1816.]

Scrutators.-Rev. B. BRIDGE, Fell. of St. Peter's Coll., Rev. CHAS. RUSHWORTH, Fell. of St. John's Coll.

Oct. 12th, the following gentlemen were appointed the Caput:-The Vicechancellor; GEO. THACKERAY, D. D. King's Coll. Div.; J. W. GELDART, L. L. D. Trin. Hall, Law; THOS. INGLE, M. D. St. Peter's Coll. Physic; Jos. SHAW, M. A. Christ Coll. Sen. Non Regent; FEARON FELLOWS, M. A. Sen. Regent.

TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN. The Vice Chancellor proposes to give prizes of ten guineas each, to two Bachelors, and two Under-Graduates, who shall give to the Senior Lecturer, on or before the 18th of January, 1817, under fictitious signatures, the best compositions on the following subjects:

For BACHELORS, Greek or Latin verse-"Otbryades Trophæum inscri

bens."

English verse-" The flight of Darius after the battle of Arbela."

For UNDER GRADUATES, Greek or Latin verse" Mors L. Papirii Mugilani."

English verse-" Colony of Pitcairn's Island."

MR. BEWICK whose unrivalled excellence in the art of engraving upon wood is attested by his History of Quadrupeds and Birds, and also by his illustrated editions of Goldsmith's, Parnel's, and Somerville's poems, is engaged upon a set of cuts for the Fables of Æsop and others. The work is far advanced and will make its appearance next summer. The friends of this ingenious man entertain hopes that he may yet be induced to complete his performance on natural history, by the addition of the Fishes.

The Rev. RICHARD WARNER, of Bath, has in the press A Series of Sermons for every Sunday in the year, including Christmas day and Good Friday, for the use of families and country congregarions, and adapted to the conditions of the lower orders of society. A prefatory Discourse contains Observations on Public Religious Instruction, and a Vindication of the Clergy of the Church of England from the charges of attaching too much importance to human learning, exalting reason above faith, and not preaching the gospel of Christ.

The Hon. and Rev. EDWARD JOHN TURNOUR has nearly ready for publication Sermons on the Union of Truth, Reason, and Revelation in the Doctrine of the Established Church of England and Ireland.

NEW MONTHLY MAG.-No. 34.

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A selection of Biblical Criticisms on the Books of the Old Testament, and Translations of the Sacred Songs with Notes, from the papers of the late Bishop HORSLEY, is preparing for publication.

The Rev. W. ETTRICK, author of "The second Exodus," has in the press an Exposition on the Prophecies which relate to the two periods of Daniel, subsequent to the 1260 years now recently expired; being the time of the seventh trumpet and prophetically assigned to the extirpation of apostacy, the accomplishment of the reconciliation of the Jews and the introduction of the millenniuin.

Messrs. NETLAM and FRANCIS GILES, of New Inn, propose to publish by subscription a new map of the county palas tine of Lancaster, from an actual survey on the basis of the Trigonometrical Survey of England as determined by Lieut. Col. Mudge, and Capt. Colley, upon the scale of one inch to a mile. The survey is commenced, and will be carried on with diligence. This useful undertaking has already received the sanction and support of more than 700 subscribers.

MISS D. P. CAMPBELL, a young lady resident in one of the northernmost isles of Scotland, who for some years past has contributed to the maintenance of a distressed mother, and entirely supported a

younger brother and sister by her exertions, proposes in furtherance of that support, to publish a second edition of her poems. The greater part of these pieces were originally written without any intention of extending them beyond the small circle of her own acquaintance. The first edition was published at Inver ness in 1811, when the authoress had not attained her 17th year for the amiable purpose of liberating her father, whó is since dead, from a prison.

LORD BYRON has completed a second part of his celebrated poem of Childe Harold, the copyright of which, as we are given to understand, has been purchased by Mr. Murray, at the price of 25001.

