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tion and economy of provisions, and to his judicious plans and suggestions must be attributed the uncommon degree of health which our crew enjoyed; and as two out of the three who died the four years and a half were cut off early in the voyage, by diseases not peculiar to the climate, only one man can be said to have perished. Mr. M‘Diarmid, the surgeon, who had been several voyages to these regions, did justice to the high recommendation I received of him he was successful in every amputation and operation which he performed, and wonderfully so in his treatment of the sick; and I have no hesitation in adding, that he would be an ornament to his Majesty's service.

Commander Ross, Mr. Thom, and myself, have, indeed, been serving without pay; but, in common with the crew, have lost our all, which I regret the more, because it puts it totally out of my power adequately to remunerate my fellow-sufferers, whose case I cannot but recommend for their lordships' consideration. We have, however, the consolation, that the results of this expedition have been conclusive, and to science highly important, and may be briefly comprehended in the following words :The discovery of the Gulf of Boothia, the continent and isthmus of Boothia Felix, and a vast number of islands, rivers, and lakes; the undeniable establishment that the northeast point of America extends to the 74th degree of north latitude; valuable observations of every kind, but particularly on the magnet; and, to crown all, have had the honour of placing the illustrious name of our most gracious sovereign, William IV., on the true position of the magnetic pole.

I cannot conclude this letter, sir, without acknowledging the important advantages we obtained from the valuable publications of Sir Edward Parry and Sir John Franklin, and the communications kindly made to us by those distinguished officers before our departure from England. But the glory of this enterprise is entirely due to Him, whose divine favour has been most especially manifested towards us; who guided and directed all our steps; who mercifully provided, in what we had deemed a calamity, His effectual means of our preservation; and who, even after the devices and inventions of man had utterly failed, crowned our humble endeavours with complete success. I have, &c.

JOHN Ross, Captain R.N.

RAJAH RAMMOHUN ROY.

THE death of this extraordinary personage has excited a very general interest, and a

high degree of curiosity respecting his character and opinions. We know no better means of gratifying this feeling, than by inserting a brief memoir, written by himself to his Secretary:—

"My dear Friend,

"In conformity with the wish you have frequently expressed, that I should give you an outline of my life, I have now the pleasure to send you the following very brief sketch.

"My ancestors were Brahmins of a high order, and from time immemorial were devoted to the religious duties of their race, down to my fifth progenitor, who about 140 years ago gave up spiritual exercises for worldly pursuits and aggrandizement. His descendants ever since have followed his example, and, according to the usual fate of courtiers, with various success, sometimes rising to honour, and sometimes falling; sometimes rich and sometimes poor, sometimes exulting in success, sometimes miser able through disappointment. But my maternal ancestors being of the sacerdotal order by profession as well as by birth, and of a family than which none holds a higher rank in that profession, have, up to the present day, uniformly adhered to a life of religious observance and devotion, preferring peace and tranquillity of mind to the excitements of ambition, and all the allurements of worldly grandeur.

"In conformity with the usage of my paternal race, and the wish of my father, I studied the Persian and Arabic languages, these being accomplishments indispensable to those who attached themselves to the courts of the Mahommedan princes; and, agreeably to the usage of my maternal relations, I devoted myself to the study of Sanscrit, and the theological works written in it, which contain the body of Hindoo literature, law, and religion.

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"When about the age of sixteen, I com posed a manuscript, calling in question the validity of the idolatrous system of the Hindoos. This, together with my known sentiments on that subject, having produced 1 a coolness between me and my immediate kindred, I proceeded on my travels, and passed through different countries, chiefly within, but some beyond, the bounds of Hindostan, with a feeling of great aversion to the establishment of the British power inc India. When I had reached the age of twenty, my father recalled and restored me to his favour; after which I saw and began to associate with Europeans, and soon after made myself tolerably acquainted with their laws and form of government. Finding

them generally more intelligent, more steady and moderate in their conduct, I gave up my prejudices against them, and became inclined in their favour, feeling persuaded that their rule, though a foreign yoke, would lead most speedily and surely to the amelioration of the native inhabitants. I enjoyed the confidence of several of them, even in their public capacity. My continued controversies with the Brahmins on the subject of their idolatry and superstition, and my interference with their custom of burning widows, and other pernicious practices, revived and increased their animosity against me with renewed force; and, through their influence with my family, my father was again obliged to withdraw his countenance openly, though his limited pecuniary support was still continued to me.

