with satisfaction and pleasure their accounts of Richard of Cirencester, of Antoninus, of Ptolemy, and the anonymous Ravennas. The writings and literary characters of these authors are ably discriminated, and those parts of each that particularly relate to Dorsetshire are critically examined. Under the head of "Ecclesiastical History," is given a concise and wellwritten account of the introduction and establishment of christianity in this country; and its influence in Dorsetshire is manifested by the foundation of churches, the erection of bishopricks, and by the effects produced on the inhabitants. The next division of the work refers to the civil history of the county, and includes a history and lists of sheriffs, from the beginning of Henry the second to the time of publishing the first volume. Tedious lists of all the civil officers of the county follow, and these are succeeded by "some observations on the maritime affairs, on beacons, the population, a list of market towns, seats, public and civil buildings, &c." The natural History of Dorsetshire is but slightly touched on. This very interesting branch of topography was scarcely noticed by many of our former county historians; and some of the present day either totally neglect it, or treat it so very superficially, that their dissertations prove more detrimental than beneficial to the subject. A long account of the agriculture, &c. of the county is extracted from Claridge's report, and the introduction closes with an essay on coins, or provincial tokens, which we think almost unworthy of no tice in the history of a county. In de scribing Dorsetshire the author has d vided it into districts and hundreds, subdivided these again into pariat manors, hamlets, tithings, &c. Each these furnishes matter for a separate hitory, and, as is commonly the case i milar works, the reader is obliged to b bour through a vast mass of unintere ing, dull narrative, for the purpose catching a few glances of curious or e gaging information. It has not bee the fortunate lot of many county hist rians to excite much interest in the works, or render them amusing and 2tractive to the general reader, to foreig ers, and such persons as wish to be a quainted with the local history and topgraphy of our island. To effect this t know is no easy task, but we believe to be attainable, and hope that some me of genius, talent, and science, will exe their powers to rescue this branch literature from the opprobrium of sop rific dulness and insipidity, which it long laboured under. As the work a very incomplete we suspend our final opinion on its general character and ere cution, and delay any further account its contents, till the third volume is pahlished. It may however be propert observe, that the volumes are printed on three or four different sorts of pape, which gives them a disreputable_ap pearance; and the plates are more dive sified than the paper. Some of then are tolerably executed in their draw ing and engraving, but the greater part are insignificant and bad. ART. XI. The History of Cornwall, civil, religious, architectural, agricultural, c mercial, biographical, and miscellaneous. By the Rev. R. POLWHELE. Vols. I. 2nd II. 4to. pp. 436, in both volumes. WE presume that the writings and literary character of Mr. Polwhele are well known to most of our readers. He has long laboured in the literary vineyard, and though we cannot compliment him on the success, or felicity of his topographical publications, yet his industry and general talents will ever demand our respect. Some of his poetical writings are highly honourable to his feelings and fancy; and in the poem of the "Old English Gentleman," we are delighted with the judicious discrimination of character, and with the nice delineation of manners and cus toms which were formerly the pride and boast of Englishmen: but if we critically examine his fragments towards a history of Devonshire, and these first volumes of a history of Cornwall, we discover too much of the poet in the histori and too much of the theorist in the a tiquary. Having said thus much ef Mr. Polwhele's literary character, we proceed to lay before our readers the leading features of these two volumes of the history of Cornwall, reserving o decisive opinions on the work till the next time we meet him in our ann journey. The first volume commences with dedication to the prince of Wales, where the author acknowledges, that in the secution of his extensive plan, he is conscious there are great defects. But this plan is chronological, it may be stly deemed an outline to be improved reafter, as opportunity may offer, and be continued through future times." This chronological plan of Mr. Polhele's is certainly very different from at of any other county historian, but fear this difference will not obtain it uch pre-eminence: for though we apove of some parts, yet we must dededly reprove others, and particularly execution. The labour of searching ter the various memoranda relating to e place is endless, and the long quotaons, and frequency of repetition, beme extremely tiresome. Thus, in rating the history and description of certain ancient town, castle, &c. we id some particulars, or rather dissertions, on it, under the British period; ain, in a subsequent part of the vome, under