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sell on terms below all precedent; thus giving their Merchants a decided advantage over all competitors, if not ultimately the trade of the world. But, on the other hand, we are constrained to allow, an evil arises from these improvements, of the greatest maguitude, nearly commensurate with the benefits achieved viz. the immediate distress and want of work for the labouring poor, with out any prospect of alleviation; as all the advantage arises from dispensing with their services; in other words, by doing with twenty hands what used to employ an hundred, leaving the remaining eighty a dead weight on the community, to be maintained by the same manufacturers, under the denomination of parochial poor, instead of industrious workmen. From this circumstance we are led to deduce the following inference, that, however plausible and specious the machine system may appear in theory, its practical effects as to national prosperity, cannot be fully realized till some remedy is found for so dreadful and extensive an evil, an evil nurturing every bane to improvement, and undermining our fairest prospects.

Under these convictions, and animated by sincere affection to my country, I beg leave through the medium of your Miscellany, to suggest a few hints to those whose philanthropic zeal and public spirit, combined with political power, may fit them for maturing a plan at once to ameliorate the condition of the unem ployed manufacturing poor, and to render that physical strength, which is at present useless, if not dangerous, subservient to the well-being and prosperity of the state.

Some of our first agriculturists are of opinion that the growth of corn in this country, of late years, has not been equal to the consumption; and also that the enclosure of lands on a large scale has been disadvantageous to individuals, however beneficial to the publick, from the insufficiency of private capital, where the returns must inevitably be slow, though eventually profitable and sure. It is therefore proposed, as a radical cure for one and all of these evils, to cultivate our WASTE LANDS, whether in the possession of the Crown, or other wise (not as a private speculation, but

under the immediate direction and support of Government), by employing the superabundant population of the manufacturing districts, under similar regulations, and organized in the same way as foreign colonies, with only this difference, that in Settlements abroad, the whole expense must unavoidably fall on the Treasury; whereas in this case a great proportion might be raised from the parishes relieved, as with apprentices, distant paupers, &c. independent of the important advantage derived from the increased value of the land.

Thus might our poor be immediately employed, who otherwise, from idleness and wretchedness, may become the easy dupes of the factious and disaffected, the greatest quantity of land be brought into cultivation in the shortest possible time, when, from the unhappy state of the Continent, and our relations with America, no foreign supplies can be relied on; and our manufactories, gradually emancipated from the enormous burthen of parish rates, would alone present with renovated vigour the fair side of that picture we before alluded to, while the helpless poor would themselves be benefited under the existing laws in their behalf, in drawing their future support from cultivated land, instead of embarrassed trade. GERMANICUS.

Mr. URBAN,

PE

Jan, 12. ERMIT me to offer to your acceptance a few observations suggested by different articles in your last mouth's Miscellany.

P. 503*. You serve the publick by admitting into your publication the observations of E. P. respecting sevéral foolish phrases which fashionable Simpletons are endeavouring to bring into use: permit me to mention, in continuation, the complaints that I every now and then hear Ladies making of themselves or others, that they are extremely unwell, or are very much inconvenienced by something or other.

P.505. If your Correspondent T. V. will consuit Abp. Newcome on the Minor Prophets, or other judicious Commentators, who will open their eyes, and judge for themselves without a blind and slavish attachment to authority, he will see great reason to believe that the last six chapters at

tributed

tributed to Zechariah were not written by that Prophet. If many parts of the Old Testament were written in verse, as they certainly were, and that versification were a guide to those who divided them into verses, how does this militate against the idea that they might be divided into verses and chapters in modern times?

P. 510. Biographicus may be assured that the Lady he speaks of has an undoubted right to quarter the arms of Compton, and to transmit them, though not those of Berkeley, to her heirs; inasmuch as, for want of male heirs, she is heiress of a branch of the Compton family. His observations about several new peerages are very just but there is no greater absurdity in any of the new creations than to see persons created Peers of Ireland with titles taken from places in England; for instance, Auckland, Kensington, Teignmouth, Hood of Catherington, Rendleshara, Milford, &c. The sons of the younger sons of Dukes and Marquisses both in England and Scotland have the title of Honourable given them by courtesy, their fathers having been titular Lords. I do not conceive that either Scots or Irish Peers are privileged from arrest, quatenus tales, unless they be of the number of Representative Peers, or, in the latter case, Members of the House of Commons: they have no duty to perform in Parliament which would be prevented by their being arrested. Surely your "Occasional Correspondent" charges Mr. Archdall, the Continuator of Lodge, with impropriety, without reason: if Richard Jones were third Viscount (and only Earl) of Ranelagh, surely Charles Jones, his next successor, at what time soever he succeeded to the title, could be no other than fourth Viscount. For " William Baker, Member for Staffordshire," read "late Member for Hertfordshire."

P. 512. There is some mistake in the bill for curing the broken head: either the Surgeon charged for his servant 2s. or else the whole amount of the bill is but 10s. 6d.