Some letters of Queen Anne to her secretary of state Sir Charles Hedges, together with about three hundred original letters of the great Duke of Marlborough lately sold by public auction, are about to be published, aud, combined with the memoirs preparing by the Rev. Archdeacon Coxe, will serve to illustrate the character of that great general and statesman.

The first part of the History and Antiquities of Westminster Abbey, with splendid embellishments from drawings VOL. VI. 2 X

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nion to it.

Capt. LEWIS GRANHOLM of the Swedish navy, has in the press a translation from the Swedish of Experiments on the Resistance experienced by Bodies when propelled in a straight line through Wa

ter.

These experiments were made by Admiral de Chapman, a distinguished naval officer, and superintendent of the Swedish dock-yards; and exhibit a chain of research which has led to a valuable discovery of a law of nature respecting water, which could not possibly have been attained by mathematical induction or any reasoning a priori, and which involves conclusions of the greatest importance, not merely as to the best form for the construction of ships capable of moving with the greatest velocity through water, but also to the best form for piers of bridges in rivers subject to inundation, or where the current is rapid. The work is translated from one of the few copies printed for the use of the author's friends, and the Lords of the Admiralty have gi ven their sanction to its publication in an English dress.

Mr. DYER'S work on the Privileges of the University of Cambridge, having much exceeded his original intention, will not appear till winter, and, instead of one will form two large 8vo. volumes. Besides the Chronological Tables and Charters of the University and corrections of his History, as announced in the proposals, these volumes will contain Memorials of the Rise and Progress of Printing in Cambridge, with an account in succession of the Printers and the principal books published by them; the connection of its present with its former state of literature, and an attempt to bring the literary biography of the University down to more modern times.

MR. POPE will shortly publish a new edition of his Abridgment of the Laws of the Customs and Excise, brought down to the present time.

The Fourteenth Volume of the Encyclopædia Londinensis, which has been long delayed on account of the great num

[Nov. 1,

ber of engravings accompanying the article Mechanics, is at length ready for delivery.

Mr. T. J. PETTIGREW is preparing for publication, Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the late Dr. Lettsom, with a selection from his correspondence with the principal literati of this and foreign countries. It is intended to comprise this work in three 8vo. volumes, and to publish them by subscription. The two first volumes will consist of a memoir of Dr. Lettsom, drawn from original and authentic sources; and of a selection from his very extensive correspondence. The editor respectfully solicits the communication of such facts, documents, and letters as may be in the possession of any of Dr. Lettsom's friends; which will be not only thankfully received, but faithfully acknowledged, if addressed to him in Bolt-Court Fleet-Street. The third volume will contain the Medical Correspondence, and a collection of cases, papers, &c., illustrated by engravings. The work will be published in January

next.

The increasing popular favour which Malvern is justly acquiring from the salubrity of the air, and the universally healing qualities of its waters which were brought into notice by Drs. Wall, Philip, &c.; the beauty of its walks and rides, the antiquity of its church and numerous other claims to notice, have induced a gentleman resident near the place to inake collections for a History of Great and Little Malvern. These being at length arranged, he proposes to publish in a handsome 8vo. volume, embellished with designs by artists of celebrity, Whilst the author will not fail to avail himself of the aid of rare and expensive publications, he is enabled to promise much interesting miscellaneous original matter from observation and authentic sources, so that the work will form altogether a complete historical, statistical, nineralogical, chemical, and general Account of Great and Little Malvern, and a useful guide through the terrestrial Faradise in which they are situated.

Mrs. ANNE PLUMPTREE is at present engaged in writing a Narative of her Residence in Ireland, in the summer of 1814 and that of 1815, which will be published early in December. It will consist of one 4to. volume, embellished with a portrait of the author from a picture painted by Mr. Northcote, and several engravings of remarkable scenery in Ireland, from original sketches taken on the spot.

1816.]

The continuation of Miss BURNEY's Tales of Fancy may be expected in the course of a few weeks.

The Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Dr. BENJ. FRANKLIN, comprising his private and familiar correspondence, now first printed, from the original manuscripts bequeathed to his grandson Wm. Temple Franklin, esq. are now in a forward state for publication.

We understand that a Series of Letters are preparing for publication, written by the celebrated Earl of CHESTERFIELD to Mr. Arthur Stanhope, relative to the education of his son Philip, the late earl.

It is expected that the Historical Account of the Battle of Waterloo, drawn up under the best authority by Mr. MUDFORD, and embellished with numerous coloured plates, plans, &c., will be completed in the month of De cember.

Dr. MASON of New York, who is now in this country, is about to publish his new work entitled, A Plea for Catholic Communion, in one vol. 8vo.

As the resolutions which appeared in the Old Monthly Magazine for September last, respecting the WALSALL BOOK SOCIETY, may have induced some of our readers to believe that the account we gave of the proceedings was incorrect, we cannot avoid, in justification of our selves, to assure our friends that it was literally true, and that notwithstanding the attempts that have been made to induce a contrary belief, we are informed from the most respectable source that the facts remain totally uncontradicted. With respect to the resolutions which passed at the annual meeting, we acknowledge that they were forwarded to us, not by any member of the committee but with a letter signed VALENTINE and THROSBY. As we know nothing of these persons we had every reason to presume that the communication was equally unauthorized with that from Mr. Fletcher, to which we have had occasion to advert, and declined its insertion; on which account, as we are given to understand, the committee suspended our Magazine at a monthly meeting but re-admitted it at the next. We can state with the greatest confidence that the Old Monthly Magazine still continues excluded from the society.

MR. MINASI has requested us to call the attention of the Society for abolishing the practice of sweeping chimneys by means of climbing-boys, to an idea which seems capable of being made subservient to that benevolent design. He proposes that the top of each chimney shall be

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furnished with a pot somewhat in the shape of a bell, underneath the centre of which shall be fixed a pulley with a chain of sufficient length for both ends to be fastened when not in use to nails or pins in the chimney, out of sight but within reach from below. One or both of these ends should be adapted to the reception of a brush of an appropriate construction; and thus by this simple contrivance, masters and mistresses might have their chimneys swept as often as they pleased by their own servants, with very little additional trouble to the latter. Mr. Minasi contents himself with offering this general outline of his plan, which he leaves to be perfected by professed mechanics, if it should be deemed worthy of a trial.

From the last annual Reports of the ROYAL GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY of CORNWALL, we learn that considerable progress has been made in the construction of a geological map of that county. The interesting hundreds of Penwith and Kirrier are already finished; the rocks which constitute their surface are distinguished by appropriate colours, and their successions, relative positions, and various junctions and transitions into each other are traced and delineated with an accuracy and detail which cannot fail to render the map a most acceptable present to agriculture and the arts. A volume of Transactions of the Society is also in the press. The following papers have this year been read before it :

1. On the Geological Structure of Cornwall with a view to trace its influence upon and connection with the fertility of its soils, by JOHN AYRTON PARIS, M. D.

2. Historical Account of Copper and Copper Mines, by JOSEPH CARNE, esq.

3. On a new arrangement of the Objects of Geology, by DR. PARIS.

4. On Elvan Courses, by JOSEPH CARNE, esq.

5. Observations on a remarkable Change

which Tin undergoes under peculiar circumstances and on its partial conversion into a Muriate of Tin, by the Rev. WILLIAM GRE

GOR.

6. An Account of the Produce of the Copper Mines in Cornwall in ore, copper and money for the year ending June 30, 1816, by JOSEPH CARNE, esq.

7. An account of the quantity of Tin produced in Cornwall in the year ending with Midsummer quarter 1816, by Jos. CARNE, esq.

