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THE

Gentleman's Magazine :

AND

Historical Chronicle.

From July to December, 1818.

Volume LXXXVIII.

(Being the ELEVENTH of a NEW SERIES.)

PART THE SECOND.

I’ltOD ESSE ET DELECTAIIE. %

E PLUR1BUS UNUM.

By SYLVANUS URBAN, Gent.

LONDON: Printed by NICHOLS, SON, and BENTLEY, at Cicero's Head , Red Lion Passage, Fleet Street ; where Letters are particularly requested to be sent, Post-Paid- And sold by J. HARRIS (Successor to Mrs. NEWBERY), at the Corner of St. Paul's Church Yard , Ludgate Street ; and by Perthes and Besser, Hamburgh. 1818.

f i

/

[ ■* ] ( tmm l

TO SYLVANUS URBAN, Gent.

On the Completion of h

JN days of yore, a Bard with harp well strung,

Thus of departed Cave, prophetic sung:

“ Yet shall thy fame through future ages bloom.

Avert destruction, and defy the tomb With “ Master’s hand,” he struck the trembling wire,

Predicting true, that name should ne’er expire :

For, as the Sun from his meridian height, Diffuses joy around, and gives delight ;

So you, Sylvanus, to th’ enamour’d eye, New charms impart, and pleasures fresh supply,

As, round the circle of the varied year,

Your beauties in succeeding months ap¬ pear.

As Frontispiece to grace the New Year’s scene, [seen,

Lo ! Cardiff’s stately tower and vanes are Encomiums high th’ enlighten’d mind await [fate.

That sav’d the structure from impending From thy bright garland, Urban, choose, and give

1 he sweetest flower to Bowles, whose name shall live.

True Church, his triumphs ever shall dis¬ play? [away:

While JSezu and No Church scowl, and slink 1 he Ebenezer Bricks will ne’er subdue i he heap of Old Slones , venerable to view. The Muse enraptur’d notes a glorious sight,

Where goodness, charity benign, unite.

Thy unique building, Pleasants ! calls the iay • [tray.

Distress and want reliev’d thy worth pour- Had souls capacious e’er presided o’er The Monuments so dear to classic lore, Where 2uar’ndon’s Chapel shews a falling bead, [dead :

Crumbling to dust, like its sepultur’d Those sacred walls had ne’er in ‘ruins been; [seen;

The sculptur’d marbles still with rapture The Antiquary now with reverence see I he splendid tomb of Vavasor and Lee.

Oh, may the thought inspirit good Dupre. Now with delight fam’d IVyon's gems behold,

His silver medals, and his coins of gold : These works magnificent his skill proclaim, And rank the Artist in the rolls of Fame. But hark ! the thundering cannons peal around, [sound ;

The trumpets flourish, bells melodious The fair Eliza, lov’d by England’s land. Gives to Hesse Homberg’s Prince her Royal hand.

Again do Princely Nuptials greet the sight, [light;

And Albion’s Realm around receives de-

r

* Gent. Mag. Jan. 1734, vol. XV. p, 41.

is Eighty-eighth Volume!

t

The Royal Dukes now take a blooming Bride: [preside;

May choicest, blessings o’er each Pair May joys supreme long on their union shine ; [Line !

And Kings spring from the great illustrious

Thy martial pages India's war proclaim : The valiant Chieftains consecrate to Fame. Hislop's and Ochterlony's actions shine,

The brightest bay round Hastings'1 temples twine,

Who plann’d the operations of the field. And Eastern Monarchs were compell’d to yield.

The choice remarks on Signs of Inns impart

Historic illustration to the heart;

The Eagle, Christopher, the Alfred's Head, St. George and Dragon , are with pleasure read ; [display,

The number such, the Muse can’t here Save Ring of bells that hails each festal day.

On Byro's neat “ Compendiums,” praise is due ;

Mullum in parvo there the eye may view. His leaf with richest information glows, The “ Holy Shades” of every County shews.

But why do British standards halt-high float, [ful note ?

Why muffled bells ring out the mourn- Charlolte' s no more ! our Monarch’s gra¬ cious Queen, [keen.

Releas’d from pain severe, from suffering Feelings acute her Royal Line possest, What poignant grief assail’d the Regent’s breast !

