WONDERS
O F
NATURE AND ART;
BEING AN
ACCOUNT
O F
Whatever is moft Curious and Remarkable throughout the WORLD;
Whether relating to its
Animals, Vegetables, Minerals, Volca- noes, Cataracts, Hot and Cold Springs,
and
Other Parts of Natural FIistory;
OR, to the
Buildings, Manufactures, Inventions, and Discoveries of its Inhabitants.
The Whole colledled from the Writings of the bef!: Historians, Travellers, Geographers, and Philosophers, among which are fome Original Manufcripts \ interfperfed with pious Observa- tions and Reflections ; illuilrated with Notes, and adorned with Copper-Plates.
The SECOND EDITION.
VOL. L '
LONDON:
Printed for Newbery and Carnan, Sons and Sue- celibrs to the late Mr. John Newbery, at the Bible and Sun, No. 65. the North Side of St. Paui's
Church-yard, — —
MDCCLXVni.
^4 62^1 1 v.!
THE
PREFACE.
E flatter ourfelves, that in the follow-
W ing work, the reader will find his €xped:ations anfwered, both with regard to inftrudion and eatertainmenr. He will here find a great number of furprizing and delightful particulars, that have beea fcattered up and down the writings of a mul- titude of authors^ which few have fufficient ability to purchafe, and fewer have leifure to perufe : I fay, the reader will here find them collefted into as narrow a compafs as the nature of the thing will admit, and pub- lilTied in fucha cheap and eafy manner, that he will neither have reafon to complain of theexpence, nor that they require too much time to be read withouc neglefting more important affairs. In a word, the purchafer of this work will have a Ultle library in his poflefTion, a view of the world as it were in mimatare: and if in fummer he chufes to
A z
read
IV The PREFACE.
read an hour or two in his garden, or by his fi/e-fide in a winter's evening, he will doubt- ]efs, with great pleafure and benefit, run m through the whole ; which, when he has done, we dare venture to fay, he will nei- ther think his time or his money ill beftowed.
The mind of man is naturally endowed with curioficy, and feels a ftrong defire after knovi^ledge, and we are generally pleafed to be informed of any of thofe natural or arti- ficial varieties that have never fallen under our obfervation. To gratify this, curiofity, is one defign of the publication of this work ; and as it is calculated to fuit the tafte of man- kind in general, we flatter ourfelves it will meet with proper encouragement. Indeed, if the variety of curious and interefting fub- j els treated of, can recommend any per- rormance, this has certainly that merit equal, if not fuperior to any that has yet appeared in the world, What indeed can be a more entertaining, what a more innocent amufe- ment to the fenfible part of mankind, than to fpen/i their leifure hours in reading an ac- count of thofe wonders of nature^ whether cn the furface, or in the bowels of the earth, V/Jiich the^ t'hemfelves can never exped to
obtain
The PREFACE. v
obrain an opportunity of feeing? Indeed, what can more enlarge the mind ; what caii afford a more rational delight, than a work which treats of whatever is moft curious in natural hiftory ? Is it poflible to read, with- out a fenfible pleafure, of the beautiful ftruc- tures, the curious manufactures, thefurpriz- ing inventions and works of ingenious artifts in every part of the world, and of the man- ners and cuiloms of different nations.
But there is another motive yet to be mentioned, and that none of the leaft, which induced us to the publication of this work, and which, we hope, will recommend it to a favourable reception, viz. the promoting of religion and virtue. The more we furvey and contemplate the wonders even of this fmall part of the univerfe which we inhabit, the more we muft be led to adore the power, to admire the wifdom, and to praife the good- nefs of the great Creator, whofe works are great and excellent, worthy to be obferved with the utmoft attention, and adapted to infpire wonder, Ifjve and reverence. Is it pofTible to confider the ftrufture of the mi- nutejl animal^ of the leaft flower, a feather^ or a hair^ without acknowledging the wife A 3 contrivance
vi The P R E F A C E.
contrivance of the divine hand that formed it ? If not, how much more muft our admi- ration be raifed, when we contemplate thofe wonderful parts of the creation, which will be defcribed in the courfe of the work here offered to the public ? In ftiort, we hope it will tend to convince the atheift-, (if it (hould fall into the hands of any fuch) that there is a God; an all-wife, all-powerful, fupreme Being, the Creator and Governor of the uni- verfe, whofe wondrous works (according to Elihu\ advice) we ought to Jtand Jlill and confider. Job xxxvii. 14.
How thefe fubjeds are handled, muft be left to the reader's judgment. To fomc, perhaps, the undertaking may appear a very • eafy matter, and little more than a heap of materials compiled from other authors; but let thofe perfons confider the great com- pafs of reading neceffary for compleating a ^ work like this, and how difficult it is to find out the proper materials, to reduce them into regular order, to reconcile the contradiflions of different authors, to tender the ftile uni- form, to diftinguifh between truth and ro- mance, and,^ in fliort, to travel through a la- byrinth.
The PREFACE. vU
byrinth, without any clue, without any con- duftor.
In the annotations, we may venture to fay, there is fomething to pleafe every palate, and that even the divine and the philofopher will ^ not think them unworthy their perufal ; bur, in general, the v^ork is calculated for thofe who have not the advantage of libraries, or leifure to turn over many volumes. The Philofophical Tranfaclions have been of great fervice to us throughout the whole, and we have endeavoured lo make choice of the writings of fuch authors, as have been always jreckoned perfons of judgment and veracity. Sir George Wheler, Tournefort, Dr.Derham, Dr. Shaw, Dr. Pococke, the author of Spec- tacle de la Nature, and many others that might be mentioned, are authorities fufficient to be depended on, and fuch as nobody will call in queftion. Mr. Moore's travels into the inland parts of Africa have much affifted us in fpeaking of that part of the world : Sir Hans Sloane, and the reverend Mr. Smith, have furnifhed us with many curious particu- lars relating to the American iilands and fome more modern travellers of eftablifhed reputation have furniflied this edition with A 4 many
viii The P R E F A C E.
many curious particulars relating to Spani/h America and the Eaft-Indies. As to the medicinal virtues of foffils and vegetables, ■we have chiefly relied on Dr. James; and, in a word, we have ufed our utmoft endeavours to make our colleftion ufeful in all families, as well as amufing.
To enumerate all the authors from whom we have borrowed fomething fuitable to our purpofe, would be tedious and unneceflary, as they are frequently quoted in the courfe of the work. All we defire is a candid perufal of it, in which cafe we fliall be in no fear of its not anfwering in the fulleft manner what is promifed in the title. We are alfo per- fuaded, that the great number of plates with which it is adorned, will be a confiderable recommendation of it, and particularly the beautiful views we have added to this edition of the ruins of Athens, Palmyra and Balbec. The ufe of copper-plates is now generally al- lowed. Young people are more efpecially delio-hted with embellifliments of this nature, and thereby induced to read with double pleafure : and indeed, by thefe ornaments, in which theobjedls are in a manner prefented to the eye, every one is enabled to form a
more
The PREFACE. ix
more perfefl idea of what is defcribed, than could be conveyed by mere verbal defcrip- tions.
We have carefully endeavoured to avoid all needlefs repetitions ; but if the reader fhould find any fuch, it is hoped he will ex- cufe them, as it is poflible the lame animal, vegetable, or foflii, may be mentioned under different names in different countries. Ic was almoft unavoidable, indeed, in a work of this kind, not to make, now and then, fome addition to a former defcription, as par- ticulars happened to occur in confulting va- rious writers ; but in this edition we have united many of thefe, and where this could not be fo well done, we have referred to what has been faid before, whereby the reader is enabled to find out the whole account, almoit as readily as if it had been laid before him in one view.
Since the publication of the firfl edition,' a work has appeared under a fimilar title, in which a very confiderable part of this per- formance has been furreptitioufly printed ia a very difingenuous manner; both the texc and notes being generally taken verbatim,
A 5 wit
3c The PREFACE.
without the leaft alteration, or even once mentioning the work from which they were tranfcribed ; a proceeding equally unfair and ungenerous. But this we fliould have paflTed over in filence, had it not been neceffary juft to mention it, in order to prevent our incur- ring the charge of piracy, by making ufeof our own materials. The prefent edition is» however, much improved ; for, as we have already intimated, later writers have been Gonfulted, and abundance of articles of a very curious nature have been added.
That fuch enquiries are highly commend- able, is fcarce to be doubted, fince we cannot fiippofe that God would have beftawed fo much cxquifite workmanfhip and Ikill upon his creatures, to be looked upon with a carelefe eye, much lefs to have them flighted and defpifed. "When therefore thofe who make refearches into the works of nature are afked^ To what purpofe fuch enquiries, fuch pain5y fuch expence ? The reply is obvious, It is to anfwer the ends for which God employed fo much wifdom and power about them,, and gave us fenfes to view and furvey them. This is following and tracing him whither he himfelf leads us, that we may fee and ad- mire
The PREFACE. xi ttiire his handy-work ourfelves, and to fet it forth to others, that they may fee, admire, and praife it aifo.
But indeed there is no neceffity for an tincommon and penetrating genius, in order to be capable of obferving the wonders of the creation, which are evident to the meanefb capacity. Remember (fays Elihu) that thou magnify his work^ which men behold : every man may fee it^ man may behold it afar off^ Job xxxvi. 24, 25. Since therefore the works of God are fo vifible to all, and fuch mani- feft indications of his being and attributes, they plainly argue the perverfenefs of the atheift, and leave him inexcufable : for even the moft barbarous and ignorant nations have from thence inferred the exiftence of a deity, though they have been under great miftakes in their notions and conclufions about him % and it is obfervable, that mankind, in all ages, have naturally and univerfally agreed in deducing their belief of a God from the contemplation of his works. So that we are apt to think, a real atheift is a thing hard to be met with, and (if there be any fuch) he may be efteemed a monfter amongft rational beings, an oppofer of all the world, a rebel A 6 againfl
xii The PREFACE, againft human nature and reafon, as well ai again ft his God- As the works of the creation are fo many demonftrations of the wifdom and power of the Creator, the contemplation of them may ferve to excite us to the conftant fear of God, and a fteady obedience to all his laws ; and thus we may make them ferviceable to our fpiritual, as they are to our temporal intereft : . for when we confider them as the works of our fovereign Lord aiid Mafter, to whom we are accountable for our thoughts, words and adlions, this will make us afraid of of- fending, and defirous of obeying and pleaf- ing him who is fo wife and powerful a being, and on whom alone our life and happinefs depend. This will lead us to pay him that homage and worfliip which his great mercies call for from us, and which he is entitled to by his right of creation and dominion.
Lastly, That infinite goodnefs which appears in all the works of God will naturally tend to excite in us due thankfulnefs and praife. Whoever perufes the following Iheets, or opens his eyes to furvey the won- ders that furround him, muft needs admire
the
The PREFACE. xlii the kindnefs God hath flievvn to his crea- tures, in providing every thing conducive to their life and profperity j in contriving and forming them in the beft manner, pla- cing them in thofe parts of the globe that are moft agreeable to their nature, and ac- commodating them with every thing that may minifter to their health, happinefs, oc- cafions, and bufinefs in the world. Upon this account thankfgiving and praife is fo juft a debt to the Creator, that the Pfaimift: calls even upon inanimate beings, x\\q furiy moofiy and Jlars^ the hail and fnow^ the 7nGun- tains and hills^ to join in the tribute; but in a particular manner are mankind of all ranks and orders, of all ages and fexes, charged with this duty : Let them praife the name of the Lord, for his name alone is ex- cellent \ his glory is above the earth and heaven^ Pfalm cxlviii.
THE
THE
CONTENTS.
JNTRODUCTION, Page i
PART I. Of Europe.
CHAP. I. Of Great Britain and Ire- land, p. I
Caverns and Springs, — < ibid^ Minerals and Foffils, —
Vegetables, ■ .
Animals, ■ ' 41
Antiquities, »■
Buildings, — « .
Arts, Manufactures, and Fiflieries^ 131
CHAP. 11. France, including Lorrain,
Alsace, &c. ■ 143 Springs, CaveSy &c.^ ■ • ihid^
Vegetables, * — ~- i^g
Animals, — — 156 Antiquities, — — — Buildings, — — j^q Arts, Manufa£lures, and Invention-s, 185. Of the French, ■ «■ 204
CHAP.
ii The contents.
CHAP. III. Of Spain and Portugal, p. 207
Springs, Caves, Lakes, &c. ibid.
Foffils, 210
Vegetables, — — 214
Animals, ■■ 218
Antiquities, ■ 220
Buildings, — 221
Of the Spaniards and Portuguefe, 236
THE
C i ]
THE
INTRODUCTION. /
SINCE the revival of the arts, the progrefs made in all the fciences is amazing. It is generally allowed, that the ancients excelled the moderns in poetry, painting, ftatuary, architec- ture, and engraving on feals ; which they carried to the higheft perfection ; but they were entirely unacquainted with etching and engraving on cop- per, an admirable art, by which a ftriking rQ- femblance of objects is exhibited in prints, with- out the affiflance of a variety of colours. To them were alfo unknow^n the noble art of print- ing, the handmaid of the fciences.
The moderns excel the ancients in nothing; more than in natural philofophy. They have penetrated much deeper into the recefies of na- ture, and, by the improvement of the art of che- miftry, the properties of natural bodies, and par- ticularly of foflils, have been difcovered. Am.ong thefe, none has engaged the attention of the learned fo much as the magnet or load-ftone j for though its attradlive force was known to the ancients, they knew nothing of its exciting the
needlQ
il The introduction.
needle to point to the pole, and had no idea of the ufe of that admirable inftrument the mariners compafs, Glafs, in fome meafure, appears to be of the nature of foffils, there being feveral kinds of thofe fubftances that nearly refemble it. This was known to the ancients ; but the art of making it has, fmce their time, been greatly im- proved, and it is applied to ufes to them un- known 'y particularly to the making of telefcopes, burning-glafles and microfcopes. By means of that modern inftrument, the telefcope, many ftars have been difcovered, unknown to the ancients ; the nature and motion of the primary and fecon- dary planets ; the fpots on the fun ; the inequa- lities of the furface of the moon ; and, in ftiort, the fyftem of the univerfe. Glafles of a very dif- ferent form, are of admirable ufe in giving fight to the eye dimmed by age, or in bringing diftant obje£b to the view of thofe who are near-lighted; The art of making burning-glafles is now brought to fuch perfection, that by means of them, we ^nay either melt or change the form of the mofl: folid bodies. In fine, what an abundant room for fpeculation, and what admirable fources of knowledge have been difcovered by the affiftance of the microfcope !
Among the modern inventions, we ought not to omit that of clocks and watches, and particu- larly the ingenious Mr. Harrifon's time-piece,
for
The INTRODUCTION- in
for difcovering the longitude ; by which the ina- riner may, with the greateft eafe, know at any time how far eaft or weft he has failed from the port he left.
Our modern philofophers have likewife made many difcoveries with refpect to air, fire and wa- ter. Air, though of fo fubtile a nature as to efcape the fight, has excited the utmoft attention of the curious. Its weight we can afcertain by the barometer ; its degree of cold or heat by the thermometer ; and by the air-pump is (hewn how necefiary the denfity of that element is to animal and vegetable life, and the different efFedls its rarefaction has on different animals.
In late ages, the nature and properties of fire have been traced, from the invention of gun- powder and Aurum Fulminans ; the force of the inflammable damps of mines, fires in volcanoes, &c.
The modern difcoveries, with refpedl to wa- ter, are numerous and important, as the diving- bell, in which feveral perfons may live for a con- fiderable time at the bottom of the fea ; the div- ing machine, a kind of boat navigated under wa- ter; and the art of making fait water fre(h.
We have alfo much more accurate accounts of plants and animals than were known to the an- cients. The difcoveries in anatomy are very great,
and
iv The INTRODUCTION.
and furgery has met with furprizing improve- ments.
On this fubjeil it would be eafy to enlarge, and to trace our modern improvements through almoft every art, and every fcience ; but it will be here proper to change the fubjed, and to fay fomething of the method followed in this work, which is, we apprehend, at once the moft eafy, natural, and entertaining. Inftead of difgufting the reader, and wearying his attention, by dwel- ling too long on a fubjeft, we fhall lead him through the feveral countries of the known world, and give him a view, as they rife, of thofe won- ders which owe their exiftence to the immediate hand of God, or are the effeSt of human art and invention. We hope he will not be difcouraged by the feeming length of the journey ; for we are perfuadcd he will find fuch a variety of entertain- ing objects by the way, as will make him forget its tedioufnefs, and fully recompenfe the pains he may take in climbing over the rugged Alps, or traverfmg the defarts of Africa. Befides, if he does but duly confider and make proper reflexions on the furprizing works of Providence, as well as thofe which the art of man has produced, he will not only have the pleafure of gratifying his cu- riofity, but will probably return home with an enlarged ftock both of piety and knowledge.
In
The introduction, v
In making this tour of the globe, we fhall fol- low the geographical divifion of it into four parts, beginning with Europe, and fo proceeding to Afia, Africa, and America. The feveral coun- tries we fliall have occafion to mention in each part of the world, ftiall make a feparat^ chapter, and the curiofities of each be ranged in their pro- per clalTes. But the reader is not to expecl, that every little country, territory, or ifland, will be treated of diftindly, becaufe many fuch will af- ford nothing worthy of obfervation, at leaft no- thing fo very extraordinary and fiirprizing as to fall within the compafs of our defign. Now and then, perhaps, we may feem a little immethodical, as we fliall fometimes crofs over from the conti- nent to a neighbouring ifland, or launch into the ocean, and take a view of the wonders of the deep. However, we ftiall endeavour, as far as poffible, to obferve a clear and natural method, and to lead the reader from one country to another, in fuch a manner, as to give him the moft fatisfadlion, though he muft not expe£l to find all of them equally full of the curiofities of art or nature,
I N a work of this kind, it is not improbable that w^e may omit feveral particulars, which fome may rank amongft the greateft v^onders of the world, and infert others which they may reckon trifling, and fcarce worthy of a place in a curious jCoIIedion. This indeed feems almoft unavoid- able ^
vi The introduction.
able ; fome things that deferve admiration, out of fuch a vaft number as the world afFords, may very eafily efcape our notice ; and others may appear to us of greater moment, than in the eyes of thofe to whom they are more familiar. Add to this, that it is impoffible to pleafe every tafte; and therefore, all that we can do in this cafe, is, to make choice of fuch articles as have been thought curious and furprifing by the greateft philofophers, by the moft judicious travellers, and by all who have made the wonders of nature or art the ob- jeil of their ftudies and attention.
W E have chofen to begin with Europe, not only becaufe It is agreeable to the order in which the parts of the world are ufually placed, but be- caufe it is natural to take a furvey of the neareft, before we vifit the remoter regions of the earth ; though in them the reader may expeft to find the greateft entertainment. And as it is reckoned a fault in thofe who travel into diftant countries, without being firft acquainted with what is re- markable in their own, we think it proper to giv^c a fliert account of, the chief curiofities of the Bri- tifli illes, before we pafs over to the continent. — Thus much may ferve by way of Introduction 5 let us now proceed to the work itfelf.
PART
THE
WONDERS
O F
NATURE AND ART.
PART L 0/ EUROPE.
CHAP 1. Of GREAT BRITAIN and IRELAND.
Caverns and Springs.
F all the natural curiofities to be met )K* O y^^^^ in Britain, none are more famous M X ^^^^ ^^^^^ P^^'^ Derbylhire,
Ss^XXis^ which are very numerous, but few of them are taken notice of, except fix, which, with the duke of Devonftiire's fine feat at Chatfworth, make up the Seven Wonders of that country. The moft remarkable of thefe is Elden-Hole, which is a frightful chafm in a rock, in the midft of an open field that has a gentle defcent to the fouth. The mouth of it is about feven yards over one way, and eighteen or twenty the other; but downwards, as far as can be perceived, its di- VoL, lo . B mcnfions
2
The wonders of
menfions grow lefs and lefs. Its depth could never yet be difcovered, though various attempts have been made for that purpofe. In the reign of queen Elizabeth, the earl of Leicefter hired a poor man to venture down in a bafket, w^hich he accordingly did, to the depth of more than two hundred yards; but being drawn up again, he had loft his fenfes, and died a few days after. Mr. Cotton, the au- thor of the Wonders of the Peak, let down eight hundred eighty four yards of line, (eighty of which were wet) without being able to find a bottom ; but the defcent not being every where perpendi- cular, on a fecond trial, the plummet ftopt before it reached half that depth. When ftrangers go to fee this hole, it is ufual to throw into it large ftones, which are heard to rebound from fide to fide, till the found grows v^eaker and weaker, and is at length entirely loft.
Poole's Hole, a ftupendous cavern at the foot ©fa mountain, is reckoned the fecond Wonder of the P>eak. The entrance cf it is very low and narrov/, but it foon opens into a wide and lofty concavity, like the inlide of a Gothic cathedral. The extraordinary heighth of the arch is furpriz- ing enough, but thofe who have made it ^ quarter of a mile perpendicular, have gone far beyond the truth, though in length it exceeds that dnnenfion. The drops of water v/hich hang from the roof, and on the fides, have an agreeable ^ffcQ: ; for .they not only refle£l innumerable rays from the candles carried by the guides, glittering like dew futhe funfhine, but, being of a petrifying quality, they ha|*den in feveral places into various forms, which, by the help of a ftrong imagination, may pafs for lions, organs, lanthorns, flitches of bacon, hcc. a thoufand of which imaginary figures are Jh^wn you by the country people. I'he Queen of
Scots
NATURE AND ART. ^
Scots Pillar, as it is called, owes its origin to the fame caufe. It is clear and bright like alabafter, but probably partakes more of the nature of the fpar * that is found about lead, with which the country abounds. This pillar is the boundary of moft people's curiofity, and is faid to have received its name from the unhappy princefs when flie vi- fited that place. A ftream of water runs along the middle; the noife of which, as it falls among the rocks, is re-echoed on all fides, and adds to the aftonifliment of thofe who vifit this vaft con- cave. The place takes its name from Poole, a famous robber, who is faid to have lived in thi; fubterraneous apartment, and whofe kitchen and bedchamber they pretend to fhew you, if you will take the pains to creep ten or a dozen yards upon your hands and knees.
