by Sir Robert Cecil, the firft Lord Salisbury, with fuch wonderful It was however in King William's councils, that it was first As hiftoriographer thefe were not the only labours of Rymer: he left an unpublished collection, relating to the government and hiftory of England, from the year 1115 to 1698, in fifty-eight voJumes §, which the prudence of the houfe of peers directed to be placed in The British Museum, with the Cottonian manufcripts. Of men who have done great public fervices, we naturally wish to By the affigns of J. Bill and C. Barker, the King's printers, 4to, 80 pages.' + By the affigns of J. Bill, and H. Hills, and T. Newcomb, the King's printers. London, 1685, 4to, 269 pages.' The warrant, empowering Thomas Rymer to fearch the public repofitories for this great delign, was dated on the 26th of Au- . And, on the gut 1693. This warrant was renewed on the 3d of May 1707, when Robert Sanderson was appointed his affiftant. 15th of February 1717, Sanderton was continued the fingle conductor of this laborious undertaking.' § There is a lift of this great collection in the feventeenth volume of the Fœdera: and fee Ayscough's Catalogue of the Museum MSS. vol. i. N° 4573-4630. know know fomething of the origin and the end. Thomas Rymer was born in the north of England; was educated at Cambridge; and, intending to make the law his profeffion, he entered himself a fludent of Gray's Inn. He first appeared as a poet and a critic in 1678; when he publifhed Edgar, an heroic tragedy, which had fcarcely preferved his name; and Reflections on Shakespeare, in 1693, which have drawn on him Warburton's indignation. On the deceafe of Shadwell, the great Mac Flecnoe of Dryden, in 1692, who, at once, celebrated King William's birth, as Laureat, and recorded King William's actions, as hiftoriographer, the laurel was placed on the brow of Tate, and the pen of hiftorian was delivered into the hand of Rymer. While collecting THE FOEDERA, he alfo employed himself like a royal hiftoriographer, in detecting the falfhood and afcertaining the truth of history *. He lived to publish fifteen folio volumes of the public conventions; and from his collections Sanderfon published the fixteenth volume in 1715. Rymer finished his ufeful career in December 1713, and was buried in the church of St. Clement's Danes. Yet, after all his labours, he is ofteneft remembered for his critical ftri&tures on Shakespeare: for, fuch has been the fingular fortune of this illuftrious poet, that whoever has connected himself with his name, either as commentator, panegyrift, or detractor, has been raised up by the ftrength of his pinions, and will be carried through the expanfe of time by the continuance of his flight. Robert Sanderfon, who had thus been Rymer's coadjutor, continued the Fadera after his death. The feventeenth volume, which is the most useful of the whole, because it contains an INDEX of the perfons, of the things, and of the places, that this and the fixteen preceding volumes comprehend, he published in the year 1717. The eighteenth volume, which was re-published with the Caftrations, he published in 1726; the nineteenth in 1732, and the twentieth in 1735. Sanderson, who was usher of the court of Chancery, clerk of the chapel of the Rolls, and fellow of the Antiquary Society, died on the 25th of December, 1741.' In the fame view, we add the following paflage: He published, in 1702, his firft letter to Bishop Nicholson : "Wherein, as he fays, King Robert III. of Scotland is, beyond all difpute, freed from the imputation of baftardy." He foon after published his fecond letter to Bishop Nicholson ; containing an historical deduction of the alliances between France and Scotland: whereby the pretended old league with Charlemagne is difproved, and the true old league is afcertained." After his decease, there was published, in 1714, a fmall treatife" Of the Antiquity, Power, and Decay of Parliaments." And in the fame year," Some Tranflations from Greek, Latin, and Italian Poets, with other Verfes and Songs, never before printed. By Thomas Rymer, late Hiftoriographer royal." Thefe tranflations, verfes, and fongs, not being fufficient to make a volume in 12mo, were published with Curious Amusements; by a Gentleman of Pembroke-hall in Cambridge.' • A com. A complete collection of General Treaties must confift of the following books: 1ft, Leibnitz's Codex, in 1693; 2dly, The Corps Diplomatique, with its Supplement, in 1739, confifting of twenty volumes in folio, to which is annexed a copious index of matters; 3dly, St. Prieft's Hiftoire de Traités de Paix du xvii Siecle, depuis la Pais de Vervins jusqu'à celle de Nimégue, 1725, 2 vol. in folio; and 4thly, of the Negotiations Sécretes, touching la Paix de Munfter et d'Ofnabrug, 1725, 4 vol. in folio. These ample collections begin with the establishment of the AMPHICTYONS, 1496 years before the birth of Chrift, being the most ancient treaty which is to be met with in the records of time; and end with the pacification of the troubles of Geneva, in May 1738.Such, then, is the vaft mafs of papers which have originated from the reftleffness, or the wisdom of Europe; and which every one muft poffefs, who is ambitious of extenfive knowledge, with regard to the difcordant interests of the European Powers. To all these must be added, by those who are defirous to form a complete library, the collections, which have been published with regard to particular negotiations: as the peace of Nimeguen; the peace of Ryfwick; the peace of Utrecht: and to these may be added the ufeful collection of acts, negotiations, and treaties, from 1713 till 1748, in five-and-twenty 8vo volumes +. The conventions of nations have not only been published at large, but also in the abftra&t. Rouffet favoured the world, in 1736, with Les Intérêts des Puiffances de l'Europe, avec le Supplément, 4 vols. 4to. ---Rouffet ceafed from his ufeful labours in August 1762. Mably's Droit Public de l'Europe, will be found a commodious manual, which is written with great knowledge, and arranged with uncommon skill. It has been continued to the peace of 1763, and enriched with the annotations of Rouflet, who was no favourable commentator. Mably and Rouffet parted with unkind fentiments of each other, though the book fellers had endeavoured to make them agree.' The corps diplomatique, and all the cadets of that corps, are certainly under obligations to Mr. Chalmers for thus filling up fo confiderable a class in a statesman's library. Actes et Mémoires concernant la Paix de Nimégue, 1697, 4 tom. en 7 vol. in 12mo.