[ 479 ] BILL OF MORTALITY, from Oct. 24, to Nov. 20, Christened. 1821. Males Females Buried. Whereof have died under 2 years old 328 Salt £1. per bushel; 44d. per pound. PRICE OF FLOUR, per Sack, Nov. 19, 55s. to 60s. AVERAGE PRICE of SUGAR, Nov. 21, 29s. 9d. per cwt. 51. 31. 41. PRICE OF HOPS, IN THE BOROUGH MARKET, Nov. 22. Os. Kent Bags 21. 10s. to 41. 15s. Farnham, fine, 71. to 91. 9s.-Seconds, 4l. 10s. to 7. PRICE OF HAY AND STRAW, Nov. 22: Lamb....... COALS, Oct. 19: Newcastle 34s. 6d. to 44s. Od.—Sunderland, 37s. Od. to 45s. Od. TALLOW, per Stone, 81b. Town Tallow 46s. 6d. Yellow Russia 44s. 6d. SOAP, Yellow 84s. Mottled 94s. Curd 938.-CANDLES, 9s. 6d. per Doz. Moulds 11s. Od. METEOROLOGICAL TABLE for November, 1821. By W. CARY, Strand *169 ex Div. 31.-Rochdale, 431. 10s. THE AVERAGE PRICES of NAVIGABLE CANAL SHARES and other PROPERTY, in November 1821 (to the 24th), at the Office of Mr. Scorг, 28, New Bridge-street, LonHalf-year.—Neath, 400%. Div. 251. per Ann.-Oxford, 6707. Div. 321.—Monmouth, 1634. with 51. Half-year's Div.-Barnesley, 170l. ex Div. 51. Half-year.-Grand don.-Grand Trunk Canal, 18001. Div. 751. per Ann.-Birmingham, 560/. ex Div. 12! Div. 21. per Aun.-Lancaster, 26l. ex Div. 14-Regent's, 251.-Worcester and Birmingham, 251-Thames and Medway, 204.-Kenuet and Avon, 17. 5s. ex Div. 16s. -Wilts and Berks, 31.-Severn and Wye Railway, 314. Div. 14. 6s. per Aun.West India Dock, 1781. 10s. Div. 104. per Annum.-London Dock, 103/. Div. 47. per Annum.-Globe Assurance, 124/. Div. 67.-Imperial, 907. Div. 4l. 10s.-Rock Assurance, 17. 18s. ex Div.-Grand Junction Water Works, 53/. 10s.-West Middlesex. 501. Junction, 2194. Div. 94. per Ann.-Ellesmere, EACH DAY'S PRICE OF STOCKS IN NOVEMBER, 1821. JOHN NICHOLS AND son, 25, PARLIAMENT STREET, WESTMINSTER. RICHARDSON, GOODLUCK, and Co. at their Old Established Office, Bank-Buildings, Cornhill, THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE London Gazette Colchester Cornwall Doncaster Dorchest. DECEMBER, 1821. CONTAINING Miscellaneous Correspondence. MINOR CORRESPONDENCE.-Questions, &c.482 : Gloucester 2-Hants2 Ireland 43 Historical Chronicle. Embellished with Views of CUMNER CHURCH, Co. Berks, and REVESBY ABBEY, Co. Lincoln; By SYLVANUS URBAN, GENT. Printed by JOHN NICHOLS and SON, at CICERO'S HEAD, 25, Parliament Street, Westminster; where all Letters to the Editor are requested to be sent, POST-PAID. [ 482 ] MINOR CORRESPONDENCE. PHILOVERITAS observes, "Your Correspondents J. S. and A. H. have fallen into the now common error of believing the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's have the care of that Cathedral; but the fact is, the Dean and Chapter are in no way responsible for the neglect or preservation of the building; they have no controul over the works now carrying on in that building, and have no concern with them whatever. When this Cathedral was rebuilt, a fund was provided for its preservation: this fund, called the Fabrick Fund,' was appropriated by Act of Parliament to the repairs of St. Paul's Cathedral Church, and placed under the direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London, and the Lord Mayor of London for the time being, as trustees of this fabric money; and all business relative to the repairs, &c. of the building, is solely under their management and controul." The Medal described by H. R. D. is very common. It was struck early in the 16th century by the Protestant party in Germany, as a satire on the Pope and Cardinals. There are several different dies from which this description of medals were struck, some of which have a variety in their inscriptions. A copy of one side is on the reverse of a medal of Sir E. Godfrey, engraved in the Medallic History of England, by Edwards and Son, Plate XXXV. No. 3. The Drawing of the Medal sent by M. M.G.D. is, we conceive, a French Ticket of Admission to some gentleman or nobleman's Hotel, which are very common at Paris, and have been so for full two centuries. They are little esteemed by collectors. GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE.- -We have received a paper from E. I. C. in reply to Yorick's Defence of Mr. Lascelles's Symbolic Origin of Gothic Architecture. We consider the arguments of both our Correspondents very ingenious; but we agree with E.I.C. that "a link in the chain of evidence is still wanting," which is candidly admitted by both Yorick and Mr. Lascelles himself. The true source from whence the Pointed Style was derived, is perhaps involved and clouded in obscurity too deeply to be ascertained with certainty at this distance of time. But that "the Style, whoever invented it, was fostered and matured by the Monks, is evident from history," and is not denied by Yorick. We shall therefore beg to close the subject, adapting E. I. C.'s concluding words to both our Correspondents," It is now time to take my leave. I fear I have trespassed too much upon your pages, which I must confess I would sooner see filled with information than controversy." M. W. J. who enquires about the Selby estate, is referred for particulars to vol. XC. i. pp. 587, 588; and to p. 316. N. N. R. states, that PROVIDENS, who enquires (p. 386) what Insurance Office will pay 100l. per annum to a person after he shall have passed the age of 21, in consideration of a premium of 100l. paid at the birth of such person, "is not likely to receive a satisfactory answer; I think, however, that I have discovered the cause of the report he alludes to. You will find in the Carpentariana, published in Paris in 1746 (20 years after the death of Charpentier), a statement that at that time there existed in England an Insurance Office, which, in consideration of 100l. paid at the birth of a child (that is, within a short time after its birth), engaged to give the child, after it should have attained the age of twelve, a life annuity of 100l. I believe that M. Charpentier's text may have been corrupted, and that for 12 we should read 21; but in either case I take this to be the foundation of the statement to which PROVIDENS alludes." 