"After my father's death, I opposed the advocates of idolatry with still greater boldness: availing myself of the art of printing, now established in India, I published various works and pamphlets against their errors, in the native and foreign languages. This raised such a feeling against me, that I was at last deserted by every person, except two or three Scotch friends, to whom, and the nation to which they belong, I always feel grateful. The ground which I took in all my controversies, was not that of opposition to Brahminism, but to a perversion of it: and I endeavoured to shew, that the idolatry of the Brahmins was contrary to the practice of their ancestors, and the principles of the ancient books and authorities which they profess to revere and obey. Notwith. standing the violence of the opposition and resistance to my opinions, several highly respectable persons, both among my own relations and others, began to adopt the same sentiments.

"I now felt a strong wish to visit Europe, and obtain, by personal observation, a more thorough insight into its manners, customs, religion, and political institutions. I refrained, however, from carrying this intention into effect, until my friends, who coincided in my sentiments, should be increased in number and strength. My expectations having at length been realized, in November, 1830, I embarked for England, as the discussion of the East India Company's charter was expected to come on, by which the treatment of the natives of India, and its future government, would be determined for many years to come; and an appeal to the king in council, against the abolition of the practice of burning Hindoo widows, was to be heard before the privy council; and his majesty, the emperor of Delhi, had likewise commissioned me to bring before the

authorities in England, certain encroachments on his rights by the East India Company. I accordingly arrived in England in April, 1831.

"I hope you will excuse the brevity o this sketch, as I have no leisure at present to enter into particulars; and I remain, &c. "RAMMOHUN ROY."

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.

THE latter part of the Estival season was wet and showery; its commencement was identical with the tremendous gale which visited our eastern shores on the 31st of August; this gale was very destructive, and was accompanied with heavy rain, which fell without intermission from about 6P.M. on the 30th, until 7 P.M. on the 31st. It appears to have been confined principally to the eastern parts of our island, as Mr. Giddy, of Penzance, states, in his report of the weather, published in the Philosophical Magazine, that the 31st was fair, and that he observed a shower; on the 30th he mentions heavy rain. The direction of the wind at London was principally north-west; it was also north-west at Penzance, while at Boston its direction was northerly, and Mr. Veall, the meteorolo. gical observer there, states that it "blew a hurricane all day; ships were wrecked, orchards stripped, and trees blown up by the roots." From this day rain fell, more or less, until September the 4th: the 5th, 6th, and 7th were very fine, but accompanied with wind: rain fell again on the 8th, and the herbage was recovering its green appearance, which it had lost during the dry weather that distinguished the early part of this season: several self-sown plants were observed breaking ground at this time, particularly chickweed, marygold, some species of cranesbill, &c. The flowers of the chickweed, and dandelion, were also becoming general, and some seedling wallflowers were noticed coming into blossom. This bursting, as it were, of some plants into life at this season, had a very interesting appearance, when several others were decaying, and the falling leaves proclaimed the approach of cold and cheerless winter. A little fine weather occurred about the 12th, and the remainder of the month, which closed the season, was generally showery: this presented a striking contrast to the fine clear weather that occurred about the same time last year. In our next we shall give the anemonal periods of this part of the Estival season, with their mean temperature, &c.

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GLEANINGS.

Roman Antiquity. An interesting discovery has lately been made at Rome, in the vineyard of Dr. Lupi, between the gates of St. Sebastian and St. Paul. The celebrated mosaic, made by Sosus Pergamus, and mentioned by Pliny, (lib. 33. sect 25,) has been found. This mosaic represents the remains of a dinner left on a floor,-bones of chickens, fish, lettuce-leaves, a mouse gnawing these fragments, &c. Pliny states, that two doves on a vase were represented on the mosaic, but this part of the work has been damaged by the construction of a wall near the place where it was deposited.