the head of civil and miary transactions of the Romans; some this is again repeated with unconcted scraps, under the respective dy isties of the Saxons, Danes, Normans, c. And if the author completes a trochial history of the county, most f them must be again related, or his aders will have the painful task of rerring to several distant parts of the book o obtain the particular history of a ngle place. The plan thus marked ut by our ingenious author is subject many objections; and for a county istory of local information and refer ce, cannot obtain the suffrage of toographers and antiquaries. But these re not our only objections to Mr. Polhele's history: his manner of surchargg it with long, inapposite extracts from ther printed books; his predilection r theory and dissertation; his ready quiescence in and vindication of the everies of Borlase; his very bad prints, c. are all defects in his work, and such s become doubly reprehensible in a man of genius and talent. The first book of his work is occupied with dissertations on the civil and mitary transactions which relate to Cornwall, from the time of Julius Cæsar to Vortigern. Of this period we have scarcely any records, and therefore Mr. Polwhele acknowledges he must be contented to connect "a few scattered facts by the links of probability." This is admissible occasionally, but it should be adopted with great caution. In a subsequent part of the work, the author observes, that "tradition will often throw great light on the obscurity of historyTradition, with no presumptive proofs from history to precede it, is little to be regarded. If we allow it to lead the way, it is ever a fallacious guide: but when we can introduce it as an auxiliary, its claims are certainly to be heard." An instance of Mr. Polwhele's ready admission of tradition occurs in the following narrative: "There is a strong tradition in the parish of Bishop's Lydiard, that lies under the Quantockhills, relating to a Roman battle. On a farm in this parish (say the country people) was fought the last battle between the Western Britons and their enemies of Rome. The former were totally defeated, and the farm has ever since been called Conquest Farm. The tenant is ready to point out to enquirers the very situation of the armies: and near the fatal spot is a circular camp, of about twenty acres. This surely is remarkable; and here I can readily see the spot where Vespasian routed the Bri tons before he proceeded on his march towards Exeter." The second chapter applies to the geography of Danmonium, and the original government of its inhabitants, with some account of their civil and military constitution. "With respect to the geography of Danmonium," observes Air. Polwhele, "I shall quote the descriptions of Ptolomy and Richard, as far as they relate to the western part of the island. Ptolemy of Alexandria, who fou rished under the emperors Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius, is one of the most ancient geographers, whose works are extant. It may be proper to premise, that there are two general errors in Ptolemy, which affect the whole geography of Britain: this writer has made all England decline from the true position as to the length of it, and entirely changed the position of Scotland, representing its length from east to west, instead of from south to north; and he has placed the whole of South Britain too far north by two or three degrees." The inaccuracy of all ancient maps of Britain is not at all surprising, when we recollect the relative state of society and science; but we are surprised that modern writers place so much dependence on their authority, and the position of places, &c. marked on them. The above errors of Ptolemy are not his only geographical defects: Baron Clark considered him among the most incorrect of all ancient authors; and Mr. Horsley has demonstrated his inaccuracy by giving another more rectified map of Britain, from a comparison with which the futility of the former becomes more apparent. Knowing this, and similar instances in later accounts and more recent maps, we cannot too strongly recommend to topographers and antiquaries, the necessity of visiting and examining places and things. Had Mr. Polwhele been more attentive to this part of a topographer's duty, we should have felt more satisfied with his descriptions and inferences; but observing his ready acquiesence in other's opinions, and his copious quotations from Borlase, Hals, Tonkin, and other speculatists, we follow him with great caution, and suspect many of his deductions. In the following quotation, this will be clearly exemplified :-" Pryce," Mr. Polwhele ob"states, that Redruth--Dreduith-signifies the Druid's town. And of this he is assured, from its vicinity to Karnbre, that celebrated station of druidical superstition, where are to be seen a multifarious collection of monumental druidism." Before we proceed with this extract, it may be necessary to inform the reader, that Mr. Pryce was an apothecary of Redruth, and having, like his countryman Borlase, amused himself with reveries on druidism, at last fancied every heap of stones a druidical monument, and Karnbre, which is a large granite hill covered with detached masses of rock, he hyperbolically pronounces, "a multifarious collection