WoKEY-HoLE, near Wells in Somerfetfliire, is a curiofity of the fame nature as that we have been defcribing. It is about two hundred yards
* This is a fhining, (lony, mixed Ribflance, which Mr.
.Beaumont (in the Philofophical Tranfa6iions) takes to be a kind of rock -plant, obibrving that it may be formed three
*ways J I. either from (teams alone 5 or, 2. from fteams coa- gulating dew as it falls on the ground, or water ifliiing from the joints of rocks; or, 3. it may grow from earths and clny^. Inftances of the hrft kind are frequent in grottos, where fpars produced from fteams hang like icicles, from the
■ fides of whicli many times ifTiie little plants fliooting upwards,
, contrary to the tendency of the others. Of the fecond kind arc thofe cryftals (a fort of fpars) which are produced by a coagulation of dew falling on nitrous ftones. And as to the third kind, Mr. Beaumont gives inftances of it in the mines of Mendip hills, in fome of which there is a fteam incumbent upon the earth at the bottom, from whence flioot up little fpires, which grow to the heighth of a man^s finger, the biggeft about an inch in diameter. Tliefe fpires begin on t{)e tops to be congealed, and Co gathering a crull downwards by
'r degrees, they are at Jaft turned into an abfolute white fpar
, or Iton^?.
4 The WONDERS of
in length, and the roof, in the higheft part, is about eight fathoms from the floor, but in fome places it is fo low, that one muft ftoop to pafs. The people that fhew this cave, point to feveral pretended figures of men and women, dogs, bells, organs, &c. which are owing to the fame caufe as thofe in Elden-Hole, above-mentioned. A cur- rent of water runs through it, in which, it is faid, trouts and other fifti have been formerly obferved; but how they came there, it is difficult to conceive. The echo here is very furprizing; and the place, taken all together, feems awful and tremendous.
The next wonder is what is ufually called the Devirs Arfe in the Peak, which is a large opening in the fide of a fteep mountain, almoft in the form of an arch, being above thirty feet perpendicular, and more than twice that breadth at the bottom. There are feveral fmall cottages built on each fide within the entrance, whofe inhabitants in a great meafure fubfift by guiding ftrangers into the ca- vern. Its width foon diminiflies, for after crofling one ftream of water, the roof gradually defeends, till it is fo lovy, that a man cannot ftand upright under it ; but (looping for a little way, and paffin;^ over another ftream, you find it more lofty. Then proceeding on, you come to a third rivulet, where the rock ftoops, as it were, almoft to the furface of the water, and prevents all farther fearch into thefe dark receffes. The vault, in feveral places, makes a noble appearance, and being chequered with various- coloured ftones, its beauty is admired by every fpedtator.
There is a mountain called Mam Tor, (that is. Mother Tower, or Mother Rock) which is reckoned among the Seven Wonders of the Peak, becaufe (fay they) it is continually mouldering away, and produce^ other hills at the bottom of it,
but
NATURE A N D A R T. 5
but is not at all diminiftied itfelf. The matter is this : on one fide of the mountain is a very large and fteep precipice, the fubftai«:e of which being a loofe earth mingled with fmall ftones, is conti- nually crumbling and falling down, fometimes in large quantities, when wafhed off by heavy rain s^ and thus contributes to raife a hill at the foot of it^ the increafe of which is eafily perceived, though the great mountain is not fenfibly diminifli.ed : fo that this is rather a Fictitious than a Real wonder.
Buxton Wells are alfo reckoned one of the Wonders of the Peak, which, befides their medici- nal virtues, have this furprizing particular, that within five feet of one of the hot fprings, there arifes a cold one^ The hot waters of this place are preferred by Dr. Leigh and others to thofe at Bath, the ufe of them never being attended with the ill confequences which have fometimes been experienced from the latter. The water is ful- phureous, and contains a fmall quantity of faline particles, but none of vitriol ; fo that it is not fetid, but more palatable than moft other medici- nal waters ; neither is it purgative, becaufe the faline parts are difpenfed in fuch fmall proportions. The heat of it is equal to that of the blood or new milk, procuring a moderate perfpiration ; and it is remarkable for gently relaxing the folids, fo as in- ftantly to take off the ftifFnefs and v/earinefs oc- cafioned by a journey. Thefe waters are often recommended by phyficians, both for drinking and bathing, in moft cafes that can be relieved by fuch methods, particularly in fcorbuttc, rheumatic, or nervous diforders. That they were efteemed in the time of the Romans, appears from a high road or caufey, and the ruins of the ancient Ro- man bath, which are ftill to be difcerned. The duke of Devonfhire has built a large and conve- B 3 iiient
6
The wonders of
nient houfe here for the reception of flrangers ^ the bath-room is arched over-head, and tv/enty people may bathe in it at a time. Befides the principal fprings which are at the village of Bux- ton, there are many others that rife unregarded in the neighbouring inclofures, and on the fides of. the hills, fo that their number can fcarcebe known.
The laft wonder of this kind to be mentioned here, is Tidefwell, or Weedenweil, afpring vvhiclr^ according to fome writers, ebbs and flows regularly like the fea. That it does ebb and flow is cer- tain, but it is at very unequal periods, fometime/ not once in a day or tv/o, and fometimes twice in an hour. The bafon of the fpring Is about a yard- deep, and the fame in length and breadth. \\ hen it flows, the water rifes with a bubbling noife, as- if the air, which was pent up within the cavities of the rock, was forcing itfelf a paflage by driving the water before it : or perhaps the Tpring may now and then receive an extraordinary fuppiy from the overflowings of fome internal body of virater, lying upon a higher level, — But we leave this phaeno- menon to be explained by philofophers.
At a village named Matlock, upon the banks of the Derwent, lo miles to the north-weft of Perby, are feveral warm fprings, ca;lled Matlock Wells. To accommodate thoie who are direfted to ufe them externally, a bath has been conPcrnSicdy inclofcd in a proper building, lined with lead, and large enough to receive eight or ten people at a time, who defcend into it by fteps made for that purpofe. The water that fupplies this bath, which is but juft milk-warm, illues from a rock in amoft delightful plain, about a mile in circumference, furrounded by rocky hills, and a rapid ftream. I'hefe waters ufed internally, arefaid to attenuate, heat, and rarify the bloody externally, they arc?
lecomijiendcd
NATURE AND ART. 7'
recommended in the rheumatifm, and all diforders of the (kin. Thefe Wells are much frequented, and would be more fo, were it not for the want of accommodations on the fpot, and the ftony moun- tainous road that leads to them.
As we are upon the fubjedl of Springs, let us now confider thofe famous ones at Bath, in Somer- fetfhire, the great place of refort for our nobility and gentry at certain feafons, not only for the cure of difeafes, but for gallantry and diverfion. The moft renowned of thefe hot fprings lie near the cathedra], and are colledled into a fquare area, called the King's Bath, about 57 feet long and 40 broad, with a neat building before it, called the Pump-Room, for company to meet in who drink the water, which is conveyed thither by pump from the bottom of the fprings, where it is* ahnoft boiling hot*. The walls of the bath are- full of niches, perhaps the work of the Romans. There is a parapet or baluftrade, with a walk' round it, and fteps to defcend into it at every' corner.— Behind the fouth-wall of this bath is an- other, called the Queen*s-Bath, which is a lefs fquare, being 25 feet long, and 24 broad. ItSi water, being borrowed from the former, is of a' more moderate warmth. — In the fouth-weft part of the town are two other baths; one called the Hot Bath, which is an oblong fquare 30 feet in langth, and 13 in breadth; and the other the- Crofs Bath f , which is of a triangular form, and- A 4 received
* It is remarkable, that at the cleanfing of the fprings^ wlien they fct down a new pump, they conlhntly find great numbers of hazle-nuts, which Dr. Stukely fuppofes to be ti>e' rclicks of the univerfal deluge; and leaves, like thofe of; olives, come fometimes out of the pump of the Hot-Bath.
f In this bath, when the weather is very hot, there i« ibmetimes obferved a certain .blsuik fl/ fhapediike a ladyrcow,
which
8 The WONDER S of
received its name from a crofs that formerly ftood ' in the middle of it. The overflowing of this bath forms another for lepers and poor people; and a cold bath has alfo been eredled by contribution at a fpring beyond the bridge.
In the King's-Bath there is the figure of king Bladud, with an infcriptjon underneath, intimat- ing, that this prince found out the ufe of thefe baths three years before the coming of our Saviour. But though we cannot give entire credit to thi» infcription, it is certain they were famous for their medicinal virtues in the time of the Romans. Ptolemy calls them the Hot Waters, and Anto- ninus mentions them under the title of Waters of the Sun, to the influence of which luminary their heat was fuppofed to be owing ; but there is a much more rational way of accounting for this as well as their other qualities. Almofl: every one knows, that heat in any degree may be pro- duced by a proper mixture of fulphur and filings of iron, moiftened with common water. Now the hills from whence the Bath waters flow, con- tain a large quantity of fulphureous or bituminous matter and iron ore, which, impregnating the water as it pafl^es through them, give it that Heat, Milkinefs, and Detergency, which it fo eminently poflefles.
. It is fuppofed, that for many hundred years, thefe waters were ufed only externally, by way of bathing; whereas, of late, the internal application of them has been found of extraordinary fervice in many cafes *• They have a fulphureous and
fleely
v^hich lives unc^er the water, and is fuppofed to come up with the Ipiings. — The water of the Crofs Bath corrodes filver very faft ; and the Bath waters in general will prey uponiron^ biit feem to have rto iuch efFe6l upon brafs.
* Though Drinking the Bath waters, as Dr. Jones aflurcs
NATURE AND ART. 9
fteely tafte, and are wonderfully grateful to the ftomach, creating no heavinefs or naufea, but raifing the fpirits, and procuring an appetite. They are of fovereign ufe in rheumatifms, old aches or pains, palfies, nervous diforders, and in all complaints that are comprehended under the name of Cold Difeafes. In reftoring decaye^i conftitutions they are of furprizing efficacy, as they ftrengthen the bowels, recover their loft tone, and renew the vital heat. In a word, if they are not taken in too large a quantity and a proper regimen be obferved, they are capable of perform- ing wonders 5 though fometimes^ for v^ant of care in thefe refpecls, the ufe of them is attended with ill confequences, and their credit is unjuftly called^ in queftion.
The Hot-Well, or water of St. Vincent's Rock near Briftol, muft not be paffed over in lilence. Not many years fince, this fpring lay open at the foot of the rock, and was covered by the fait water every tide; but the well is now fecured, a good- pump fixed in it, and a handfome houfe built near it, for the entertainment of diftempered perfons.
us, was pra6tifed in his time, about a hundred and fifty years ago J yet the pra61ice was afterwards fo univerfally laid afide, that it was not known at the reftoration : nor was it till the yeai 1691, when M!\ George Long was furprizingly cured of a conliitution broken v/ith the gout and itone, by the in* ternal u(e of thefe waters, that people in general began to drink them, as a great alterative, ihengthening, and baU famic medicine.
* The ufual quantity is from a pint to two quarts in a morning, according to the direction of the phyfician, who (hould always be confulted. The ufe of them for five or fix weeks at a time is generally long enough, though many have drank them loi^.ger with good AiGcefs. Thofe who drink too much commonly lofe their appetite, and bring upon them- felves a fick ftomach ; but this is remedied by a few doie«.c^f bitter wine in a raorning^ and a gentle purge.
JO The W O ND E R S of
This water is of excellent ufe in all fcorbiuic and inflammatory cafes, in hecSlic fevers, the diabetes^ and all preternatural evacuations. It is of fervice in the firit ftages of a confumption, and correfts the acrimony of the juices, being of a foft alcaline quality, derived from the ratural limeftone with which it is impregnated. It is obferved to retain its virtues longer than other medicinal waters, which makes the demand for it the greater by thofe who cannot have recourfe to the fountain-head ; and accordingly vaft quantities of it are fent in bottles, not only all over this kingdom, but to moft parts of the trading world.
The Spaw waters of Scarborough in Yorkfhire are now fo celebrated, that great numbers of our nobility and gentry refort thither annually, and. the place feem$ to rival even B^th itfelf. They operate both by ftool and urine, like the waters of Pyrrnont in Germany, having an evident tinfture of iron, vitriol, alluni, and nitrous fait, to which Jafl they owe their purgative quality. They create an appetite, promote digeftion, and gently crapty the bowels, without caufing gripes, fick- nefs, of naufea, which are frequently the efteds cf artificial purges. In all kinds of inflammations, in rheumatic and fcorbutic cafes, and in any weak- nefs of the fpermatic or urinary vefTels, they are looked upon as a fovereign remedy. They agree beft with perfons of flrong nerves, and firm con- ftittitions, but are not proper for thofe who labour under paralytic, hyfteric, or hypochondriac dif- orders, nor for thofe who are fubjeft to, fits or convulfions — The waters of Cheltenham inGlou- cefterfhirg are reckoned much of the fame nature.
Here it may be proper to mention a remarkable accident that happened at Scarborough in De- cember I737> whereby thefe famous waters bad
like
- NATURE AND A R T. ii
like to have been entirely loft. The fpring was lituated at the foot of a high cliff, part of which, about two hundred and twenty-four yards in length, and thirty-fix in breadth, containing near an acre of pafture-land, was on a fudden rent from the top of it, and having continued finking for feveral hours, at laft fettied about feventeeii yards perpendicular below its former fituation. By the preflure of fuch a vaft weight, being fome hundred thoufand tons, the earth and fand beyond; it towards the fea, where people ufed to walk whp came to drink the waters, rofe upwards for a hun- dred yards in length, near twenty feet above its former level. The Spaw-Houfe rofe with the reft, but the water foon failed, and was gone. However, after diligent fearch, the fpring was again difcovered, and upon trial, its virtues ap- peared to be rather increafed than diminifhed by this difafter.
Before Scarborough became In vogue, Knaref- borough, in the fame county, was much frequented, and is ftill remarkable for its mineral v/aters, of which there are four fprings, not far diftant from one another, but very different in their nature and. effefts. — The firft is the Sweet Spaw, or Vitriolic Well, difcovered about the year 1620, and al- lowed by phyficians to be a fovereign remedy in. fome particular diftempers. — The fecond is the Stinking Spaw, or Sulphur Well, the water of which is clear, but fo fetid and naufeous to the fmell, that people are forced to hold their nofes^ when they drink it; but it is now chiefly ufed by bathing. It is faid to be good for the dropfy, fplcen, fcurvy, gout, rheumatifm, and paralytic diforders. — The third is a cold bath, called St. Mongah's, from a Scottifli faint much honourc4 in thofe^parts. — The fourth is the Dropping Well, B 6 the
12
The wonders of
the moft famous of all the petrifying waters in England. It drops from a porous rock, and the ground upon which it fell, for twelve yards long^ is now changed into folid ftone. The little ri- vulet that runs from this well falls into the Nid, where it has formed a rock that ftretches fome yards into the river.
TuNBRiDGE Wells, in Kent, fhould not be omitted, now we are treating of medicinal waters. They are famous for their good effects in cold chronical difeafes, they ftrengthen the nerves, and help digeftion. In fhort, their virtues, and the pleafantnefs of the place, draw much com- pany thither in the fummer-feafon.
There are feveral other fprings in England remarkable for their healing qualities ; but per- haps there is no greater curiofity of this kind than the Burning-Well, as it is called, at AnclifF, near Wigan in Lancafhire. The water itfelf is cold, nor has it any fmell; but there is a ftrong fulphureous vapour that ilfues out with the water, and makes it bubble up as if it boiled, which, •upon applying a lighted candle to it, prefently takes fire, and the furface of the well is covered with a flame, like that of burning fpirits/ This flame will continue feveral hours in calm weather, and emits fuch heat, that meat may be boiled over it ; but the water, when taken out of the well, will not burn at all.
In feveral parts of Chefhire are fait fprings, particularly at Namptwich, Middlewich, and Northwich, which are called the Saltwiches, and alfo at Dimham, which is about fix miles diftant from each of the other towns. The depth of the pits feldom exceeds four yards, and is never more than feven. In two places in Namptwich the ipring breaks out in the meadows, fo ^s to fret
away
NATURE ANi> ART. 13
away the grafs ; and a fait liquor ouzes through the earth, which is moorifh, to a confiderable diftance. The fait fprings at Namptwich are about thirty miles from the fea, and generally lie along the river Weaver: yet there is an appear- ance of the fame vein at Middelwich, nearer a little ftream, called the Dan than the Weaver. All thefe fprings lie near brooks, and in meadow- grounds. The water is fo very cold at the bottom of the pits, that the briners cannotftay in them above half an hour at a time, nor fo long, without drink- ing frequently ftrong waters. Some of thefe fprings afford much more water than others ; but it is ob- ferved, that there is more fait in any given quan- tity of water drawn from the fprings that yield little, than in the fame quantity drawn from thofe- that yield much. It is alfo very remarkable, that more fait is produced from the fame quantity of brine in dry weather, than in wet. Whence the brine of thefe fprings is fupplied, is a queftion that has never yet been finally determined : fome have fuppofed it to come from the fea, and fome from fubterraneous rocks of fait, which were difcovered in thefe parts about the middle of the laft century. It is not probable, that this water comes from the fea, becaufe a quart of fea water will produce no more than an ounce and a half of fait ; but a tjuart of water from thefe fprings will often pro- duce feven or eight ounces.
There is likewife a remarkable fpring of felt water at Barton, near Ormfkirk in Lancaftiire, v/here a quart of water will produce eight ounces of fait. In many parts of the coaft of thiscounty^ the inhabitants raife great heaps of fand, which,, after having lain fome time, they put into troughs full of holes at the bottom, pour water on it, and boil the lees into white fait*
But
14
The wonders of
But to return; the Mole, a river of Surry, after running feveral miles from its fource, dif- appears at the bottom of Boxhill, near Darking, and pafles under ground into a place called the Swallow. This river has been fuppofed to run two miles under the earth to Leatherhead ; but fome later autb :ts are of opinion, that the ftream of the Mole is entirely loft at the Swallow, and is not the fame that rifes at Leatherhead, which forms another river, though, from a belief of its being the fame, it obtained the fame name.
Holy-Well, or St. Winifred's well, inFlint- fhire, is famous for the wonderful cures it has efFefted, particularly upon cripples, who have fre- quently left their crutches there as monuments of their recovery. This fountain ifllies from a rock into a cavity formed like a bafon or ciftern, in which the patients bathe. The water is remark- ably cold, and the ftream fo large and rapid, that it turns feveral mills a little below its fource. It is well known what extraordinaty effefts are pro- duced by CoH Bathing; but many of the country people ftill believe the cures wrought by this well are miraculous, and that it ow^es its origin (ac- cording to an ancient tradition) to the blood of a Chriftian virgin named Winifred, who was be- headed here by a Pagan tyrant, becaufe flie would Hot yield to his unchafte defires.
Moffat Wells, which fpring from a rock- near a town of that name in Annapdale, are the moft remarkable medicinal fountains in Scotland* There are two of them, not far from each other ; the uppermoft of which run^ through whitifti ftones^ refemblingcryftal, and the Ipwer through blackiflx ones of the colour of antimony. Thefe waters, are diuretic, emetic, and cathartic, ppwerfuUy removing all obftructioas of the bow-ds, aud there-
NATURE AND ART. 15
fore very good againft the cholic and nephritic diforders. They are alfo of fervice to remove pains in the joints, and to heal ulcers, when out- wardly applied.
We lhall conclude this account of natural caves and fprings w^ith obferving, that near Pen- rife, in Glamorganfhire, there is a promontory, which is the moft wefterly point of the county, and is called Warmfhead Point; it ftretches about a mile into the fea, and, at half flood, the Ifthmus, which joins it to the main land, is overflown, fo that it becomes then a fmall ifland. Towards the extremity of this point, there is a fmall cleft or crevice in the ground, into which, if dufl: or fand be thrown, it will be blown back again into the air J and if a perfon applies his ear to the crevice j he will hear diftin£lly a deep noife, like that of a large pair of bellows : thefe phasnomena are attri* buted ro the undulatory motion of the fea, uxider the arched and rocky hollow of this promontory, which occafions an alternate infpiration and ex- piration of the air through the cleft.
Minerals and Fossils,
AMONG the various metals and minerals produced in England, none is more confi- derable than its Tin ; the greatefl part of the tin confumed in Europe being procured from the mines in Cornwall. The chymifts look upon tin as a fpecies of imperfedl metal, generated of two different feed», viz. that of filver, and that of }ead, which renders it a kind of compound of both ; and accordingly it is frequently found both in lead and filver mines : but that it has alfo its wa proper mines, thofe in the county above- mentioned^
i6 The WONDERS or mentioned, as well as in Devonfhire *, are zrv abundant evidence. It is not clear, how long the tin-mines have been difcovered or worked ; fome carrying it fo high as the time when the Phoeni- cians were a trading people. This however is certain, that the ancient Britons, if not the Ro- mans, found their account in them ; but they feem rather to have been negleded than improved by the Saxons. After the coming in of the Normans, the earls of Cornwall had vaft revenues from thefe mines, efpecially Richard, brother to king Henry the third. The tinners were afterwards regulated in fuch a manner, as much contributed to encourage th^ adventurers, a charter being granted by Ed- mund, earl Richard's brother, with feveral im- munities i who alfo framed and ratified with his own feal the Stannary laws f, laying a certain duty upon the tin, payable to the earls of Corn- wall. King Edward the third confirmed, and even enlarged their privileges, and eroded Cornwall
Though very little tin is now dug in Devon (hire, yet in^ king John's time there was more found in that county than in Cornwall, the coinage of Devonfhire being then farmed for a hundred pounds ptr annum, whereas that of Cornwall yielded but a hundred marks. And according to this pro- portion, the tenth thereof, amounting to 13 s. 4 d. is at this day paid by the crown to the bifhop of Exeter.
•f- Thefe are laws relating to the tinneis and tin-mines,.- which from Stannum (tin) are called Stannaries. In Corn- wall there are five (lannary-courts, which have their refpe61ivc jurifdiftions, and as many towns where the tin muft be^ brought to be ftamped, which ftamping they call Coinage, for which a certain duty is paid. The ftamp is the feal of the dutchy, and the towns are, Lefkara, Leftwithiel, Truro, H'elfton, and Penzance. The coinage-towns in Devonfhire are, Plimpton, Taviftock, Afhburton, and Cliagford. When' all the legal duties are fatisfied, the tinner may fell his th\ where he thinks fit ; only, if the king or the duke of Corn^ wall hnve a mind to buy it, they have n right of pre-emption. '*
into
NATURE AND ART. 17
into a dukedom, with which he invefted his fon, Edward the Black Prince ; and fince his time, the heirs apparent to the crown of England (if eldeft fons) have enjoyed it fucceflively.
