cut down and destroyed thousands, nay millions, of the human race; and in one of thy trivial freaks, thou hast cut down and destroyed the lofty and solemn groves of St. Mary's Isle, where the ancient and warlike Caledonians assembled in crowds for their devotion; where they wept over the dust of their departed friends, and viewed, with glistening eyes, and a melancholy pleasure, the sacred oaks under which themselves were one day to repose in the dust, free from the cares and hardships of that barren region. Well, well, thou great mover of all our actions; thou great source of confusion, villainy, and destruction, go on and prosper. Heaven grant that thou art not at this very time secretly inciting a humble tourist to multiply words with

out wisdom.

SIR,

R. JONES, in a communication to your magazine for last month, on the damp in coal-mines, appears to have confounded the choak with the fire-damp, both very cominon in those mines. The first arises from carbonic acid, and has the effect of extinguishing the lights, and rendering respiration difficult in this case, slaking me in the mine would be undoubtedly serviceable by absorbing, not " producing," carbonie acid. The other is produced by hydrogen gas, which is by no means unfrequent, especially if the miner chance to break into an old working; and which may possibly be generated by the decomposition of the water, by the pyrites which are almost invariably found with the coal. The hydrogen is innoxious, (at least in the state of mixture with atmospheric air, in which it occurs in mines,) unless it come in contact with any flame; when an immediate explosion is the inevitable consequence. Canton's phosphorus, enclosed between plates of glass, has been proposed by a chemist of

eminence, as a substitute for candles or lamps; of its success there can be little doubt, considering the small quantity of light required in a mine. The French have employed a wheel, armed with flints, which revolves against pieces of stcel, and the light from the sparks has been found sufficient: but Canton's phosphorus is certainly preferable, from its portability, and much greater cheap

ness.

London, Nov. 4, 1809.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

HOUGII, in his strictures on Mr.

Dr.

Hall's plan for handing down to posterity the way in which the modern languages are pronounced, your correspondent E, in your numbers for July 1808, and last month, st ears to possess the power of combining; yet he evidently wants that quality, no less necessary, the power of discriminating ideas, and throwing out nothing but what bears on the point in hand. It is easy to huddle together a number of ludicrous ideas against any plan or proposal whatever, however useful and important. Jones, who seems to possess the power of discriminating, as well as combining idens, has, in my opinion, taken up the matter on more rational ground; and shewn, in your number for August last, that, though they differ in many respects from those of man, yet, on the whole, the cries of the interior animals seem adequate to represent all the sounds, necessarily arising from the various combination of the letters of the alphabet. When the dog barks, when he snarls, when he rejoices at the return of his master, when he cries on being confined; when the cock crows, when he calls his wives; when the hen clucks, when she calls her young, when she warns them of danger; when the cat mews; when the horse neighs; when the bull roars; when the duck quacks; when the pigeon coos; and the thrush sings: these, and a thousand other sounds, produced by the inferior animals, evidently shew, that there are sounds to be found in every country, at all times the same, which, on being applied to words and syllables, seem calculated to fix the manner in which these words or syllables are pronounced.

Had the Romans, who in a great measure adopted the laws, customs, phraseology, and even many of the words

and

ible that our antiquarics who have exhibited their interpretations, could se riously have believed in their being applicable. The present letter will abun dantly prove these assertions.

London to Benonis. Londinium has been derived from various sources; but a rational explanation cannot be drawn from them. The old foundation of this city is traced in Maitland's History of London: it was fifty feet lower than at present at St. Paul's; and must, from his account, have been marshy, and often overflowed by the tides. Lon, or Lun, implies in the Gaelic, a lake, a pond, or marsh; and even a stream, as in the rivers Lone and Lune. Din, translated Don by the Saxons, implies, as will hereafter be shown, Land. Among the Fens of Lincoln, on Boston Dyke, we have London Eastcote, a territory similar to our London in its ancient state; and this name implies, from the above, the Fen Land. London will, from hence, be rationally explained by, the Stream or Marsh Land.

