Eighth divifion. Window in dado flopped up. Grand window ditto. North fide. First divifion, (from the Eafi). Same embellishments as ditto on South fide. Grand window broke into for a door-way, &c. Se cond divifion. Intirely broke into by the modern monument of the late Lord Chatham. As this defign is confeffedly on the Roman model, and the drefs of the ftatue in the coflume of a Roman Senator, why, in the name of confiftency, inclofe the whole performance within a large pointed arch, which arch is run in among fome particles left of the old work; rendering the thing quite ludicrous: and it may alfo be afked, why erect a fepulchral object in a place devoted to magifterial ceremonies and civic banquetings? Is not St. Paul's Cathedral of fufficiently large dimenfions, and containing numerous vacant piers, capable to receive a memorial of this fort, without hacking and deftroying the charming divifions of the Hall? Third divifion. Dado, centre work cut away, and a modern door-way introduced. Fourth divifion. Varied in the defign; the dado has a flight of fteps leading to antient chambers, and on each fide octangular turreted galleries. Thefe galleries fupport carved wooden palmtrees, which trees fupport a gallery of the like material, and a clock. Thefe wooden performances have been erected fince the fire. To the right and left are gigantic pafteboard figures of Gog and Magog, fet up alfo fince that calamity, as previous thereto there were original figures of thefe heroes, which were then thrown down and destroyed. Modern door-way cut into the grand window. Fifth divifion. Complete in dado, and grand window. Sixth divifion. Ditto, ditto. Seventh divifion; Dado window flopped up; grand window complete. Eighth divifion; complete. In the dado a large door-way, and the occafional small ditto. Eafi fide. In the dado, grand range of canopies to niches, the rest of the work panneled out, as before observed of the canopies ou the South and North fides. In the centre of this range three of the canopies project in an octangular direction. Great window; the general lines, a repetition of the exterior; but the mouldings are multiplied, and rife more delicate, and of a richer degree, having bases and other additional accompaniments. A grend architrave likewife fprings from half columns, which columns reft on the canopies below. Between these half columns and the mullions of the window are finall niches. This up. right is fingularly fplendid. Weft fide. Dado destroyed; that is, all the compartments and other particulars therein cut away; cannot fay, precifely at what time, as I have no memoranda. The wall remains bare, up to the fill of the great window.. Against the centre of this faid wall, another funeral memorial has been railed, to do honour to the memory of hat upright and worthy man, Alder-. man Beckford. The archite&ure of the compofition points to the Roman manner, while the drefs of the ftatue, in direct oppofition to that of Lord Chatham, is in the fashion of the day, long gown, coat, full-dreffed wig, &c. I leave thefe contradictions in point of costume to be reconciled and made palatable by fome other investigator of our public works, as, I candidly confefs, with me it is altogether impoffible; therefore ufelefs the attempt. I per ceive that the bare wall, as above, are charcoaled-in fome divisions of plain pannels, with the flat Tudor-arched head, fuch as ufed in the reign of Henry VIII. when the Pointed ftyle. was sinking into neglect and difufe. Again let me enquire why, in defiance of the detail of the Hall, fet about dabbling at a fomething like the fhadow of an art practifed more than a century later? I will answer my own quel tion; for I am certain that, if I were thus to interrogate until my last breath, I fhould never bring on an explanation by word of mouth, though it is pofli-, ble I may by the force of innovating hands. The anfwer: "Whatever may be the fashionable architectural run at Weltminfter, either in Palace or Church improvements, even fo here muft the fame novelties take place. We work as it were under cover; others holding up fpecimens for our imitation, and for our praife! Notwithstanding this dado has undergone fo much curtailment, fiill aț the corners, directly beneath the fill of the window, are particles of a correfpondent rage of canopies to thofe in the like flation on the Eaft side. These documents being difregarded in favour of the charcoaled whims, as above, establishes a positive proof, that, however firong the orders may have been to refore restore every thing, even as it was at first, professional men look quite another way, answering yes, when they, literally mean no. Servilely imitate antient authorities, indeed? Rather let us obsequiously follow the taste of the day; and then we may defy criticism!" Before I conclude, let me observe that the East and West great windows have got many feet of new coloured glass, shewing arms, devices, and ornaments. That the Designer might have been informed by some Antiquary, that great windows formerly had painted glass, and that the subjects were arranged this and that way, I cannot doubt. Nor can I be under any uncertainty, when I pronounce that the Artist certainly never saw an actual illuminated antient window; as, in the attempt before us, all is purely modern, and purely congenial to those principles of Design