The working of the tin-mines is very hard and dijfficult, not only by reafon of the great depth to which they are ibmetimes obliged to fink their fhafts or pits, even as low as threefcore fathom; but alfo becaufe the rocks they fometimes meet with, through which a paflage is to be Cut, are fo hard, that the workman can fcarce dig a foot in a week. The foft fhaking earth found in thefe mines is alfo very troublefome to the miners, on account of the unwholefome vapours it exhales, and the currents of water that frequently iffue from it. When the ore is dug and drawn out of the mine, it is there broke to pieces with large hammers, and then carried to a ftamping-mill, where it is pounded ftill fmaller, and the water palling through, wafhes away the earthy parts, leaving the metallic ones behind. '( his done, they dry it in a furnace on iron-plates, and grind it to powder in a crafmg-mill ; after which they wafh it again, and dry it ; and in this ftate the metallic matter is called Black tin. To convert it into White tin, that is, into metal, they carry^ it to a furnace or blowing-houfe ; where, by means of a charcoal fire, kept up by huge bellows worked by water, it is fmelted ; and when it is cold, they forge it, which is the laft thing done to it in the works. Two pounds of black tin, when melted, yield about one of white. — It is remarkable, that the drofs or fcoria fcummed off the tin in fufion, and melted down with frefli ore, runs, into metal ; and even the matter waftied and feparated from the metal in the mill, being thrown up in heaps, after refting fix or feven years, will, by fetching
i8 The WONDERS of
it over again, (as they term it) yield as good tirx as that of Germany.
In no part of Europe is found richer copper than in Cornwall, though the mines have not bieen worked with confiderable advantage much more than fixty years. It is there difcovered in a vail variety of ores, the moft common of v/hich is of a yellow brafs colour ; but there are fome red, fome grey, fome black, fome blue, and fome green : the black, blue, and green yield but little; the grey contains more metal than the yellow, and the red m.ore than the grey. There are be- fides, in moft of the mines, confiderable quantities of malleable copper, which, from its purity, the miners term Virgin Ore. This is combined and allayed with various fubftances ; fometimes with bafe cryftal, fometimes with a gravelly clay, and- fometimes with the ruft of iron : its figure is alfo. very various ; fometimes it is in thin plates, fhaped' like leaves; fometimes in drops and lumps; fome- times branched, fringed, or twifted into wires fometimes it fhoots into blades, crolfed at the top like a dagger; and fometimes it has the appear- ance of hollow filagree : it has alfo been found in powder, little inferior in lufl:re to that of gold ; and likewife in foiid mafles of feveral pounds weight, maturated, unmixed, and highly po- lifhed ; and fometimes in a congeries of com- bined granules. The water in which the copper ore is waftied, has been lately difcovered to make, blue vitriol of the beft kind; and the water w^hich comes from the bottom of the mines, is fo ftrongly impregnated with copper, that was it detained in proper receptacles,, it would produce great. quan- tities of malleable copper, without any hazard or attendance, and with little more charge than the purchafe of a much lefs quantity of the moft ufelefs
NATURE AND ART* 19
old iron ; which being immerfed in this water, will, in about fourteen days, produce more than its weight of what is called Copper Mud ; whence may be obtained a great proportion of pure copper.
There is another mineral found in the tin- mines, called Mundick, which the tinners ufed carefully to feparatefrom the tin, becaufe it made it thick and curdy; whence it was thrown afide and neglcclcd, as of no value. In the laft cen- tury, however, Sir Gilbert Clark and others be- gan to make trial of the Mundick, and found it afforded as good copper as that of Sweden ; and the Work is now brought to fuch perfeftion, that tlie copper extrafted from this ufelefs ore (as it vvas thought to be for many ages) is faid to bring in annually above 150,000!. — The Mundick emits a fufFocating vapour, very troublefome to the min- ers ; and yet it is found to be a good vulnerary ; for they ufe no other remedy for their wounds,- but wafhing them in water that runs from the Mundick ore.
In the copper mines of this county, filver has' been frequently found, and fmall quantities of gold have been fometimes discovered in the tin ore, Cornwall alfo produces lead and iron. Here are likewife a great variety of cryftals, with a conli-* derable number of femi-mctals, as fpeltre, biz- muth, zink, antimony, lapis caiiminaris, black- lead, and cobalt, a fubftance containing zafFer, fmalt, and arfenic.
In Cornv/all are likewife fome quarries of marble, and a ftone called the Warming Stone,, which, on being once heated, will continue warm eight or ten hours, and is faid to relieve fcveral kinds of pain, efpecially that which arifes from the internal hemorrhoides. The fwimming ftone has alfo been found in a copper mine near Red-
rath.
ao The WONDERS of
ruth, a town not far from St. Ives Bay, on the north coaft : it confifts of reftilinear lamina, as thin as paper, interfering each other in all di- regions, and leaving unequal cavities between them 'y a ftrufture which renders the ftone fo cel- lular, as to fwim in water. Here have likewifc' been found feveral kinds of the afbeftos, a ftone fo fibrous, that a kind of linen has been made of it, which fire would not confume, and of which we fliall give a more particular account in treating of the folTils of Italy. *
Lead, though found in various countries, a- bounds particularly in England; but of all the mines, thofe in Derbyftiire and Somerfetftiire are the moft remarkable. It will be fufficient to take notice of thofe in the laft-mentioned county, which are in Mcndip-hills f, and afford vaft quan- tities of this ufeful metal. The ore fometimes runs in veins, fometimes difperfed in banks, and often lies between rocks. Some of it is harder, fome fofter. There is a fpar about it, which is white, tranfparent. and brittle like glafs ; and another fubftance they call Crootes, a white ftone, ^foft, mealy, and marl'd with ore. That ore is beft which is cleareft and heavieft^ whereof thir- ty-fix hundred will yield about a ton of lead. The foil about thefe mines is red and ftony ; and the ftones that are waftied by the brooks and fprings are ponderous, and of a reddifli colour.
* See vol. II. p. 25, 26, and 27.
f It feems any Engiifhman may wcrk in tbefe mines, who has not forfeited his right by (baling any ore or tools belong- ing to another workman. In cafe of fuch theft> then cuftom is very remarkable. The criminal is fluit up in a flight hut, furrounded with dry furze, fern, Sec, which being fet on fire, he is permitted to break down the hut, and make his efcape through the flame a^ well as he can, but inuft: never v.^ork or be employed any more about the mines of that place* This they call Buixing the Hi^l,
The
NATURE ANB ART. 21
The Groovers (for fo the miners are called, as the ftiaft of a mine is called a Groove) work in frocks and waiftcoats by the light of candles, which, if they have air enough, will laft three or four hours. They feldom meet with damps, but now and then water breaks in upon them ; in which cafe they drive an adit, or new paffage, upon a level, till it is dry. To empty the water out of the mines, they ufe leather bags that will hold eight or nine gallons a-piece, which arc drawn up to the top by ropes. The tools they work with are fo hardened, as to make an im- preffion upon the head of an anvil, and yet they often break them in an hour's time. When they meet with a black ftone, they reckon it a bad fign, as leading to a rock that will hinder their works; the nearnefs of which is alfo indicated by a fliort brittle clay. Having got the ore out of the mine, they beat it fmall, wafli it in a running ftream, and fift it in iron rudders. Then upon a hearth or furnace (which is made of clay or fire-ftone, and fet in the ground) they lay a quantity of oaken gads, which they light with charcoal, and blow with bellows worked by mens feet. When the fire- plate is hot, they throw the ore on the wood, which melts down into the furnace, from whence they take it out with an iron ladle, and call it upon fand into what form they pleafe. The fmoke of the lead- works is a very great an- noyance to the workmen, and fubjedts them to a mortal difeafe, as it does the cattk, if fufFered to graze thereabouts. The trees that grow near them have their tops burnt, and their leaves and bark difcoloured and fcorched. But to prevent ;is much as poflible the inconvenience of fmoke upon a ftiifting wind, they have furnaces for sielting the .ore about five feet high, fixed upon
timber.
22 The wonders of
timber, fo as to be turned about like a wind-mil L In this they put the ore, with a ftrong coal-fire upon it, and as it melts, it runs through a canal on one fide, leaving the earth, ftone and fcoria, with the aihes of the coals.
Near Wrinton, in this county, are mines of Lapis Calaminaris, or Calamine Stone, which is of Ibme ufe in medicine *, but more in foundery, being ufed to convert copper into brafs. It is -ufually dug out of the mines in fmall pieces, hav- ing frequently eyes, and fometimes veins of lead. When dug, it is wafhed in running water, which carries off the impure and earthy parts, leaving the lead, calamine, and other fparry parts, at the bottom. It is then put into a fieve, and well iliaken in water ; after which it is baked in an oven four or five hours, then beaten to powder
and fifted ; and thus it is fit for ufe. The
manner of making brafs is this : the calamine being calcined, as above, and reduced to a fine powder, is mixed with ground charcoal, and in- corporated into a mafs. Thus prepared, about feven pounds of calamine are put into a melting- pot, and over it about five pounds of copper ; which is let down into a wind-furnace eight feet deep, and having remained there eleven or twelve hours, is converted into brafs. After melting, it is caft into plates or lumps.
About Mendip-hills there is great plenty of Coal, which almoit every one knows to be a black, fulphureous, inflammable matter, dug out of the earth, and ferving as common fuel. It is to be found indeed in moft parts of Europe, but the Englifli coal is of greateft repute even in foreign countries, and makes a cojnfiderable article of
♦ It IS aftrlngent, deficative, and deterfive; much ufcd 'fbr taking off films from the eyes of horfes, &cc.
our
NATURE AND ART.
our commerce. The Mendip coal-mines, .accor- ding to Dr. Beaumont, (who lived among thofe hills, and \yas a curious enquirer into the works of nature) are very much fubjedl to Fire-Damps *,
by
* Mr. Jeflbp, in the Philofophical Tranra6}ions, gives an account ot four forts of damps in mines. The Evil and mod common is that whofe approach the workmen are fenfible of by the flame of the candle's becoming orbicular, and leflen- ing by degrees, till it goes quite out 5 as alfo by their fhort- neTs of breath. Thofe who efcape fwooning, receive no great harm thereby j but thofe who fwoon away, though they are not quite fuffocated, are tormented with violent convulfions on their firft recovery. The ordinary remedy is to lay the perfon down on his belly, with his mouth to a hole dug in the ground; but if this fail, they make him drink his fill of good ale ; and if that will not do, they judge his cafe def- perate. — The fecond is the Peafe-Bloom damp, To called from its fmell, which never happens but in fummer-time, and is not found to be mortal. The miners in the Peak fuppofe it to proceed from the red trefoil-flowers, called by them Honey- fuckles, which grow thereabouts in great abundance. — The third is the molt peftilentiai and moft ftrange of all ; for they fay it is ieen hanging to the roof of thofe pafTages in a mine that branch out from the main groove, in a round form as big as a foot-ball, and covered with a fkin like a fpider's web. If this be broken by any accident, the damp imniedi- ately flies out, and fuffocates all that are near it; therefore the workmen, by the help of a ftick and a long rope, have a way of breaking it at a diftance; after which they purify the place well with fire before they venture in again. They imagine it to be the fkam arifmg from their bodies and die candles, which, condenfmg in the higheil part of the vault; at length contrails a film, corrupts, and becomes pelHlentiah -—The fourth, called the Fulminating or Fire-Damp, is a yapour, which, being touched by the workmcns candies, pre- fently takes fire, giving a report like a gun, and pjoducing all the efle^ls of lightning. The fmoke proceeding from this damp is of the fmell and colour of that from gunpowder. It is fometimes found in lead-mines, but mofl frequently in coal pits.
Naturalifts give us very furprlzing accounts of the effects damps, a few initances of which may perhaps be agreeable to , the reader. In the Hiftory of the Academy of Sciences, anii'f 7 10, we are informed, that a baker of Chartres, hav- ing
24 The WONDERS of
by which many men have been killed, maimed, or miferably burnt. Some have been blown up at the mouth of the works j and the turn-beam, that hangs over the fhaft of the pit, has been
thrown
ing carried feveral bufliels of aflies into a deep cellar, his Ton going down afterwards with more, the candle went out on the middle of theftairs 5 but having lighted it again, he went to the bottom, where he cried out for help, and they heard no more of him. His brother, an able youth, ran down after him, cried out he was dead, and was heard no more. He was followed by his wife, and (he by a maid, and ftill it was the fame. This ftruck the whole neighbourhood with a panic, and no body cared to venture any farther, till a re- folute fellow, perfuaded the four people were not dead, would go down to their afliftance, but he alfo cried out, and did not return. Upon this another man got a hook, and, without going to the bottom, drew up the maid 5 who having taken the air, fetched a figh, and died. Next day a perfon un- dertook to get up all the bodies with a hook, being let down by a rope on a wooden horfe, to pull up whenever he gave notice. He foon called, but the rope breaking, he fell into the cellar, and was drawn out dead prefently after. At length the phyfjcians being confulted, gave their opinion, that the afhes or brands had not been well extinguifhed, and the cellar (like the reft in Chartres) abounding with falt- petre, the unufual heat had raifed a malignant vapour, which had done the mifchief j and that the remedy was, to throw in a good quantity of water. This being done, a >dog and a lighted candle were let down, without injury to either j a fufficient proof that the danger was over.
What Dr. Connor relates is ftill more wonderful, viz. That as fome people were digging in a cellar at Paris for fuppofed hidden treafure, the maid went down to call her mafter, and found them all ftark dead, but in their working poftures, and feemingly intent on their feveral offices, one digging, another (hovelling away the earth, &c. The wife of one of them was fat down on the fide of a hopper, leaning her head on her arm, as if weary and thoughtful j and a boy, with his breeches down, was evacuating on the edge of the pit. All of them, in fhort, appeared inlheir natural poftures and a6lions, with open eyes, but ftiff as ftatues, and cold as clay.
We ftiall conclude this note with an account of a remark*, able damp in a well in the lile of Wight, as given us by Mr.
Ccok,
NATURE AND ART. 25
thrown off" its frame by the violsnce of the blaft. To prevent thefe mifchiefs the miners ufe no can- dles m their works but thofe of a fingle wick, fixty or feventy to the pound, which give as great alight there, as thofe of tenor twelve to the pound do in other places ; and they always put them behind them, never prefenting them to the breaft of the work. — The fame learned naturalift obferved, that fome coal-veins were much more tinged with fulphur than others ; and fpeaks of
Cook in the Phllorophical Tranfaflions. In 1733 a farmer employed fome workmen to fink a well, who about eighteen feet from tlie Surface, dug through a ftratum of a mineral mix- ture without any inconveniency ; nor were they at all in- commoded in carrying on the work, till about twelve days afterwards, when towards the evening they were annoyed with a faint fufFocating heat, which as they were drawn up, was mofl remarkably perceived againft the mineral ftratum above-mentioned. The next morning a young man letting himfelf down by a rope, as foon as he came over-againft the fame ftratum, became incapable of fuftaining his own weight, fell to the bottom, and died immediately. Another young man, not fufpe6ting the caufe, having fcated himfelf acrofs a ftick fixed to the rope for that purpol'e, was let down to his friend's afliftance ; but when he came to the fame depth, he was obferved to give.the rope a great ftiock, felldown as the other had done, and foon expired. A third perfon, being tied faft in a large bafket, was let down more warily ; and when he came to the fame ftratum, finding himfelf almoft fufFocated, he cried out, and was drawn up again immediately j but re- mained in the air near half an hour, pale, panting, and fpeech- lefs. In three hours time the dead bodies were drawn up, but brought up fuch a difagreeable ftench along with them, as madefeveral of the workmen vomit. The next day a cat was let down, and at the fame place was feized with convulfions ; but being drawn up again, quickly recovered. The well was left open about eight months, in hopes the damp would lea .'<^ it ; but i^ became worfe, rifing even to the top, where it ap- peared like a thin white fog wken the air was moift, and in a dry air could be perceived like a warm breath, iways dif- fufmg a fulphureous ftench, afFe^ling people with giddinels^ /hortnefs of breath, and a propenfuy to vomit : fo that at hft: the well was filled up, being not onlv ufclefs but off«n(jve.
Vot. I. C ' ouv"
26 The WONDERS of
one that was wrought in thefe mines, which had received fuch a refplendency from its fulphureous tin£lure, that in all its points it feemed as if it was covered with leaf gold. He adds, that in one of thefe works two or three hundred weight of very good lead-ore was found growing to a vein of coal, which was reckoned a great rarity, none hav- ing ever been met with in a coal-pit before, the fulphureou$ fpirit being there generally too ftrong for the generation of that metal.
From thefe mines, and thofe of Kingfwood in Gloucefterfhire, the city of Briftol is fupplied with coals; but no part of England affords fuch prodigious quantities of this ferviceable Mineral as the Pits about Newcaftle upon Tine. It is almoft impoffible to exprefs the vaft trade which this town carries on in this fmgle article ; for their coals are not only fent by fea to many other parts of England and Scotland, but alfo to Holland, and in time of peace to France and Flanders ; and being thus brought to us by (hip- ing they are commonly called Sea-Coal, though Pit- Coal is the more proper name. But to give the reader a juft idea of the wonderful confump- tion of Newcaftle coal, we need only inform him, that from this inexhauftible fource the city of London is fupplied, which alone is reckoned to confume annually at leaft 600,000 chaldrons, eacU chaldron containing fix and thirty bu{he}s. Nor Ihould v/e forget the coal-pits near Whitehaven in Cumberland, which is the moft eminent port in England for its coal-trade, Newcaftle excepted. From hence the city of publin, and all the Towns of Ireland on the coaft, as well as fome parts of Scotland and the Ifte of Man, are chiefly fup- plied : fo that in time of war, or upon account of f ontrary wi^ds, it is no uncommon thing to have
NATURE A KB ART. 27
two hundred (hips at once fet fail from this place for Dublin laden with coals.
Under this article we ought not to omit a remarkable fort of coal, called Cannel or Candle- Coal, which is found in fome of the northern counties, particularly in Lancafliire, It is glolTy and light ; apt to cleave into thin flakes ; and^ when kindled, yields a continual blaze till it is confumed to afties. Its hardnefs makes it ca- pable of being poliflied, and then it looks like mar- ble; fo that ftandifhes, cups, candlefticks, &c» are frequently made of it : nor will it foil the nneft handkerchief, though it is as black as jet.
There is another uncommon kind of roal dug up in Staffordfhire, called Peacock-Coal, be- eaufe, when turned to the light, it fiiews all the colours in the peacock's train ; but it is too foft to be polilhed.
There remains yet a moft ufeful metal to be mentioned, of which our ifland afFords no fmall quantities, I mean Iron : this indeed, with refpedt to real ufefulnefs is the moft valuable of all the me- tals, and is therefore the moft common. It confifts of an earth, fait, and fulphur, but all impure, ill- mixed, and ill-digefted ; which renders it extremely liable to ruft. It is the hardeft, drieft, and moft difficult to melt of all metals. It may be foftened by heating it often in the fire, hammering it, and let - ting it cool of itfelf ; and it is hardened by being extinguiftied in water. — Of all the iron works in England, thofe in the foreft of Dean in Gloucefter- ihire are in moft repute. The ore is found there in great plenty, differing much in colour, weight, and goodnefs. The beft, called Brufti Ore, is blueilh, very ponderous, and full of little fpecks that fliine like filver. This afFords the greateft quantity of iron, but if melted alone the metal is C 2 very
28 The WONDERS of
very brittle, and therefore not fo fit for common uTe. To remedy this, they mix with it a due quantity of Cinder, (which is the refufe of the ore after the metal has been extraded) and this gives it fuch an admirable temper of toughnefs, as makes it equal to any that is brought from foreign countries. — After they have dug up the ore, their firft bufmefs is to calcine it, which is cone in kilns, much like our ordinary lime-kilns. Thefe they fill to the top with coal and ore, a layer of each alternately ; then fetting fire to the bottom, they let it burn till the coal is wafted, and renew the kilns with frefli ore and coal in the fame manner as before. This does not melt the metal, but confumes the more drofly part of the ore, and makes it rnalleable ; ferving inftead of the beating and wafhii^ig ufed with other ores. After this operation it is carried to the furnaces, which are built of brick or ftone, about thirty feet high, and fomewhat refembling the fhape of an egg, being about ten feet wide in the middle, but much narrower at the top and bottom. Ber hind the furnace are fixed two huge pair of bel- lows, the nofes of which meet at a little hole near the bottom : thefe are worked by a large wheel turned about by water, and are fo contrived as to play alternately, the one giving the blaft whilft the other is rifing. The furnace is filled with ©re and cinder, intermixed with charcoal, which being fet on fire, the materials run together into a hard cake or lump ; and the metal, as it melts, trickles down into receivers at the bottom of th^ furnace, where there is a paflage open for the ini^n to take out the fcum and drofs, and let out the metal as they fee occafion. Before the mouth of the furnace lies a great bed of fand, whereiij they make furrows of what ihape they pleafe ; ai>.d when the receivers ^re full the metal is let
into
NATURE AND ART. 29
mto them, which is made fo very fluid by the vio- lence of the fire, that it not only runs to a confi- rable diftance, but keeps boiling a good while afterwards. In this manner they keep the fur- naces conftantly employed for m.any months toge- ther, never fufFering the fire to llacken night or day, but ftill pouring in at the top a frefh fupply of ore and fuel, v/hich in thefe works is always charcoal. And from hence the fov/s and pigs of iron, as they call them, are carried to the forges, where they are wrought into bars.