-Actes et Mémoires concernant la Paix de Ryfwick, 1705, 4 vol. in 12m0.-Mémoires Politiques pour fervir à l'Hiftoire de la Paix de Ryfwick, par Jean Du Mont, 1699, 4 vol. in 12mo.-Actes, Mémoires, et autres Piéces authentiques, concernant la Paix d'Utrecht, 1714, 7 vol. in Evo.' + Recueil des Actes, Negociations, et Traités, depuis la paix d'Utrecht, jufqu'a prefent, par Jean Rouffet.' ART ART. VIII. Narrative of the Building, &c. of the Edystone Lightboufe with Stone. By John Smeaton, Civil Engineer, F. R. S. &c. [Article concluded from our laft Volume, p. 444.] H AVING prefented our readers with a circumftantial hiftory of the progrefs of the firft feafon's work on the Edyftone, with a view as well of pointing out the difficulties which were to be encountered, as of remarking the addrefs with which they were combated, we muft of neceffity be more concife in our remaining account. The winter of 1756, and the following fpring, were employed in preparing materials for the outwork: the masonry particularly required great attention. It was a defirable object to ufe large and heavy pieces of ftone in the building; yet their fize muft neceflarily be limited by the practicability of landing them with fafety. Now, fmall veffels only could deliver their cargoes alongfide of this hazardous rock; and thefe could not deliver very large ftones, because the fudden rifing and falling of the veflels in the gut amounted frequently to the difference of three or four feet, even in moderate weather; so that in case, after a ftone was raifed from the floor of the veffel, her gunwale fhould take a fwing, fo as to hitch under the ftone, one of a very large magnitude muft, on the veffel's rifing, infallibly fink her. From this confideration, it was determined that fuch flones fhould be used as did not much exceed a ton weight; though occafionally particular pieces might amount to two tons. That they might attain a certainty in putting the work together on the rock, the ftones of each course were tried together in their real fituation with refpect to each other; and they were fo exactly marked, that every ftone, after the course was taken afunder, could be replaced in the identical pofition in which it lay on the platform, within the fortieth part of an inch-nor was this judged fufficient: for every courfe was not only tried fingly together on the platform, and marked, but the courfe above it was put on it, and marked in the fame way; fo that every two contiguous courfes might fit each other on the outfide, and prevent an irregularity in the outline. This degree of accuracy might feem fuperfluous: but as the nature of the building required the workmen to be in a condition to refift a form at every flep, it became neceflary to fix the centre ftone firft, as being leait expofed to the ftroke of the fea; and in order to have fure means of attaching all the reft to this, and to one another, it was indifpenfable that the whole of the two courfes fhould be tried together; in order that, if any defect appeared at the outfide, by an accumulation of errors from the centre, it might be rectified on the platform. Another Another circumftance, to which Mr. SMEATON was parti cularly attentive, and concerning which his remarks are very valuable, was to afcertain the moft proper compofition for water cements. In making mortar for buildings expofed to water, tarras had been moft eftecmed: but ftill there were objections to its ufe. Mr. S. was therefore induced to try the terra puzzolana, found in Italy, as a fubftitute for tarras. Fortunately, there was a quantity of it in the hands of a merchant at Plymouth, which had been imported as a venture from Civita vecchia, when Weftminster-bridge was building; and which he expected to have fold, for that work, to a good advantage, but failed in his fpeculation; for having found that tarras answered their purpose, neither commiffioners, engineers, nor contractors, would trouble themselves to make a trial of the other material. This was found in every refpect equal to tarras, as far as concerned the hardening of water-mortar, if not preferable to it; and if made into a mortar with Aberthaw* lime, it exceeded, in hardness, any of the compofitions commonly used in dry work; and in wet and dry, or wholly wet, was far fuperior to any which Mr. SMEATON had feen, infomuch that he did not doubt its making a cement that would equal the beft merchantable Portland ftone, in folidity and durability. These preliminary arrangements being fettled, they pro ceeded, on the 3d of June 1757, to carry out the Neptune bufs, and to begin the work. After getting up the moorings, (a work of no small difficulty and fome danger,) and after fixing the fender-piles, the fheers, windlafs, &c. the first stone was landed, got to its place, and fixed, on Sunday the 12th of June; and, on the next day, the firft courfe was completed. On the 14th, the fecond courfe was begun but, in confequence of a fresh gale, the workmen were obliged to quit the rock, after fecuring every thing as well as poffible. Such was the violence of the gale, that it was impracticable for the boats to get out of the gut, otherwife than by paffing the Sugarloaf rock†, in which they providentially fucceeded. On the 18th, they were again as fuddenly driven from their work, and feveral pieces of ftone were washed away by the violence of the fea. In the night of the 6th of July, the watch on the deck of the bufs efpied a fail on the rocks, and one of the yawls was fent to her relief, which brought back the whole crew, feveral of whom were in their shirts, and in great diftrefs. It was a fnow of about 130 tons • Lime produced from a ftone found at Aberthaw, on the coaft of Glamorganshire. † see an account of the fituation of this rock, at p. 432 of our laft number and volume. burthen, |