Mr. URBAN, Jan. 12. Ta time when every exertion is Ama ne better condition of the Poor, by educating their Children, the following case is not beneath the potice of the most eminent of your Legal Correspondents; and as your Miscellany, from its extensive circulation, has been the means of answering the most difficult questions, there is every reason to hope that an opinion will be given, by which the abuse of a well-intended Charity may be rectified. An essential service will thus be rendered to a popular Parish, and it will very greatly oblige, Yours, &c. CASE. THE VICAR. A School is endowed, of which the Bishop of the Diocese for the time being is Patron, and appoints the Master; and the Vicar of the Parish for the time being nominates six poor boys to be taught free. The emoluments to the Master consist of a good house and garden, besides lands and tenements, yielding exclusively an income of sixty pounds. The present Master is in Deacon's orders, and was licensed to the School about twenty years ago, during which period he has for the most part neglected it, and for the last three years has not paid the smallest attention to his duty; in fact, the School is totally abandoned. Query, Is there no remedy to compel the Master to resign his situation, or perform the duties of it? or does his License protect him in defiance of the power and authority of his Diocesan, and the serious and repeated remonstrances of the Parishioners? Mr. URBAN, Query, May not this vegetable have acquired its naine from the resemblance of the flower to the blazing figures of the Sun found in books, and not from the property abovementioned? Mr. URBAN, "Blow wind, run sea, Crack go ship 'fore day !" Jan 16, As far as words have force, this is wickedness supreme: but what think you of a lame horse, in a dark night, led up and down upon an uneven dangerous coast mounted with a ship's light? A vessel in the offing mistakes' this for a consort, and runs ashore; where the natives of a commercial country, polished sons of the most civilized people, and subjects of an Imperial crown, are all ready to knock its gasping half-drowned defenders of the head. Can this be? Answer, ye strenuous opposers of the Slave-trade, ye ChamHave past pions of the Human Race. exertions for sable brethren made you still breathless? Is there no help for home-bred children of Japhet? The wretched sailor, watch-worn, but gladdened for nearness of his native soil, may be lured to death through murder by long-shore villains; and these butcheries are left to the wellmeant but despised warnings of a parish priest, or perhaps his ineffective personal attempt to save; and, whenever happily prevented, only by the casual efforts of some passing armed band. The Laws are necessarily weak at the extremes of any Country. Indeed! What Shire but Cornwall sends forty Members to Parliament? Our ancestors provided against such incidental weakness, and the blood of thousands cries sands. Jan. 15. N Dr. Smith's newly-published In Itroduction to Botally, mention is made of a remarkable property of the Common Annual Sunflower (Helianthus annuus); which is, that the flower follows the course of the Sun during the day, and in the night (the stalk untwisting) returns to the East, to face the Sun next morning. I wish some of your botanical readers would take the pains to ascertain this circumstance, by sowing in different situations the seeds of this plant, particularly in exposed situations, not near walls or other buildings; and communicate the results to your Miscellany. A CONSTANT READER. Does the noen-day breakfast-table present paragraphs of a West Country shipwreck? It was only a Merchani man: besides, my dear, Billy is safe in the Mediterranean. You forget the Mu sick-meeting--we must get there in time. The kind heart of a Howard has actuated one at least, whose steps at home prove how little needful were the jour neys of his prototype to find objects for compassion and redress. To minds alike disposed, lo! we depicture a subject for action. Arise once more, ye betterhearted, ye cream of mankind, and save this Land from unatoned sins of blood. NAUTA. Mr. you Jan. 10. Mr. URBAN, YOUR personal knowledge of me renders it unnecessary for me to inform you, that the study of Antient Geography forms a favourite amusement of my leisure hours; and also that I have had some experience in that science. I need therefore make no apo logy for the following observations: The extremities of the habitable world were considered by the Antients as two Islands; one lying in the utmost limits of the North, called Thule, and the other towards the South, called faprobana. And concerning these Islands they have left us descriptions so exact and particular, that it appears a thing most extraordinary indeed, that the Learned of the present times should be divided as to their opinions of the Islands intended by these naines; nay, that the generality of them should have decided, as to the latter Island,, în favour of one which by no means answers the antient descriptions. This, however, appears to be the case, as stated by the Authors of the Universal History. But the truth surely must be discovered if we attend carefully to