Sullonacis, or Sulloniacis, the next station, is derived by Mr. Baxter, Dr. Stukeley, and others, from Cassibellanus; and Mr. Sharpe, who lived on the spot at Brockley Hill, erected there an obelisk, with inscriptions to this purport. To Cassibellanus I also could wish to give the honour of naming this station; but the derivation of Sullonacis from Cassibel. Janus, brings to remembrance the derivation of Hartland Point from Hercules. Hill has often been written in old maines, Hull; as at Hull Bishop, in Somerset, called also Hill Bishop. In the Gaelic there is no H; and where other languages began with an H, the Gaelic often used an S: hence Sil, or Sul, in old names, implied Hill. On meant Land, and Ac Ridge, or Border, as shown in a former letter: Sullonaris will therefore imply, the Hill Land Ridge or Border settlement. Brockley is the present name, derived from Braighe, a Hill, changed to Braiche, Broiche, and Brock: Ley implies Land; and Brock ley, Hill Land.

So much has been said by authors, of the import of the word Čassibellanus, that there seems no room for more to be introduced: but Cassieuchlan, Cassibellan, and Cassivellan, are synonymes. I have explained the first in a former letter. Euch there is the same as l'el,

In the word Silures, Ur is Border, and the name implies the Hill Borderers.

or Bel, here; each means Border: and these terms, contrary to all the interpre tations of our antiquaries, imply no more when applied to Cassibellanus, than the Stream Borderer.

Verolanium is the next station, which is explained in my last.

Durocobrius, called also Durocobrica, comes next. Dunstable is the Durocobius of the Itinerary; but many writers conceive, that it hath been transposed by some early copyists, and that it should follow Magio-vinnio. Magiovinnio bath then been supposed Dunstable; and from Mues and Gwin, two Welsh words, it hath been rendered the White Camp, or the White Field. Our old antiquaries, acquiescing in this translation, considered themselves obliged to fix Magintum on the chalk-hill, or plain, of Dunstable; but where to place Durocobrius was a difficulty. Mr. Gale, making a traverse from the direct road, carried it to Hert¬ ford; but in doing this, his distance from Dunstable was too great: Dr. Stukeley therefore departed from the main road to Berkhamstead. Later writers, consi dering the White Field, and the White Plain, of not sufficient authority to overturn the Itinerary in its different routes, and finding Richard's Itinerary to corroborate the statements in Antoninus, have again followed these authors; whilst others still suppose, that these names have been transposed: so little have antiquaries attended to this necessary part of their task, the analysing of old names for the features of nature, that the roots and serviles in these names have been unknown for ages; nor have they generally understood, that many of the present names are translations of older ones.--But to return: Durocobrius, is derived from Du, Land, Roc, Plain, and Bri, a Hill. All our writers have been at a loss to account for Brius, which hath evidently been changed in the dative case to Brive; and they have universally rendered it a Bridge, or a Ford. But no proof more is necessary, than the explanation here given, to show that they have been, in this word, all mistaken: and it will be sufficient, if more proof be required, to say, that at Dunstable, no Water, no Bridge, nor Ford, is to be found; and that the before-mentioned appellation of the Plain Land Hill suits exactly its situation.

Of the translation Dunstable пе must next speak; but of Den, much has lately been written: much more, Mr. Editor, than necessary for any purpose,

except to show, that authors and critics have misunderstood it. I must therefore examine this term; and this, because other words for Hill come in the same questionable shape.

