in 1075, and the Moot-hall. St. Botolph's Priory, founded by Ernulph, a monk, was the first house of Augustine Canons in England: they came over about the year 1109. In St. Mary's parish was the first house of Crossed or Crouched Friars, who came into England in 1244. Barking was the first Convent for Women in this kingdom. It was founded in 672, by St. Erkenwald, Bp. of London, second son of Anna King of East Anglia, and his sister St. Ethelburga was the first Abbess. Elfrida widow of Edgar, Maud Queen of Henry I., Maud Queen of Stephen, and Mary sister of Thomas à Becket, presided over this convent. Stratford Langton Abbey was bound to maintajn Bow-bridge, built by Maud, Queen of Heory I. and said to be the first arched stone bridge in the County, whence, according to Leland and Stow, it derived its name; but Grose conjectures it to have obtained its appellation from "Beau, beauti ful." Waltham was a Mitred Abbey, founded by Tovius, standard-bearer to Canute. The brave Harold and his two brothers, slain at the battle of Hastings, were buried here. It was the frequent residence of Henry III. Greensted Church is one of the most antient and curious in this king. dom. The nave is formed entirely of the trunks of chesnut-trees, split asunder, set up close to each other, and let into a sill and plate, fastened at top by wooden pins. It is supposed to have been erected in 1013, as a shrine for the reception of the body of St. Edmund King and martyr. Little Maplestead is one of the four Round Churches now in England. PRESENT STATE AND APPEARANCE. Rivers. Barking, Blackwater, Cam, Caon, Chelmer, Colne, Crouch, Ingrebura, Lea, Pant, Po, Roding, Stort, Stour, Thames. Inland Navigation. Chelmer and Blackwater canal. Colne, Crouch, Lea, Stort, Stour, and Thames rivers. Eminences and Views. Danbury-hill (the highest in the County), Cheping, Higham, Horudon, and Langdon-hills. Assingdon and Thundersley churches. Natural Curiosities. Witham and West Tilbury medicinal waters. Fairlop Oak on Hainault Forest; a yard from the ground 36 feet in circum. ference; and overspreads an area of 300 feet in circuit. Epping Forest. Walton ness, Canvey, Foulness, Horsey, St. Osyth, Pewet, Mercey and Wallasea Islands. Public Edifices. Tilbury and Languard Forts. Walton and Harwich Light Houses. Seats. AUDLEY END, Lord Braybrooke, Lord Lieutenant of the County, Albyns, John Abdy, esq. Bell-house, Sir Thomas Barrett Len- Boreham-house, Sir John Tyrrel, bart. Hatfield priory, Peter Leewood Havering-bower, Countess Pawlett. Langford-hall, Nicholas Westcombe, Langlees, William Tuffoell, esq. Terling-place, John Strutt, esq. Members to Parliament. For the County, 2; Colchester, 2; Harwich, 2; Produce. Calves, Butter, Barley, Oats, Beans, Peas, Turnips, Ryegrass, Tre- POPULATION. 14 Hundreds, 5 Half-hundreds, and 1 Liberty. lowns, 24; Houses, 43,841. Parishes, 403; Market Inhabitants. Males, 124,839; Females, 127,634: total 252,473. Families employed in Agriculture, 28,517; in Trade, 14,182; in neither, 8,944 total, 51,643. Baptisms. Males, 3,792; Females, 3,678.- Marriages, 1892.- Burials, Towns having not less than 1000 Inhabitants; viz. Colchester (Capital)....2168 12,544 Waltham Abbey Houses. Inhab. 2,287 ....... 421 Chelmsford (Assize town) 867 4,649 Walthamstow.. .. 558 3,777 Dunmow 446 2,279 Harwich.... 578 3,732 Ilariow.. 261 1,695 Saffron Walden 676 3,403 Epping 290 1,473 3,279 Dedham. Romford Malden... 515 2,679 Brentwood.... Bocking. Coggeshall Barking Witham Braintree Total, Towns, 25; Houses, 12,470; Inhabitants, 67,219. HISTORY. A. D. 61, Camalodunum, the residence of the Roman Proprætor, and seat of Government, destroyed by Boadicea Queen of the Iceni. 921, Colchester taken by assault from the Danes by Edward the Elder. 1016, At Assingdon, through the treachery of Edric, Duke of Mercia, Edmund Ironside defeated, and the flower of the English nobility slain, by Canute. 