W E muft not leave this part of natural hlftory without taking notice of a foffil earth, commonlv called Fuller's Earth, which feems almoft peculiar to England, and is of great ufe in the woollen manufa£lure*. Plenty of it is dug up near Brick- Hill in StaiFordfhire ; alfo near Ryegate in Surrv^ near Maidfl:one in Kent, near Petworth in Suffcx, and near Wooburn in Bedfordfhire. It is a fatty kind of earth, abounding in nitre; and is fo ne- ceflary to the well dreffing of cloth, that though foreigners may procure our wool in a clandeftine manner, they can never come up to the perfedioa of Englifh cloth without Fuller's-Earth, the expor- tation of which is therefore made equally criminal with that of wool. — Abroad they make great ufc of urine inftead of Fuller's-Earth.
The fubterraneous productions already men- tioned (to which we may add marble, free-ftone, &c.) are fome of the moft ufeful that our ifland affords ; nor can we be more particular on this head, without exceeding our intended limits. But there is a great variety of fofTils to be found in the bowels of the earth, which though of no
* It is alfo reckoned a great improver of land. When diflblved in vinegar it difperfes pimples, checks inflamma- tions, and cures burns,
C 3 apparent
30 The WONDERS of
apparent fervice to mankind, excite our admira- tion, and afford matter for curious fpeculations and enquiries. By thefe we do not mean the na- tive foifils, which have their feveral ufes, and will be occafionally taken notice of in the courfc of this work; but thofe of the adventitious or fo- reign kind, which have not been generated in the earth, but repofited there by earthquakes, deluges, or fome other extroardinary cataftrophe. Thcie are trees ^, plants, (hells, bones, teeth, &c. both of fea and land animals, which are found in ?reat abundance in feveral parts of the earth. Sometimes we find whole beds of fliellsf, either of the fame or of different kinds ; fometimes fifhes petrified ^ and the branches and leaves of trees,
• fea-
* Some time ago there were found in England, at the depth of above a hundred feet, feveral huge oaks, remaining entire with their branches. They had conti*a6leJ a bLicknefs equal to that of jet, and a hardnefs far fiirpafling that of any living oak. How thefe trees fliioiild come there, unlefs by a fubver- fion of the whole globe at the time of the flood, it is difficult to conceive. — -Mr. Boyle mentions a vaft oak dug out of a fait mine in Tranfylvania, fo hard, that it could not eafdy be wrought on by iron tools j which yet, by being expofed to the air, became fo rotten in four days, as to crumble between the fingers : and Mr. Derham obferves the fame of the trees turned out of the earth by the breaches at Weft-Thurrock and Dagenham.— M. de la Pryme is of opinion, that the trees which are found under ground in Hatfield Chace in York- fhire, and in the Morafies and fens in feveral other counties, were cut dov/nby the Romans, in order to dillodge the Bri- tons who ufed to fhelter themielves in the thick marfhy woods, and faily out as opportunity offered to intercept their provifions and difturh their garrifons.
.f We have a remarkable inftance of this kind near Read- ingin Berklhire, where a continued ftratum or layer of oyfter- ihells is found at a great depth from the furface of the earth. They lie in a bed of greenifh fand, upon a hard rocky chalk, and are often dug outentire by the men who work in the chalk pit, and thofe who vifit the place out of curiofity. The fliells uit brittle^ and cafily feparated frtmi each other j but nothing
NATURE AND ART/ 36
fea-mofles, &c. either petrified or imprelTed on Hones in their perfeft fhape and proportion. Thefe extraneous foffils have very much employed the thoughts of our latter naturalifts, who find it no eafy matter to account for the furprlzing Pha:- noniina of petrified fea-fifhes in places far dlftant from the fea, and even on the tops of mountains ; fhells in the midft of quarries of ftone ; elephants teeth, and bones of animals peculiar to the fouth- ern climates, and plants only growing in the ealt, found in our northern and vv^eftern parts. The common opinion is, that the foffils of this kind were buried in the earth at the time of the univer- fal deluge; but fome think they are only the effect of a Lufus Naturae, the mimickry or wanton produdions of nature.
Dr. Woodward, in his Natural Hiflory of the Earth, feems to have fct this matter in a pretty clear light, though his fyflem is liable to fome obje£lions. He imagines, that the whole mafs of earth, with every thing belonging thereto, was lb broken and difTolved at the time of the flood, that a new earth was formed in the bofom of the water, corrfifling of different ftrata or beds of mat- ter, ranged over each other, nearly according to the order of their fpecific gravities*. By this C 4 means
IS found within them, except now and then fome of the green land abovementioned. What makes this the more wonderful is the diftance of the place from the fea, which is not lefs than foity or fifty miles; fo that they are generally fuppofed to have been left there by the univerfal deluge.
* Dr. Leigh, fpeaking of the coal-pits in Lancafhire, de- nies the ftrata to lie according to the laws of gravitation. This induced Mr. Derham to make a nice enquiry into the matter ; and accordingly he caufed divers places to be bored^ laying the feveral ftrata by themfelves, and afterwards weigh- ed them with great accuracy to determine their fpecific gravi- ties. The refuit was, that ia his yai'd the ftrata were fpeci-
£^caliy
32 The WO NDERS of
means plants, animals, (efpecially fifties) (hells, bones, &c. not yet diffolved among the reft, be- came blended with the mineral and foffil matters, which either preferved them entire, or affumed and retained their figures and impreffions. He farther llippofes, that thefe ftrata were originally parallel, even, and regular, and rendered the furface of the earth perfectly fpherical ; but that towards the end of the deluge, they were broken on all fides of the gJobe, and their fituation varied, being ele- vated in feme places and deprefled in others ; whence meuntains, valleys, iflands, S^c. and thofe vaft cavities into which the waters retired and formed the ocean. In a word, the whole terra- queous globe (according to the Do6lor) was put, by this difruption of the ftrata, and the depreffion of fome and elevation of other parts, into the con- dition wherein it now appears.
But though moft of the foffils refembling fhells, plants, &c. may reafcnably be fuppofed to owe their origin to the univerfal deluge, there are fome which are probably native ftones or rock- plants, and not parts of animals, or plants petri-^ fied, as many naturalifts have imagined. The Trochitse; or Trochites, for inftance, vulgarly called St. Cuthbert's Beads, feem to be of this kind. They are commonly of a dark colour, glolTy and ihining when broken, and are eafily diflblved in vinegar. Their figure is generally
fically heavier the lower they went 3 but making the fame experiment in his fields, he could not perceive any difference in the fpecific gravities of the feveral ilrata. Having acquaint- ed the Royal Society with this, their operator Mr. Hawkf- bee was ordered to try the flrata of a coal-pit, v^hich he did to the depth of thirty feet 5 and found (as appears from the ac- • count he gives us in the Philofophical Tranfa6lions) that thev lay in no manner of order as to their gravities, but con- fufedly, as if the mixture was purely cafual.
cylin-
\ ...
NATURE AND ART. 33
cylindrical, fometimes a little tapering, and the j
flat ends are covered with fine radii drawn from j
a hole in the middle to the circumference. Seve- ]
ral of thefe are fometimes joined together, in fuch j
a manner, that the rays of one enter into the fur- i
rows of another. They are found in fome parts ! of Yorkftiire, and alfo in Mendip-Hills, fometimes
fcattered here and there, and fometimes in large | beds, and of various fizes. Mr. Beaumont (in
the Philofophical Tranfadions) aflures us, that all i
the clijfFs in fome mines are made up of thefe \
ftone-plants ; and that they are found growing in \
the gritty clay, fome of them yet crude and foft, , others cf the confidence of lime-ftone, others ftill
harder, with the evident beginnings of circles j
and futures, and others become perfect fpar, which \
is their ftate of muturity. Many of thefe, as to |
the curiofity of their make, may vie with any of the «
vegetable kingdom, having roots, ftem, branches, ;
joints, an inward pith, and fometimes cells, to fup- ] ply the place of veins and fibres.
The Aftroites, or Star-Stone, which is found !
-about Shugbury in V/arwickfhire, near Belvoir- |
Caftle in Lincolnftiire, and in feveral parts of the !
north of England, is a curiofity of the like na- ;
ture. Their form is very regular, confiding cf \
feveral thin pentagonal joints fet one over ano- i ther, fo as to make a kind of five-angled column.
To thisfpecies of bodies may alfo be referred t\\r j ftone called Cornu Ammonis, which, according to Dr. Beaumont, is frequent in the clay v/herein the Trochit'de are produced, and at its firft appearance
looks like a young cock's fpur, but grows to the* j
length of feven or eight inches, though fev/ of ^
that bignefs are to be found entire. Dr. Wood- \
ward however is of a different opinion, aflerting it ;
to be a foeil of the Nautilus kind, formed in the .1
C 5 ica, J
34 The WONDERS or
fea, and carried thence by the waters of the deluge, it is rough, knotty, and twifted like a ram's-horn, whence its name, Jupiter Ammon being wor- ftipped by the ancient people of Libya under the form of a ram. The Coinu Ammonis, and the Aftroites, being immerged in vinegar or the juice of lemons, will move about as if they were alive j the reafon of v/hlch is, that the acid, by infmuat- ing itfelf into their pores, makes way for the in- troduction of a warmer air than what was lodged therein before ; which being immediately dilated, und ftruggling to difengage itfelf, occafions a tre- mulous motion in thofe bodies.
Under this article, as we are fpeaking of ftcncs, it feems proper to mention acuriofity in Ireland, about eight miles from Colerain, which has obtained the name of the Giant's Caufeway, though it is evidently the w^orkof nature. It confifts of ,|jiany thoufand pillars, moft of them ftanding per- pendicular to the plane of the horizon, and very clofe to each other. Moft of them have five fides, fome fix, and others feven, and yet their contex- ture is fo adapted, that there is no vacuity be- tv/een them. They are from fifteen to twenty- four inches in diameter, and are compofed of fe- veral joints or pieces of different lengths, the convex end of one being exactly fitted to the con- cavity of another. The fides of the pillars, which touch each other, are of a whitifli free-ftone colour, but upon breaking off fome pieces, the infide ap- pears like daik marble, pretty muft refembling that v/hich the ancients called Bafaltes. This Caufeway runs from the bottom* of a precipice into the northern ocean, how far is not known ; but at low water it is vifible at leaft fix hundred feet in length, the breadth in the wideft place be- irig about two hundred and forty feet, and in the
narrovveft
NATURE ANB ART, 35
narroweft a hundred and twenty. In fome parts it is fifteen or twenty feet, in others fix and thirt)^^ above the level of the Strand.
VEGETABLES,
WE come now to confider fome of the vege- table productions of our illand, which in general being fo well known, we need only de- fcribe a few of the moft remarkable. W e fliall begin with faftron, which is chiefly cultivated about Walden in EfTex, from whence the town is generally called Saffron- Walden. It rifes from a bulbous root, and blofibms in September and Oc- tober* Its leaves are long, narrow, thick, and foft to the touch ; and its flowers, which fometimes ap« pear before the leaves, and fometimes after them, are of a pale purple ftreaked with w^hitifh lines ; but towards the bottom of the petal the purple is deeper. From the middle of the flow^er arife three flame-coloured ftamina or chives, crowned v/ith their apices ; and under thefe is the ovary or pif- til of the plant, wherein the feeds are formed. From the upper part of the ovary arifes the ftyle, a flender tube inclofed within the fiflular part of the flower where it is of a whitifli colour, but changes into yellow before it divides into three parts oppofite to the tops of the ftamina. Thefe three ftylets (or dartSy as fome call them) are the true fafiron of the (hops, for the fake cf which alone the plant is cultivated. When the flower is gathered, they feparate the ftylets, and dry them in fieves by a gentle fire, or on a little kiln made for that purpofe. It is remarkable, that though every flower feems to yield fo little, aa acre of ground will produce about a hundred pounds of wet fafiron, which will weigh twenty C 6 pounds
36 The WONDERS of
pouiids when dried and fit for ufe. They ufually plant it three years in one piece of ground, and then remove it to another. The Englifti fafFron is reckoned the beft in Europe
Wo AD, which is much ufed in dying blue colours t, is produced from a plant called Glaftum, whofe leaves refemble thofe of ribwort-plantain. It is much cultivated in Bedfordftiire, where they order it in the following manner. The feed is fown annually in the fpring, and the leaves are cropped for the firft time about the middle of May, 2nd perhaps three or four times afterwards, efpe- trially in a wet fummer, though the bell is pro- duced in a dry feafon. The firft crop excels aU the reft in goodnefs, every one after it being gra- dually worfe. When gathered, the crop is ground fmall in a mill, and having laid eight or ten days in heaps, it is made into balls, which are dried on hurdles, and then ground to powder. This done, it is fpread on a floor and watered, which is called Couching ; and then by turning it every day it is filvered, that is, rendered perfectly dry and mouldy, when it is put up in bags for the dyer's ufe.
The Hop, a plant of the reptile kind, whofe flower is a principal ingredient in malt-liquors Xy
is
* Good fafFron is known by its agreeable fmell, being velveted over with a fine red, and free from yellow threads ► It is tiled both in food and medicine, to chear, fortify, and refolve. It is an excellent cordial, and a fure promoter of a diaphorefis.
f The ancient Britons ufed to dye their bodies with a tinc- ture of this plant, to make them appear formidable to their enemies, or perhaps to defend them againlt the inclemency of the weather.
J The ufe made of hops in the liquor drank in cold coud- trie;;, and the manner of raifing them ov poles, has given the I in-^t the appellation of the North trn /"ine. By this ingre- dient.
NATURE AND ART, 37
IS cultivated in feveral parts of England, efpecially in Kent and Surry. This plant creeps upon the ground, unlefs it finds pales or flirubs to hang to, or is fupported by poles ftuck in the ground for that purpofe, which is the method ufed in the hop- gardens. Its ftem is long, flexible, rough, and hairy ; its leaf indented like that of the vine, and covered with a kind of prickly down 5 and its flowers, which grow in a fort of bunch or clufter, are of a greenifh yellow, refembling thofe of the female elm, both as to form and fize. The flower contains a blackifh bitter grain, which is the feed of the hop ; but it is ufually propagated by fets, eight or ten inches long, having each three or four joints. Thefe are fet in holes about a foot fqqare, one at each corner, and a fifth in the middle ; and thefe little plantations, which are formed into a kind of hillocks, are made at the diftance of fix or eight feet from one another. When the hops are two or three feet above ground, they are conduced and tied to the poles, but not fo clofe as to hinder their climbing ; and about Midfummer, when they begin to branch, fuch as have not reached the tops of the poles fhould have their heads nipped oflF, that they may branch the better. They blow towards the end of July, and the forward ones are ripe by the clofe of Augufl-,
dient, which affords a fubtile grateful bitter, our beer is pre- ferved to a great age, being prevented thereby from runnii>g into fuch cohefions as would make it ropy, vapid, and four. It alfo divides and fubtilizes the vifcid parts of the malt, and fo renders them more eafy of digeilion and fecretion in the body. — The heads and tendrils of the plant purify the blood in the fcurvy, and moft cutaneous difeafes ; deco6lions and fyrups made of the flowers are good againft peltilential fe- vers ; juleps and apozems are alfo prepared with them for hy- pochondriacal and hyfterical affo^ons, and to promote the njcafes.
Their
3? The WONDERS of
Their ripenefs is difcovered by their fragrant fcent, their changing colour, being eafily pulled, and * by the brownilh colour of the feed. If they are over-ripe, they will be apt to jQied their feed,, wherein their chief ftrength confifts ; nor will they look fo green, but fomevvhat brown, which much IciTens their value. When gathered, they are dried on a kiln, and about a month after- v/ards are packed up in bags, wherein they will keep feveral years.
But perhaps noqe of our vegetable produ&ions (except thofe which furnifti us with bread, the moft neceflary part of our food) are of greater and more universal ufe than Flax and Hemp, which are plants of much the fame nature, though the firft is abundantly finer, and employed in more beautiful manufa£l:ures. — Flax is a plant with a flender hollow ftem, ufually about two feet high, whofe bark confifts of fibres or threads, which being dreffed and worked in a proper manner, af- fords us that valuable commodity, Linen-Cloth^ which we now make to very great perfe£lion ; and the Irifti in particular have, of late years, im- proved that manufafture to fuch a degree, that they export great quantities of it to England, and to the Britifti colonies in America. Flax thrives beft in a foil that has long lain fallow, and the feed muft be fown thick in a warm feafon, about the end of March, or the beginning of April Flax pulled up in the bloom is whiter and ftronger than that which ftands till the feed is ripe. Inftead of fteeping it in a ftanding water, (as they do'
* The feed of Flax, called Linfced, enters into the com- portion of divers medicines, and yields an oil by expreffion which has moft of the properties of nut-oil, and, in defe6\ of that, is frequently ufejii in painting. That drawn cold is rtWioncd gx)od in feveral diftuies,^
hemp}
NATURE AND ART. 39
hemp) it is ufually expofed alternately to the damps of the night and the heat of the fun, from whence it receives a finer colour ; after which it is well dried, and undergoes much the fame pre- parations as hemp to fit it for fpinning. — Hemp grows much taller than flax, rifing into a flender Ibrt of flirub, with a hollow ftem, and the leaves a little jagged. Its feed * (which is well known) grows on the top of the ftem, but is only produced by hemp of the male kind, commonly called Karl^ as the female is called Fimble. But the mod va- luable part is its fibrous bark, which, after under- going various operations, yields us thread, cloth, cordage, &c. The feed is ufually fown in May, and the plant is fit to gather in Auguft, its ripe- iicis being indicated by the ftalks turning white, and the leaves yellow. The way of gathering it is to pull it up by the roots, after which it is tied up in bundles, and laid to fteep in a pool, or other ftagnant water, to rot the bark ; which done, it is taken out again, and well dried. It is then cruflied v/ith an inftrument called a Brake, to break the dry bun or hex, which is the inward fubftance of the ftem; and when it is thus reduced to fuch a ftate, as to hang together in fmall fliivers, thefe are feparated from the bark by beating it with a fwingle, a piece of wood edged for that purpofe. The next operation is to beat the hemp on a block with beetles, till it be fufficiently foft and pliable; after which it is heckled, that is, drawn through feveral toothed inftruments of dif- ferent finenefs, whereby the fliorter tov/ is fepa- rated, and the reft is fit for fpinning, weaving, kc, —Upon the whole, it is furprizing to confider
* A deco6\ion of hemp-feed in milk is recommended a- gainlt the jaundice. The leaves are Ibid to be goQd againfl burns, and the juice thereof againft deafnefs.
what
40 r II E WONDERS of
what iiumberlefs advantages mankind enjoy from the two little plants wc have been fpeaking of, and even from their bark alone. This affords us a part of attire which accommodates us day and night, and is not only neat and convenient, but contributes much to the health of our bodies. From hence we have thofe fpreading fails, by the help of which our fhips are wafted to theremoteft parts of the globe ; and from the fame bark the ropes by which they are managed, and the ftrong cables for their anchors, fo neceflary to their fe- curity. In a word, the materials formed from the rind of thefe plants are of conftant and univerfal ufe in domeftic affairs, hufbandry, commerce, and moft arts and manufailories.
Some perhaps might think us guilty of an un- pardonable omiffion, if we fliould forget to men- tion the famous Hawthorn at Glaftonbury, in Somerfetfhire, faid to put forth blolfoms every Chriftmas-day, and to have firft taken root there from a ftaff w^hich Jofeph of Arimathea fixed in the ground. That there was a thorn near Gla- ftonbury, which in very mild winters ufed to blof- fom about that time of year, is undoubtedly true ; but the report of its blooming always exadtly on Chriftmas-day is entirely groundlefs. The tree was cut down long ago, (fome time in the laft century) but feveral branches of it were planted in the neighbourhood, which grew and blollbmed like the old one, and are ftill to be feen in the gardens of the curious
* Mr. Ray, an excellent botanlft, was of opinion, that tills miraculous thorn (as many have looked upon it to be) dijfered only accidentally from the common Hawthorn.
ANIMAL S.
NATURE AND ART. 4J
ANIMALS.
FROM Vegetables we now proceed to Ani- mals ; but as an account of thofe which are well known amongft us (how furprizing foever they might appear to ftrangers) would be infipid and tirefome to an Englifti reader, we fhall not fpend much time on this head, referving room for a more particular defcription of fuch creatures as are peculiar to foreign countries, and therefore more apt to excite our admiration. — In the firft place, we think proper to mention a curiofity, which perhaps has not been taken notice of by any author ; but the truth of it we have heard at- tefted by a perfon of veracity, who was himfelf an eye-witnefs of what he relates. There is ^hefays) in the poffeffion of a certain family near High- worth, in Wiltfliire, an uncommon breed of geefe, which the owners take fo much care to preferve to themfelves, that they would fcarce part with an egg upon any confideration. Thefe geefe they nurfe up and fatten in fuch a manner, that they grow to a very extraordinary, and almoft incre- dible fize, infomuch that fome of them will weigh twenty, five and twenty, and even thirty pounds. They are ufually befpoke by gentlemen who have the curiofity to grace their tables, and entertain their friends v/ith fuch a noble difli; and confider- ing the rarity of the fowl, as well as the expence of feeding them, the price of one {hilling a pound, which is the loweft they are fold at, does not feem extravagant.