Say! what eulogium shall the Nation give? Widely diffus’d her Charities shall live. Her virtues ever shall exalt her name.

Her excellence be blown from trump of Fame.

The ships that to the Arctic regions sail’d, A North west passage to explore, have fail’d : [wind.

The well-built keels encounter’d storm and But only frozen seas and ice could find : Yet Ross has brought from new-discover’d shore [fore.

Tts race canine, and things unknown be- What though ihe arduous souls did not succeed, [meed.

The Heroes well have won fair Honour’s

As erst in prose each month you did rehearse, [verse ;

These few contents the Muse now gives in More to depict, she feels the effort vain, Such numerous charms thy different leaves contain.

Horace renown’d thus clos’d his bright career,

/Ere perennius will my works appear.

And latest Time, O Urban ! shalt thou brave,

Such the foundation laid by great, immor¬ tal Cave. William Rawlins.

Tcversal Rectory, Dec. 31

[ Hi ]

PREFACE

TO THE

i , N

SECOND PART of the EIGHTY-EIGHTH VOLUME.

IN presenting ourselves before the Publick again with grateful ac¬ knowledgments for their past support, we think that we now do so under promising aspects. The Political Machine, so long hacknied in a War direction, of course became for a time unlit for use in another form. The wheels appeared simply to hang together, without the ca¬ pacity of effective action. But, the stream of pecuniary capital seeming now to be applied with increasing force, we think that the National energy is beginning more and more to develope itself, and will, under Providence, effect as many blessings in Peace, as it has glories in War.

How much Literature and Science are impeded by War, is well-known j but we need only allude to the eagerness and zeal with which ail the different Nations of the Globe are now explored by Englishmen, and the number and immense circulation of Encyclopaedias, to justify a most fa¬ vourable expectation of high National improvement in mind and morals.

In adverting to our own humble share in political concerns, it is of course limited to such effects as may be justifiably presumed to result from the diffusion of principles, we trust, correct in reference to the Constitution in Church and State. We think that we act rightly, where the object is of most momentous concern, and the thing itself is the creature, not of theory, but of time and experience. We do not deny (t@ use a homely allusion) that there may be very good Constitution-Tailors in all countries : but, if their coats will not fit; to what purpose is their calling ? We conceive that Englishmen do not assimilate the Inhabitants of any other Nation. They use more labour and activity. They talk at freedom of Politicks and Religion. They quarrel differently ; even in their Duels, they do not seek sanguinary revenge, so much as vindication of their bravery. If they become rich, they expect titles and honours ; nor indeed do they like to adopt any vocation which does not promise either wealth or promotion j nor are they happy if they do not mix in society with perfect liberty of speech and action. Let us add to this, that their pecuniary interests are so intimately involved in their consti¬ tution, and that their habits are so formed by that very constitution, that we do not see why we are to listen to clamorous Quacks, who would per¬ suade us that we are in a state of high disease, in order that we may take their medicines. Whoever differs from us in opinion, will at least admit that caution is a necessary property of respectability.

From an earnest zeal for the good of Science, properly so called, we have ever kept our pages open to the discussion of all points which add to information, or promise useful results. We have been honoured by communications from the first and the best-informed minds. Whoever

knows

PREFACE TO VOL. LXXXVIII. PART II.

iv

knows how much useful and interesting matter would inevitably be lost to the world, were it not for Periodical Miscellanies, will see their im¬ portance in its real light. If our first Scholars, or our active minds, had not these channels of communication, much of their labours, if even re¬ duced to writing, would become useless, and share the fate of the letters and papers of deceased Attorneys 5 devolve to the heir, and be used for waste paper. We trust that we have claims to public respect in re¬ stricting our Pdiscellany from degeneration into a. political pamphlet, in substituting intelligible elegancies of the higher order of composition, the fine and delicate classicalia of finished Scholars and Gentlemen, for the superstition of Literature, the heavy metaphysical jargon of discon¬ tented Politicians and Religionists. We also can proudly boast that we set the example of paying due regard to departed worth, by having am¬ plified our Obituary.

We do not profess to usher our Readers into a dark room, where there is a pulpit in one corner, and a tribune in another, for raving de- claimers ; we do nqt think that the mind of Newton was formed either by religious or political enthusiasm, and we know that science alone can display the glory of God, can enable us to behold his admirable Museum of the Universe, study in his Library, and understand the language which He speaks.

