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Representations of some ancient Paintings in Baston House, Kent .................497 Manor House and Ruins of the Priory at Hinton Charterhouse, Somerset............577 Plan of the Norman Church at Langford, Essex (vignette).............

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In the preface to the First Part of the HUNDREDTH VOLUME of our labours, a review was taken of the long line of its predecessors; and such observations were made upon their contents as were consistent with modesty and truth. On attaining a goal which few periodical works have ever reached, it was impossible not to feel-and feeling, it would have been affectation to conceal-sensations of exultation at the almost unprecedented success which has attended our humble, but zealous, efforts for the promotion of Historical, Antiquarian, and Biographical Literature.

Success has not, however, induced us to relax our exertions. Though we had the vanity to think that much was done, we were sensible that reputation is more difficult to preserve than to acquire; and that it is impossible to maintain the position in which we stand, without calling into action all our resources, and allowing the same zeal, the same moderation, and the same political principles, to influence our future conduct, which have procured for us the co-operation of our friends, and the favour of the public, in our long, inobtrusive, and, we trust, useful career.

For the first time in the annals of the Gentleman's Magazine, a charge of libel has been preferred against it; and the proprietors have during the last six months been subjected to the expense and vexation of appearing in a Court of Justice, to vindicate themselves from the accusation. Upon this subject, however, we shall say little silence best becomes the successful party, and it is ungenerous to taunt a feeble and vanquished enemy; but we may advert to the circumstance, as evidence that old age has not impaired our energies, and that, though scrupulously careful to avoid wounding the feelings of others, we are as ready as the most vigorous of our contemporaries to speak the truth, and to repress empirical arrogance.

One circumstance peculiarly characterises this volume, in the new feature given to the work by the introduction of CLASSICAL COMMUNICATIONS. For this idea we were indebted to a gentleman of profound learning; who, unlike many projectors, has materially assisted in carrying his own design into execution, since many valuable papers on that subject are from his pen; and he has thus stimulated other correspondents to enter an arena which affords room for the display of one of the highest branches of intellectual attainments.

In the political world changes have recently taken place of too important a nature to be passed over in silence. To Ministers who governed the country upon principles which, though acceptable to the wealthy and the powerful, became gradually more and more obnoxious to less favoured classes, has succeeded a Cabinet which may be considered the representatives of liberal opinions.

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GENERAL LIBRARY

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

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Their accession to office has as yet been too recent to be productive of more than an abundance of flattering promises, from which we augur the happiest results. Without ascribing to those personages all the qualities which their adherents claim for them, the uniform consistency and high character of the Premier, and the extraordinary talents of many of his colleagues, justify a reliance upon their capacity to remedy existing evils. For their disposition to do so there is this security, that as a Cabinet they owe their creation to public opinion, and the moment they fail in realizing the just expectations they have raised, by seeking support from the aristocracy instead of the people-by which expression we mean the middle class-that moment will be the last of their ministerial existence. Possessed, therefore, of the confidence of the country, and powerful in the strength of their own talents, we feel justified in anticipating from their measures those improvements which the effects of time, and the progress of knowledge imperatively require. If those changes have not the immediate result of producing all that could be desired, they will at least tend to tranquillize the present agitated state of things, by imparting a unanimity of feeling, and by causing the advocates of amendment to direct their hopes to the legitimate quarter, instead of looking for the attainment of their wishes to political meetings, which have too often produced that which they ostensibly seek to prevent.

But the present Ministers excite hopes upon another and to us extremely interesting subject. It has long been a disgrace to England, that Science and Literature receive slight encouragement from the Government, compared with the fostering care which they meet with in other countries; and for the want of which, in the present deteriorated state of the public taste, standard Literature has almost disappeared, whilst in Science we are far behind our continental neighbours. At no former period were there so many persons in office who are known to the world by their literary productions ; and under the auspices of a Brougham and a Mackintosh, aided by such of their colleagues as have sought that permanent fame which letters, and letters only, confer, we are sanguine in believing that something worthy of so literary an Administration will be done to remove this stigma from the national character.

For ourselves we have little to add. It is our earnest intention to continue in the path which we have trod, with firm but quiet steps, for an entire century. We purpose, with the assistance of the proud list of patrons and friends to whom we are so eminently indebted, to adhere to those principles, to promote those valuable departments of knowledge, and to display that moderation and consistency which have procured us the highest objects of human ambition-the approbation of the good, and the applause of the wise.