of monumental druidism." Mr. Polwhele, imbibing a little of his predecessor's spirit, remarks on this passage. serves, "At all events, there is no doubt but Red pendicular height of the bank, from the area within, is now seven feet; but the height from the bottom of the ditch without, at present ten feet, was formerly mors The seats consist of six steps, fourteen inches wide, and one foot high, with one on the top of all, where the rampart is about seven feet wide. That plays were acted here, I have not a doubt: but I concur with Mr. Whitaker in thinking that these circles were designed for British courts of judicature." From the tenor of this extract, a reader would conclude it was dictated from personal inspection, and that "the amphitheatre" is now in the state de scribed by the author: but upon referring to Borlase's account of it, we find the same words adopted. Had Mr. Polwhele acknowledged his authority, we should have been satisfied with bin, though perhaps not equally so with the original author. From the description of a correspondent in Cornwall, we learn that the monument above described is merely "a simple raised bank, or vallum, running round a flat area. The bank has no indication of seats or steps, not is there the least appearance of repair." In describing many encampments, cromlechs, circles, &c. we observe a similar practice in our author; and as the prac tice conduces to perpetuate and propagate falshood, and tends to depreciate liberal antiquarianism, we must discountenance and reprove such conduct. Co In the third chapter Mr. Polwhelt takes a review of the religion of the Danmonians,, as influenced by dr dism, by Roman paganism, and br christianity. Among the objects & religious veneration of the pagan nish, the serpent was, according to our author, the most pre-eminent. "Tota famous anguinum they attributed high virtues. The anguinum, or serpent's egg, was a congeries of small snakes rolled together, and incrusted with a shell, formed by the saliva, or viscous gum, or froth of the mother serpen air by the hissings of its dam; and, be This egg, it seems, was tossed into the fore it fell again to the earth (where would be defiled) it was to be received in the sagus, a sacred vestment. T person who caught the egg was to mak his escape on horseback; since the se pent pursued the ravisher of its young even to the brink of the next rive Pliny, from whom this account is take proceeds with an enumeration of oth absurdities relating to the anguinum. exact circle of 126 feet diameter. The per- What will naturalists say to this .. ruth, in the vicinity of Karnbre, was one of the chief towns of the druids of Danmo nium; and at Plas-an-guere, in Redruth, there were very lately the remains of an amphitheatre. This is evident from the very name. But the amphitheatres of St. Just and St. Piran, bear evident marks of the judicial court in this canton of the Carnabii. The amphitheatre of St. Just, in the hundred of Penwith, situated near the church, is somewhat disfigured by the injudicious repairs of late years; but by the remains it seems to have been a work of more than usual labour and correctness. It was an alous story, but that the inventor and elator of it ought to be classed with he species of animals denominated aturals. The fourth chapter embraces what ur author calls a review of "the civil, ilitary, and religious architecture of anmonium;" in which he has inuded some long digressions on the Roan roads, stations, and camps in Denshire and Cornwall. This volume, ugh entitled a history of the latter unty, may be considered almost equala history of the former; as its princial historical dissertations apply equally both. It is certainly no easy task to parate the two in their early historical lations; but as Mr. Polwhele has alady written largely on " the historical iews of Devonshire," he should rather ave taxed his own exertion and patience an that of his readers, in separating e two. The remainder of the first volume is propriated to the subjects of "woodnd, pasturage, agriculture, and garns: to miaing, manufactures, and mmerce: to language, literature, and arned men: to population, manners, d usages." These latter subjects are eated in a very concise manner; and e volume is terminated with twentyree prints of monuments, antiquities, iews, &c. Some of them are copied om Borlase's very inaccurate prints, nd the others are so very indifferent, at they rather disfigure than ornament e book they accompany. The first volume professes to embrace historical subjects included in the eriod from Julius Cæsar to Vortigern; nd in the second part the same subjects e reviewed in their progress and imrovement, from Vortigern to Edward eFirst. This portion of the work ecomes more interesting than the forer, as it is founded more on the evience of fact and record; yet the first art of it is much depreciated with the les of the renowned Arthur, and some er British champions. The ravages d piracies of the Danes are particu. arly detailed. Long genealogies of me Cornish families, with accounts of the princes and dukes of Cornwall, cupy many pages. The notes, which are numerous, and very copious, are printed in small letter, and in many instances fill whole quarto pages: but as they are generally extracts from other