Having mentioned this uncommon fort of tame geefe, it naturally leads us to defcribe a re- markable fpecies of wild ones called Solan Geefe, whichj at a certain feafon of the year, frequent
fome
42 The WONDERS of
fome of the iflands on the coafl: of Scotland, and particularly a fmall one called the Bafs which is little elfe but a rock, about a mile in circum- ference. Incredible flocks of thefe fowl refort hither in the fummer, a few always coming be- forehand, as if it were to chufe their habitations, which for that reafon are termed Scouts. The people there take care not to difturb them till they have built their nefts, after which they are not to be frightened away by any noife whatever. They lay but one egg, which they hatch by holding it faft under one foot, and feldom leave it till that is done. Confiderable profit is made by their feathers, as well as by their flefli, which is reck- oned a dainty; but as they are exceeding fat, and tafte like herring, which is their cliief food, it is hard to conceive how they can be fo delicious. Whither thefe birds retire in winter is not known* According to Mr. Martin, feveral of the weftern ifles of Scotland are alfo frequented by vaft numbers of folan geefe, particularly St. . Kilda, Soa, and Borera. The rocks of St. Kilda are in fummer-time totally covered with folan geefe and other fowl, and appear at a diftance like fo many mountains covered with fnow. The nefts of the folan geefe, not to mention thofe of other fowl, are fo clofe, that when one v/alks between them, the hatching fowls on either fide can always take hold of one's cloaths ; and thejr
^ This little ifland was formerly in the pofiefTion of theLavv- der family, but vva's purchafed by king Charles II. and annexed to the crown. It is inaccefTible on ail fides, except by one narrow paflage, at the top of which there was a fort mounted with cannon, which has been neglected ever fmce the revolution. At that time it was fnrprized by fome of kmg James's party, and held out for hnn the hii of any place in the three kingdoms »
will
NATURE ANB ART. 43 ,
will often fit ftill till they are attacked, rather |
than expofe their eggs to the danger of being de- j
ftroyed by the fea-gulls 5 at the fame time an |
equal number fly about, and furnifli food for their -} mates that are employed in hatching. Thefe
folan geefe obferve their prey from a confiderable j
height, and dart down upon it with incredible \
force. The common amufement of the herring i fifhers fliews the amazing ftrength of this fowl'^: they fix a herring upon a board, which has a fmall
weight under it, to fink it a little below the fur- j
face of the fea; when the folan geefe obferving 1
the fifti, darts down upon it perpendicularly, with 1
fuch force, that he runs his bill irrecoverably ^
through the board, and is taken up diredly by the i
fifhers. The folan geefe of thefe wefl:ern iflands j almc.fi: equal a tame goofe in fize, and are not fo
large as thofe of the bafs, jufl: mentioned, which \
are bigger than the land goofe. The bill of this \ fowl is iong, (harp, and a little crooked at the point j his colour, except a little black on the ,
extremities of the wings, is white when a year I
old, but before that age, a dark brov/n. The St. j Kildians kill a folan goofe with great expedition,
by diflocating a certain joint of the neck, very .
near the head ; for the reft of the neck being m.ade .
for ftrength, it would, without this art, be diffi- \
cult to kill them. ]
The inhabitants of thefe little iflands annually
take about twenty thoufand of thefe fowls, which !
they keep in ftorehoufes built for that purpofe ; < and the St. Kildians keep their eggs in the fame
places; and though, after ftaying there fome ] months, they fmell moft offenfively, fuch is the
force of cuftom, that they eat them raw with a ]
keen appetite, and efteem them a good pecloral. i
The fat of the goofe is an excellent vulnerary, i
and ' \
44 The WONDERS of
and when boiled in water-gruel, they reckon it afpecific againft coughs.
The neft of the folan geefe, fays the P.ev. Mr. Macauley, is a large colleftion made up of very different materials, he carries any thing that is fit for his purpofe, whether at land, or floating on the waters, to the place where he builds, grafs, fea-weeds, fhavlngs of timber, pieces of cloth, and frequently what he muft have got in fome foreign land ; yet fuch is the difficulty in furnifliing a fuf- ficient quantity of thefe different materials for building, that they often encroach on their neigh- bour's property ; and the manner in which they do it, fhews that want has given them notions of pro- perty unknown among fowls, where they have plenty : thus if a folan goofe, fays our author, finds his neighbour's neft at any time without the fowl, he takes advantage of his abfence, fteals as much of the materials as he can conveniently car- ry, and, fenfible of the injuftice he has done, flies directly towards the ocean ; v/hen, if the lawful owner does not difcover the injury he has fuffered before the thief is out of fight, he efcapes with impunity, and foon returns with bis burden^ as if he had made a foreign purchafe.
It has been faid, that one of the bodyafts the part of a centinel, while the other folan geefe, with their heads under their wings, continue afleep, and gives the alarm if an enemy fliould ap- proach, and that a general maflfacre might be eafily made, if this centinel was furprifed and difpatched. But the prefent St. Kildians deny, that the fafety of the whole flock depends fo en- tirely on the vigilance of the watch. The folan geefe repair to St. Kilda in the month of March, and continue there till after the beginning of November. Before the middle of that month,
thcy^
NATURE AND ART. 45
they, and all the other fea-fowl, fond of this coaft, retire much about the fame time, into fome other favourite regions 3 fo that not a fingle fowl, be- longing to this element, is to be feen about St. Kilda, from the beginning of winter, to the mid- dle of February.
In thefe iflands is another fea-fowl, highly ef- teemed, called the Tulmer. This bird is nearly of the fame fize as a barn-door fowl 3 but his legs and wings are much larger. Over the back, wings, and tail, his feathers are of a light grey ; but round the breaft and neck more inclined to white* His head is round, his neck thick and fliort, and his bill, which is about an inch and an half in length, bends inwards, and is pointed like that of an eagle. He is a moft ravenous fowl, and feeds only on forrel and the fat of fifli ; pieces of whale and fea blubber are frequently found in his neft. 1 he people of St. Kilda beftowthe higheft encomiums on this bird. Mr.Macauley fays, that he heard one of the moft fenfible men of St. Kilda thus extol it. Can the world exhibit a more va- luable commodity ? The Tulmer furnifhes oil for the lamp, down for the bed, the moft falubrious food, and the moft efficacious ointments for healing wounds, beftdes a thoufand other virtues of which he is poffelTed, which 1 have not time to enume- rate ; but to fay all in one word, deprive us of the Tulmer, and St. Kilda is no more.
The Tulmer lays no more than one egg in a feafon, it being peculiarly fterile, among all the dilFerent tribes of birds that haunt thefe iflands ; jind therefore, to plunder its neft is reckoned a high crime among the St. Kildians. It is re- markable, that the younj Tulmer, when of the proper fize, is no fooner attacked in his neft, than Jie endeavours to difconcert the enemy, by fpout-
46 The WONDERS of
ingout a quantity of oil, at his wide noftrils, which he fquirts direftly into the face and eyes of the fowler ; and this inftinftive ftratagem, frequently gives him an opportunity to make his efcape. But thofe who are verfed in this diverfion, take all poflible precautions to furprife him, and the more fo, as they efteem the oil incomparably precious, and for that reafon exert all their fkill and dexterity to fave it. Yet in fpite of their ut- moft care, the fowlers are befmeared with it, and any part of their cloaths touched by an oil fo fpirituous, will burn like a candle. Every Tul- mer yields near an Englilh pint of this liquid fub- fiance, which drops out of the noftrils of the fowl while warm, and a confiderable quantity of it is preferved in the ifle. Of the fov/ls themfelves, every family has a great number falted in calks for winter provifions.
Another extraordinary fpecies of birds which refort tothefe weftern iflands, is the Lavie, which in fize refembles a duck, though it is rather Ion* ger, and hardly fo thick : he is black above, the wdiole breaft and belly white, with a circle of the fame colour round the neck ^ the bill is black and fharp at the point, and the egg, which is larger than that of a duck, is moft beautifully variegat- ed with a diverfity of colours, as black, white, red, yellow, blue, and green ; and fcarce any two of them nearly refemble each other. This fowl builds no kind of neft, but lays her egg on the fhelf of a bare rock, where (he plants it in fo very nice a manner, that if once touched, it will be found impoffible to fix it in the fame place again ; and fo llender is the hold their eggs have of the rock, that if the fowls are furprifed, fo as to ftart from them in a hurry, they tumble down into the fea, in thick (howers.
The
NATURE AND ART. 47
The Lavies are no fooner difcovered on the coaft, than thofe who had formerly diftinguifhed themfelves by fuch feats, defcend with the help of their ropes, into the well known fhelves of the rocks, each having a broad piece of linen, or any thing remarkably white, fixed on his breaft. This is done in the night-time, when the bird miftaking an obje£l fo confpicuous, for a part of the rock, endeavours to cling to it, upon which he is inftantly caught, and difpatched. In thisfituatioii the fowler continues till about the dawn, and then makes the wonted fignal, by pulling the rope oa which his life is fufpended : his companion, who ftands above, takes care in the firft place to fecure the prey, which fometimes confifts of no lefs than four hundred Lavies, and when that is done hauls up the adventurer, who is not, without reafon, highly extolled for his prowefs, and moft graci- oufly received by all his friends.
Before we leave thefe fowls, it will beproperto give a farther account of the manner of catching fowl in general, which is there an affair of the ut- moft importance. The men of St, Kilda, are upon thefe occafions divided into fowling parties, each of which generally confifts of four perfons, diftinguifhed by their fkill and agility. Each party has at leaft one rope about thirty fathoms in length, made of raw cow-hide, falted and cut cir- cularly into three thongs, all of equal length, clofely twifted together ; by this means they are able to fuftain a great weight, and are fo durable as tolaft about two generations j for to prevent its be- ing injured bythefharp edges of the rocks, the cord is covered with fheep fkins drefTed in much the fam.c manner. By the help of thefe ropes, thejr traverfe and examine rocks of a prodigious height ; Jinked together in couples, each having an end of
48 The WONDERS of
the cord fattened round his waift. When oneof the twodefcendsjhis colleague pi ants himfelf onaftrong fhelf, and takes care to have fuch fure footing, that if his companion makes a falfe ftep and falls, he may be able to fave him. 1 hefe, fays the ^' Reverend Mr. Macauley, are ftupendous adven- tures, equal to any thing in the feats of chival- ry. I was prefent at an operation of this kind : my curiofity led me to fee fo uncommon a trial of (kill ; but before it was half over, I was «^ greatly fhocked, and moft heartily fick of it^ <^ Two noted heroes were drawn out from among «^ all the ableft men of the community ; one of them fixed himfelf on a craggy fhelf ; his com- " panion went down fixty fathoms below him, and after having darted himfelf away from the face of a moft alarming precipice, hanging over the ocean, he began to play his gambols : he fung merrily, and laughed very heartily. The crew were inexpreflibly happy, but for my part, I was all the while in fuch diftrefs of mind, that I could not for my life run over half the fcene with my eyes. The fowler, after having per- formed feveral antick tricks, and given us all the entertainment his art could afford, returned in triumph, and full of his own merit, with a large ftring of fowls round his neck, and a num- ber of eggs in his bofom.^' Indeed, the greateft curiofity of St. Kilda, are the inhabitants themfelves, thefe are very few in number ; for though the ifiand might eafily fup- port three hundred perfons, and when Mr. Mar- tin vifited it about the end of the laft century, he found one hundred and eighty perfons there, yet they have been fo reduced by a contagious dif- eafe, that in 1764 they were reduced to eighty- eight. The fmell of their houfes, cloaths, and
breath.
NATURE AND ART. 49
breath, is very offenfive to a ftranger, who is uneafy when a St. Kildian is near him ; and for two or three days breathes a thick, loathfome air ; but what fecms very unaccountable is, that the frefli air, which the ftranger carries about him with the fmell of his cloaths or breath, affcdl the natives in a very fingular manner. The com- pany of a ftranger is not only offenfive to them, but on approaching him, they find a difficulty in breathing*
The men are ftout hardy fellows, and though generally fpeaking fhort of ftature, are extremely thick and brawny, but rather clumfily made, than nicely proportioned ; they are remarkably ftrong, carry huge burdens, and will tug at the oar for many hours. In their nodlural expeditions, they undergo great hardftiips, and make very light of fatigue and danger. The women are moftly handfome, their complexion frefli and lively, and their features fine and regular.
The cloathing of this people is quite coarfe and made for warmth. The linen manufa6lured among them is a meer trifle, and extremely coarfe. The weavers underftand their bufinefs very ill. Every man is the taylor and ftioemaker of his own family; all the leather of the ifland, and thofe neareft to it, is tanned with the tormentii root to great perfection.
The St. Kildians fpeak a very corrupt dialect of the Galic, adulterated with a little mixture of the Norwegian Tongue ; and every man, woman, and child, has an incorrigible lilping. They are enthufiaftically fond of mufic, and delight much in finging, their voices being very tuneful. The fubjedls handled by the poets of St. Kilda, are the beauty and accompliftiments of the fair fex, the heroic actions of their friends, their dexterity
Vol. I. D in
50 The WONDERS OF
in climbing rocks, their fuperior (kill in fifhing, their extroardinary vigour at the oar, and the common topicks of perfonal advantages and in- telledlual merit.
With refpe£l to the moral duties, they excel all the civilized nations ; for in rep^ard to the
o
virtue of hofpitality, they are fo unfalhionable, as to poflefs it in an eminent degree, and are remark- ably generous and open-hearred. In their way they are extremely complaifant, the women never ap- proach a ftranger without low curtefies, and the men always addrefs him in terms of the moll pro- found refpe£t. They marry early, an honeft deiire of preventing or removing the inconvenien- cies of a fingle life, or pure difmterefted love, arc the ruling paiuons in the advances they make to matrimony. Should a young fellow be poffeffed of a fpade, rake, creel, and fowling rope, he marries without any fear or folicitude, will main- tain himfelf, his v/ife and children, live content- edly on a fmall plot of ground, and pay his rents punftually to the proprietor of the ifland, withr barley and feathers, Drunkennefs is not yet in- troduced here, but they have a moft violent paf- fion for tobacco, of which they buy an annual Here of the fteward, who vifits them once a year. For this univerfally bewitching article, and fome other goods indifpenfibly neceflary, as fait, iron, and timber, they barter away their cows, fheep, grain and feathers. Thefe commodities conili- tute all their riches : they have frequently heard of gold without thirfting for it ; and, I believe, fays our reverend author, they have not touched coin of any kind before this age. Here high portioned wives never rule their hufhands, here a cruel ftep-mother never perfecutes her guiltlefs ilep-fon for the fake of pelf : here the nuptial tie
is
NATURE AND ART. 51
is always held facred. The people have fcarce any wants^ and confequently Icarce any defires of a pecuniary kind. They are devout, attend divine worfliip very regularly, and ftridly obferve the Lord's day. Their morals are, and muft be purer than thofe of great and opulent focieties ; but fome of them are rather free from vices, than poflefled of virtues : diffimulation and a trick of lying are their predominant faults, in order to lellen the heavy taxes they are obliged to pay ; but .flavery is the never-failing fource of infince- rity. If at a diftance from the feats of juftice, they are abfolute ftrangers to the laws delay: if ignorant and unphilofophical, they are libertines neither in belief or praftice ; nor with learned fpeculation ftrike at the foundation of virtue, nor produce any breach of the public tranquility or happinefs. The excefles of intemperance, the mad quarrels and extravagant frolicks of drunken- nefs, the fhameful ufe of places dedicated to the fervice of lewdnefs and folly, of difgrace and mifery, they never yet knew or felt ; and in fhort, if happinefs is any where to be found it is among them.
But to return from this long digreffion. In fome of the Ifles of Orkney are found the Claik- Geefe or Barnacles, which are covered with a (hell, and ftick to trees by the bill, from whence they are faid to derive their nouriftiment. Mr, Martin fays he faw many of them, but never per- ceived any upon the tree v/ith life in them ; though the natives informed him they had obferv- ed them move v/ith the heat of the fun. Sir Ro- bert Moray fays, they hang at the tree by a neck longer than the ftiell, of a kind of filmy fubflance, fomewhat refembling the w^ind-pipe of a chicken. In every Ihell he opened he found a perfedt fea- D 2 fowl.
52 The WONDERS of
fowl, with a little bill like that of a goofe, feet like thofe of water-fowl, and the feathers all plainly -formed ; but he never faw any of them alive. Thus ftrange ftories have been told, and too readily be- lieved, concerning the barnacles ; as that they grow upon trees by the fea-fide in flielK, out of which the birds, when come to a proper degree of matu- rity, make their paflage and drop into the water. Others have fuppofed them to be produced from rotten wood that has floated long in the fea, or from certain fruits falling into the water, con- trary to the new philofophy, which explodes equivocal generation Others again have af- cribed their origin to a kind of fea-fliells, adhering to old planks and bottoms of fhips, v/hich from thence are called Conchae Anatiferae ; but thefe {hells in reality contain an animal of their own fpecies, as well as the oyfter, mufcle, or other ftiell-fifh. The truth feems to be, that the bar- nacle is not a marine animal or fifh, (as fome have imagined) but a real goofe, and oviparous, like other fowls.
Just before the fouth promontory of the Ifle of Man lies a little ifland called the Calf of Man, reforted to at one time of the year by a vaft num- ber of PufEns, a fort of fea-fowl, that breed there in the holes of the rabbits, which abandon them
* 3y this is meant a method of producing animals, not by the ufual way of coition between male and female, but by a cerfain power or virtue in the fun, &c. Thus Maggots, flies, fpiders, frogs, &c. have been fuppofed to be produced by the lun's warming, agitating, and impregnating the duft, earth, mud, and putrified parts of animals. This equivocal method of generation, which is alfo called fpontaneous, was commonly believed by the ancient philofophers ; but the mo- derns, from more and better oblervations, unanimoufly reje6l it, and maintain that all animals, and vegetables too, are uni- vocaUy produced, that is by parent animals, and vegetables of tks fame fpecies and denomination,
to
NATURE AND ART. 53
to thefe vifitors for that feafon, Whcfn the young ones are ready to fly, which is about the middle of Auguft, the natives hunt them, as they call it, and take annually about four or five thoufand. The old ones fly out to fea all day, where having got their prey, and digefted it in their own ftomachs, they difgorge it into thofe of their young; for when the young ones are opened, nothing is found in them but a digefted oil, or leaves of forrel, fo that they are almoft one lump of fat. The greateft part of them are confumed by the inha- bitants, but fome are pickled in an elegant man- ner, and fent abroad as prefents.
As we are now fpeaking of wild fowl, it feems not improper to take notice of the vaft numbers of the aquatic kind, particularly the duck, mal- lard, teal, and widgeon, which are taken in the fens of Lincolnfliire, and the neighbouring coun- ties. The manner of taking them in deco)8 (as they are called) into which they are enticed by ducks bred up tame for that purpofe, is cu- rious enough, and very profitable to the inhabi- tants. The decoy-ducks, being brought up in the decoy-ponds, and fed conftantly at certain places, become at length fo familiar with their feeder, as to take their meat out of his hand ; and as they are not confined, they fly abroad and re- turn again at pleafure. At the proper feafon of the year thefe fubtile creatures take frequent flights, and fometimes, after being abfent feveral weeks, return home with a very numerous com- pany, invited (as is fuppofcd) from Holland or other parts of the continent, to partake of their entertainment. As foon as the decoy-men perceive they are fettled in the pond, and that their numbers are increafing, they go fecretly to the fide of the pond, under the cover of hedges D 3 made
54 The WONDERS of
made with reeds, and then thro?/ over handfuls of corn into fuch {hallow places as the decoy-ducks are acquainted with, to which they refort and en- tice theftrangers. Thus they are entertained with- out any difturbance for feveral days, the bait being fometimes thrown in one place, fometimes in another, till at length they are led infenfibly into a narrower part of the pond, where the trees on each fide hang over-head like an arbour, though at a good height from the v/ater. Here the boughs are fo artfully managed, that a large net is fpread near the tops of the trees, and faftened to hoops which reach from fide to fide; but the pafTage is flill fo vv'ide and fo lofty, that the fowls do not perceive the net above them. The decoy- man, keeping unfeen behind the reeds, goes for- ward, throwing corn into the water, which the decoy-ducks greedily fall upon, and encourage their foreign guefts to follow them, till by degrees they are all got under the arch or fweep of the net, which imperceptibly grows lower and narrower, till it ends in a point like a purfe, perhaps two or three hundred yards from the firft entrance. When the decoy-man fees they are all fufEciently within the net, on a fudden a dog, which till then keeps clofe by him, and which is perfedlly taught his bufinefs, rufhes from behind the reeds into the \vater, fwimming diredtly after the ducks, and barking as he fwims. Immediately the frighted ducks take wing, but being beat down again by the net, they neceflarily fwim forward to avoid the dog, till at laft they are hurried into the purfe, where they fall a prey to the decoy- man, who there waits to receive them. — By this means incre- dible numbers of wild fowl are taken every week during the feafon, moft of which are fent up to
London J
NATURE AND ART. 55;
London ; infomuch that fome of the decoys are rented at four or five hundred pounds per annum.
We might eafily enlarge upon this fubject, and give an account of remarkable quadrupeds, fifhes, infers, &c. which are the production of Britain and theBritifh feas ; but this would require a volume of itfelf, and be running beyond ourde- fign, which is only to defcribe a few of the greateft, not all the curiofities of every country ; and there- fore we proceed to take a view of fome of the re- mains of antiquity with which our ifland a- bounds.
A N T I Q^U I T I E S.
ON E of the greateft wonders of this kind is Stonehenge, a famous pile or monument of huge ftones on Salifbury Plain, about fix miles diftant from that city. Antiquaries are very much divided in their opinions concerning the origin and ufe of this furprifing fabric. Many of them take the ftones to be artificial, and to have been made on the fpot, thinking them too un- vrieldy for land-carriage j but Inigo Jones is pofi- tive they are all natural, and whoever examines the grain of them exa£Hy will be of his opinion. This celebrated architedl, in a treatife publifhed in 1658, ftrives hard to perfuade us that it was a Roman temple. Others, reading the name Stone-^ Hengift, maintain it to have been a monument eredted in memory of Hengift, the firft general of the Saxons in England, Some will have it to have been the burial-place of Ambrofius, King of the Britons ; and others, that it was raifed by that prince in memory of the Britons, who were there llaughtered by the Saxons. But no author has handled this matter fo fully and clearly aji.
D 4 Dr.
56 The WONDERS or
Dr. Stukely, who feems to have made it more than probable that it was a temple of the Britifh Druids*, and the chief of all their temples in this ifland. We fhall therefore borrov/ a fliort account of it from the dodlor's learned diifertation on this fubjecl.
Stonehenge is fituated on a rifing ground, and makes a grand and awful appearance, efpecially as we approach it on the north-eaft, which fide re- mains moft perfeft. It is encompaffed by a cir- cular ditch or trench, which having pafied, we af- cend thirty-five yards before we come at the work itfelf. The whole confifts of four circles of ftones, or rather two circles and two ovals, the outermoft being about a hundred and eight feet in diameter. Of the outer circle, which origi-
* The Druids were the priefts or minifters of religion among the ancient Britons, Gauls, and Germans 5 and being chofen out of the beft families, the honours of their birth, to- gether with thofe of their fun6lion, procured them the higheft veneration. Nor had they only the adminftration of faci ed things, but were the judges and arbiters of all affairs indif- ferently, both publick and private 5 and fuch as difobeyed their decifions were excommunicated, which was their princi- pal punifhment. Every nation had an Arch-Druid, or high- prieft, who a6led with abfolute authority over all the reft. We know but little as to their peculiar do6lrines, only that they believed the immortality of the foul. They ftudied af- trology, geometry, natural philofophy, and morality ; and being in the greatefl eft-em, the Britifh and Gaulifti youth flocked to them for inftru6lion. The children of the nobility (according to Mela) retired with them into caves and forefts, where they fometimes lived twenty years under their tuition. They preferved the memory of the actions of great men in their verfes, which they never allowed to be wrote down, but made their pupils learn them by heart. They had the Mifle- toe in fingular veneration, gathering it every year with abun- dance of ceremony. Hiftory informs us, that upon fome ex- traordinary occafions they offered human facrifices ; but the cuftom was condemned by Auguftus, and entirely abolifhed by the fucceeding emperors.
