Another reason why we prefer the plan before us, is-it is not so calculated to encourage a partial reading of the scriptures. It puts the whole of the sacred volume into the hand of the reader; and while it assists him by pointing out those passages which are especially adapted to his state, it recommends to his careful reading, and mature reflection, the whole of the word of God.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God,' and it is earnestly requested that this may be considered as the motto and foundation of the Porteusian Bible Society.' But it is universally acknowledged, that all scripture is not alike suited to the instruction, comfort, and edification, of all classes of readers. It is therefore of importance to bring before persons those portions of the word of God which are adapted to their state: that by exciting a pleasing interest in the mind, they may be led to search THE WHOLE OF THE SACRED VOLUME." (Prospectus p. 1.)

With these sentiments we perfectly agree, and we shall proceed without further remarks, to lay before our readers the plan, and some specimens, of the work.

Prefixed to the Bible is an Index, which comprises:

REPENTANCE.-Repentance necessary.-Wherein it consists.-Exhortations to it.-Motives.-If genuine, will obtain pardon. The danger of delaying it.

FAITH.-Faith in God necessary to please him.-Must be unfeigned and durable.-Insignificant without the works of charity and love.-Faith without works compared with the faith of devils.

JUSTIFICATION.-Justification not to be attained by the law.-Nor by any works of our own.-Is given unto us by the grace of God.-Through the merits and blood of Christ.—By the means of faith.-In answer to prayer.

Under each of these heads the reader is referred to a number of scripture passages where the doctrine is explicitly taught. The latter part of the work, we should observe, is chiefly an abridgment of Bishop Gastrell's "Christian Institutes:" and is, we believe, well calculated to instruct the rising generation in the principles of the Christian faith; being a short compendium of it in the language of HOLY WRIT.

II. A collection of scripture doctrines, duties, and promises, relative to the temporal and spiritual interests of parents, children, servants, and others.

III. A table of reference to the discourses, parables, and miracles, of Christ; arranged in chronological order.

IV. The scripture promises arranged under each separate book throughout the Holy Bible.

V. A collection of scripture precepts, promises, and threatenings, exhibiting the Christian's faith, duty, and privileges. The whole arranged under separate heads, and delivered in the words of holy writ.

This occupies 96 closely and beautifully printed pages: and it is obvious that much care and great judgment have been used in compiling this part of the work: though we do not wish it to be understood that we view it as faultless, or incapable of amendment. We select the following as specimens of the work;

churchman nor the rigid dissenter need scruple putting it into the bands of his children. The Bible which follows is the "Authorised Version:" having the chapters distinguished as we before observed. The chapters thus marked are distributed into three classes:

"I. Those of a more spiritual or moral nature.

"II. The leading historical chapters.

"III. Our Lord's discourses, &c. and other peculiarly important chapters."

Such is the nature of the work before us; and we doubt not that it will be found extensively and permanently useful. In the event of a seventh edition being called for, (which will doubtless be the case shortly, as the list of subscribers is large and respectable,) it would be well if the Index were printed with a larger type, as it is a lamentable fact, that many of those persons to whom the work would be exceedingly useful, are past the meridian of life, and with them, "those that look out of the windows be darkened."

ON DISCOUNT.

MR. EDITOR.

SIR,-Mr. Bonnycastle observes, that no rule in arithmetic has been the occasion of more disputes than that of equation of payment. Almost every writer upon this subject has endeavoured to shew the fallacy of the methods made use of by others, and to substitute one of his own." This difference of opinion, I apprehend, must, in a great measure, be occasioned by simple interest being employed in the calculating of discounts. This will appear more obviously by a familiar example. A. owes B. £115. to be paid at the end of three years. B. proposes to take £100. ready money, that being the present worth at 5 per cent. per annum discount. A. replies, I can do better, I shall put my money out on interest, and by that means I shall have the use of the interest which I shall receive half-yearly for three years, whereas, were I to accept your offer, I should transfer that advantage to you; which would, in effect, be to pay you the odd £15. at six half-yearly instalments, and you know that not a penny of the debt is due till the end of three years. Allow me 5 per cent. discount, compound interest, and you shall have the money.