which are every where prevailing. Ruminating on the neglected and slovenly condition of this noble interior, the true cause becomes but too manifest. It shews the hour of architectural stupour, previous to the hour of Architectural storm; when havock, curtailment, alteration, and improve ment, shall have way; and leave not a wreck of Antiquity behind. AN ARCHITECT. Jan. 12. applause to Atheism and absurdities, carried him delightfully up to the throne of God; and shewed him beyond contradiction these important truths, that "the convenience and happiness of his creatures were the ultimatum of the great Creator." Even Poisons and Corruptions, which have abounded through Man's unhappy fall, are constantly over-ruled for the benefit, and even for improving the natural state of Man. May we not apply this by analogy to the moral state of the human species? Death and Corruption were brought in by the folly and wickedness of man: Life and an immorta lity of Happiness have been wrought out for us by the wisdom and power of God. If the Almighty would not leave the natural world without correctives, we are sure he would not leave the moral and intellectual world, a much more worthy object of his care and attention, without a possibility of recovery: we may consider the Death and Resurrection of the Son of God as the grand corrective in the moral system. He is the rectifier, the purifier, and the restorer of all things. The dangerous state we have brought ourselves to, the pains and affliction and death we must undergo, should stimulate our attention to our real and final good, and make us anxious to obtain it; the recovery and immortal happiness prepared for us,should excite our gratitude and love to that Being, who alone could so order all things as to secure it to us; and who has thus wisely and benevolently counteracted the destruction we had brought on ourselves. May we all be earnestly solicitous to profit by this philosophy, and be as eminent for our proficiency in Virtue and true Piety, as Mr. Parkes has been in his favourite and most useful Science! Yours, &c. BARHAMIENSIS. Mr. URBAN, Jan. 20. Mr. URBAN, HAVE just been reading Parkes's second edition of his "Chemical Catechism;" a book which, I think, does great honour to the Author, and to the Country which gave him birth. The clear and perspicuous manner in which he has arranged his work, and the very enlarged knowledge he possesses of his subject, make it at once one of the most entertaining and most instructive productions lever met with. How finely does he prove the indestructibility of matter; and that "not a particle of what came out of the Crea-N the Poems of your friend the tor's hand at first is lost: though several things," he says, "are tending to corruption, and though man may gather and scatter, mix and unmix, and cause much confusion, yet nothing is destroyed; the putrefaction of one thing is a preparation for the being, and the bloom and the beauty of another." His studies, instead of leading him, as the French Philosophists conceits led them through their egregious vanity and self GENT. MAG. January, 1808. Rev. Mr. Crabbe, which in vol. LXXVII. p. 1033, you so warmly recommended, and some of which un doubtedly display marks of superior genius, there are two lines which he quotes from Ovid (and which are thrice repeated) as the subject of Reflections, in which if there be not an erratum, it must be my ignorance of the Latin lan guage that renders me utterly unable to understand them: "Quid 1 any of them. am afraid you will be disposed to intimate, that nobody but an old fel low would be so ungallant as to intimate that a Lady could make a mistake: were it not so, I would take the liberty to suggest to your fair Correspondent Eusebia, p. 1100, that she is mistaken in supposing that Cromwell never took upon him to confer the honour of Knighthood, as I could furnish her with the names of 18 or 20 persons whom he dubbed Knights, after he took upon himself the title of Lord Protector. Mr. URBAN, B. Jan. 9. (as he was called), resided. A slave, "not Accordingly we staid within that night and the night after, to our great inconvenience: the sick were full of ill humour at the heat from closing the tent, and those in health all quite indignant at the cause. Next day it was determined to put the mettle of these dogs to proof: a party was posted be yond the Bass's gate; and when the dogs (seven or eight in number) burst forth with their usual roar, a great shout was raised behind. The dogs flew on, our people in chace; presently another party joined in the hunt, and so on from convenient corners started out others, hallooing and pursuing. The dogs never once faced about; but, terrified and cut off from any retreat homeward, in less than an hour took to the water, and disappeared. We supposed they might swim round and get ashore upon the master's demesne, which took up at least one quarter of the Island, and was stoccaded off from sea to sea; but probably some alligators, sharks, or other monsters of the deep, finished them; for we heard no more barking after that night. SOME OME desire may possibly be found to know the mode of our procedure during the ship's repair (see p. 995 of your last volume). To such particulars the printed Voyage does not descend. Let me say, after auchoring near Cooper's Isle, which lies at a little distance