We speak not thus intemperatelv ; but, in every period, when, from circumstances, religious and political discussion have been carried to ex¬ tremes, feeling has been substituted for sense, and nonsense has abounded through the encouragement of Party. We could even name modern Writers of high fame and eloquence, engaged in the propagation of gloom and misery,, by perverting the most evident attributes of Deity, and pro¬ fessing to. combat an infidel petitio principii by others of even silly ab¬ surdity. But our object is not to censure : we mean only to warn 5 and, in the spirit of meekness, solicit our Literati to protect and secure the taste of the Country from miserable deterioration 5 and divert the na¬ tional attention from aiming at impossibilities, to rational improve¬ ments in Science and the Arts.

In promotion of these laudable objects, we solicit the continuation of the favours of our Literary Friends. They know our principles, and we trust, that they will duly appreciate our motives. To useful, elegant, and liberal studies, we own ourselves highly friendly, because we think that they alone are capable of satisfactory results : and we trust that the Gentleman' s Magazine will ever retain its character of being a Temple, where may be found a variety of Ceimelia, in Greek delicacy of fabrick, choice offerings from the line-minded devotees of pure taste, and deep and elegant learning.

December 31, 1818.

LIST OF PLATES.

Antiquities, Miscellaneous, 305.

Colet, Dean, bis bouse at Stepney, 233. Combe, Alderman, portrait of, 201. Cranborne Chace, Deer-Hunter, 113. Deer-Hunter, in proper costume, 113. Dunnington on the Heath, old house at, 17.

Essex , antiquities found in, 305.

Ifftey Church, Oxon, 9.

Kilcolman Castle, co. Cork, 577. Lichfield , antiquities found at, 305.

Marston Magna Church, Somerset, 105. Nottingham Castle , Lodge of, 577. Shrewsbury , Grey Friars, 297- St. Martin's Le Grand, Architectural Remains, 393.

St. Paul's School, 233.

Salisbury , ornamented stones at, 305. Seal, antient, 305.

Sharp, Granville, Portrait of, 489. Sherborne, Antient Building at, 497* Stepney , Dean Colet’s House at, 233.

T I-I E

GENTLEMAN’S MAGAZINE

London Gazette General Evening Times-M. Advert.

N.Times— B. Press P. Ledger ^Oracle M.Post-M. Herald ■ Morning Chronic.

; St. James’s Chron.

Sun — Even. Maii ! Courier — Star Globe— Traveller Statesman Packet-Lond.Chr.

Albion— C. Chron.

Eng. Chron.— Inq.

Cour.d’Angleterre Cour. de Londres ! 1 Weekly Papers 17 Sunday Papers Hue & Cry Police Lit. Adv.-Lit.Gaz.

Bath 3 — Bristol 5 Berwick — Boston Birmin. 3,Blackb.

Brighton — Bury Camb. — Chath.

Carli.2— Chester2 Chelms. Cambria.

Cornw. -Covent. 2

JIPi£cenaneou£ Cim*e$?ontjence.

Minor Correspondence. — Questions, & c. 2 Appeal for aid to repair Chester Cathedral. 3 On Climate of England- — Antient Seasons. ...4 Anniv. of Roxburghe Club, Paris & London 5 Cathedral Schools 7.— -Author of “Junius.” 8 Description of Iffley Church, Oxfordshire... 9 Compendium of County Hist. : Middlesex ib.

Remarks on the Signs of Inns, &c . 1 3

Old Building at Dunnington, co. Leicester. 17 Original Anecdotes of Dr. Oliver Goldsmith ib. On the Payment of Burial-fees, &c. &c. 21 Dr. Haygarth’s Rules against Contagion, and to exterminate Contagious Fevers ...24 On the probable Illustration of our Records,

&c. from the Usages of the East . 27

Distinctive Character, &c. of good Musick 30 Mr. J. C. Smyth on the Chromatic Scale. ..32

On Eccentricity of Character . 53

The Detected, a Periodical Paper, No. VII. 34

Plan for Parochial Lending Libraries . 35

Dilapidated state of Bath Abbey Church. . 36 Particulars of J. Adams, of Pitcairn’s Island37 Essay for a newTranslation of theEible?&;c.38 Roman Remains at Haceby, co. Lincoln, ibid. Mrs. Corn wallis 39.— Durham Cathed.School40

JULY, 1818.