NATURE AND ART. 57
nally confifted of fixty ftones, that is , thirty up- rights and thirty impofts, there are feventeen up- rights left {landing, fix of which have impofts upon them, and two more are ftill to be feen ly- ing upon the ground, and alfo fix more uprights, Thefe ftones are of a vaft bulk, the uprights be- ing nine cubits high, exclufive of the impofts ; and the cubit is about twenty inches Englifii meafure.— The inner circle, which is about eight feet diftant from the firft, confifted of forty leffer ftones, which never had any impofts. They are flat parallelograms, like thofe of the outer circle ; and nineteen of them are yet ftanding. They are a cubit thick, and two and a half high, being juft half as big as the uprights of the outer circle. The walk between thefe two circles, which is a hundred yards in circumference, muft have been very noble and delightful when this wonderful ftrufture was entire.
Within thefe circles are the two ovals, which are the principal part of the work^ here be- ing the Adytum, or cell, into which we may fup- pofe none but the upper order of druids were to enter. This is compofed of what the do£lor calls Trilithons, each of which confifts of two upright ftones, fupporting another laid acrofs their heads and joined by mortifes. Of thefe there are five remaining, three of which are entire, and two ruined in fome meafure, but the ftones are ftill upon the fpot. From the entrance into the ady- tum, thefe trilithons are placed two and two on each fide, and one at the upper end^ which was the higheft, as the two firft on the right and left were the loweft ^ but all the ftones are of a fur- prizing magnitude. The firft trilithon on the right has fuffered much, its impoft and one of the uprights being tumbled town, and each brokeni D 5 into
5§ The WONDERS of
into three pieces. The oppofite trilithon on the left hand is ftanding, but very much decayed ; the next to it is entire, as is likewife that facing it on the right, except that one end of the impolt is fallen off, and its upper part much impaired by the weather. The trilithon at the upper end, which flood beyond the altar, was the fineft part of the whole work, the uprights having been (ac- cording to the doctor) above ten yards long, well chilfelled, anc: juftly proportioned in their dimen- fions. One of them ftands entire, but leans againft one of the ftones of the inner oval ; the other is broken in two, and lies upon the altar, as does the huge impoft it once fupported. This broken ftone (thedo&or tells us) weighs above forty tons, and would require a hundred and forty oxen to draw it, ;^ind yet is not the heavieft ftone neither. It is therefore amazing, not 6nly how fuch maffy loads were brought hither (as they muft have been) from the diftance of fifteen or fixteen miles, but to fee fo many of them placed together in a nice and critical figure, artfully joined by tenons and rnortifes, and a gecmetrical proportion cbferved through the v/hcle ftruciure. How could they manage fuch prodigious ftones as thefe, which they have fixed as it were in fockets dug in the chalk, and ramrned inlikepofts, without more irregula- rity in their height and diftance ?*
Though the fize of many of thefe ftones is enormciis
- encngh, yet they aie trifles ^<}mpaied to fome that we read of. Thofe (for ini-ance) that were ufed in building the battlement or additional Vv'all to fupport the precipice of M^ unt Moriah, on which the temple was ere61ed, were much larger than any of Stonehenge, each fione being forty cubits
- in length, fourteen in breadth, and eight in thicknefs. Per- haps tliC ancients had fome method of moving heavier weights than we now find practicable.
NATURE AND ART. 59
The inner oval confifts of lefier ftones, which rofe gradually in height from the entrance to the upper end of the Adytum. There are only fix of thefe remaining upright, with the ftumps of three or four more, and feveral lying on the ground. — As for the ftone which our author takes to have been the altar, it is of a different kind from the reft, refembling the blue coarfe marbk that is brought from Derbyftiire, and frequently ufed for tomb-ftones. It is twenty inches thick, and about twice as abroad ; but its length is not eafily ascertained, it being broken into feveral pieces, and almoft funk into the ground by the weight of the ruins fallen upon it, particularly the impoft, and one of the uprights of the great trilithon above-mentioned. — The heads of oxen, d'eer^ and other beafts, (the undoubted reliqucs of facri- fices) which have been found upon digging in and about this place, are a confirmation that Stone- henge was originally a pagan temple
* Dr. Stukely fuppofes, that Stonehenge was built not long after Cambyles invaded Egypt, and by his outrages forced the priefts and inhabitants in general to difperfe themfelves into all paits of the world. Some of thefe, he imagines, came into Britain, and introduced part of their learning, arts, and religion among the Druids, and perhaps had a hand in this very fabrick, the Hones being wrought v^ith a tool, which he thinks was not the cuftom of the Druids, their other works; being of rude ftone-,, after the patriarchal and Jewifh mode. At that time the Phoenician trade was at its height, whofe vefTels might convey the Egyptians to this illand j which makes our author's conjefture the more probable. This was before the building of the fecond temple of Jerufidem— What might polTibly have cleared up theie uncertainties, wa» a tablet of tin, with an infcription upon it, found at Stone- henge in the reign of king Henry VIII. But as the cha- ra6lers were not then underftood by thofe who were confulted on that occafion, the plate was deftroyed^ or at leaft thrown by and loft.
D 6 Arouni:)
6o The WONDERS of
Around this temple are a great number of Bar* rows, (as they are called) or monuments of earth thrown up in form of a bell, moft of them fur- rounded with little ditches, and fome cf them with a large circular trench of fixty or a hundred cubits in diameter. All the rifing grounds about Stonehenge. for feveral miles round, are covered with thefe barrows j from whence fome ha\ e con- cluded, that great battles have been fought upon the plain, and that the bodies of the flain were there interred : but they are in reality no other than family burying-places, and feveral of them the fingle fepulchres of kings and eminent per- fons, which are fituated near this temple, for the fame reafon that we bury in church-yards and \. onfecrated ground ; for it is obfervable, that all thefe barrows, even thofe at the greatell diftance,. are within view of Stonehenge.
In the year 1722, the late lord Pembrokeopened a barrow, and in the centre of it, about three feet under the furface, found a perfect fkeleton, the head lying north towards Stonehenge. The year following, by his lordfhip's order. Dr. Stukely opened another, and found an urn of unbaked clav, containing a heap of burnt bones, inter- mixed with a great many beads of various fhapes and colours. The collar-bone and one fide of the under-iaw remained very entire; from the fize of which, and from the female trinkets depofited in the urn, it appears to have been a young woman of fourteen or fifteen years of age, who had car- ried arms, as the Britifh virgins ufed to do, the brafs i ead of her javelin being found amongll: the remains. In the next barrow to this, inclofed within the fame trench, was found the (keleton of a man, but through length of time, the bones were exceedingly rotten and perifhed. In another
barrow
NATURE AND ART. 6i
barrow, the do£tor found all the burnt bones of a man, but no figns of an urn ; and in fome barrows, amongft the human bones, were thofe of horfes, dogs, and other animals . From thefe difcoveries our learned author thinks it evident, that the an- cient Britons had the cuftom of burning the bo- dies of their dead before the name of Rome was known.
Sylchester, which is now only a hamlet, confifting of one farm-houfe and a church, is feated in a fine open country, in the county of Hants, and on the borders of Berkfhire, lo miles from Reading, but was once a large and populous city, the celebrated Vindomia or Vindomiura of the Romans, as appears from the veftiges ftill re* maining. The walls are in many places almoft entire, and in fome near twenty feet high, having various kinds of trees, of fuch confiderable bulk growing out of them, that within twenty years paft, they are faid to have yielded near a thoufand pounds worth of timber. Thefe walls are chiefly built with flints, though other forts of ftones are frequently intermixed, and every where, at the diftance of about two feet, there is a ftratum or layer of broad flag-ftones, which was probably in- tended to prevent the flint and other fmall ftones from falling fo readily, if battered by thofe en- gines called by the Romans Battering Rams. On the fouth, fouth-eaft, and fouth-weft fides, the walls are at leaft fourteen feet thick ; but the north fide is lefs fubftantial, probably on account of its being ftrengthened by a mote, which the fprings would always keep full; for on that fide the ditch ftill remains, and is in many places filled with water. The form of the city is irregular, but feems to have been intended for an hexagon. There were four gates pointing to the four quar- - ' tersa
62 The WONDERS or
ters, and juft without the eaft-gate, at about a hundred yards diftance from the wall, are the re- mains of a Roman amphitheatre, which appears to have been fix feats deep. The area is now made a horfe-pond, but the water might be eafily let ofF, the veftiges of the old drains being ftill to be feen, and might be opened with little difficulty. On the fouth-fide of the wall there is ftill a fally-port, and part of a fubterraneous paffage.
The contents of the land within the walls is about an hundred acres, which is nearly as much as was included within the walls of London ; and on the outfide of them, there were doubtlefs con- fiderable buildings ; for at about the diftance of 300 yards from the walls, there is a bank and ditch, which covers near two-thirds of the city, on thofe parts where the ground is firm, and the city was moft likely to be attacked. Befides thefc veftiges, at about the diftance of a mile and a half from the walls to the north-weft, is a village called the Soak ; near it are the remains of a camp, which, by the form, appears not to be Ro- man ; and about half a mile from the Soak, is a bank and ditch, which extend feveral miles; but as they do not feem to environ the city, they were probably no part of the works of fecurity, but are of a more modern date.
This city v/as well fituated for health, but not for the conveniencies of life ; for there is no river within many miles of it, and only a little rivulet, which rifes in Kingflere hill% and running within a mile of the walls, difcharges itfelf into the river Kennett, at Reading. There is indeed one fpring within the walls, near the eaft-fide, which, from the pieces of leaden pipes that have been dug up, feems to have fupplied good part of the city with water. Indeed there are many fprings without
NATURE AND ART. 63
the walls, and perhaps there might be wells enpugh within, to afford water fufficient to enable the in- habitants to fuftain a fiege.
The ftreets of the city were regular, and inter- fered each other at equal dillances ; the one part running from eaft to weft, and the other extend- ing from north to fouth, as may be evidently feen by the corn growing in the fields, efpecially if viewed before harveft ; where you may trace not only the ftreets, but the foundations of many houfes, fome of which feem to have been very large, the contents of many of the rooms being thirty-three feet by twenty-eight. The city ap- pears to have been burnt, from the great quantity of afties and charcoal that is now dug up, without any timber ; and many pieces of the coin, which are dug up, are fo burnt, as to be deprived of the phlogiiton-principle, and capable of being reduced to powder.
In or near the middle of the city, are fome re- mains of a temple, which appears to have been dedicated to Hercules, from an infcription on a piece of grey marble dug out of the foundation by Mr. Stair of Aldermafton in Bucks.
Camden informs us, that this city was rebuilt by Conftantius, but has not been able to tell us by whom it was firft eredled. It was, however, probably built by the ancient Britons, for they very early learned the method of building forts from the Phoenicians ; and Mr. Stair, in digging under the old buildings, and taking up the Roman pavements, with their foundations, difcovered other foundations of an older date, and of a dif- ferent workmanfliip, compofed of rough flint ftones, and a gravelly mortar. What confirms this coiijefture of thefe being the works of the ancient Britons, is, that Britifh coins have been
found
64 The WONDERS of
found there, among which is one of gold, and another of filver, very perfect, and extreniely well preferv^ed, now in the pofieffion of Mr. Stair.
The materials dug up from the ruins are Ro« man pavements, Roman tiles, pieces of coarfe marble, pieces of round free-ftone pillars, fquarc free-ftones fluted at the edges, fome of them very large; pieces of ftatues, but none entire; pieces of copper veflels ornamented ; the bones of various animals, and what is very extraordinary, without the walls, to the eaftward, a human fkeleton was dug up, that was full nine feet long.
The coins, which have been found here in great abundance, are of gold, filver, copper, and Co- rinthian brafs; fome are only cafed with filver, and others only gilt. Among thefe coins, as we have already obferved, are fome that are ancient Britifli, and the reft are Roman. Some of the latter are confular, and the reft are of moft of the ' emperors and empreffes, from Auguftus down to Maximus, in or near whofe reign the city was probably deftroyed ; for though a great number of coins are found of almoft all the emperors and emprelTes, (except Otho) yet not one has been found of any Roman monarch fince Maximus, nor any Saxon or Danifh coins at all, which there probably would have been, had the city fubfifted after his time. It muil be obferved, that Mr» Stair has in his pofleflion above two thoufand coins in gold, filver, copper, and brafs, which have been dug up here, on moft of which the infcrip- tions are entire, though the reverfes are* moftly different. Two onyx-ftones, on one of which was depicted a cock picking out of a Cornu- copia, or Horn of Plenty; and the other had thefe four letters ZACP. They were each of the fize of common feals, and both of an oval form.
Among
NATURE AND ART. 65
Among the antiquities of England, and per- haps of any other country in the world, none de- ferve a particular defcription more than the once ancient and beautiful city of Old Sarum, which ftands at the diftance of one mile north of the city of Salifbury, and was formerly the fee of a bifliop, who had a cathedral here. This city was per- fedlly round, and, v/hen in^ its profperity, toge- ther with its lofty caftle, rifmg from the centre of the city, muft doubtlefs have afforded a very grand and formidable appearance, the whole being built on a large hill, thati:ommands a beautiful and ex- tenfive profpeil:, which, with immenfe labour, was reduced to an uniform circular figure. The city was near two thoufand feet in diameter, en- compalfed by a ditch of great depth, and two ram- parts, the inner and the outer. On the inner, which is much higher than the outer, flood a wall, near twelve feet broad at its bafe, formed of flint and chalk, ftrongly cemented together, and cafed with hewn ftone-work, on which was a parapet with battlements quite round. Of this wall there are ftill large remains to be feen on the north- weft fide.
At a confiderable diftance on the fummit of the hill, which was in the centre of the whole cir- cumference, ftood the caftle or citadel, furrounded with a deep intrenchment, and a high rampart. In the area under the caftle is a wide fpace be- tween the before-mentioned inner and outer ram- parts, in which ftood the city, which was divided into equal parts, north and Jouth ; and near the middleof each divifionwere the gates, which formed the two grand entrances, and were dire£lly oppo- fite to each other. Each of thefe gates had a tower over it, and before it was a mole of great ftrength. Befides thefe, there were ten other
tov/ers.
66
The wonders of
towers, which extended, at equal diftances, quite round the city ; and oppofite to them, in a ftraight line with the caftle, were built the principal ftreets of the city, interfedled in the middle by one grand circular ftreet, that went quite round. , The area on which the city ftood, thus fur- rounded with walls, ramparts, towers, and a deep intrenchment, was alfo, for its greater fecurity, divided into nearly equal parts by other intrench- ments and ramparts, by which means, if one part was taken, the other was ftill defenfible ; and if the whole of the outworks were in the hands of an enemy, the befieged might retire into the caftle^^ v/hofe walls," from the large fragments and foun- dations that are left, appear to have been impreg- nable. There feems to have been but one grand entrance into the caftle, which was on the eaft, through a narrow gate of immenfe ftrength, from whence a double winding llair-cafe led to the top. There appears to have been five wells, all of them long fince filled up, four in the city, and one in the caftle, chiefly defigned to fupply the garrifon and the inhabitants in time of war, or in cafe of a fiege, the river being about half a mile diftant.
Whether Julius Caefar puftied his conquefts thus far, is controverted; but that it was fre- quented by the Romans, is moft certain, from the coins of Conftans, Magnentius, Conftantine and Crifpus, often found there. Kenrick the Saxon, after he had conquered the Britons in the year 553, was the firft that got pofteffion of this place. He often refided here, and it was pofleffed by the Weft-Saxon kings, his defcendants, till Egbert brought the whole heptarchy under his power. King Edgar, who was defcended from him, called a great council or parliament here in 960. But in the year 1003, it was taken by king Swain,
Vv'ho
NATURE AND ART. 67
who halving pillaged and burnt part of it, returned with his army to his fliips, loaded with wealth.
About three miles from Woodftock in Ox- fordfhire, is a monument of antiquity, called Roll rich-Stones, fomething of the nature of Stonehcnge, it being a circle of ftones of an irregular figure, but not above five feet high, fome few excepted. Mr, Toland takes them to be the remains of an old Britifli temple ; others fuppofe they v/ere raifed in memory of a vi£lory obtained by Rollo the Dane, or on occafion of his being proclaimed king of England by his army. That they were ere£led on account of the corona- tion of fome of the Danifli kings, feems indeed to be the moft probable conjecflure *
Amongst the antiquities of this kind we majr reckon the Hurlers, a number of large ftones in three circles, on a Down not far from Bodmin in Cornwall. They are oblong, rough, and un- hewn ; and take their name from a fuperftitious opinion of the vulgar, that they were men tranf- formed into ftones for profaning the fabbath, by Hurling the ball, an exercife for which the people of that county are particularly famous. Some take them for trophies ereded in memory of a battle ; others for boundaries to diftinguifh lands; and others, with more probability, for fepulchral monuments ; but Dr. Stukely will have it to have
* At a little dlftance from this circle of ftones there is one larger than tlie relt, which the country-people call the King, fvom a fabulous tradition amongft them not worth mention- ing ; but (as the author of the Addenda to Mr. Camden obicrves) this may pofTibly be the Kongftolen belonging to the circles of ftoues, ufually raifed for the coronation of the norihern kings, as Wormius informs us; efpecially fmce we hMn from the fame author, that this Kongftolen, though connnonly placed in the middle, was yet fometimes- at a di- ftance from t-ht circle.
been
The wonders of
been a temple of the Druids, as well as Stone- henge on Salifbury Plain.
'I HESE circles of ftones are frequent in Wales, where we likewife find many other monuments of a different kind, which may be reckoned among thofe unaccountable antiquities that are beyond the reach of hiftory. As a fpecimen of the reft, we fhall mention that called Arthur's Stone, upon Kevn-bryn, a mountain in Glamorganfhire. This is a vaft unwrought ftone, weighing about twenty tons, fupported by fix or fcven others not more than four feet high, fet round in a circle. They are all of the mill-ftone kind, which is the natural ftone of the mountain ; and it is faid, that feveral tons have been broken off the great one for that ufe. The carriage and fixing this huge ftone upon its fupporters, is plainly the efFedl of human art and labour, which muft have been more than we can eafily conceive. There are feveral other mo- numents of this fort in Wales, which are gene- rally fuppofed to have been places of burial.
In Hoy, one of the Orkney iflands, there is a very remarkable ftone called the Dwarf-Stone, thirty-fix feet long, eighteen broad, and nine thick. It is all hollowed within, having an en- trance on one fide about two feet fquare, with a ftone of the fame dimenfions lying near it, which undoubtedly was intended for a door. Within, at the fouth end of it, there is the form of a bed and pillow, big enough for two perfons, neatly cut out of the ftone. At the north end there is an- other bed or couch, and in the middle is a fire- place, with a hole above it for a chimney. The marks of the workman's tool are very evident about it ; and it is generally fuppofed to have been a hermitage.
Amongst
NATURE AND ART. 69
Amongst the antiquities of Britain we ought to mention the famous Pifts Wall, which crofled the whole ifland from Newcaftle upon Tyne to the Irifti fea, above eighty miles in extent. It was built by the Romans, to prevent the Pidls and Scots from making their inroads, as they fre- quently did, into the fouthern parts of the ifland. The emperor Adrian firfl threw up a wall of earth, flrengthened with large flakes drove into the ground, and wreathed together with wattles. This was repaired in the year 123 by the emperor Severus, who added to it feveral ftone-turrets, near enough to give an alarm from one to another by the found of a trumpet. Having been feveral times defl:royed by the Pifts, and repaired by the Romans, at laft iEtius, a Roman general, re- built it of ftone in the year 430 ; but it was foon after ruined by the Pidts, and no longer regarded but as a boundary * between the two nations. This wall was eight feet thick and twelve feet high, and the remains of it are ftill to be feen in feveral parts of Cumberland and Northumberland. The higheft piece of it that is now left ftanding between Carlifle and Newcaftle, is about Thirle- wall, where it is near three yards high; but the far greater part of it has been carried off to build houfes, or to make fences about the neighbouring grounds ; and in fome places whole towns Hand at this time upon the very foundation,
Ireland is not fo full of antiquities as Great- Britain, though not deftitute of fuch curiofities. About a mile from Caftle-Connei:^ in the county
* Towards the end of the laft century was found in the rubbilh of this wall a winged image of brafs, about fix inches long, agreeing well enough with the defcription which ibme of the ancients have given us of the god Terminus, whom ihey ufcd to lay in the foundations of their boundaries,
of
70 The WONDERS of
of Rofcommon, there is a round hill, into which an entrance was difcovered in 164c, and feveral fquare chambers found within it, built with large ftones, and communicating with each other by circular paflages. — In the hill, or rather rock of Corren, many ftrange receflbs have been formed ; and before thefe caves there is a path cut out of the rock, about a hundred paces in length. This w^ork, which the country people call the Giant's Houfe, is fuppofed to be either Irifti or Danifn. — An ancient marble fepulchre was dug up at Dub- lin in 1646, containing coals, aflies, and human bones, which is reckoned to have belonged to the Danes before their converficn to chriftianity. — Urns, altars, trumpets, &c. have been difcovered in the county of Tyrone, in the province of Ul- fter, of which an account is given in the Philofo- phical Tranfaelions.
If the reader would be more fully informed of the curious remains of antiquity to be feen in thefe kingdoms, we refer him to Camden, and other authors who have profeffedly wrote on that fub- je£l, and proceed to give a brief defcription of fome of our moft remarkable buildings, ancient and modern.
BUILDINGS.