fromOnrust, the vessel was hauled and lashed head and stern alongside up, the jetty or wharf, immediately dismantled, her stores all lodged ashore, This same Bass was a cross-grained and the hull kept in readiness for warp-animal, half Dutch, half Malay and ing over to Onrust. But the first thing had refused to sell poultry, although in order after securing the ship was, to he was possessed of all sorts, at any fix a large tent for the crew, sick and price. He avoided every communicawell; and into this we moved with tion to the utmost; and not one of us cheerful hearts. ever got admission to his house. It was impossible to make his turkeys equally reserved, and no opportunity was lost of picking their bones. One great evil that had originated even with the beginning of this voyage, hunger, was now no more: it had embittered every circumstance on-board, and seldom but had been artificially inflicted, where necessity was no plea. Of neighbour's fare, whilst upon public service, we should never have complained; but of some being fed at an extra allowance from the ship's provisions, whilst the bulk of a crew were kept in constant gnawing hunger, we had not only reason to complain, but were authorized by naval rules and discipline to demand redress. Upon Cooper's Isle was only one house, where the Captain, or Bass Cooper's Isle in surface was about ten acres; on the more elevated middle part, the whole being rather convex, several long warehouses were built parallel to each other. In these were lodged Spices in great quantity. The warehouses are separated by alleys, of breadth equal to the buildings. A double row of lofty trees at the nearest end of these warehouses gave us a pleasant shady walk between them and our tent; and this last was put up near the wharf. At a greater distance, and beyond our tent, was another wharf; and and to that two Dutch Indiamen came in succession to deliver cargoes, and load again. This work was not done by a Dutch crew, but by Chinese; of whom a party, 100 in number, was relieved every 14 days from Batavia, The Dutch Officers seem to have no command over these China-men: they worked as they pleased, and when; with the eagerness of dray-horses whilst at it, and equally in earnest at their meals or at play. They indulged much in bathing, frequently drank tea; and this repast was for the most part followed by cards. Cards always produced quarrelling, and sometimes a general fight: such was, however, laughable in the extreme, considering the brawny combatants, being a jar gon of abuse, and open-handed clawing as of women. In spite of their care not to fetch blood, falls upon the sharp stones would wound, and then all hands were as ready to call for assist ance from me. Nothing of this sort went unrequited: their supply-boats came often from Batavia, and as certain was a parcel of tea, of sugar-candy, of fresh pork, or of sweet meats, brought to their English Surgeon by the whole party in calvacade; the article in question elevated in front, and presented in a form and manner infinitely more pleasing than the gift. But to return. Our people, being all under my eye, were no sooner indisposed, but medicines were administered; and in the first month every man, two or three excepted, had been alter nately the nurse or nursling of his messmate. As weeks ran on, I found we grew more prone to disease: the changes of the moon had very sensible effects, and even the flood tide constantly rendered fever or local pains more severe. For all this, by good fortune, I had been educated in a way most express: my first instructor had been long in India, and all his lessons for several years of my youth had been sweetened with various sea stories, in which boys delight. His difficulties, his success, his failures, long familiar to my car, were now realized, or likely to be so; and only one case occurred where I was myself apprehensive about the management. More of that in proper time. We struggled on, whilst Death was making quicker progress at Batavia. In the first week of November came news that our Surgeon was dead; and not long after the Captain took alarm at the scenes around him, and came to Cooper's Isle. This wrought a great change for me. Yours, &c. (To be continued.) Mr. URBAN, MR W. P. Jan. 6, R. Balsum, Minister (or Chaplain to a Garrison in WarderCastle, Wiltshire, in 1643, escaped assassination in a surprising manner, which deserves special notice. The Officers of the King's party,' who had reduced the Castle to a surrender, bearing an inveterate hatred to Mr. Balsum, and " finding no colour to proceed against him in a public way, fell upon a more secret method to take away his life; to that end sending three men, who broke in upon him whilst he was at prayer. But he, rising up, and looking steadily upon them, observing them to stand still, demanded of them the cause of their coming; who, standing some time with horror and confusion in their faces, after some conferences with each other, confessed to him, that they were sent to destroy him; but that they found a superior Power restraining them, and convincing them of the wickedness of their intentions; offering to convey him out of the hands of his enemies, or to do any thing else for him that he should desire," &c. See Ludlow's Memoirs, vol. I. pp. 100, 101. See an account of a remarkable escape of the famous