CONTAINING

Cumb.2- Doncast. Derb.— Dorchest. Durham — Essex Exeter 2, Glouc.2 Halifax — Hants 2 Hereford, Hull 3 H untingd.-Kent 4 Ipswich 1, Lancas. Leices.2— Leeds 2 Lichfield, Liver. 6 Macclesf. Courier. Maidst. Manch. 6 N ewe. 3. — Notts. 2 Northampton Norfolk, Norwich N. Wales, Oxford 2 Portsea — Pottery Preston — Plym. 2 Reading — Salisb. Salop — Sheffield^ Sherborne, Sussex Shrewsbury Staff. — Stamf. 2 Taunton — Tyne Wakefi. — Warw. Wolverh. Wore. 2 York3.lREr,AND37 Scotland 24. Jersey2.Guern. 2

Uetrieto of Publication^.

Clav is Hogarthiaua, lllustrationsof Hogarth41 Coxe’s Memoirs of Duke of Marlborough ib. Fosbrooke’s W ye Tour, or Gilpin on the Wye43 Miss Aikin’s Memoirs of Court of E!izabeth45 Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto IV, &c. 47 Astarte, a Sicilian Tale. — Felix Alvarez.... 48 Chafm’s Anecdotes &c. ofCranbourn Chase 51 Northanger Abbey, &c. ; Attributes of Satan52 Religious Liberty, &e. — Annual Biography 55 Keatinge’s Travels. — Specimens in Turning 58

Literary Intelligence . 59

Intelligence relating to Arts and Sciences. ..60

Select Poetry < . 62 — 64

#i£tovicaf ^bvonicle.

Proceedings in the lateSession of Parliament 65 Interesting Intellig. from London Gazettes 70 Abstract of principal Foreign Occurrences. 73 Intelligence from various Parts of the King¬ dom, 78. — London and its Vicinity . 80

Promotions, & c. — Births, and Marriages ...81 Obituary ; containing original notices of Sir T. Bernard, Bart.; H. C. Combe, Esq. SirC. Price, Bart.; Earl of Kerry, &C....82 Meteorological Diary, 94 ; Bill of Mortality 95 Prices of the Markets, 95 — The Stocks, &.e, 96

With a Perspective View of the West End of Iffley Church in Oxfordshire, and an Old Building at Dunnington, in Leicestershire.

By SYLVANUS URBAN, Gent.

Printed by Nichols, Son, and Bentley, at Cicero’s Head, R-ed Lion Passage, Fleet-str. London, where all Letters to the Editor are particularly desired to be addressed, Post-paid.

aagw- r. ■

[ 2 1

MINOR CORRESPONDENCE.

We reluctantly decline printing the long and well-written Letter of Sigis- monda ; but it would produce a never- ending altercation on a subject which has already been carried too far.

Vicinus writes, “ Though the case of Thomas Redmile was never doubted by any one, who read the statement, and observed the result, 1 cannot hesitate to comply with the request of your Cor¬ respondent

“ We, the Minister, Churchwarden, Overseer of the poor, and Surgeon, of Bourn, to which Dyke is an hamlet, have not the smallest hesitation to corrobo¬ rate by our official signatures the truth, and shall be very glad to find that this our testimony is instrumental in adding to the subscriptions already received.

John Nicholson, Minister of Bourn.

WilliamThorpe, Churchwarden of do.

William Munton, Overseer.

William Simpson, Surgeon.”

C. R. wishes us to notice an Error in the edition of a Delphin Classic generally put into the hands of youth. “ The error lies in a note upon the word Crotoniensem, which occurs in the “ Bel- lum Catilinariurn” of Sallust, page 35. note a. — “ Crotoniensem.'] Duse fue- runt urbes in Italic, Croton aut Croto- na, nominate ; altera in extremA Cala- briA ad ortum, altera in UmbriA.” — The Author of this note commits a twofold mistake ; first, by saying there were two cities of this name, as it will be found on a survey of the Map of Italy, that the city, in Umbria, to which he evi¬ dently alludes, was named Cortona, not Crotona. Secondly, By placing the real Croton or Crotona in Calabria, since it was situated in the territory of the Brutii, on the coast of the Tarentine Bay. — See Lloyd’s “ Dietionarium Historicum, Geographicum,” &c. Lempriere’s Clas¬ sical Diet, and Dr. Patrick’s Celarius.