P. 514. The pious and just "Considerations on the custom of Visiting on Sundays" were first published in 1771, as an Appendix to "Short Meditations on select Portions of Scripture, designed to assist the serious Christian in the improvement of the

Lord's-day and other seasons of devotion and leisure, by Daniel Turner, A. M." who, I believe, was a Baptist Minister at Abingdon in Berkshire, and died some years since. In his preface the author says that "most of them are the substance and chief branches, (or, in fashionable language, the skeletons) of sermons preached from the several texts at the respective heads of them ;" and at the end of it he adds, that these "Considerations were communicated to him by a particular friend, from a very pious and worthy Clergyman of the Established Church, with a desire that they might be published with the Meditations, as particularly agreeable to the design of them." whole of the first paragraph, as far as the Qu. is printed in Italicks, as being introductory to the rest; and at the word Injunction,' about the middle of p. 515. col. i. is inserted the following note:

The

"The merciful and benevolent Creator intended the Sabbath as a day of rest for the Cattle, as well as for Men: and it is a degree of cruelty, as well as a breach of the divine Commandment, to use our Cattle on Sundays, except in cases of absolute necessity. And that we may not deceive ourselves by calling those cases of necessity which are not so, let every one when he is going to use his cattle on a Sunday, ask himself, as in the presence of God, whether he really think it is a case of such necessity as will justify his doing it at the day of judgement."

P. 557.b, line 10. For five, read six. Will any of your intelligent Correspondents, Mr. Urban, do me the honour to inform me, what. Baronet, existing in 1683, bore for his arms, Ermine, a Lion rampant, and Canton, Sable, with the arms of Ulster in an Inescutcheon on the body of the Lion? The gentleman may very probably have been connected with Hertfordshire, or one of the adjacent counties.

J. B.

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Mr. URBAN,

:

Jan. 1.

WITH this you will receive a View of the very antient Church of St. Martin's, Canterbury (see Plate II.), supposed by Mr. Cozens (in his "Tour through the Isle of Thanet, and some other Parts of East Kent,") to be one of the first Churches erected for the worship of the Almighty under the Christian dispensation in this island. It is asserted, and seemingly with good foundation, that it was built by the Roman soldiers in the second century, about the year 180 and that the present is the building then erected, no one can doubt who is conversant either in the materials or the simplicity of the buildings of that early age. The walls seem originally to have been all of Roman brick, particularly the chancel; this, and a single short aile, and a low square tower, form the whole structure. It is still kept in decent repair, and contains a font and monument worthy the eye of the curious. The font stands in the middle of the aile, opposite the North door, and consists of a cylindrical stone of near two feet six inches high, and as much in diameter; it is but a shell, so that the bason is sufficiently large to dip a child. The outside is embellished with four series of ornaments: the lower is a simple scroll; the next, a kind of hieroglyphical true-lovers' knot; the third, smali Saxon arches, intersecting each other; the upper, a kind of lacing in semicircles inverted, intersecting one another all the ornaments are very small, and much enriched; so that it would be impossible to do justice to it, except by a drawing on a very large scale *. By the arches, it seems of Saxon architecture. In the tower are three bells. On the first there is no inscription; second, " JOHN PALMAR MADE ME 1641. A. B.;" third, "Ora pro nobis,

Santa Katerina."

In the chaucel is a handsome monument to the memory of John Finch Lord Finch of Fordwich, created 1640, with a`long Latin inscription, which

*This curious font was well engraved by F. Perry in 1760; and is copied in a small scale in Hasted's Kent, vol. IV. Another small view of it may be found in Duncombe's Kent, No. XXX. of Bibliotheca, Pl. XIII.

GENT. MAG. January, 1813.

(with all the other epitaphs in the

Church) is printed in Cozens's "Tour through Thanet," p. 143; and also in Parsons's "Monuments in Kent," pp. 291-6. — John Finch was chosen Speaker of the House of Commons 1627; Justice of the Common Pleas 10 Car. I.; Chief Justice of the same the following year; Lord Keeper 15 Car. I.; and created a Baron 16 Car. I. He fled to the Netherlands during the troubles, continued there till the Restoration, and died s. p. Nov. 20, 1660, aged 77. His character is given in Lord Clarendon, 1. 73f. Yours, &c.

THE

B.

Mr. URBAN, Chelsea, Dec. 10, 1812. HE following paper is certainly a great curiosity, and worthy of being preserved from oblivion; for, first, it shews what methods were used heretofore for granting relief to the necessitous; next, it proves that in the reign of Queen Elizabeth sports on Sundays were common; and lastly, it informs us of the nature of the pastimes that were in those days in use. As to the authority of this piece, it is a transcript from the original, formerly in the possession of Sir John Evelyn, bart. J. FAULKNER. Middlesex. To all Majors, Shereffes,

Constables, and other Hed Officers, within the Countie of Middlesex.

Whereas we are informed that one John After our hartie commendations. Seconton Powlter, dwellinge within the parishe of St. Clements Daines, beinge a poore man, havinge fower small children, and fallen into decay, ys lycensed to have and use some playes and games, at uppon nine severall Sondaies, for his better relief, comforte, and sustentacion, within the countie of Middlesex, to commence and begynne at and from xxind daie of Maye next comynge, after the date hereof, and not to remayne in one place not above three severall Sondaies: And we consideringe that great resort of people is lyke to come thereunto, we will and require you, as well for good order as also for the preservation of the Queen's Majesty's peace, that you take with you foure or fyve of the discrete and substantiall men within your office or libertie, where the games shall be put in practice, then and there to forsee and do your endeavour to your best in that

+ Collins's Peerage, by Sir Egerton Brydges, IX. 481.

behalf

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