1397, From Pleshy, Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, decoyed by his nephew Richard II. to accompany him to London; on the road to which he was arrested and conveyed to Calais, where he was smothered September 8. 1588, At Tilbury, Elizabeth reviewed the army assembled to oppose the Spanish invaders. 1648, Colchester, after a noble resistance, surrendered to Sir William Fairfax and the Parliamentarians, and its brave defenders, Sir George Lucas and Sir Charles Lisle, murdered in cold blood, August 28. 1665, June 3, off Harwich, Dutch fleet defeated, 18 sail captured, and 14 destroyed, and their Admiral Opdam blown up, by the Duke of York, afterwards James II. BIOGRAPHY. Angier, John, nonconformist divine and author, Dedham, 1605. Audley, Thomas, Lord Chancellor, founder of Magdalen Coll. Cambridge, Earls Colne, 1488. Badew, Richard de, founder of University-hall, Cambridge, in 1326, Great Badew. Barking, Adam of, learned writer, (died 1216.) Barking, Richard of, Abbot of Westminster, Lord Treasurer to Heury III. (died 1246.) Barlowe, William, Bp. of Chichester, (died 1568.) Bastwick, John, sufferer by Star Chamber, Writtle, 1593. Bedell, Bedell, William, Bp. of Kilmore, Black Notley, 1570. Bendish, Sir Thomas, loyalist, ambassador to the Porte, Bower-hall, 1674. Berners, Juliana, author on Hunting and Hawking, Roding, 1410. Bourchier, Thomas, Cardinal Abp. of Canterbury, introducer of Printing, Hawsteed, 1410.. Bramstone, Sir John, Lord Chief Justice, Malden (died 1646.) BRANDON, CHARLES, first Duke of Suffolk, favourite of Henry VIII. South Okendon. Bright, Edward, weighed, at his death in 1750, 616lb., Malden, 1721. Chesill, John of, Bp. of London, Lord Chancellor, (died 1279.) Cutts, John Lord, General, ridiculed by Swift, Arkesdon (died 1706.) Dyke, Daniel, baptist, Epping, 1617, Edwards, George, ornithologist, Stratford Langhorne, 1692. Gascoigne, George, poet, Walthamstow, (died 1578.) Gauden, John, Bp. of Worcester, publisher of Icon Basilike, Mayland, 1605. Grimston, Sir Harbottle, Speaker of the Commons, Bradfield-hall, 1594. Hawkwood, Sir John, warrior, Sible Hedingham (flor. temp. Edw. III.) Hopkins, Matthew, witch-finder general, Manningtree, 17th century. Jegon, John, Bp. of Norwich, Coxhall (died 1618.) Leake, John, naval commander, Harwich, 1657. Leake, Richard, master-gunner of England, Harwich, 1629. Liusell, Augustine, Bp. of Hereford, Bumstead (died 1634.) Lucas, Sir Charles, loyalist, Colchester (shot 1648.) Malden, Thomas, schoolman, Abbot of Malden, Malden (died 1404.) Marney, Henry Lord, keeper of the privy seal, Layer Marney (died 1524.) Mason, John, author of "Self Knowledge," dissenter, Dunmow, 1706. Mede, Joseph, commentator on the Apocalypse, Berden, 1586. Mildmay, Sir Walter, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth, Moulsham (died 1589.) Morley, John, humourist and fortunate adventurer, Halsted, 1655. Netter, Thomas, Confessor to Henry V. who died in his arms, Walden, (died 1430.) Newcastle, Margaret, Duchess of, voluminous writer, St. John's, (died 1673.) Plume, Thomas, founder of Plumian Professorship, Cambridge, Malden, 1630. Powell, William Samuel, divine, Colchester, 1717. Purchas, Samuel, compiler of Voyages, Thaxstead, 1577. Ratcliff, Thomas, Earl of Sussex, Chamberlain to Elizabeth, New-hall, (died 1583.) RAY, JOHN, naturalist, Black Notley, 1628. Roe, Sir Thomas, ambassador, Low Layton, about 1580. Smith, Sir Thomas, Secretary of State to Elizabeth, Saffron Walden, 1512. Suckling, Sir John, poet and dramatic writer, Witham, 1613. THURLOW, JOHN, Secretary to Cromwell, Abbots Roding, 1616. Vere, Aubrey de, writer on the Eucharist, Great Bentley (flourished 1250.) Vere, Sir Francis, defender of Ostend, Hedingham Castle, 1549. Waltham, John of, Bp. of Salisbury, Lord Treasurer to Richard II. (died 1395.) Waltham, Roger of, schoolman, (flourished temp. Henry III.) White, Thomas, philosopher, friend of Hobbes, Hutton, 1582. Winstanley, Henry, architect, (destroyed