Antiqlatus asks when the Antient Church Text Characters came first into use, as also those of the Court Hand and Old English. It is much to be re¬ gretted, he observes, that the above mentioned characters are now almost lost; and at the public law offices where the Records, &c. till very recently were written in court-hand, they have substi- stuted the common hand, and often in¬ stead of that, printing.

J. M. wishes for information respect¬ ing a book in his possession which wants the title, and of which the fol¬ lowing is a description. — It is a thick quarto, and begins at signature a. ji.

which has part of “ The Preface.” That Preface, which purports to be an ad¬ dress to the clergy from one who calls them “ deare brethren,” is subscribed — “ From my house at Cantorbury, the xvi of July. In the yeare of our Lord. M. D. lxvi.” Then follow some Prayers. The first part of the Work, which is a Postill , contains 312 fol. on the verso of the last of which is — “ Here endeth the fyrste part of the Postille.” The se¬ cond part begins thus — “ The seconde parte of this Appostell, beginnyng at the firste Sondaie,” &c. and contains 195 fol. At the end is “ Thus endeth the Postill upon al the Gospels that be redde in the Churche thorow out the yeare on the Sondayes. To God the Father,” &c. — Our Correspondent has examined two Postills in the British Museum, published about the date given above, the one being a translation of a work of Hemmingius, and the other of one of Chytreeus, by Arthur Golding : but neither of them corresponds with that in his possession ; nor can he find a de¬ scription of any in Ames’s Typographical Antiquities which does. Strype, in his Annals, under the year 1569, has a re¬ ference, not very distinct, to different Postills written and published about this time, and specifies that of N. Hemmin¬ gius. It would be a gratification to our Correspondent, to obtain the title, and the general subject of the Contents up to the place where his copy commences.

He has less hope with respect to an im¬ perfect duodecimo copy ofthe Hore secun¬ dum tisum Sarum. It wants the title, and the month of January in the Calen¬ dar. It has no colophon ; but on the last leaves of the signature b, has the following English directions at intervals — “ whan thou goest first oute of thy hous blesse the sayeng — whan thou entrest in thothe chirche, say thus — whan thou takest holy water say th9 — whan thou begynnesth to proye thus begynne kene- lyng” — and, a little after, “ hore inte- merate beate Marie Virginis secundum usura Sarum.” It has borders of grotes¬ ques throughout. Several of the plates are nearly the same as those which are exhibited in Dibdin’s Decameron, vol. I ; and one is exactly the same as that given a. 65. The character is a sharp Gothic. He does not find any book answering to this in Gough’s British Topography.

Mr. Bellamy’s Account of Marston Magna, with a View of the Church, in our next; with a Memoir of the late Isaac Hawkins Browne, Esq. &c. &c.

f 3 ]

THE GENTLEMANS MAGAZINE,

For JULY, 1818.

. MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE.

THE veneration which attaches us to the support of the unrivalled Civil aud Ecclesiastical Establishment of the land we live in, — and our re¬ gard for Ecclesiastical Architecture, — are powerful motives for laying before our Readers the following Circular Letter from a Prelate who is deserving of every commendation.

“ Rev. Sir, Palace , Chester, July 1.

“ With the full approbation and con¬ currence of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, acting in the name and behalf of his Majesty, I issue this Cir¬ cular to my Clergy ; and request you to preach a Sermon in your Church, and to make a personal application through your Parish, in order to provide the means, so much wanted, for the Repair of our Cathedral.

“ It may perhaps be unnecessary for roe to apprize you, that the Funds of the Capitular Body are unequal, even to the annual Expenses of the Cathe¬ dral, much more to the Repair of it. From this cause, and from an anxious wish on the part of the Dean and Chap¬ ter to leave nothing undone which they could accomplish, they have become in¬ volved in a considerable degree of Debt. An accurate Survey and Estimate have been made by Mr. Harrison, the Archi¬ tect ; and from these it appears, that at least 7,000/. are required for the decent repair of our ancient and venerable Fa- brick. Unless something be done — and done soon, the Building must inevitably fall into a state of disgraceful Dilapida¬ tion. Such a circumstance would un¬ doubtedly excite a strong feeling of re¬ gret in the mind of every Friend to our Ecclesiastical Establishment : It would, I am sure, be more peculiarly painful to those who are locally interested in the welfare and credit of our Cathedral Church.