OF all the churches in England, or even in Europe, (if we except St. Peter's at Rome) the moft famous is St. Paul's cathedral in Lon- don y one of the moft magnificent and beautiful ftruitures that any modern age has produced, though theeftedt it ought to have is much cramped by the great crowd of buildings with which it is too clofely furrounded. Some indeed have cen- fured it for its heavinefs ; but thefe critics have neither made allowance for its difadvantageoi:«
fituation,
NATURE AND ART, 71
fituation, nor confidered feparately the beauty and proportion of every part, in order to enter into the nature and defign of the whole compofition. Let this be done by any one who underftands the rules of archite£]"ure, and we may venture to affirm, that St. Paul's will be found no more liable to the objeftion of being a heavy pile, than St. Peter's itfelf.
It is built of fine Portland ftone, after the mo- del of St. Peter's at Rome, having two ranges of pilafters on the outfide, one above another, be- fides twenty columns at the eaft, and four at the weft-end, and thofe of the porticoes. There is a very handfome afcent to the weft portico, which is Supported by twelve columns, and eight above •them fupport a pediment, in which is a noble bafs- relief, reprefenting the hiftory of St. Paul's Con- verfion. The afcent to the north portico is by twelve fteps of black marble, the dome whereof is raifed upon fix columns, over which are the queen's arms fupported by two angels, and under their feet a lion and an unicorn. To the fouth portico we afcend by twenty- five fteps, and over the door- cafe is a phcenix in flames, with the word Refur- gam underneath it. The iron baluftrade which runs round the church is very beautiful, the ex- pence of which amounted to above eleven thou- fand pounds, there being near three hundred tons of iron in it, which coft fixpence a pound. The pillars which fupport the roof and cupola, or dome, are very large, and all adorned with pilafters of the Corinthian and Compofite orders. Round the infide of the cupola, where the Converfion of St. Paul is finely painted by the late Sir James Thorn- . hill, runs a handfome gallery, which has iron rails. Here a whifper, or even the tick- ing of a watch, may be heard diftindly, at the
diftance
72 The WONDERS of
diftance of more than a hundred feet. Above the dome, on the outfide, there is a neat gilded bal- cony, and above that a ftone lanthorn near feventy feet high, with a ball and gilt crofs at the top. The floor of the choir is paved with marble, and the altar-piece has four beautiful pilafters, painted and veined with gold, in imitation of Lapis Lazuli.
At the weft end of the cathedral is a curious marble ftatue of the late queen Anne, holding a fceptre in one hand, and a globe in the other, furrounded with four beautiful emblematical fi- gures, reprefenting Great Britain, France, Ire- land, and America.
The whole expenceof this magnificent fabriclc, from laying the foundation of it to the preCcnt time, is computed at above a million fterling. Its length from eaft to weft. Including the portico, is 500 feet ; its breadth, including the north and fouth porticoes, 31 1; and its heighth, from the ground to the top of the crofs, 344. The heighth of the turrets at the weft end is 208 feet, and of the body of the church, 120. Upon the whole, we may conclude, that if Sir Chriftopher Wren's plan had been followed, according to which this cathedral was to have had an area fuitable to its bignefs, all the principal ftreets to have been laid in dire6l lines upon rebuilding the city after the fire, the houfes built uniform, and placed on pi- azzas, the parifh-churches difpofed in proper points of view, &c. if this had been done, St. Paul's would not only have appeared to much greater advantage, but the fymmetry arifing from fo many beautiful viftos would perhaps have fur- paffed any thing that has yet been feen in the world.
Let us now take a view of that ancient and venerable pile, the abby-church of St. Peter,
Weft-
NATURE AND ART. 73
Weftminfter, which was fifty years in building, and which has been the burial-place of moft of the Britifli monarchs. The form of the church is a long crofs, and the choir, which has an afcent of feveral fteps to a beautiful altar-piece, is paved with black and white marble. The whole length of the Abbey is about 490 feet, the breadth of the weft end 66, that of the crofs-illc 189; and the height of the middle roof is 92. The pillars are of Suflex marble, and are fifty in number, befides near the fame number of pilafters. There are 94 windows, of which thofe at the four ends of the church are very fpacious ; which, with the roofs, doors, arches, &c. are all of the ancient Gothic order. The outfide was adorned with many ftatues of kings, moft which are nov/ de- cayed. Some figures of the apoftles in Gothic niches ftill remain, and a vaft number of fmall fi- gures in relievo.
Of the chapels, which contain the funeral monuments of our kings and nobility, that built by Henry VII. is particularly beautiful, at the eaft end of which is a large window with fine painted glafs, and at the weft end three fpacious portals of folid brafs, which open into the room where the lower houfe of Convocation formerly fat. The roof, which is all of ftone, is divided into fixteen circles of moft curious workmanftiip, and fupport- ed by pillars and arches of the Gothic order, en- riched with figures of fruit and other ornaments. Here are likewife a great many ftatues in niches, which look like kings, queens, &c. having angels under them fupporting imperial crowns ; but they are commonly taken for faints or martyrs. Ijn this chapel is the tomb of the royal founder and his queen, whofe figures lie on it at full length, in folid brafs richly gilt 5 and at each corner is an
Vol. L E angel
fj^^ The wonders 01^
gingel In the fame metah On the fides of the pc- ' diftal are two Cupids fupporting the king's arms, and an imperial crown, an angel treading on a I dragon, and various other figures. The fcreen or • fence round this tomb is alfo offolid brafs, adorn- I ed with pillars and arches, and enriched with rofei and other ornaments, all of excellent workman- fhip, — But a more particular account of this and all the other ftately tombs and monuments that adorn ; this Abbey, would much exceed the room we can ^ allow them here ; we (hall therefore only add, i that of the modern ones among the fineft arc reckoned thofe of the late duke and his mother the dutchefs of Buckinghamfliire, in the chapel ; we have been defcribing j and in the Abbey thofc i of the duke of Argyle, Sir Ifaac Newton, Sir God- frey Kneller, Lord Stanhope, Capt. Cornwall, Sir ' Peter Warren, Sir Charles V/ ager. General Gueft, the duke of Argyle, General Wade, Shake- fpear, and Prior. B'^fides thefe there are a great num- ber, that are curious pieces of fculpture, per- | formed by the beft ftatuaries. — Perhaps fome per- ] fons may think it juft worth mentioning, that in | Edward the Confeflbr's chapel are kept the two chairs, in which our kings and queens have been ! crowned ever fince the time of Edward I. who brought hither, among other fpoils taken from the j Scots, the famous marble-ftone placed under one of the chairs, on which the kings of Scotland had \ been crowned for many ages. \ We now proceed to the famous Minfter or \ Catherdral of York, which is dedicated to St* Peter, built in the Gothic tafte, and by fome cfteemed the fineft in England, if not fuperior to any thing of the kind in Italy 5 for here the \ rules of proportion have been obferved much more, ^ that what is ufually found in other Gothic ftruc- j
tures. i
NATU RE^ ^ND ART. 75 f
tures. The weft front is adorned with two regu- lar towers, bound together and fupported by the ] largeft Gothic arch in Eurd^^, under which is the | principal entrance into the chtm:4w Over this arch is a magnificent window, as there is another ; at the eaft end, which can never be fufficiently ad- i mired, being upwards of thirty feet in breadth, and feventy-five in height, and beautifully paint- ^ ed with the hiftory of the Bible in a hundred j and feventeen partitions. The moft remarkable deficiency is in the lanthorn fteeple, which termi- nates but indilFerently , though it is finely orna- ^ mented, and has eight ftately windows, meafuring ] forty-five feet from top to bottom. The ftonc • fcreens at the ends of the choir are beautifully ] wrought, one of which feparates it from the mid- dle of the church, and the other terminates it be- \ hind the altar, to which there is a graceful afcent of fixteen fteps. The carved wood-work of the ] choir is very ancient, and adorned with a great many j knotted pinacles. The fouth end of the cathe- ] dral is beautified with a circular window, called ^ the marigold window, the glafs being ftained of j that colour ; and at the north end are five lights } reaching almoft from top to bottom, faid to have j been erefted at the charge of five maiden fifters, ^ which may be confidered as one ftately window^ i the painting on which reprefents a rich embroi- dery of Mofaic needle-work. — The chapter-houfe* i
• Pope Plus the fecond is faid to have very much admired the cathedral here defcribed, extolling it for its wonderful magnificence and workmanfliip, and for a lightfome chape), with glazed walls united by (lender pillars. This chapel is the chapter-houfe, which is confefTedly one of the neateft 'i ftru6lures in England, having the following line written om it in letters of gold ,
Ut rofa flos florum, fic eft domus ifta domorum. ' TUe|ingle would be loft in Englifh : but it implies, that this ; >uilUmg excels others, as much as the rofc does other flovrers.
^ Z is
76 The WONDERS op
is an oflogon Gothic building, fixty-three feet in diameter, with windows of painted glafs, and finifhed with an arch or concave about 68 feet in height. The roof, which has been finely paint- ed and carved, but is now much fullied, has not a pillar to fupportit, but depends entirely upon one pin, placed geometrically in the centre. It has- thirty-two ftalls round it, all of fine marble. — In the veftry-room are preferved fcveral antiquities, particularly the famous horn, fo called from its fliape, but made of ivory, by which one Ulphus, a Saxon governor, difinherited his two fons, and beftowed his whole eftate on this cathedral *.— We have only to give the dinienfions of this mag- nificent ftru£lure, which are as follow. Its length from eaft to weft is 524 feet ; from north to fouth 280. The height of the body of the Min- fter is about ico feet, and the top of the lanthorn without is 234 feet from the ground. — And we may add, that in the fouth tower there is a deep peal of twelve bells, the tenor of which weighs fifty-nine hundred weight.
Having done with Weftminfter and YorJc, we ought not to defer any longer our defcription of the beautiful cathedral at Salifbury, which, of a Gothic ftru£lure, is certainly the moft elegant in the kingdom. It was begun in the year 1219, and finifhed in 1258, when it was confecrated in the prefence of King Henry III, and 4 great
* Camden relates, from an old author, that " Ulphus find- •* ing fome difference like to happen between his eldeft and youngeft fon about the lordfliips after his death, took this method to make them equal. He let out for York, taking along with him the horn he ufed to drink out of, filled it with wine, and kneeling before the altar, beftowed upon God and St. Peter all his lands and tenements."— This horn, after being kept in the Minfter till the i6th century, was jnifling for a long time, but was recovered by Henry Lord Fairfax, and there remains ?it prefent.
number
NATURE AND ART. 77
number of the bifliops and nobility. It coft above 26,0001. which was a very large fum for thofe days. The fpire, which is of free-ftone, ftands in the centre of the cathedral, and is defervedly ad- mired, being the higheft in the kingdom, viz. 410 feet from the ground, which is twice the height of the monument in London. It is there* fore furprifing to think, that the walls of it, upon examination after the great ftorm in 1703, were found near the top to be little more than four inches thick. Since this they have been ftrength- ened with bands of iron, which perhaps may pre- ferve the fpire as long as the reft of the building. In fhort, the outfide of this cathedral is truly magnificent, but the infide does not come up to it ; for though the carving, what little there is of it, is good, the painting is but indifferent. It is remarked of this fine ftrudture, that its doors are equal in number to the months of the year, its windows to the days, and its pillars and pilafters to the hours*. 1 he latter are a fort of fufile or caft marble, the art of making which is either quite loft, or little underftood. There is no afcent to the choir, which fomewhat refembles a theatre, being painted with golden pannels, intermixed with garlands of rofes and other flowers, which run round the tops of the prebendaries ftalls. The pillars which fupport the bifhop's throne are gilt, and it is painted all over with flowers upon white.
* Thefe remarkable circumftances are fummed up In tho following lines, which are a tranflation of fome Latin ones to the fame purpofe :
As many days as in one year there be.
So many windows in one church we fee :
As many marble pillars there appear.
As there are hours throughout the fleeting year ;
As many gates as moons one year does view :
Strange tale to tell, yet not more ftrangcthan xvue.
E 3 As
78 The WONDERS of
As to the dimenfions of this church, the length of it from eaft to weft, including the buttreffes, is 478 feet ; that of the tranfept from north to fouth 210 ; and the height of the vaulting is 80. — But we muft not forget the chapter-houfe, which is an oftogon, no lefs than 150 feet in circumference, ai>d yet the roof has no other fupport than a fmall marble pillar in the centre ; fo that it is reckoned a curiofity fcarce to.be matched in Europe.
Here we fhall juft mention the cathedral of Lincoln, though perhaps it fhould naturally have followed that of York, there being a contention between them which has the preference in ex- tent, though we think it ought to be decided iir favour of York. In point of fituation however that of Lincoln has infinitely the advantage, as it ftands on a high hill, which makes it conspicuous to a vaft diftance The middle tower is reckon- ed the higheft in the kingdom, and had formerly a fpire, but at prefent there are only four ordinary pinacles, one at each corner. The catharine- wheel windows are very curious, as are alfo the chapter-houf€,cloyfters, and library. The circum- ference of the famous great bell here, ufually called Tom of Lincoln, is 22 feet 8 inches : it weighs near five tons, and will hold 424 gallons ale-meafure.
As we are not far from Bofton, it is proper to take notice of its church, which is reckoned thelargeft parifh-church without crofs-ifles in the whole world, being 300 feet long within the walls, and 100 feet wide. Its roof, which is handfome- ly cieled with Irilh oak, is fupported by 24. tali
♦ The Monks concluded, from the magnificence and ele- vation of this ftrufture for divine worfhip, that the Devil muft needs look upon it with an envious eye ; and hence the pio- verb of a man who has malice and envy in his countenance. He looks a» the Devil over Lincoln.
NATURE AND ART. 79
and flender pillars. The tower or fteeple Is fa- mous for its height aud workmanfhip, being 100 yards high, including the o£togon lanthorn on the top, which is admired for the thinnefs of the ftone-work. This extraordinary height makes it vifible a long way on every fide, and efpecially towards the lea ; fo that it is a very ufeful guide to mariners on that dangerous coaft, as well as the wonder of travellers. — Grantham in this county has alfo a fine large church, with a fpire fteeple 280 feet high, which is generally reported to ftand awry ; but this is a vulgar error.
Since we have mentioned fome parifli- churches^ we ought by on means to forget that of Fairford In Gloucefterlhire, remarkable for its twenty- eight windows of the fineft painted glafs in i.^ng- land. They contain the material Hiftories of the Old and New Teftament, from the ferpent's tempting Eve, to the afcenfion of our Saviour, and the defcent of the Holy Ghoft in cloven tongues* Inthe weft window theLaft Judgment is admirably reprefented ; and in other windows are the figures of the twelve apoftles, the four evangelifts, and fome of the principal fathers of the church. The whole was defigned by the celebrated Albert Durer, an Italian ; and the colouring in the dra- pery, and fome of the figures, is fo well performed^ that Vandyke was of opinion, it could not be ex- ceeded by the pencil. This beautiful glafs was taken by Mr. John Tame, a merchant of Lon- don, in a prize-fhip bound for Rome ; who, hav- ing purchafed the manor of king Henry VII, built this church at Fairford, on purpofe to adorn it with the glafs, which was buried in the grand rebellion, and by much care fince has been pre- ferved entire to this day.
E 4 if
8o The WONDERS or
If we look into Scotland, we fliall find many ancient and magnificent churches, which we can- not here particularly defcribe. The Great high Kirk at Edinburgh (formerly its cathedral) de- ferves to be mentioned, which is built of hewn ftone in form of a crofs, and ftands in the High- ftreet in the centre of the city. It is adorned with fome ftone-pillars and arches, but is moft re- markable for its lofty tower, with a large open cu- pola of curious workmanftiip, reprefenting an im- perial crown ; of which that over St. Nicholas's church in Newcaftle is a model, but does not come up to it by far.
The cathedral at Glafgow, is a vaft and {late- ly edifice, dedicated to St. Mungo, v/ho was bi- fliop here about the year 560. The feveral rows of pillars, the high towers, and the lofty fpire (the higheft in Scotland) that rifes from a fquare tower in the middle of the crofs, £hew the (kill of the architeft, and furprife the beholders.
The church of St. Magnus, at Kirkwall, in Pomona, the chief of the Orkney iflands, (for- merly a cathedra], but now only a parifh church) is a beautiful and magnificent ftrudlure, which in this part of the world is the more furprifing. It is built of free-ftone, and has a fine fteeple in the middle of it ere£led on four large pillars, with fourteen others on each fide, which fupport the jcof. Its three gates are chequered with red and white poliflied ftones, embofled and elegantly flowered. — But it is time to have done with this part of our fubjeft, on which perhaps the reader may think we have dwelt too long already.
After this account of the facred edifices that adorn our Ifland, it is proper to give a brief dc- fcrlption of fome of the royal palaces ^ amongft which, whether we regard the ftrufture or the
pleafantnefs
NATURE AND ART. 8i
pleafantnefs of the fituation, Windfor-Caftle de^ lervedly claims the pre-eminence. This place appeared fo charming a fpot to William the con- queror, that having purchafed it, by exchange, of the monks of Weftminfter- Abbey, he built here a hunting-feat, and had feveral little lodges, for the conveniency of his fport, in the adjoining foreft. It was afterwards rebuilt by Henry 1. and in the reign of Richard I. we find it looked upon as a place of ftrength : but its prefent mag- nificence is chiefly owing to Edward III, who en- larged, altered, and beautified it at avail expence*; not but that moft of his fucceflbrs feem to have taken a pleafure in contributing to its grandeur.
The whole confifts of two fquare courts, be- tween which ftands the round tower, wherein are very neat apartments for the governor. In the middle of the inner fquare, called the Higher ward, which is properly the royal palace, we fee a fine equeftrian ftatue of King Charles the Second, who took great delight in this place, and very much beautified the lodgings with curious paintings and other ornaments, A noble terrace-walk f , bounds
♦ William of Wickham (afterwards bifhop of Winchef^ ter) had the dire6lion of the work 3 and it is faid he cauf- ed thefe words. This made Wickham, to be cut in the wall of the little tower, which from him is called Winchefter tower to this day : but this infcription, which rendered it dubiou$ whether he made the caftle or the caftle made him, had like to have loft him his Majefty's favour, till he cleared it up by mfTuring the King, that he did not afTumc tlie honour or the ivork to himfelf, but only meant that the caftle had been the making of him, by the riches and reputation the building of it had gained him.
f This terrace was added by Queen Elizabeth, who gene- rally ufed to walk there an hour before dinner, if not hinder- ed by windy weather, to which ftic had a peculiar averfion ; but (he liked well enough to walk in a calm rain, with an um- lireUa over her head,
E 5 tht
82 The WONDERS of
the outfide, and afFords a delightful and cxtenfivd profpedt over the neighbouring country. This walk is very fpacious on the north-fide, and is •vcr-looked by the royal apartments j thofe of King Edward the Third, which were on the north-fide, being now allotted (with the reft of the fquare) to the great officers of the crown. The guard-chambers are well furnifhed with arms, which are curioufly difpofed in a great varie- ty of figures ; and the cieling of one of them is finely painted, reprefenting Britannia feated on a globe, the Indies fupplying her with wealth, and Europe offering her an imperial diadem. Nothing can exceed the beauty of St. George's- HaU, at the upper end of which we fee the pic- ture of King William on horfeback, and under- neath him appears to be an afcent of ten marble fteps ; but when we come almoft clofe to them, we find the flcill of the painter had impofed upon us, and are agreeably furprifed at the deception. One fide of this noble room is adorned with fi* gures as big as the life, reprefenting Edward III. re- ceiving his triumphant fon the Black Prince, who prefents to his father the kings of France and Scotland Prifoners. At the weft end of the hall is the chapel royal, which is finely painted with fcripture hiftories ; and the carved work is at leaft equal to any in the kingdom. In the prefence- chamber we fee a Judith and Holofernes, as alfo a Magdalen, both finiflied with a mafterly hand* In the bed-chamber the Murder of the Innocents is curioufly reprefented ; and the cieling of the clofet is adorned with the ftory of Leda and the Swan. In the gallery is the fine piece of the daughter giving fuck to her father in prifon. Duns ScO"=* tus, who is faid to have killed himfelf by an in- tenfe application to his ftudies, and the Mifer counting his Money, are both excellent pieces.
But
NATURE AND ART.
But it would take up too much time, as well as room, to enumerate all the admirable painting* and other curiofities that adorn this palace.
The other fquare, called the Lower Ward, is remarkable for the chapel of the Order of the Garter one of the moft beautiful pieces of an- cient workmanftiip to be feen in England. The coats of arms, and the various imagery and other ornaments, not only of King Edward III, but of feveral of the firft knights companions, are well finiftied, and have flood out againft the injury of time to admiration. In the choir are ttalls for the Knights of the order, and a throne for the fovereign; and in the middle of it are alfo ftalls for the Poor Knights (as they are called) who live in a fort of hofpital or college on the fouth fide of the fquare.
To what has been already faid of this ftately palace I fhall only add, that though it wants a garden, the beauty and pleafantnefs of its parks, and the neighbouring foreft, feem to fupply the deficiency. The little park is above three miles round, the great one about fourteen, and the foreft between thirty and forty.
• This is a military order, inftitutcd by King Edward thf Third, confiding of twenty-fix knights or companions, where- of the King of England is always fovereign or chief. Some fay it was firft ere6led in honour of a garter of the Counted of Salifbury, which flie dropped in dancing, and King Ed- ward picked up 5 but our beft antiquaries fet this account afide as fabulous, and take it to have been inftituted on oc- cafion of the vi<5lory gained over the French at Crefly, when that Prince (fay fome hiftorians) ordered his garter to be dis- play ed as a fignal of battle.
f Thefe were originally twenty-fix in number, and were to be gentlemen wounded in the wars, or impaired by indigence or age. They are now reduced to eighteen, with an allow- ance of 40I. a year each j and are obliged, by their order, to go in their robes twice a day to church, to pray for the ibve* feign and knights of the garter.