the accounts left us by the Antients with out any deference to those opinions and prejudices of modern writers which contradict them. If this is done, it seems impossible to doubt of the identity of the Islands intended by these names. And, first, I shall apply this rule to That Thule was an Island seems to have been the opinion of all the antient Geographers. Of these the first is Pytheas, a native of Marseilles, who is supposed to have lived in the time of Alexander the Great, 300 years before Christ. His works have not come down to modern times; but many of his observations are preserved in Strabo and other geographical writers. He speaks of Britain as if he had been here in these early times. He calls Thule the most Northern of the British Isles, and tells us that "it is situated six days sail from Britain towards the North; that it lies near the Frozen Sea; and that near it, at theSummer solstice, the Sun forms the Arctic Circle." Ptolemy shews, that Thule is the largest of the Islands, which lie to the North of Britain. He makes the length of it more than four degrees; at least so it appears in the Maps constructed, by some one from his Geography, for I have not a Greek copy of his work, having never' been able to purchase one, I have only the Latin copy, in which are the Maps. He gives the latitude of this Island 63 degrees, and lays down its greatest length as from East to West, both which circumstances prove that his information is so accurate, that it could only be derived from the experience of some one who must have visited it. Mela, another antient Geographer, who wrote in the time of Claudius, furnishes some other particulars concerning this Island, one of which seems to decide its identity beyond all controversy, "In Thule," says he, "the nights are very light, because the Sun, though not visible, is so nearly so, that it illumines all these parts with its beams; and at the Summer solstice there is no night, since the Sun's light is not only then stronger than usual, but the larger portion of his disk is visible. As the nature of your work requires that your Correspondents should not enlarge upon any subject more than is absolutely necessary, I shall add no more quotations from the Antients; and I trust these notices must be sufficient to prove what Island was in these early times called Thule. Pytheas calls Thule one of the British Isles. He therefore affirms it to be an Island. And the distance he places it from Britain will carry us far beyond all the small islands North of Britain. And beyond these we find but one more Island of any consequence which is Iceland; but it happens, that this Island answers in all points the descriptions given of Thule. The distance of Iceland perfectly accords with the idea of Pytheas, that "it lies six days' sail from Britain.” Its situation also near the Frozen Sea must agree better with it than any other Island in these parts; and its contiguity to the Northern Polar Circle is still more peculiar to it. Again, its size, its position from East to West, and even its latitude, are perfectly consistent with Ptolemy's account; and Lastly, the circumstance mentioned by by Mela must determine its identity beyond dispute. Iceland must be the only considerable Island in these seas, where the Sun's disk can be visible at midnight at any season of the year. In Shetland, I understand, the nights are so light, that the inhabitants can see to read all night in summer; but, from the distance these Islands lie from the Pole, it must be impossible that they can ever see any part of the globe of the Sun at midnight. I have not indeed met with any modern account of this being the case in Iceland; but, from its lying so near to the Polar Circle, it can scarcely be doubted. It is, however, sufficient for the present argument, that this can be true in no other large Island in these parts. : It is plain then that there is an Island which exactly answers the description which the Antients have left us of Thule why, therefore, should we doubt its identity ? In confirmation, I think it necessary to add, that I have never met with any solid objection to this conclusion. Heylin, indeed, contends that it must be one of the British Isles, because Solinus has asserted it to be so. But so have Strabo and Pliny long before. They both of them describe Thule as a British Isle, and with circumstances which agree entirely with Iceland. He farther objects that Tacitus tells us, that " Agricola conquered the Orcades, and saw Thule;" but that it is impossible to see Iceland from the Orcades. And if Tacitus says that Thule can be seen from thence, I allow the objection; but he certainly makes no such assertion. He still adds, that Iceland was so far from being known to the Antients, that it was not known in Norway till the latter end of the ninth century. But it seems the Antients were acquainted with the Frozen Sea, and yet farther with the circle of light which the Sun describes in these parts at the Summer Solstice. These facts, and particularly the latter, could be only known from experience; and the same experience would show them the Island which we are now speaking of. Objections so trifling ought surely to have