“ With confidence, then, I make this appeal to the Clergy and Laity of my Diocese ; humbly but earnestly request¬ ing, that their wonted Liberality may

be exercised, on an occasion every way so worthy of it. They cannot, I trust, be indifferent to the success of a mea¬ sure connected as this is with the best Interests and Character of the Diocese of Chester.

“ I would recommend that the Ser¬ mon should be preached in the course of the present or the following month.

“ The Donations which you may re¬ ceive, as also the amount of your paro¬ chial Collection, will be published in the Papers, and may be transmitted to the Committee, at William Ward’s, Esq. Registry Office, Chester. I am. Rev. Sir, Your Friend and Brother, George H. Chester.”

Mr. Urban, July 1.

OU have recently published a pa¬ per, attributing changes in the climate of England to certain circum¬ stances connected with the Polar Ice. The statement is certainly ingenious, perhaps accurate; for the fact may have ensued in former ages, as well as the present ; but it may not be unin¬ teresting to state, from the Chroni¬ clers, the Seasons which have been found to affect this Island in a serious degree.

Long Winter injurious. In 1111 the winter was long, hard, and severe ; which much injured the fruits of the earth. Chron. Saxon. 217. Ed. Gibs.

Immoderate autumnal rains inju¬ rious. In 1116, The Saxon Chroni¬ cle says, “ This was a very miserable year, and hurtful to the crops, by reason of immoderate rains, which began about the beginning of August, and much vexed and afflicted the na¬ tion, till Candlemas.” Id. p. 219.

In 1 124 was another bad season, and corn very scarce ; but the particulars of the weather are not expressed. Id. 227.

Stormy seasons injurious. In 1085 there was a very late harvest; and

fuch

4

On Climate of England — Antient Seasons. [July,

such a quantity of thunder and light¬ ning, that many persons perished in consequence. Id. 1ST.

In 1089 a great earthquake ensued ; a late harvest, and the corn not got in tiil Martinmas; in many places later. Id. 196.

In 1095 another had season, and in 1103 another, but no particulars specified. Id. 203, 211.

In 1112 was a remarkable plentiful year, no cause given. Id. 217.

In 1114 a comet appeared in May: there was such a want of water, that people, pedestrians and horsemen, crossed the Thames, East of London Bridge. In October and November were very violent winds. Id. 217.

Violent rains , followed by hard frosts , thereby corrected. In 1093 there was a fall of rain beyond me¬ mory. The winter succeeding, the rivers were so frozen, that they were passable by men on horseback. (M. Paris , p. 14.) According to this year, heavy autumnal rains require frosts to prevent injury.

Thunder at the commencement of Spring portending a wet Summer. In 1233, 10 Cal. Apr. there were ter¬ rible thunders, and during the whole Summer there was such a quantity of rain, that, according to the Chro¬ niclers, even river fish were produced in the water collected by stagnation, around the corn, through the swell¬ ing of the brooks.” Id. 324.

IV et seasons, followed by high winds. In 1223 there was such con¬ tinual rain through all the months of the year, and inequality of tempera¬ ture, that the corn did not ripen till very late, and the crops were scarcely housed in November. In January there were violent storms of wind. M. Paris , 269.

Fine Autumn and Winter followed by Frosts in Spring , its consequences. In 1258 the Autumn continued fine till the end of January, so that there was not a sign of frost. But from Candlemas to Lady-day, the North wind set in, with intolerable cold and snow, so that many youug cattle were destroyed, and there was a general de-^ struction of sheep and lambs. Id. 826.

Autumnal rains how injurious . The year 1257 was a very barren year, for the autumnal rains de¬ stroyed the whole benefit of the Spring and Summer. It was conti¬ nually rain and fog from Autumn to Candlemas. Id. 822.

North ivind in Spring. In 1258 (of which year before) the North wind blew from April to May and most of June ; so that the crops rose very thin above the ground. The harvest failed ; and there was a sad mortality among the poor. (fd. 830.) In this dreadful year about Trinity Sunday a pestilence broke out; and through the excessive rains, the harvest was so late, that in many parts of the king¬ dom it was not housed till the end of November; and the quarter of corn rose to 16s. in those days. Id. 832.