publications, they do not occupy much of the author's thinking time. With the following extracts, descriptive and historical, of St. Michael's mount, we take leave of these volumes and our author for the present. "St. Michael's mount is one of those rare and commanding objects which arrest and fix the attention the moment they are seen. racter it assumes, from appearing to rise imIts peculiar situation, and the sublime chamediately from the waves, singularly interest the imagination of the observer; though when viewed from the land, its real magnitude is apparently diminished, from the vast extent of the horizon and the expanded tract of water which surrounds its base. scene(says Mr.Britton*) singularly calculated a mind of no common mould has thus pourto inflame the enthusiasm of the poet; and ed the note of sublimity from the vocal shell, on contemplating the beauty of the prospect, and revolving the events which the traditionary lore of past ages represents to have occurred on this spot.' It is a Is crowned with castles, and whose rocky Majestic Michael rises: he whose brow Are clad with dusky ivy; he whose base, Beat by the storms of ages, stands unmoved Amidst the wreck of things;—the change of Here wav'd their branches green; the sacred To cut the hallowed misletoe, and hold II. Davy's MOUNTS BAY." Another poet of genius has also characterized the mount in the following terms. "Mountain, the curious muse might love to gaze blast, On the dim record of thy early days; Bra subsequent part of this extract, it appears to be taken from The Beauties of England and Wales, a work which bears the joint names of Messrs. Britton and Brayy, and therefore Mr. Polwhele should have mentioned both naines, or neither. Thou only, aged mountain, dost remain, The big waves slow retire, and murmur at Rev. W. H. Bowles. "The first of these extracts has reference to the popular belief of St. Michael's mount having, in the remote ages of antiquity, been situated in a wood; a circumstance to which its name in the Cornish language gives a considerable degree of plausibility. This tradition is partly confirmed by the testiniony of Leland, who remarks that In the baye betwixt the mont and Pensants, be found neere the lowe water marke, rootes of trees yn dyvers places.' And Borlase, in a paper published in the fiftieth volume of the Philosophical Transactions, strengthens the evidence, by relating the discovery of the roots and trunks of trees; some of them embeded in the natural soil, but covered with sand, and submerged by twelve feet of water every flowing tide. Ptolomy calls the mount Öcrinum; but soon after the sixth century, it seems to have received its present name, from the apparition of but equally dangerous, spot, on the sum In evil hour thou lenst an hond ART. XII. A Companion and useful Guide to the Beauties in the Westers Highlands of Scotland, and in the Hebrides: To which is added, a Description of Part of the ma Land of Scotland, and of the Isles of Mull, Ulva, Stoffa, I-Ċolumbkill, Tirii, Call, E Skye, Raza, and Scalpa. By the IIonourable Mrs. MURRAY, of Kensington. Vol. il &vo. pp. 436. In the year 1799, Mrs. Murray published an octavo volume, as a "Guide to the Scottish Scenery," &c. That having met with some success, and been spoken highly of by two or three reviewers, she has extended the work by publishing the present volume, which refers principally to the scenery and cha racter of the western islands of Scotland. These wild and interesting regions had previously attracted the curiosity of Dr. Johnson, Dr. Garnett, Faujas St. Fond, &c. each of whom has communicated his observations to the public. The opinions of the first tourist are replete with prejudice, whilst those of the two latter gentlemen, though not so generally known, are much more scientific and important. The work is humbly entitled, "a Companion and useful Guide," &c. and the first part is simply occupied with directions about inns, roads, travelling and accommodations; all these are required to be known by persons making the tour, and a knowledge of them must facilitate their progress, and add to their comfort. "This Guide," observes Mrs. Murray, "points out to the traveller what is worth noticing in his tour, wa the distances from place to place; r tions the inns on the road, whether g or bad; also, what state the reads a in; and informs him of those fit for carriage, and those where it cannot with safety. In these respects, the pr sent work differs from any other pr cation of the kind; for no writer of t has hitherto taken the trouble of a taining what may be seen worthy of t tice in the course of a travelling jour and it very often happens, that he pa within a mile or less of very great tural beauties, without either knowing or having heard of them; and the cour try people seldom or ever name to strai gers what they think nothing of, because seeing them every day they regard them not as objects of curiosity." These are facts well known, and of ten lamented by the curious traveller, who loses the sight of many singular and interesting objects, for want of knowing their true situation and real character. A faithful guide is therefore a valuable travelling companion, and such we be lieve is this before us. The first part of the volume contaias |