no weight against evidence so positive and decided as has been above recited. Proceed we then to TAPROBANA. The question with respect to this Island has not been left so doubtful as in the case of Thule. It is true, two Islands have been pitched upon by the learned as possessing the site of Taprobana, Sumatra and Ceylon; yet 1 understand the generality have decided in favour of the latter, but on what au thority deduced from the Antient Geographers, I am not able to discover, or to conceive. Be it premised, that Ceylon is described to be an Island about 600 miles in circumference; ofa figure somewhat triangular, and each side about 200 miles in length; and is divided from India by a very narrow Sea. An Island of this size has no claim to the title of a large Island. But all the old Geographers scem to agree in the idea that Taprobana was a very large Island. "It was long looked upon," says Pliny, "as the beginning of another world." Ptolemy makes it much larger than Britain, and Strabo describes it as not less. Strabo supposes Britain to form a triangle, each side of which is 500 miles long; and Pliny gives the measure of it 800 miles long and 300 broad. Eratosthenes lays down the length of Taprobana as 8000 stadia, or 1000 miles. Onesicritus considers the magnitude of Taprobana as 5000 stadia, but without noticing either its length or breadth. Nor is there more reason to suppose he meant its circumference. His testimony therefore cannot properly be brought into the argument; much less ought it to be admitted in favour of Ceylon against the evidence of Pliny, Ptolemy, and Strabo, when it indeed proves nothing. Their descriptions clearly prove Taprobana to have been a very large Island. The distance also of Taprobana from India cannot accord with Ceylon, which is divided from it by only a narrow Sea. Strabo makes the distance of it "seven days sail from the most Southern parts of India, where the Coniaci inhabit." Now these people appear from the description of this Geo grapher in another place, to have occupied that part of India, which is now called Malabar, and at a short distance from Ceylon. In another place he calculates, that it cannot lie less than 3000 stadia distant (nearly 400 miles). Pliny describes it as "lying tweaty days sail from the Prasians." people lived upon the banks of the Ganges; and their chief city, Palibothra, is probably what is now called Patna. And with this agrees Onesi crítus, who describes this Island as These "twenty "twenty days sail from the Continent of India;" but both these authors shew, that this is meant of the India Ships, which were very inferior to those of the Romans. It must, however, be inferred, from these accounts, that Taprobana lay at a considerable distance from the Continent of ludia. And with this corresponds the circumstance of its being supposed to lie under the same parallel with the Island of the Egyptian Exiles, and the Cinnamon-bearing Country. The former Strabo shews to have been situated at some distance South of Meroe. It must have been therefore near, if not beyond, the Equinoctial Line. And the Cinnamon-bearing Country" is laid down in the Maps of Ptolemy's Geography as lying immediately South of the Line. This country Strabo describes as the "utmost limit of the habitable world towards the South, and more than a thousand miles from the Equinoctial." Great quantities of Cinnamon, it is said, grow in Ceylon; but it must not be therefore confounded with this "Cinnamon-bearing Country," which certainly lay in Africá, and much farther towards the South. This situation is again confirmed by Ptolemy, who shews us, that the Equinoctial Line passed through Taprobana. This the Writers of the Universal History accuse him of doing without reason. "That the aforesaid Geographer," say they, "has, withont reason, extended his Taprobana beyond the Line, must not by any means be denied." But why without reason? Because these Writers had previously assented to the idea of Ceylon being Taprobana, which Island lies at least eight degrees North of the Line. Whereas it ought rather to have convinced them, that Ceylon could not be the Island intended; for it is certainly a decisive proof that it could not be. But that 'tolemy had good reason for saying, that the Line did pass through Taprobana, is plain from its being supposed by the other antient Geographers to lie in the same parallel with the Egyptian Isle, and the Cinnamon-bearing Country, through or near both which it certainly passed. This passing of the Equinoctial through it so positively determines in favour of Sumatra being the Island intended, that it is very extraordinary that it could ever be thought to mean any other Island. And Sumatra an swers equally well in most other respects to the accounts left by the Antients of Taprobana. Its size corresponds exactly, as being a very large Island. It is laid down by different modern Writers on Geography, as from 900 to 1000 miles long, and about 100 broad. This is the very. measure of the length of Taprobana given by Eratosthenes in Strabo. Pliny gives the numbers from this old Geographer somewhat different, making the length not quite 900 miles; and he adds also from him the