannia, or the Flattery of Free Subjects Expounded; to which is added an Academical Discourse. London, 1798.
• A Sermon preached at the Catholic Chapel of St. Patrick, Sutton-street, on Wednesday, March 7, the Day of Public Fast. London, 1798.
• The Pronunciation of the English Language Vindicated. Edinburgh 1799.