8. On the existing evidences of a catastrophe having at a remote period formed the Mount's Bay, by HENRY Boase, esq. Among the public benefits already produced by this society, is the introduc

1816.]

remote period. Tradition, however, carries it back much farther. According to the latter the Sacro Catino was one of the valuables brought to Jerusalem by the Queen of Sheba, when she came to admire the wisdom of Solomon. That priuce soon discovered its value, and caused it to be deposited in his treasury, whence it was never taken but for the celebration of the passover. It continued to be thus preserved by the Kings of Judah, till the extinction of their dynasty when it devolved to the family of Nicodemus, who claimed to be descended from those monarchs. It was at the house of this chief of the Pharisees, that Christ partook of the paschal lamb in this precious vase. When Nicodemus afterwards emigrated with the christians from Jerusalem, anterior to the destruction of that capital, he removed the Sacro Catino to Cæsarea, where it remained till the first crusade. You may perhaps enquire what historians relate these facts. On this subject I must confess my ignorance, and I verily believe that nobody but the Genoese knows any thing of the matter. Be this as it may, when Casarea was taken by the Crusaders in 1107, they divided the immense booty acquired there into three parts; the Sacro Catino alone formed one of the three, and the Genoese had the piety to be content with it for their share. You must admit that it is impossible to be more disinterested, and that this example has not been often followed by conquerors. The Sacro Catino was then conveyed to Genoa, and solemnly deposited in the Cathedral. So high an opinion was entertained of this supposed treasure, that in 1319, when Genoa, besieged by the Gibelines, was necessitated to have recourse to a loan, the Sacro Catino was pledged with the Cardinal Duke of Fiesco, for the sum of 1200 marks in gold. Eleven years elapsed before it was redeemed. This vase was exhibited to the view of the pious at Genoa only once a year; it was then placed upon an elevated situation; a prelate held it up by a ribbon, and knights styled Clavigeri, who were entrusted with the keeping of it, were ranged around. It was forbidden under a penalty of from a hundred to a thousand ducats, and even of death itself to touch or strike the Catino with gold, silver, stones, coral, or any other matter which might have exposed the vase to the danger of being broken. The keys of the chest in which it was deposited during the rest of the year, were kept by the Clavigeri, who were chosen from

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among the most distinguished persons of the republic. They were enjoined by the laws never to entrust them to any other persons; and in case of illness their nearest relatives only were allowed to supply their place. Though this rigour was in the sequel somewhat relaxed, still the Catino was not shown to strangers without many formalities and precautions. It was also at length discovered that the material of this vase was not so valuable as it had been supposed. Keysler, Barthelemy, and other travellers remarked in it flaws and bubbles, on the subject of which la Condamine read a memoir to the Academy of Sciences. The revolution finally dissipated the delusion. The French who seemed destined to overthrow all received opinions whether true or false, made themselves masters of the Sacro Catino. A committee of the Institute was appointed to examine it, and it turned out that this invaluable emerald was nothing but coloured glass. It is nevertheless, a curious monument of the credulity of the middle ages, and of the art of glass-making. Its colour, which is emerald green, is beautiful; its shape is handsome; its angles are well cut; the handles, formed out of the substance of the body, and the ornaments are tasteful; the flaws are not numerous, and it is easy to perceive that after it was cast entire, it was skilfully trimmed with the turning lathe. M. Bossi is of opinion that it was made at Rome about the beginning of the vulgar æra: but M. Millin conceives it to have been made in the East, at Constantinople, or at Cæsarea, in the time of the Lower Empire. There are at Venice glass vases engraved and coloured which were likewise made in the East. It is well known that in 1815, the Sacro Catino was taken away by the allied troops at Paris, together with numberless other articles of which the rightful owners had been plundered. It was packed up, but owing to its brittle nature it did not reach Genoa without accident. The newspapers have however announced that the damage sustained by this vase, especially in the handles can be repaired but it seems doubtful if, since its journey from Paris this relic will ever regain the veneration that was formerly paid to it.

I shall now direct the attention of your readers to another small work, which has no connection with the preceding, but which will probably excite a stronger degree of interest in England. It is entitled Essai sur l'Hygiune militaire des Antilles, par M. MOREAU DE JONNES.