National Debt.-Few persons, when speaking of our national debt, form to themselves just and adequate notions of its magnitude. Eight hundred million is as easily spoken as eight hundred thousand, and even in figures it is but adding three ciphers more to the one, to transform it into the other. It is only when reduced to a comparison with our everyday measures, that we become fully sensible of the immensity of the sum that we owe; it is then, and then only, that we can view it in the full plenitude of its vastness: thus-The whole population of the world is about 800,000,000 or 900,000,000; of Great Britain and Ireland, about 25,000,000; and of London 1,500,000: therefore, our debt, equally di vided, would be about £1, or, at least, 17s. 9d. to each man, woman, and child, in existence; £32 to every one in Great Britain and Ireland; and £533 to every one in London. Consequently, with bread as it now is, at 2d. per pound: and if, according to Cornaro, 12 ounces per diem be sufficient for the subsistence of an individual, our debt would maintain all the population of the globe 142 days, or nearly 5 months; all in Great Britain and Ireland above 14 years and all in London nearly 234 years, or from hence to the year 2066. Such is our debt, or what may not inaptly be called the bond of our union, or the people's security to government for their political obedience. It were devoutly to be wished, that should any future Pitt, or any other great debtmaking minister, arise, that some effectual check may be put on his career; or, who knows but, if left to himself, after mortgaging the whole earth, he may proceed to mortgage the moon too, the sun, and all the planets, and at last leave us not only in debt, but in darkness also, without either of God's blessings, "the sun to rule by day, or the moon by night.' The Times.

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Generation of Steam.-It is stated, that a great discovery has been made of a means to generate steam by a chemical process instead of the use of fuel. An inflammable gas is produced and applied, and the whole apparatus occupies a small compass, as the agents are not bulky, and water can always be procured. Should this improvement realize the hopes of the inventors, it is evident that the longest voyages on the ocean may be performed by steam vessels, which have of late been gradually yielding, in such cases, to sailing ships.-Lit. Gaz.

The Small Planets. -No doubt, the most remarkable of their peculiarities must lie in this condition of their state. A man placed on one of them would spring with ease 60 feet high, and sustain no greater shock in his descent than he does on the earth from leaping a yard. On such planets, giants might exist; and those enormous animals, which on earth require the buoyant power of water to counteract their weight, might there be denizens of the land. But of such speculation there is no end.

Dwelling-house discovered in a Bog in Donegal.-That indefatigable and scientific officer, Captain Mudge, in the course of the survey of the north-west coast of Ireland, which he is conducting under the auspices of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, has lately had an opportunity of investigating a most singular structure which has been found sixteen feet below the surface of a bog near Donegal. It appears to have been a small dwelling-house, rudely framed of oak, and, from the antiseptic qualities of bog, in perfect preservation. A plan, elevation, and a minute description of this highly interesting discovery, have been communicated to the Society of Antiquaries; and the public anticipate, with no ordinary eagerness, the appearance of these documents; for, though this building is on a small scale, composed of homely materials, and placed in a less refined region than Pompeii. yet, like that celebrated city, its disinterment brings us immediately to the manners and customs of the Irish fifteen or twenty centuries ago.

The Senses fallible Witnesses.-If, in the heat of summer, we descend into a cave, we become sensible that we are surrounded by a cold atmosphere; but if in the rigour of a frosty winter we descend into the same cave, we are conscious of the presence of a warm atmosphere. Now, a thermometer suspended in the cave, on each of these occasions, will show exactly the same temperature; and, in fact, the air of the cave maintains the same temperature at all seasons of the year. The body, however, being, in the one case, removed from a warm atmosphere into a colder one, and, in the other case, from a very cold atmosphere into one of a higher temperature, becomes, in the latter case, sensible of warmth, and, in the former, of cold.

Literary Notices.

Just Published.

National Portrait Gallery, Part 55.-Sir Josh. Reynolds, P. R. A.; Michael Faraday, Esq.; and the Rev. Professor Lee.

National Portrait Gallery, (new edition,) Part VI. the King of the Belgians; Sir Thomas Lawrence, P. R. A.; and Lord Howe.

Part XXXIII. of Baines's History of Lancashire, Part IX. of the Lakes-Westmorland, Cumberland, Durham, and Northumberland.

Part I. of a German Translation of the above Work. Ditto. of a French Translation.

The Pulpit, Vol. XXII. containing Fifty Sermons; with a Portrait of Dr. Adam Clarke.

The Fathers-John of Whitechurch, and Bartholomew of Charmouth-of the Wesley Family and References to their Times, By W. Beal.

The Christian's Golden Harp: or, Promises of Scripture in Verse. By W. C. D.; dedicated, by permission, to James Montgomery, Esq.

The Book of Science; a Familiar Introduction to the Principles of Natural Philosophy: with upwards of Two Hundred Engravings on Wood.