t

The words In En, An, On, and Un, in the language which gave names to the features of nature, imply Land; neither of which, it must be observed, are roots for Hill. They often take D and Tas prefixes, and mean Land: and it D and Timply Inclosed, as some authors have asserted, they will then imply Inclosed Land only. In Devon there is soine hill land named Haldon. The term Hal is Hill; and Dou the Land. On one side of the hill lics Childley, written in Doomsday Book Chuderleia; derived from Ceide, or Cheide, a Hill, Er, Border, and Ley, Land. On an end of this hill, is Penhill The old name of the parish on which it res, is Dunchidic; in which Chid is also hill; Ic, is a diminutive; and Dun, the land: and the little Hill Land describes exactly the district. In these words then, as well as in Dunhill, Dunald, Dunbury, Dunbar, Dunkeld, Dunkellin, and other names, the words Don and Dun may be reckoned Land only. But when Dun is written for Hill, which it often is, Dun a, or Dun-ais, is, I conceive, understood: the first, as in Dunacombe, Dungford, &c.: the second, as contracted in Duns, in Scotland, a territory which stands on rising ground, in the midst of the county of Mers. But Dun, as a contraction, is often put for Hill; and as U was often pronounced as I in old terins, Din has been rendered Hill also. Further, hills were often fortified, and the names for hills were often adopted for the names of forts. Din, and Dun, have therefore been rendered fort, or fortified hill. Thus Dun, in Dunbarton, is applied as a fort; Bar, is head or hill; and ton, the land. Camden says, that this place was called Danbritton; and he derives it from the Britons, because, he says, "The Britons held it longer than any other place against the Scots, Picts, and Saxons: for both by nature and situation, it is the strongest castle in all Scotland," &c. Thus far I quote Camden; but he mistook: for Bri and Bar are synonymes, and each means bill or head. It were an easy matter to prove, that Britain also implies the Hill Land. General Vallancey says, that in the Eastern languages, islands are termed hill lands. In the Gaelic, I is an island, or clevated surface; and di is a hill; and this last word implies nearly perhaps the same as I.

In like manner Mon has, in composi tion of names, been supposed to imply hi; but in this too, Mon-adh, or Monais, hill land, or great hill, is understood. The first of these is often written Mona; the second is contracted in Mous. Oi the contrary, Col, in Collis, impties bill, or head; but Is being a diminutive, Collis implies the little Head, or little Hill

Moreover, Pen, or Pin, is said to imply hill; and if P mean convexity, elevation, &c. as some authors have asserted, this may find claim thereto; and yet the ancients added, even to this word, A, the Gaelic for a hill, in Pinna. The Saxons pronounced and wrote this word Pinhau, Pinhou, and Pinhoe: their word Hoe being derived from A, the Gaelic for hill, pronounced Au; and write ten as pronounced with the aspirate h, Hau: hence Han, Hou, How, and Hoe, for hill. To this we may add, that we have the name Penhill in various places, all of which show, that Pen was not considered as generally implying hill; but only head, point, or end: and that hill was added to distinguish it from lower grounds, forming points or ends of lands.

Having spoken of the word Dun, I will now compare Durocobrius with Dunstable; and here must observe, that Bri was translated Dun, or Duns; aud Duroc, Stable, or Table; you will, Mr. Editor, judge which.

A market, or a place for the public' exposure of goods, was, by a northern nation, named a Stupel; and the Saxons are supposed to have used the word in t this sense, in translating names of places ending in Stable, or Staple. But in old naines, I know not of a more ridiculous supposition; and yet it hath passed as truth for ages. It is my fortune, Mr. Editor, to attack vulgar errors; and whatever I have written on this subject, may well be accounted disquisitions upon them.

A stable for a horse is derived from Sta, a stand, and Peall, a horse; and it literally implies a Horse Stand, or a Horse House. In like manner Baile, a tribe, a town, a place, a station, or settlement; or Balla, a wall, a rampart, or fort; and Sta, a stand; may imply the tribe habitation, the town, or the station; or the walled place, or fort.

But further, Tabh, Tav, or Tub, may imply the ocean, or water; and by a comparison of surfaces, a level, or plain, may be inferred. This obtains also in the word Equor, wherein from a level the sea is inferred. In my last, I showed

that