Dec. 31, 1830.

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MINOR CORRESPONDENCE.

CLERICUS says, "An able charge has been recently delivered to the Clergy of the Diocese of Hereford by Mr. Archdeacon Wetherell on the subject of Church repairs. With one item I was particularly struck, and think that it has so important a tearing upon a very common act of barbarism in the repairs of our Churches, that it ought to be generally known. Every man of taste feels, that to deprive a Gothic window of its mullions and tracery, is to spoil it, by making a mere pigeon hole of the orifice. The Archdeacon observed, that under decay of the mullions it was very common for a carpenter to substitute mere oaken uprights; whereas by obtaining only some free-stone, a monumental sculptor could easily supply new mullions in fac simile. He accordingly recommends the Clergy to use their utmost exertions to prevent disfigurement of the Churches, in the particular alluded to, and all others (as far as circumstances permit) which imply unseemly and irrelevant inno vations. In my own case, I can attest that I stopped the insertion of a common wooden frame in a window of my own Church, and caused a suitable one of Gothic mullions, accordant with the other windows in pattern, to be put up; and that it was well executed by a tomb-stone carver for the humble sum of two guineas."

Various paragraphs having appeared in some daily Journals relative to the Articles of Enquiry sent by direction of the Bishop of London to the Churchwardens of each parish within the Diocese, previous to the Visit tion which he has lately holden; we think it but justice to his Lordship to state, that we are informed upon good authority that such Articles are invariably sent to Churchwardens previous to every Visitation, in conformity with the 119th Canon, and that those now used are (with the exception of some few omissions) the same as the Articles issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and which were drawn up by two most eminent civilians.

MISS TATE'S ALMS-HOUSES AT MITCHAM (of which we gave a view in parti. p. 201) were endowed by Miss Tate, for widows or unmarried women of respectable character, and members of the Church of England. It is necessary that the women shall have a legal settlement at Mitcham, and they should have resided there five years; be fifty years old or upwards; and not have received parochial relief within five years of their admission. There is no allowance for fuel, nor any beyond three shillings a week. The present trustees are the Vicar, the Rev.

J. H. Mapleton, Sir J. W. Lubbock, Bart. G. M. Hoare, esq. and W. Simpson, esq.; but Miss Tate has reserved the appointment of the women during her own life.

Mr. MADDEN informs " us, By the liberality of Mr. Hamper, the trustees of the British Museum are now in possession of another impression of the Evesham seal, which supplies the deficiencies of the one noticed by me in your Magazine. The words "ANT WAS SWON," (see Part i. pp. 310, 392.) are here so clear, as to leave no doubt as to the propriety of the legend, which, I think, may now be consigned to futurity, without apprehension of attracting any further commentaries on it."

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In answer to the inquiry of ECLECTICUS, we beg to state, that the passage quoted by the Reviewer of Moore's Life of Byron, p. 150, is taken from a volume of posthu mous Sermons by the Rev. Dr. James Lindsay, of Bow, a volume distinguished for the elegance of its style and for the elevated tone of its piety. We believe it was printed by subscription.

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A YORKSHIRE COLLECTOR states, "It must gratify every collector of Topography to be informed, that two plates were pub lished of the Scaffolding employed to restore Beverley Minister to its perpendicular (see part p. 520) they are folio size, Thornton inv. Geldart del. Fourdrinier sculp. May 17, 1739. One is a View of the north front of the great Cross Isle, which overhung four feet beyond its base, and was brought back into its place by means of the timber frame here described.' The other is a Section of the Trusses and Building. When the trusses were fixed ou both sides, the wall was cut to the centre, level with the base of the said trusses, that it might give way upon the raising the whole machinery, and so come into its place; and was in the mean time supported by several wedges, which were gradually taken out as the building came back into its place. The prints very satisfactorily explain the nature of the machinery used, which has always been much admired as a most ingenious contrivance.'

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ERRATA-Part i, p. 493, for an only daughter," read "an only daughter Mary;' for "he afterwards perished in the cause which he had espoused," read "he was the "King's General in the West," fell afterwards into disgrace, and died at Ghent, an exile from the Court;"-for "the often contracted Lady Gertrude," read "the often contracted Mary Fytz.”

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