A Discourse occasioned by the Death of the Rev. Joseph Hughes, A. M. one of the Secretaries of the British and Foreign Bible Society, delivered to his late Congregation at Battersea, on Sunday, Oct. 13. By John Sheppard, author of "Thoughts on Private Devotion," &c.

The Commentaries of John Calvin on the Epistle to the Romans; to which is prefixed his Life, by Theodore Beza. Translated by F. Sibson, A. B., Trinity College, Dublin, 12mo.

The Life of the late Dr. Adam Clarke; from Orlginal Papers. By a Member of his Family. Vol. III. (being the last.)

Paternal Advice, chiefly to Young Men, on Entering into Life; a new and enlarged edition.

In the Press.

A New Edition of Wilberforce's Practical View; with a Memoir of the Author.

A New Edition of the Works of Hannah More; with a Memoir of the Author: in Thirty-five Parts, forming Eight Volumes :-Part I. nearly ready.

A Grammar of Astrology; written by Zadkiel the Seer.

Roman Coins; from the earliest period of the Roman Coinage to the Extinction of the Empire under Constantine Paleologos. By J. Y. Akerman.

A New English Version of Cuvier's "Regne Animale, or Animal Kingdom; with Five Hundred Coloured Engravings.

A Pocket Expositor of the New Testament; in one thin volume. By T. Keyworth.

The Book of the Unveiling; an Exposition, with Notes. 1 vol. post 8vo.

Fanaticism. By the Author of " Natural History of Enthusiasm," "Saturday Evening, &c."

The Third, and concluding Volume of Colonel Hodges' Narrative of the Expedition to Portugal, is in a state of great forwardness, and will be published early in the Winter.

A Treatise on Field Fortification; and other subjects connected with the Duties of the Field Engineer. By J. S. Macaulay, Captain in the Corps of Royal Engineers. To be illustrated with; Twelve highlyfinished Plates.

The Church at Philippi; or, the Faith and Conduct of the Early Christians illustrated. By the Author of "the Pastor of Blamont," 12mo.

LONDON: PRINTED AT THE CAXTON PRESS, BY H. FISHER, SON, AND CO.

THE IMPERIAL MAGAZINE. S

DECEMBER, 1833.

A DAY AT ST. ALBAN'S.

(Concluded from p. 511.)

We have heard it remarked, that there is something in the character of Gothic architecture exactly suited to the general features of the countries in which it may be said to have been indigenous; and a slight inspection of any of our ecclesiastical antiquities, will be sufficient at once to prove the justice of the observation. The fluted column, the acanthus-wreathed capital, and the frieze richly ornamented with elaborate sculptures, seem scarcely to agree with that soft beauty, and quiet disposition of colours, which pervade our sober-suited, although ever-pleasing landscapes. Amidst the olives of Attica indeed, or the vines of Italy, this regal style of building appears in its own place, and under the advantage of all appropriate circumstances. In itself purely and essentially elegant, it seems calculated for scenes which reflect the same character, for skies almost perpetually blue, and a sunshine but seldom clouded: but, for the shifting lights and shades which course each other over our English prospects, for the grey distance which bounds our horizons, our woods with their subdued green, and our willowy streams gliding with a scarcely perceptible course through still meadows and misty glades; what can be more appropriate than the castellated mansion, with its hoary towers and indented walls, or the majestic abbey lifting its spires in the remote view, and suggesting many an image to strengthen the impression of peace already received? How many more claims besides does this school of architecture possess to our regard, from the numerous cherished associations connected with it! It is strictly and exclusively our own,-not borrowed from a people with whom we have little or nothing in common, but the spontaneous growth of the same soil on which it has so richly flourished. It is united with the memory of our forefathers, as well as with those ancient traditions which gave the first exercise to our childish imaginations. It is immortalized by some of the noblest passages in our poetry, and, what is far above every other circumstance, to render it the object of our especial attachment, it is to many of us associated with our first instruction in those truths which form our surest support here, and our sole ground of hope hereafter. But, dispossessing it of every adventitious aid, derived from its aptitude to our scenery and connexion with our affections and feelings, and allowing it to influence us only by its intrinsic and unsupported excellence; how far does this style of art, originating in a period in most other respects justly considered barbarous, and fostered in the colder regions of the north, transcend the most celebrated works which the efforts of Greece and Rome present to challenge our admiration! These, indeed, are inimitably graceful; and so far as justness of proportion and unity of design are entitled to praise, will they continue throughout all ages to insure it. Yet in the very qualities commended may be perceived a bar to that original genius which is perpetually seeking for novelty as the vehicle of a fresh disclosure of its power, under a diversified aspect. After the inspection of a few classic temples, aqueducts, and theatres, the feeling of surprise, which constitutes so essential a part of admiration, vanishes. The same columns, the same cornices, the same entablatures, recur in an unvaried circle. But how diversified appear to have been the conceptions of the Gothic designers: changing to an almost unlimited extent, yet preserving under every change the same power of 2D. SERIES, NO. 36.-VOL. III.