These two years, 1257 and 1258, present some conclusive facts. An ex¬ cessive rainy Autumn was followed by a fine winter. A very frosty spring ensued, and was followed by another very wet autumn. The cold pre¬ vented the growth of the young corn; the rain blasted what did appear. So that two wet autumns, with an inter¬ vening cold spring, are assuredly very bad.

*

Charles II. said of the climate of England, that there never was a day in which it rained so incessantly that a person could not take a dry walk for one hour, out of the twenty-four. There is reason to think, from the particular notice of rain taken by the Chroniclers, that it was not antiently so common as now.

In 1296 says, Ralph de Diceto, “ a continual fall of showers throughout England for three days terrified many,” ( Decern Scriptores , 697.) The reason was well fouuded, for in 1286 a terrible storm of rain, thunder, and lightning,fell upon St. Margaret’s day, which so drowned the crops, that corn rose in London from three-pence a bushell to two shillings. Decern Scrip - tores , 2468.

From these scattered facts, it ap¬ pears, that cold Springs and wet Au¬ tumns are the most ungenial to this Country, at least so far as concerns the results of tillage. Our late plentiful years have been distinguished by hard wintry frosts, warm springs abound¬ ing in showers, dry summers and au¬ tumns. It is not perhaps, after all, the quantity of rain, which does us so much injury, as the privation of sun; and it is an unnoticed fact, that du¬ ring our two last rainy years, the wet has much resulted from changes of the wind, suddenly, in opposite direc¬ tions; and this was assuredly the cause of the drought in the North in 1816. The rains came in here with

cause

*

1818.] Anniversary of Roxburghe Club celebrated at Paris.

South and South-Westerly winds: but before they could proceed to the Bal- tick, and adjacent countries, were blown b&ck again by a North and North Wester.

It is certain, that the winds are very well understood by Philosophers; and the effects of the variations of the Polar Ice upon temperature, by infer¬ ence, upon the rarefaction or conden¬ sation of air, so as to affect the ac¬ tion of the winds, in certain direc¬ tions, are facts, if ascertainable with philosophical precision, of much mo¬ ment; for upon the propensity of any country to wet or dry seasons, depends its respective capacity for agriculture or pasturage. If the former should predominate for a long time in this country, the grazing husbandry would perhaps proportionally increase.

Yours, &c. Weather-wise.

Mr. Urban, July 6.

AV1NG accidentally met with a number of the Annales Ency- clopediques , a French periodical pub¬ lication, I was not a little surprized to find in it an account of a dinner given at Paris by ou r countryman, the Rev. Dibdin, on the 17th of last month, on occasion of the Anniversary of the Roxburghe Club. As it may afford some amusement to the members of that association, and to your Biblio- uianiacal readers in general, I send yon a translation of the chief parts of it. X. Y.

, Dinner given at Paris on the 17th of June, ISIS, the Anniversary of the Institution of theRoxBURGHE Club, by the Rev. T. F. Dibdin, the Vice- President.

Among the foreigners of distin¬ guished reputation now in Paris is the celebrated bibliographer, Mr. Dib¬ din, the author of the Catalogue of Earl Spencer’s Library. The titles of Mr. Dibdin’s works will be found in the Biographie des Hommes vivans ; but they are scarcely known out of England, on account of their price and rarity. As the King’s Library possesses the whole of them, I will here mention the four last, viz. the Bibliomania; the Typographical Anti¬ quities ; the Bibliotheca Spenceriana; and the Bibliographical Decameron.

Mr. Dibdin, already known by his bibliographical pursuits, was intro¬ duced to me through one of ray dear¬ est and most honorauble friends in

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England, Dawson Turner, Esq. Mr. Dibdin intends publishing a literary and bibliographical Tour through France, Germany, and the Nether¬ lands; a design which is too much in unison with that kind of study to which I have devoted ray life, not to have cemented our connexion, and our intercourse has now become an intimacy. Mr. Dibdin has shewn me the beautiful drawings which he had executed at Caen, Falaise, Brieux, Rouen, and other places, formerly in the possession, and the residence, of the English. They are executed with admirable accuracy and truth, by Mr. Lewis, an English artist, whom he carries with him. Mr. Dibdin was also desirous to make drawings from some manuscripts, and to describe some rare books, in the Royal Library; my fellow librarians and myself af¬ forded him all those facilities which we think it a duly to afford every one, but which becomes a source of real pleasure when exerted in favour of men of so much merit.