1 W. T. P. says, in alluding to the number of Suicides and Duellists, "If there was an Act of Parliament directing that the body of every individual who was killed in a duel, and of every individual who came to his death by the hands of Justice, and of every individual who died by his own hand, under whatever circumstances, should be delivered to properly authorized and designated persons for dissection, it would probably supply the want of the Profession, and stop the trade of the resurrection men." We are informed, that the favourite air Auld Robin Gray has lately been published with the name of Rev. W. Leeves to it, as composer; the work in which it appears is called "Sacred Melodies" (by Williams, near Charing-cross), which our Correspondent thinks with more propriety might be called Serious Melodies. He adds, that this air has been attributed to Lady Anne Linsay, and that it is by many supposed to be an old Scotch tune. Question, who wrote the words? C. S. is anxious for the information, "whether there is at present any compilation comprehending all the accounts or particulars of consequence which have ever been made public by antient or modern philosophers, respecting the different cities, Herculaneum and the rest, involved in the destruction by Mount Vesuvius?" The Favour of A.C. is thankfully received. A. B. is much too personal. In our SUPPLEMENT, to be published on the first day of February, will appear several interesting articles; particularly the History and Antiquities of Fo theringhay, with an Account of the Execution of Mary Queen of Scots; Tour through France: Burlesque Festivals of former Ages; and Reviews of The Pirate, Lord Byron's new Tragedies, &c. &c. Embellished with Views of Fotheringhay Church, co. Northampton, Lydiate Abbey, co. Lancaster, &c. THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, For DECEMBER, 1821. MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE. Mr. URBAN, Dec. 1. AVING made some incipient H collections concerning Homer, in consequence of the Prize Essay on that subject, proposed by the Royal Society of Literature, I was unexpectedly taken with such dangerous illness, and of so long continuance, as to preclude all possibility of concluding the task within the time fixed; especially as I should have made journeys to the great libraries, and would by no means offer a work, not as completely elaborate as my hum. ble powers could make it. The adversaria here given are either from continental authors, very little or at all read in England, or from old Latinists, classical and otherwise. As the subject is interesting, they may, however undigested and crude, be acceptable to the Scholar; at least, are now of no use to me, and I therefore forward them with pleasure to your valuable Miscellany. They are classed under the great bearings of the subject, and the known desiderata, however little light they may throw upon them. Yours, &c. T. D. FOSBROKE. But I. Of the personal History of Homer, nothing whatever is certain. Lucian absolutely maintains, that nothing whatever is known of the real history, birth, life, actions, or country, of Homer. He is apparently supported by the ill success of the best writers on the subject. the fact seems to be, that Homer lived in an age when fable, mythology, and biography, were all mixed together, and no account was taken of him till after death, in high glory, when the heathen poetical saint was invested with a popish legend full of trumpery. The antient trash circu lated about him favours this opinion. "Homer remembered when he was a peacock," said Eonius, "Pavum se meminit Homerus, Ennio somniante;" upon which Tertullian, who quotes the passage (Opera, p. 336), gravely observes, that he does not believe poets, sleeping or waking. Now there are two points of Homer's history, most certainly to be ascertained from his writings. The first is his country. The leading dialect in which he writes must betray this, and profound Greek scholars would soon come to a satisfactory conclusion on this point. The second is, that he was unquestionably a great traveller and observer and this fact leads to an inference that he was by no means of the inferior rank supposed. He was, according to appearances, a Bard, and as such, a public instructor. The Bard, in his own writings, never moves without a herald, has a distinguished place at the King's table, and is helped by Ulysses to the first cut (Burney, Musick, I. 357). The same learned writer says," that songs preceded the use of letters, and served not only for amusement, but supplied the place of history in after ages; laws were sung, and prayers were chanted," &c. Id. 465. It is much to be feared, that many of the biographers of Homer, however excellent scholars, were not sufficient Antiquaries to see the assistance to be derived from the manners of the times. They have thus unintentionally degraded Homer. The Iliad (says a judicious foreigner) is a poem, professedly written to inform the Greeks, divided into many small states, bow much it behoved them to be united, and to preserve a good understanding among themselves. Homer therefore sets before their eyes the |