Fran. Junius, in Brandt's History of the Reformation, folio, Book VIII. A.D. 1566. Also of another, ibid, b. VII. pp. 208, 209. I wish that a collection of such extraordinary events were judiciously made and published. Mr. URBAN, J. J. Jan. 7. THE present and future state of the Country respecting an ample supply of Maritime Stores may give alarm to many persons not acquainted with our resources, and what an œconomical and restricted expenditure may effect. We have been, it is certain, very lavish in our use of the important articles of Hemp and Tar; but Russia will soon perceive it is our duty to make her sensible that she is not of that consequence to our existence as a maritime power which she vainly imagines, and the generality of the world have been led to believe. I am induced to make these remarks from the perusal of some ! some small tracts on the subject of our resources in Hemp, which may not have fallen into the possession of many of your readers; and will therefore recapitulate their substance to an extent which may satisfy them that our situation is not altogether dependent, I trust at this period the observations upon the Sunn Hemp of Bengal may be circulated by the East India Company, not only to manifest an ability to supply ourselves with a very good substitute, but to prevent unnecessary apprehensions for future provision. It behoves us to consider, no doubt, how far the expenditure of Russian Hemp may be limited, possibly to one half the present annual consumption, without any considerable subtraction of advantage. By such measures we shall manifest our independence of foreign supplies in support of our maritime efforts; and we are called upon collectively and individually to do our utmost towards this important object. As an humble Individual, therefore, I shall offer what my mind suggests, for the consideration and adoption of those more immediately concerned, and to dissipate the idea of dearth of Maritime Stores under the present exigency. The great Supply from the Baltic has been Hemp, Tar, Pitch, Iron, Masts, and other Timber. The article of Hemp appears to engross the public consideration more than any other, and creates the greatest alarm; but India can contribute so abundantly towards the requisite supply for so many purposes, not excepting even Cables, that, with the stock of Hemp we are in possession of, our wants of that article will not be insuperable. Stock holm Tar, the next essential requisite, is not to be procured if Sweden joins the confederacy; and the waste is beyond all common conception; the Hemp without Tar is useless for marine purposes. Pitch is equally an article of value; and the supply of Tar, Pitch, and Masts, should we have war also with America, will be still more difficult, and an economical expenditure more necessary. The facts I have alluded to, respect the provision, or the economical expenditure, of Hemp and Tar in the fabrication of Cordage. I understand the Directors of the East India Company have taken great pains in the culture of Sunn Hemp, and Salsette Hemp: and of the former a manufacture of Canvass has taken place both at Bengal and in this country, equal to the common canvass in strength and utility; and there can be no question but it will be brought to such perfection as will fully answer for marine and other uses, by an improved mode of manufacture not yet made public. Hence would arise a considerable saving of Hemp here; nor should it be converted to any but maritime purposes, unless it be the outshot, or when damaged. To diminish the consumption of useful Hemp and Tar as much as possible, it should be restricted to Naval purposes; and the most parsimonious use of it should be enforced by an Act of the Legislature, during this formidable confederacy;consistent, however, with the security of our Ships. Of the two other pamphlets, one remarks on the Patent Registered Cordage of Mr. Huddart, and the other contains a statement of the comparative weight and strength of Staple Cordage; there are such exemplifications of savings in weight, with the same strength, as may surprise persons not familiar with the subject. The Sunn Hemp of Bengal is also thereby made serviceable to a great extent for maritime use, and one third of the general consumption of Russian Hemp might certainly be avoided. In fact, the principle seems so fully detailed and authenticated, that it becomes a matter of national consideration, whether the Patentee should not receive his compensation from the publick, his patent be laid open, and all Cordage be manufactured in that method by every Rope-maker; and when the Navy can be supplied at an expenditure of Hemp one third less, with greater security, during an exigency like the present, can there be a question on the propriety of the measure? But, as the continuance of this exigency is uncertain, the precaution is, therefore, more urgent; and our safety consisting chiefly in our maritime strength, any method of paralyzing it should be promptly guarded against; and the most vigilant attention of Government to the prevention of the misapplication of the resources we have, and the improvement of those within our reach, will soon inculcate confidence at home, and let our Enemies see we are not more vulnerable in these indirect attacks than our Fleets have been to their more open hostility. Yours, &c. MERCATOR, Mr. |