In equation of payments, when the common rule is used, which some writers have defended as the true one, it is plain that the debtor will have the advantage, inasmuch as he will receive the whole of his interest at the equated time; which he would not otherwise be entitled to till the time of the last payment.

Several authors have called the time at which the sum of the present worth of all the payments will amount to the given debt, the sure equated time. That this rule fails, is on account of the erroneous principles upon which the rule for finding the present worth is founded. That it actually does fail, may be proved thus: the sum of the present worth, at the equated time of all the payments then not due, added to the amount of all the rest at the same time, would equal the given debt, if the rule were true; but it does not, and therefore the rule is false.

Even Malcolm's rule is not above the reach of objection; especially No. 40.-Vol. IV.

when one of the payments is small in respect of the other, and the time between them very long. But, until a different mode of calculating discount be adopted, it seems as if it would remain the only true one, for it is plain at what point of time soever, between the days on which the two payments are due, the whole debt is discharged, that the creditor is entitled to interest for the first payment; and likewise that the debtor ought to be allowed discount for the second payment, for the time it is paid over soon; and that when these happen to be equal, they destroy each other. Now the point of time when the interest of the first payment is equal to the discount of the second, is what Malcolm's rule precisely shews; and therefore, agreeably to the above principles, it must be the true rule. But as it is extremely tedious, and as a result, which approximates very near to the truth of it, may be obtained by the following rule, I offer it for insertion in your valuable Magazine.

RULE. Find the equated time by the common rule, rejecting fractions, when they are small.

Find the present worth, at this equated time, of each payment then not due.

or

Substitute each of these present worths for its respective sum payment, and repeat the oporation by the common rule for the true equated time.

The above rule is founded upon this principle: The interest of any sum for any given time, is equal to the discount of its amount for the same time: thus, if the interest of £100. for a year be £5. the discount of £105. (which is the amount of £100. for a year) for the same time will be £5. I am, Sir, Your's,

Shiney-Row, Feb. 16, 1822.

A. B.

ancient Hebrews used no nuptial ring; whilst others further contend, that they gave it in their marriages in the stead of a piece of money, which they had been used to give before; which money was about its equivalent in value. The Greeks and Romans, according to Tertullian, used the marriage ring in the same manner, and from them the primitive Christians took it up very early. A formula of consecration was added by the Christians to the former ceremonies, and there is little doubt of that period having been the æra of its present usage, when they first received the custom from the heathens.

OMEGA.

Answer by J. B. Chivers, Schoolmaster, St. Austell, to the third question, "On Animal Increase," inserted in the Imperial Magazine for February 1, col. 200.

It appears by the nature of the question, that the increase in the first year will be 0; in the second, 1; in the third, 1; in the fourth, 2; in the fifth, 3; in the sixth year, 5, &c. &c. to 20 years. Therefore, by the nature of progression, the whole series will be 10,945, which is the increase required in 20 years;-if for 40 years, the amount would be 165,580,140.

A similar answer has been received from Robert Hall, Jun. Colchester.

of Julian the apostate, are spoken of as troops, whose personal prowess was such, that they were reputed invincible; the Galls observing that the bravest among the Roman forces were called gentiles and scutarii, appropriated the derivative appellation of Esquires (it is said) from this circumstance, to the boldest and bravest among themselves. Every body has made himself more or less familiar with the duties of the squires of old romance, as the attendants of knights in their doughty expeditions at a later period; those days of chivalry, however, have now passed away, with 'the glory of them." It need not be said that other "modifications" of the use of this title have since prevailed, and other "qualifications” for its assumption been admitted-a spirit of commerce has gradually superseded the spirit of chivalry, Tempore mutan tur, (as Partridge says,) et nos mutamur in illis: and the institutions of chivalry have left but a faint trace behind them of their primitive exist

66

ence.