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180.-VOL. XV.

fascination! How exquisite is this work in its minute particulars, yet how grand in its general character! with what an enduring strength, displayed in its solid buttresses and supports; and with what a fairy elegance, playing about the external ornaments of its slender spires and frosted pinnacles! From the early Saxon edifice, exhibiting its massive pillars and circular arches, with their zigzag wreaths and shark's-tooth mouldings, and presenting such an image of strength and solidity, that nothing short of a convulsion of nature seems capable of moving it from its place—to the period of the florid style, when every building wasliterally encrusted with decorations—and from thence to the more simple erections of the Tudors-how numerous, and yet how widely different, are the master-pieces of art, which are left to provoke and exceed our utmost power of panegyric! And, then, the unsupported tower rising to a height which would have made a classical architect dizzy, with such elegance and delicacy of structure as might cause us to tremble at its continued exposure to the elements, did not the lapse of centuries prove a warrant for its security; the shafted and emblazoned window, displaying as many varieties of form as the leaves and flowers about us; the aisle escutcheoned and hung with banners, dimly lit by the transverse light, scattered from gorgeously dyed panes, and lessening away from the sight, till its termination is rendered obscure by the solemn gloom in the distance; the shrine surrounded by its lace-like screen; the fairly-wrought tomb, beneath its escalloped and fretted canopy-to descant further in praise of these, would be to essay a task in humble prose, to which the loftiest verse has scarcely proved equal; and truly, under every circumstance, the attempt seems much the same as "to gild refined gold, or paint the lily."

While lingering, however, to indulge our reflections on the exterior of this noble edifice, we must not forget that it has equal sources of attraction within. Following, therefore, the steps of our grave conductor, we pass beneath the shade of a low-browed portal, and find ourselves at once beneath that solemn roof, which has seen so many generations pass as shadows beneath it, and at liberty to gaze upon the sombre perspective of the northern aisle; when, lo, dimly seen above the crown of a gloomy arch, and traced in colours, towards which the flight of years has shewn but little reverence, the form of king Offa himself, in true Anglo-Saxon style, and looking like a fresco copy of one of the coins of his own period. In good truth, as majestic-looking a personage, in outward appearance, as one might desire to see presiding at a Wittenagemot, or, at the head of his warlike earls and aldermen, (since then, alas! how desecrated a name,) discussing the sparkling vintage, in commemoration of his triumph over the golden dragon of Wessex, or the town-monster borne on the banners of the valorous sons of the Cymri. Unfortunately, however, for this founder of abbeys, and king of western Christendom, the dark stains of cruelty and murder have been too surely connected with his name by the voice of history, notwithstanding all the efforts of his monkish panegyrists to the contrary, to allow us to regard him in any other light than that of a crafty and perfidious oppressor; so little influenced by the effect of the religious circumstance which accompanies his effigies, or his goodly handiwork about us, we leave his fading portraiture to the obscurity which best befits it, and turn away to seek elsewhere for matter of contemplation more attractive. Nor have we far to proceed in our quest. A few steps further introduce us into what was considered, in days of old, the very sanctum sanctorum of the sacred building. Rearing its pointed height nearly to the very roof, and with its loftiest panes tinctured with a glowing lozenge of crimson, containing the same venerated initials which are so often repeated wherever we turn our view; a single gothic window sheds a flood of pale and changing light upon the spot where the bones of Saint Alban himself were once preserved for the worship of our forefathers. But how completely shorn of its former splendour is the place which was then, with all its magnificence, scarcely thought worthy of the reception of his remains. The stone bases of the four supporting columns which stood at the angles of the tomb, still remain, worn to a level with the grey pavement; but shrine and canopy, the pillar of precious metal, and the jewel of costly price, have long since departed, together with the identical reliques of the

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