Cummins, James John, was born in Cork, Ireland, May 5, 1795. He moved to London in 1834. He was for many years a director of the Union Bank of Australia. He died at Wildecroft, Buckland, Surrey, November 23, 1867. He was a devout member of the Church of England. He took a deep interest in the study of Hebrew and of theology. His volume titled Seals of the Covenant Opened in the Sacraments, 1839, was prepared with a view to meeting the needs of his own children in their preparation for assuming the vows of Church membership. It contained poetical meditations and hymns which were also published separately the same year and republished ten years later under the title, Hymns, Meditations, and Other Poems, 1849, the title on the cover being Lyra Evangelica.