able in one of his advanced age; plain, homely, and unaffected, with a cheerful and social disposition, and a kindness of manner that secured for him the friendship of all with whom he came in contact. He was ever ready to afford information, and to communicate unreservedly the results of his investigations to those who desired to possess them. He retained his mental faculties to the last, and died on 30th November, 1853, in the ninetieth year of his age." Mr. Hall described his business as that of a "mineral surveyor," and he advertised for sale, at his residence at Castleton, his models of the strata of several districts, and the accompanying minerals." Some years after his death a few of his admirers in Manchester and the neighbourhood caused a neat headstone to be placed over his remains in the Castleton churchyard, bearing the following inscription : "IN MEMORY OF ELIAS HALL, THE GEOLOGIST, Who died on the 30th day of December, 1853. AGED 89 YEARS. "Born of parents in humble life, and having a large family to provide for, yet he devoted himself to the study of geology for 70 years, with powers of originality and industry rarely surpassed, "To mark the last resting-piace of one who had worked so long and so hard for the public, a few of his friends and admirers, living at a distance, have placed this stone." From "Where There's a Will There's a Way," by James Cash, of Manchester." BELL INSCRIPTIONS. The following lines occur on Bakewell bells: 1st bell. When I begin Our merry Din, This Band I lead from Discord Free: 2nd bell. Mankind, like Us, too oft are found 3rd bell. When of departed Hours We toll the Knell, Instruction take & spend the future Well. 4th bell. When Men in Hymen's Bands unite. But when Death goes his dreary Rounds, 5th bell. Thro' Grandsires & Tripples with Pleasure men range, "Till Death calls the Bob & brings on the Last Change. 6th bell. When Vict'ry crowns the Publi [c] Weal, With Glee We give the merry Peal. 7th bell. Would Men Lik [e] Us, join & agree They'd live in tunefull Harmony. 8th bell. Possessed of deep, sonorous Tone, This Belfry King sits on his Throne; MUSIC IN THE HIGH PEAK. Passing one of my vacations, in the autumn of 1874, in the primitive village of Eyam, a place associated with the visitation of the plague of 1666, of which sad event, Wood, in his history of the village, gives such a graphic narrative; I lost no opportunity of observing the peculiarities of both the neighbourhood and its inhabitants. Its wild and rocky position, its grey, and, in some instances, venerable looking houses, built of the limestone of the vicinity, its romantic dells, and even the industries of Eyam and the surrounding district, constitute a charm and a source of interest to an inhabitant of the more southern of the midland counties; and the very contrasts, to one familiar to life in a busy manufacturing town, observable every day and every hour, were certain to leave a lasting impression on anyone capable of receiving such influences. Among the peculiarities which struck me most was the evident taste for, and acquaintance with music - and during my visit I had a good opportunity of judging of their capabilities. Two sermons were to be preached on the occasion of the school anniversary at Litton, an outlying hamlet belonging to Tideswell, and the assistance of the musical people in the dales had been solicited; a fair contingent residing at Eyam, we started off early on the day of the festival for Litton, picking up on our route recruits from Foolow, &c., as we wended our way over the breezy moors and hills towards Tideswell. There was a good muster of vocal and instrumental performers. A grocer presided at the harmonium, two publicans acted alternately as conductors and solo singers, the leader of the band was a cotton weaver from Cressbrook Mills, his father and four sons being among the performers, the youngest, only eight years old, but very useful. I noticed, also, some Eyam shoemakers, a farmer or two, and some miners among the number. There were, besides the harmonium, four violins, two double basses, one violincello, one basoon, two clarionettes, a flute, and one or two others, with about thirty singers. A temporary orchestra had been erected at the end of the large schoolroom, and on it were packed, almost as close as herrings, this musical crew. As the services were not to take place till the afternoon and evening, I left them to their practice, and rambled off to refresh my memories of the glories of Tideswell church, at that time in process of restoration-a fine old building, worthy of its reputation as one of the finest parish churches in Derbyshire, and rich in monuments, one of these being that of a native of the town, Robert Pursglove, Suffragan Bishop of Hull, in 1579. Of course I visited the "well;" then returning by way of Tideswell, Miller's Dale, and over the hills to Litton, was just in time for service. The sermons were preached by a Staffordshire vicar and three other clergy took part in the services. ·66 The musical portion of the service consisted of selections from Handel and Travers, opening with the chorus" The King shall Rejoice." The quartette, 'Exceeding glad shall he be,' was nicely rendered, as was also the chorus which followed. Before the sermon, a bass solo, "Why do the nations," was effectively sung, and was followed by the chorus, "Let us break their bonds asunder," also well done. The sermon concluded, several solos followed, a verse and chorus, another bass solo and chorus, and the proceedings were brought to a conclusion with the glorious Hallelujah Chorus' from the Messiah,' which the dalesmen executed in a style that evinced their thorough familiarity with it, and their hearty appreciation of this grand composition. On our way home, one of them said to me, “Art t' satisfied to-neet, ould lad?" I assured him I was both pleased and surprised to find them so ready with the difficult music they had performed. His reply was as characteristic as it was provincial-" Oh, it was as aisy as ee, bay, say!" Perhaps some might think that the affair partook too much of the oratorio for a religious service; but of one thing I am certain, that the voluntary assistance of these self-trained musicians of the Peak was sincerely rendered for the benefit of the object in view, and I believe also that their offering was quite as acceptable to Him in whose service they spent that day, as more elaborate harmonies and the absence of provinciallisms in more pretentious places of worship. VIATOR. THOMAS HOBBES. The philosopher, of Malmesbury, lived for some time in the family of the 1st Duke of Devonshire (after going abroad with him as travelling tutor), at Chatsworth and Hardwick, where he wrote in Latin, a poem called "De Mirabile Pecci: being the Wonders of the Peak in Derbyshire, commonly called "The Devil's a- of Peak," a translation of which into English was published in 1678, "by a person of Quality." Hobbes was the author of several philo. sophical and political works, which excited a great amouut of controversy. He was born at Malmesbury, in 1588; died, at Hardwick Hall, of paralysis, in his 93rd year, 1679, and was buried in the church of Hault Hucknall. He dined alone at 12 o'clock, after which a dozen pipes filled with tobacco were placed on the table and he read, wrote, and smoked for the remainder of the day. St. Evremond once paid him a visit and said that he "fouud him entrenched behind a battery of guns, charged with a stinking comestible called tobacco." A few quotations from "The Wonders of the Peak" may not be uninteresting: Of the High Peak, are seven wonders writ, MAM TOR. As is the pole a mountain tall Nevertheless, Maim'd for the cliff I rather should express, BUXTON WELL. The sunburnt clouds but glimmer to the sight, And without help of spouse, go pregnant home." He describes how he took a bath and went to the Where a small bowl, but not whole baths of broth The mutton taken from't apart is laid; From the same sheep a smoking loyn is had, Hot drawn from off the spit. With a young fowl CASTLETON CAVE. A noble cave between two rocks appears * |