The title, as now established among us, continues to be next below that of knight, and is the right, by law, of

all younger sons of noblemen, and the eldest sons of such younger sons," as also "the eldest sons of knights, and their sons successively," and, if such an office be still kept up, "the four esquires of the king's body;" and if such a ceremony (which I suppose to be now obsolete,) be ever performed, "esquires created by the king, by putting about their necks a collar of SS's, and bestowing on them a pair of silver spurs." So runs the autho rity to which I am indebted for most of the above information. I believe not even members of Parliament have a direct legal claim on this title, in virtue of their office as representatives.

No modification whatever, of this law, has taken place; by custom and courtesy, however, which in many cases are allowed by lawyers to be paramount to law-"heads of ancient families"-men of patrician descentmembers of parliament-those who fill certain offices under governmentor who belong to either of the liberal professions-share in this title, as also perhaps other sorts of men of less note, "patrician desert," who claim such a distinction on the score of pro

perty, &c. through a too latitudinarian application of the term. A common abuse of it, indeed, consists in its latitudinarian embrace of the names of many, (according to popular estimation,) who absolutely shrink from its adoption, in the circles in which it licenses them to appear, from a very natural want of that courage to bear it out, which a man can only acquire by keeping good company, and which characterises the demeanour of a gentleman, and towards the acquisition of which, the possession of a mind "imbued with polite literature," (to use the phraseology of the old school) is a primary essential.

There are not wanting those, who, without any ostensible qualifications whatever, real or imaginary, usurp this title of such we can only say, that their impudence is an evil which must be left, like many other evils, to remedy itself; and that we must tolerate them as we tolerate those empi- | rics-their brothers in imposturewho, to dazzle the vulgar, take upon themselves the title of Physician, and are content to forfeit the fairer renown which every man doing his duty in his own natural sphere may render himself worth obtaining.

Such then, finally, is all I know, or have the immediate means of learning, on the subject I have taken up: 1 may be misinformed in some points, or deficient in information in others; and most happy shall I be, to be correct ed (in such a case) by any future correspondent, who, under your auspices, may lay me under obligation to him for such a favour.

DISCOVERY OF A REMARKABLE COFFIN.

The

raised in the centre, presented a complete skeleton, of large dimensions, in a high state of preservation. skull was placed between the thigh bones, and the occupant of this narrow mansion, who had probably in his day filled a considerable space in society, had evidently suffered decapitation. In the place where the head would have lain in an unmutilated body, was a stone. The teeth were all perfect, both in the upper and lower jaw, and the bones are those of a strong athletic man, cut off apparently in the meridian of life; and when the coffin was opened they were all entire, but immediately on being exposed to the air of the atmosphere, the ribs fell in. Nothing remains of the flesh; but some hard white chalky substances were found, which appear to be a mixture of the earthy matter of the bones with the muscular part of the body, the latter converted into a fatty substance. The coffin is of the dimen sions of six feet five inches in length, and nineteen inches in width within, with sides about four inches thick; it has been cut out of the solid stone, and is supposed to weigh about a ton and a half. The place where these relics were found is about a mile and a quarter from Ferribridge, in a valley near the road leading to Castleford. Many conjectures are of course afloat, as to the identity of this man of other times; but the prevailing, and we think the most probable opinion, is, that these are the remains of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, the unfortunate leader of the insurgent Barons, in the battle of Borough-bridge, fought in the year 1321, and who was beheaded at Pontefract, 500 years ago, by order of his nephew Edward II.-(See History and Directory of Yorkshire, pp. 145 and 239.) The coffin and remains, which have attracted a great deal of public attention, are now removed to Fryston-hall.

CANINE FIDELITY.

A beautiful liver-coloured bitch, belonging to James Clarke, one of the convicts now under sentence of death in Shrewsbury gaol, followed her