E 6 Trtt
84 The WONDERS of
The royal palace of Hampton-Court, built by the famous Cardinal Wolfey, deferv€s to be mentioned, though it might be tedious, after fay- ing fo much of Windfor-Caftle, to be particular in defcribing either the building or its ornaments. It is pleafantly fituated on the river Thames, nor is the ftru(Sture inferior to its fituation, having two very magnificent fronts, and being every way fit for the reception of a royal family. The gar- dens are exceeding beautiful ; in which particular, but in no other, it has the advantage of the palace at Windfor. The apartments are richly furnifhed, and adorned with excellent paintings ; but of all the noble pieces this palace contained, none have been much or fo defervedly admired, as the Car- toons of the celebrated Raphael, which were brought into England by King William, and are not to be matched in Europe. It is faid, that Louis XIV. offered 100,000 louis-d'ors for them, but they are valued at 400,0001. Sterling. — The reft of the royal palaces, though beautiful enough, (efpecially that at Kenfmgton) merit no particu- lar defcription ^ we ftiall therefore proceed to take a view of fome of the fine feats of our nobility.
We have already obferved, that the Duke of Devonfhire's feat at Chatfworth is reckoned one of the Wonders of the Peak, and it very well deferves the name, as it is the aftonifhment of every fpectator. This magnificent pile of build- ing is fituated on the eaft fide of the river Der- went, which in calm weather glides gently enough, but is very rapid, vvhen hafty rains or melted fnows are poured into its channel from the adjacent mountains. From the river (which has a handfome ftone bridge over it) we approach the weft front of the houfe by a venerable walk of trees. The iron gates and balufters before the
court
NATURE AND ART.
Court are a noble piece of work, which are ter- minated at the corners next the road by two large ftone pedeftals, curioufly adorned with trophies of war in Baffo Relievo*. The building is a fquare^ with a piazza of Doric columns, each of one ftone, running round the infide. The bath-room is all of marble, very curioufly wrought ; and the cielings and walls of the apartments are adorned with fine paintings by Vario, and other emi- nent matters. Scarce any thing comes up to the beauty of the chapel, the altar-end and floor be- ing all marble, the feats of cedar, and the walls and cieling painted by the befl: hands.
As to the gardens, they are full of canals, ba- fons and water-works of various forms and contri- vance ; amongfl: which is an artificial willow-tree of copper, with water dropping from the leaves. But the greatefl: curiofity of this kind is a wonder- ful cafcade, which, ilfuing from a neat ftone- building, falls down a hill a quarter of a mile in length, over fteps like a pair of fl:airs, making fuch a noife and fuch a broken appearance, as may be eafier conceived than defcribed, till at laft it finks under-ground and difappears. The green- houfes, fummer-houfes, orangeries, &c. are very beautiful, and the walks are embelliflied with fine ftatues, urns, and other proper ornaments f.
Blenheim-
* The terra Relievo is applied to a figure which proje6ls ow ftands out from the ground or plane whereon it is formed. There are three kinds of Relievo, called Alto, Mezzo, and Baffo : the firft is when the figure proje61s almoft as much as the life ; the fecond when it i'eems cut in two, only one half of it rifing from the plane ; and the laft when the work is laifed but a little from its ground, as in medals, vafes, and the frontifpieces of buildings, particularly the hiftories, felloons, foliages, and other ornaments of frizes.
t It was a fine compliment which Marfhal Tallard paid to <he lateDuke of Devonihire, who had entertained him for a
fev?
S6 The WONDERS of
Blenheim-House, at Woodftock in Oxford- fhire, is a vaftand magnificent pile of building, de- ligned to perpetuate the memory of the fignal vic- tory, obtained by t^e allies over the French and Ba- varians near the village of Blenheim on the banks of the Danube*. This noble feat, together with the manor of Woodftock, was fettled by the Britifli parliament on the Duke of Marlborough and his heirs, as a grateful acknowledgment for his bravery and conduft on that occafion. The hall is lofty, and finely painted by Sir James Thorn- hill and others. Moft of the rooms are enriched with marble chimney-pieces, tables, &c. but more by the incomparable paintings, and efpecially the hangings, reprefenting the Duke's glorious ac- tions. Among the pictures are feveral large pieces by Rubens, particularly that celebrated one of himfelf, his wife and child. The Loves of the Gods, by Titian, a prcfent from the king of Sardinia, is a valuable piece ; and King Charles !• on horfeback, by Vandyke, is very much admired*
few days at this beautiful feat 5 When I return (faid he) into my own country, and reckon up the days of my cap- tivity, I (hall leave out thofe I fpent at Chatfworth.
* It appeals from a raanufcript in the Cotton library, that there was a royal houfe at Woodftock, fo long ago as the tim« of King Alfred 5 and that King Henry I. was not the founder of it (as he is generally faid to be) but only rebuilt it. As fof Henry II. who kept his fair Rofamond here, he made fom* additions to it, for the entertainment andTecurity of his beauti- ful miftrefs : notwithftanding which, his jealous Queen, hav- ing got accefs to her in the King's abfence, as tradition fays, di^atched her by poifon. She was buried in a nunnery at Godftow, with this jingling Latin epitaph, in which there il ^ lufus verborum not to be imitated in Engliih.
Hie jacet in tumba rofa mundi, non rofa munda j.
Non redolet, fed olet, quje redolerc folet. Within this tomb lies the world's faireft rofe 5 Tho' once moft fweet, fhc'll now ofFead your nofe#
Thf
NATURE AND ART. 87
The gallery is exceeding beautiful, being lined with marble pilafters, and the pillars are of one piece, fupporting a rich and curious entablature^ Over a pediment in the front of the houfe facing the gardens is a fine marble buft of Lewis XIV, bigger than the life, taken from the gate of the citadel of Tournay. The gardens are well laid out, having fine walks, greens, efpaliers, &c. and the viftos are terminated by fome remarkable ob- jects in the neighbouring country. But of all the curiofities about this (lately edifice, perhaps none are more worthy of notice than the lofty bridge in the Park, confifting of one arch above 190 feet wide ; and the vaft obelilk erected in the principal avenue, whereon is infcribed an excel- lent fummary of the Duke's adtions and charac- ter, but too long: to be here inferted.
But of all the feats of theBritifli nobility, per- haps none deferves our obfervation more than the Karl of Pembroke's magnificent palace (for fo it may juftly be called) at Wilton near Salifbury, which was begun in the reign of Henry VIIL on the ruins of a fupprefled Abbey, and in that of Edward VL the great quadrangle was finiflied* About fixty years ago the hall-fide was burnt down, but was rebuilt in a fumptuous manner by the late Earl, then Lord high Admiral of England ; but the other parts, rebuilt by the firft Philip Earl of Pembroke, were the defign of Inigo Jones, and were finifhed in 1640. The garden-front in par- ticular, which is 194 feet long, is reckoned one of the beft pieces of that celebrated architedl* Jn the middle of the platform, which is paved with frce-ftone, there is a fine marble fountain. When we enter the houfe, on one hand is the hall, in vhic'i are a marble-fhufHe-board, and two large mi rb e-tables ; and on the other hand are two hajidf;jme parlgursj in the firft of which is a fine
pidui^
8? The WONDERS of
pl£lure of Chrift waftiing the feet of his apoftles, and another reprefenting little fhepherds and coun- try utenfils. Between this and the other parlour is a portico fupported by two beautiful pillars of black and fpotted porphyry. As to the grand apart- ment, it is allowed to be one of the nobleft in Europe; and its hall (which is twenty yards long, ten high, and as many broad) is adorned with moft admirable pidlures by Vandyke, particularly a celebrated family-piece*, twenty feet long and twelve high, the figures whereof are not only as large as the life, but feem to be alive indeed f. Hence we afcend the grand geometrical ftair-cafe, the firft of the kind in EngUnd ; at the foot of which we fee a Grecian ftatue of Bacchus, of white marble, with a young Bacchus upon his Ihoulder eating grapes, a piece of excellent fculp- ture. The whole jftair-cafe, and fome of the rooms at the top of it, are crowded with pictures done by the beft Italian and Flemifli mafters : fo is alfo an- other fine ftair-cafe, at the foot of which is a cu- rious marble ftatue of Flora. The faloon, which is ten yards fquare, is likewife adorned with fami- ly-pieces, moft of them by Sir Peter Lely. In both thefe rooms, as well as in many others, are marble chimney-pieces of curious workmanfhip, which the firft Earl of Pembroke brought over from Italy. There are fome of white marble done by Inigo Jones, than which nothing can be more beautiful ; and in one of the garrets there is a piece of black marble over the chimney, in which
* It is faid^ Sir Godfrey Kneller would have given three thourind pounds for this piece, and that the late French King offered ♦s many louis-d'ors for it as would cover it.
f There are the Earl of Pembroke (Lord chamberlain of the houihold) and his hidy fitting, with their five Ibns ftand- ing on the right, and the Earl of Carnarvon and his lady (their daughter) on the left ; and before them ftands their cldeft Iba and bis lady, a daughter of the duke of Buckingham.
Salifbury
NATURE AND ART. ]
?alifbury cathedral and its fpire may be fecn al- moft as plain as in a looking-glafs. But thefc
things arc trifles, compared to the noble collcftion j of antique buftoes that adorns this place, con-
fifting of the philofophcrs, poets, orators, &c. of |
ancient Greece and Rome ; and among the cu- ]
riofitics of this kind is a ftatue of the Egyptian ]
goddefs Ifis on a table of fine granite. In fhort, i
the houfe is filled with fuch a number of beauti- <
ful pieces, both of fculpture and painting, as !
would require a volume to defcribe ; not to men- !
tion the large heads and horns of ftags, the collec- ,|
tion of head-pieces, coats of mail, and other ar- \
niour for horfe and man which are curiofities ^
worth obfervation. — If we look into the gar- \
dens, which are exceeding beautiful, we fhall find \
enough to admire, but perhaps nothing more than ^
a magnificent bridge over a river that runs through J
them. Here is a grotto, the fr(>nt of which i > curi- ^
oufly carved, and within an black pillarsof the Ionic ;
order with white capitals, and four fine bas-reliefs i
brought from Italy. The banqueting-houfe on ;
the bowling-green is very beautiful, having an I Ionic arcade, and at the top of it a row of antique buftoes. — We are going too far; but we hope the
reader will excufe our having detained him fo long \
at this majeftic and delightful feat, which cannot i
be too much admired. I
^ We fhall now give a (hort defcription of the i
Earl of Burlington's beautiful feat at Chifwick, [
* The nioft remarkable fuits of armour in this collc(5lion
are thofe of King Henry VIII, Edward VI, and a rich fuit ]
of an Earl of Pembroke named Black Jack, which he wore I
when he bcfieged and took Bologne in France, where he com- j
manded in chief under the King. There are fome other fuits, ] which by the work fcem to have belonged to perfons of dif-
tinaion j but the reft, abgut a hundred, are only for common i horfemen.
which i
$a The WONDERS of
which for elegance of tafte is faid to furpafs arrf thing of its kind in England, if not in Europe. In the front of the houfe is a neat gravelled court, with yew-hedges on each fide ; and at a little diftance from the houfe are two rows of cedars, whofe dark and folemn (hade occafions an agree- able contraft with the white ftrucSlure that appears between them. We afcend to the houfe by a no- ble flight of fteps, on one fide of which is the ftatue of Inigo Jones, and on the other that of Palladio, two celebrated architefts. The fluted pillars that fupport the portico are of the Corin- tian order; and the cornice, frize, and architrave are as rich as poflSlble : fo that this front of the houfe gives at once furprife and pleafure to every fpe£lator. The other fronts, though plainer, have a noble boldnefs which cannot fail of plcafing, efpecially that towards the gardens. As to the infide of the houfe, it would take up too much time to defcribe its particular beauties, every thing being perfe£lly well finifhed, the cielings finely gilt and painted, and the rooms filled wirhl curious pictures, done by fome of the beft hands in Europe.
The fame elegant tafle appears in the gardens. Defcending from the houfe we enter on a lawn of grafs, planted with ever-greens, and adorned with two rows of large flone vafes. At the end next tlie houfe are two ftone wolves, and at the farther end two large lions, which are very. good pieces of fculpture. Three antique flatues, dug up at Rome, with ftone feats between them, and a clofe plantation of ever-greens behind them, ter- minate this profpeft. — On the right-hand, as we go from the houfe, we look through an open grove of trees to the orangery 5 and on the left, we have an eafy flope to a ferpentine river, on
each
NATURX AND ART. 91
•ach fide of which are clumps of ever-greens, and at the farther end is an enclofure, wherein we fee an obelifk and a Roman temple. On one fide of the river is a Wildernefs, and on the other a handfome building, which is an exa£l model of the portico of Covent-garden church. With the earth and gravel thrown up, when thig river was dug, they have raifed a fine terrace, from whence we have a view of the adjacent country, and of the boats and barges upon the Thames, which greatly enlivens the profpeft. — We fliall fay nothing of the cafcade, the engine by which the water is raifed not having anfwered the de- fign fo well as was expedled.
Now we are fpeaking of the feats of our nobi- lity, we cannot forbear mentioning a few of the many curiofities to be feen in Lord Temple's beautiful gardens at Stow in Buckiiighamfhire.— The entrance on the fouth-fide of the gardens is between two fquare pavilions of the Doric order, defigned by Sir John Vanbrugh, where imme- diately a furprifing variety of objects prefent them- felves to view. In the middle of a large o6togon of water ftands an obelifk near feventy feet ia height ; and at a diftance we fee two rivers, which join their ftreams, and fall into this fpacious re- ceptacle. On the right hand a Gothic building, dedicated to Liberty, crowns the fummit of a hill, and on the left appears a pyramid, fixty feet high, dedicated to the memory of the above- mentioned architedl. Having pafled by three fine ftatues, we come to the cold bath, from whence we be- hold a natural cafcade, or rather three, falling from the oftogon into a large lake ^ by the fide of which, in a rifing wood, flands the Hermitage ; and not far from thence the ftatues of Cain and Abel, fronting a neat ftrudture, called the Veneris
Hortus^
92 The WONDERS of
Hortus, or Garden of Venus. From the Belvi- dere a building defigned by Mr. Gibbs, which is fituated on the top of a mount, there is a noble profpeft : nor ftiould we forget the Temple of Friendfliip, from whence the pavilions at the en^ trance, the cafcade, the lake and other obje£l:s, afford all together a delightful fcene. This tem- ple is a lofty fquare building of the Doric order, with three fine porticoes on the fides that appear to the garden. The cieling is adorned with hif- torical pieces, and at the bottom of the room are ten pedeftals, on which are placed the bufts of Lord Cobham and his fele6l friends. The Tem- ple of Ancient Virtue is a rotunda * of the Doric order, by Mr. Kent ; in which are four niches filled with the ftatues of Epaminondas, Lycur- gus, Socrates, and Homer, with proper infcrip- tions over each. The Saxon temple is in a folemn grove, where the feven Saxon deities prefiding over the feveral days of the week, are placed in niches round an altar j forming a fcene that ftrikes the mind with an agreeable compofure. Bacchus's temple is a brick building, with paint- ings in the infide, fuitable to the charafter of that heathen deity. St. Auguftine's cave is made up of roots of trees and mofs, with a ftraw couch in it, and ftands in the middle of a natural wood ; which fituation, with the oddnefs of the ftrufture, makes an entertaining variety. Dido's cave ftands alfo in a wood, but is a ftone building. The Pebble Alcove is a pretty recefs, where his Lord- fhip's arms are curioufly done in pebbles, and dif-
* This is a popular term in architefture for any building that is round within and without, whether it be a church, a faloon, or the like. The moft celebrated Rotunda of antiqui- ty is the Pantheon at Rome, dedicated to Cybele and all the Gods by Agrippa j but fince confecrated by Pope Boniface IV. t9 the Virgin Ivlary and all the faints,
played
NATURE AN0 ART,
played in proper colours : fo likewife is the Sleep- ing Parlour, which is a fquare building in a wood, where fix walks center ; and within it are paint- ed the heads of the Caefars, with feftoons of fruit and other ornaments. The Grotto is a curious piece of workmanftiip ; and fo is the Shell-Pavi- lion, which is fupported by fix wreathed columns. The Chinefe houfe built in a pond, is a curiofity worth obferving ; being ingenioufly painted on the outfide in the Chinefe tafte, and the infide is Indian japan.
When the fpe£tator has viewed all thefe beau- ties, and many more than we can here enumerate or defcribe, let him be conducted into the Elyfian Fields, and he will be charmed beyond imagina- tion with the monuments of the Britifti worthies * that adorn the delightful place. But inftead of difgracing thefe fine gardens any longer with an unequal defcription, 1 fliall conclude with obfer- ving, (as a late writer has done) that the late Lord Cobham, who laid them out, has here em-
* Thefe are King Alfred, Edward Prince of Wales, Q. "Elizabeth, King William the Third, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Bacon, Sir Thomas Grefham, Sir Francis Drake, Sir Ifaac Newton, Sir John Barnard, Inigo Jones, Pope, Shake- fpear, Milton, and fome others.— .What Ibrt of perfons Lord Cobham thought worthy of a place in this Elyfmm, is well cxprefled in the following lines of Virgil, which we read ther« iipon a fquare of black marble, placed under a Mercury /landing in the niche of a pyramid :
Hie manus ob patriam pugnando vulnera pafli, Quique pii vates & Phocbo digna locuti, Inventas aut qui vitam excoluere per artes, Quique fui memores alios fecere merendo.
Here are the Bands who for their country bled, And Bards whofe pure and facred verfe is read ; Thofe who, by Arts invented. Life improv'd. And by their Merits made their MemVies lov'd.
belliihed
^4 The WONDERS OF ;
belllfhed nature with art, and fupported art hj |
confulting nature, in as elegant a tafte, as perhaps i
was ever ftiewn in any modern or even antient | performance of this kind. We here find a moft
agreeable variety of fhady woods and open lawns ; I
fome profpedls terminated by a well-chofen point |
of view, others bounded by the horizon alone ; j
walks which of themfelves create delight, but al- |
ways end with fomething that increales the plea- ; fure and raifes the admiration. The pavilions,
pyramids, obelifks, temples, ftatues, buftoes, ]
monuments, infcriptions, are all nobly finifhed, <
and are defigned to inftruft as well as to pleafc ,
the beholder. In a word, nothing is here wan- ;
ting which air, earth, and water, in the hands \
of men, can contribute to compleat a terreftrial !
paradife. !
Perhaps the reader will not be difpleafed,
if in this place we fliould juft mention a few |
things moft worthy of obfervation in our two fa- j mous Univerfities of Oxford and Cambridge y for .
a particular defcription of them would far exceed ]
the intended limits of our undertaking. Befidee )
the colleges and halls in Oxford, feveral of which j
are large and beautiful ftruftures, there are fomc |
other publick buildings that make a glorious ap- ]
pearance. The firft is the Theatre, a magnifi- ]
cent fabric, raifed at the expence of Dr. Sheldon, |
archbiftiop of Canterbury, under the diredlion of ?
Sir Chriftopher Wren, and prefented to the Uni- j
verfity by the generous founder for the perfor- ^
mance of fcholaftic exercifes. The walls round /
the area, within which it ftands, are adorned \
with feveral Grecian and Roman antiquities, the \
greateft part whereof is owing to the bounty of \
the earl of Arundel. The decorations in the ;
froiit of the building are very curious and beauti- ;
fuU ]
NATURE AN» ART. 95
ful ; but the roof, which is fupported without beams, and finely painted, can never be faffici* cntly admired.
At the weft end of the Theatre ftands the Mufeum *, a ftately pile, ere£led at the charge of the Univerfity, for the promoting and carrying on feveral parts of curious and ufcful learning. The lower part of this edifice is a Laboratory, furnifhed with all forts of furnaces and other ma- terials for chymical operations. Above this is a fpacious hall ; and the upper chamber is a repofi- rory of a noble colleftion of natural and artificial curiofities, moft of them prefented to the Uni- verfity by Elias Aftimole, Efq; in 1683, when the building was finiflied, which for that reafon is called Mufeum Afhmoleanum. Very confide- rable additions have been made to it fince that time; as of hieroglyphicks, and other Egyptian antiquities, by Dr. Huntington ; an entire mum- my, by Mr. Goodyear ; a large cabinet of natu- ral rarities, and Roman antiquities, by Dr. Lifi:er ; a collecSlion of medals by Dr. George Clarke, and many valuable curiofities by other benefadlors.
The Bodleian library is one of the greateft ornaments of this Univerfity, there being few in Europe that exceed it in any refpe£l, and none that can boaft of fuch a treafure of oriental manu-
* This name was originally ufed to fignify a place in th# palace of Alexandria, which took up at leaft a fourth part of the city ; fo called, as being dcftined and fet apart to the Mufes and the Sciences. Here were lodged and entertained a great number of learned men, who were divided into com- panies or colleges, to each of which was allotted a handfomc revenue. This eftablifhnient is attributed to Ptolemy Phila- delphus, who here fixed his library. Mufeum is now be- come a general denomination, being applied to any place fet apart as a Repofitory of things that have fome immediate liJation to the Arts or the Mufes.
fcript^.
^6 The WONDERS of
fcripts. The defign of this publick library waft firft laid by Sir Thomas Bodley, in the year 1597, who repaired the old library of Humphry duke of Gloucefter, and furniftied it with a large collec- tion of printed books and manufcripts, which he had purchafed at a prodigious expence from all parts of the world. It was firft opened in i6o2> lince which time it has been continually increaf- ing by the benefaftions of great and learned men ; particularly Sir Rob. Cotton, Sir H. Savil, Arch- bilhop Laud, Sir Kenelm Digby, Mr. Allen, Dr. Pocock, Mr. Selden, Bifhop Tanner, and others. Over it is a fpacious gallery, adorned with pic- tures of the feveral benefadlors, &c. and with the famous marbles * prefented to the Univerfity by the earl of Arundel. Sir T. Roe and others have alfo enriched this place with a large collection of Greek, Roman, Britifti, Saxon, and other coins. Over the porch, upon a pedeftal of black marble, Hands a fine ftatue of the earl of Pembroke, to whofe Generofity this library is much indebted.
For a Repofitory of the fame kind (I mean for a Publick Library) there has been lately erefted
* On thefe marbles are engraved, in capital letters, in- fcriptions that contain the moft noted Greek Epochas from the reign of Cecrops, the founder of tlie Athenian monarchy, to Diogenes the magiftratej that is, for the fpace of 131S years. Hence we learn the time when the moft famous cities of Greece were founded, when the greateft men lived that were the ornaments of that country, and other particulars^ which give great light to the hiftory of thofe ages. Arch- bifhop Ufher is of opinion,