The lUh of June drew near; the anniversary of that day on which the Marquis of Blandford (now Duke of Marlborough) obtained for jg.2260. the celebrated edition of Boccacio, printed by Valdarfer: this purchase gave birth to a singular institution, the anniversary of which Mr. Dibdin was pleased to commemorate this year in Paris, at the same moment that its Members were assembled in London, for a like purpose. To this enter¬ tainment he had invited M. Denon, to whom France is still indebted for a great part of the manuscripts and rare editions with which it is enriched, and several of the guardians of the Royal Library, as Messrs. Vaupraet, Laugles, Gail, and Millin. Literary history, and bibliography, it may readily be anticipated, became an inexhaustible source of conversation. The meeting presented a mixture of mirth and gra¬ vity, suitable to a feast of the Muses; and, in the words of the old proverb, “ the guests were more than three, and less than nine.” M. Gail recited on the occasion some Latin verses, of which the cheering on drinking the toasts prevented the company from feeling all the wit and spirit at the momeut ; but they will be printed in the Hermes Romauus.

Mr. Dibdin, the Amphitryon and President of the Feast, gave the first toasts : viz.

1 . Earl

6

Anniversary of the Roxburghe Club.

1. Earl Spencer and the distin¬ guished members of the Roxburghe Club.

2. To the memory of Christopher Val- darfer, the printer of the Boccacio of 147 1 ; a book, the purchase of which by the Duke of Marlborough was the occa¬ sion of the institution of the Roxburghe Club.

3 To the immortal memory of Wil¬ liam Caxton, the first English Printer.

4. To the glory of France.

5. To the perpetual union of France and England.

6. To the Prosperity of the Royal Li¬ brary of France.

7. To the health of its worthy guar¬ dians, whose knowledge is inexhaustible, and whose kindness is unwearied.

8. To the diffusion of the Sciences, arts, letters, and the Bibliomania.

9. May we meet each other on the same day in every year.

These toasts were returned by ano¬ ther given by the guests, and drank with three times three, in the English style, to the Vice-President of the Roxburghe club, who had done them the honour to invite them.

The company broke up at the hour when the President of the Roxburghe Club in London usually quits the chai r ; and Mr. Dibdin, the Vice-President, carefully gathered up the corks, in order to carry them with him to Eng¬ land as a memorial of this agreeable dinner. A. L. Millin.

ROXBURGHE CLUB.

HE Members held their Anniver¬ sary meeting on Wednesday, the 17th of June, at the Albion Tavern, Aldersgate street. Mr. Heber was in the Chair, and the members present were Messrs. Bentham, Boswell, Carr, Dodd, F. Freeling, Haslewood, Hib- bert, Tsted, Lang, J. and E. Littledale, Markland, Phelps, and Ponton,

Earl Spencer was absent, in conse¬ quence of a late melancholy event, the death of Lady Althorpe; and many of the Members were prevented from attending by the General Elec¬ tion.

The following is a list of books presented by the Members on this oc¬ casion.

By the Duke of Devonshire. — The Lyf of St. Ursula, and Guy star de and Sygysvnonde , translated from the Latin by William Walter. Both works ori¬ ginally printed by Wynkyn de Worde, the latter in 1532.

Earl Gow'ER. — t( Balades and other Poems, by John Gower,” now first print¬ ed from the original MS. in the Library

[J uly,

of the Marquis of Stafford, at Trent- ham.

Sir M. Sykes, Bart. — The Cliorle and the Byrde , translated from the French by Lydgate.

Roger Wilbraham, Esq. — “ Dai- phantus, or the passions of Love, with the passionate Man’s Pilgrimage, by Anthony Scoloker, 1604.”

J. H. Markland, Esq. — The Deluge , and The Murder of the Innocents; two of the Chester Mysteries, now first printed from MSS. in the British Mu¬ seum, and Bodleian Library ; Avith the Proclamation and Banes, Introductory observa