breadth of the Island, which, in a copy used by Stephanus and on that account greatly preferred by Pintianus in his notes upon Pliny, is 500 stadia, rather more than 60 miles, which, though little more than half the real breadth, shews that the breadth was supposed to be such in proportion to its length. Ptolemy, however, it must be allowed, thought its width to bear a nearer proportion to its length; and was probably led into this error by the Island lying so obliquely across the Line, and consequently the longitude of the extremities differing so much. But Ptolemy is in no part of his Geography so inaccurate as with respect to India. All other parts of the world have in the Maps some similarity to their real form; but India has scarce any approach to it. Taprobana, according to his account, has much the shape of Ceylon; but it is plain he could not mean that Island, as not only the Equinoctial passes through it, but it occu pies not less than fifteen degrees in length and eleven at least in breadth. Its distance also from India agrees equally well with its size. It cannot be less than seven days sail from any part of the Eastern side of that Continent; nor do I see reason to think it more. I have an old Chart, used by an Officer in the East India Company's service, on which the place of one of our heavy merchant-ships is laid down for every day at noon; and the last seven days sail before the ship reached the North point of Sumatra exactly corresponds with the distance of the same point from Cape Comorin, This, though not positive, is very probable evidence as to this distance. Many other circumstances might be added, wherein Sumatra corresponds with the description of Taprobapa. Even the lake Megisba does not appear to be entirely fabulous The internal parts parts of Sumatra are not perfectly known; and therefore this Lake has not yet been feen by any Traveller; but Mariden tells us, that there are "many large and beautiful Lakes in import, year after year, large quanti Sumatra, that facilitate the comatunication between the different parts of the Ifland." But I have trefpaffed already fufficiently on the patience of many of your Readers; and truft that I need add no more to prove the pofition which I fet ont with, that if we abide by the descriptions of the Antients without attending to the prejudices of the Moderns, no doubt can remain as to the Ilands intended by the names Thule and Taprobang. T. R. own confumption to fpare, and which he exported, and obtained for it a bounty from Government as an encour ragement, has been ever fince obliged AMIDST the expedients thifts we are likely to be obliged to refort to for the deficiency of primary articles of neceffity and of luxuries, in confequence of the temporary Rop put to the Continental Trade, and which now above all fubjects most ferioufly engages our attention as a Commercial Nation-let us confider, firft of all, what are the Agricultural refources we poffefs within ourfelves, fo as to be fupplied with a fufficiency of Corn, without the help of foreign nations, fhould we be entirely cut off from all commercial intercourfe with the Continents of Europe and America? I broach the fubject more particularly with a view that fome of your enlightened readers may be induced to take the trouble to answer and explain the following obfervations, which I take the liberty to fubmit, in hopes that an immediate remedy for the good of the community at large at this unexampled crifis may be pointed out for confideration. I will therefore afk, how it is to be accounted for, that this fo highly cultivated country, which, fcarcely 15 years back, had generally a furplus of Corn heyond its GENT. MAG. January, 1808. ties to fupply deficiencies in our con fumption? To me it is incomprehens fible, when I confider the vast improve ments that have taken place of lates years in Agriculture generally-the quantity of wafte lands taken into cultivation the forming of Canals, which had in view (amongst other advantages alledged) a confiderable reduc tion in the number of draft-horses to be employed-the fubftitution in many inftances for agricultural purposes of Oxen for Horfes, whereby much Corn was expected to be faved-the fur prizing and extenfive increafed culti vation of that valuable and nutritious root, the Potatoe, a fubftitute for Bread almost entirely for perhaps a million or two of the inhabitants of the country more than it was fome years back-the operation of the Powder-tax, even as far as what related to the quantity of wheat ufed in hair-powder; and fome other minor favings that might be enumerated. It moft certainly, I fhould conceive, must firike every one who confiders the fubject, that the great a accounted for, without a ferious inveftig gation, and which in times of unparal leled difficulties as thofe hanging over our heads, and which have already be gun, fhould take place without delay. I am well aware, that in War time, compared with that of profound Peace, there is a very confiderable increased confumption and waftè that cannot be avoided, but hardly to any thing like an extent equal to counterbalance the fatement of caufes of increafed produc tion or fubflitutes above flated. Q.Q. |