with his light-house at Edystone, 1703.) MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS. Harwich is the station for packets to Holland and Germany, and was the place of landing and departure of William III. George I. and George II. on their Continental journeys. Her present Majesty landed here. By the manorial custom of Little Dunmow, a flitch of bacon is given to any couple that have been married a year and a day without once repenting the earliest delivery on record was in 1444, and the latest in 1751. Matthew Hopkins, of Manningtree, caused no less than 60 reputed witches in the county of Essex to be hanged within one year, after which he himself, having been submitted to one of his own tests, was condemned and executed for witchcraft. This is alluded to by Butler: "Who after proved himself a witch, And made a rod for his own breech." Aldersbrook was the residence, and Little Ilford church the burial place, of the antiquary Smart Lethieullier. Bishop's-hall was the seat of Henry Spencer, the warlike Bishop of Norwich, who suppressed Ket's rebellion. Coptford-hall was the residence of the persecuting Bp. Booner. Dedham was the living of Matthew Newcomen, and Finchingfield of Stephen Marshall, two of the authors of "Smectymnuus." Sandon was the rectory and residence of Dr. Walton, editor of the Polyglot; and Upminster, of Dr. Derham, author of "Physico-Theology." Black Notley was the burial-place of the naturalist John Ray; Chigwell, of Abp. Harsnet; Colchester, of Dr. Gilbert, who discovered the properties of the loadstone, in Trinity church; and of the murdered loyalists, Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle, in St. Giles'; Dedham, of its rector William Burkitt, commentator on the Testament; East Ham, of the antiquary Dr. Stukeley; Hempstead, of Dr. Hervey, who discovered the circulation of the blood; Low Layton, of John Strype the antiquary, and William Bowyer the learned printer; Oates, of the philosopher John Locke; Saffron Walden, of Lord Chancellor Audley; and West Ham of the ornithologist George Edwards. BYRO. AM very anxious to discover what constitutes our true rights as to the electing our Members of Parliament, and how the meetings and continuance of that body were antiently regulated. It is grievous to be constantly told, that our rights are withbeld from us, and that this is the cause of our national calamities. It would be a great public service if Mr. Brougham, who seems to treat every subject he touches with great knowledge and penetration, would undeceive the people in this matter, if they are really deceived by those who pretend to be the friends of the people and the nation. Your Correspondent A. B. in your Magazine for February last, endea vours to throw some light on this subject; but he does not distinguish sufficiently between different ages. From the times when the antient view of Frank pledge was in use, he passes at once to a period many centuries distant from it, namely, the year 1429, when the law of 8th Henry VI. c. 7. (not 14) was enacted, and gives a very small extract from the preamble of that Statute. The whole of the preamble is curious, and shows what was considered at that time the defects in elections. It is as follows: "Item, Whereas the Elections of knights of shires to come to the Parlia ments of our Lord the King, in many counties of the realm of England, bave now of late been made by very great, outrageous, and excessive number of people people dwelling within the same counties of the realin of England, and of which the most part was of people of small substance, and of no value, whereof every of them pretended a voice equivalent as to such elections to be made, with the most worthy knights and esquires, dwelling within the same counties, whereby manslaughters, riots, batteries, and divisions among the gentlemen, and other people of the same counties, shall very likely rise and be, unless convenient and due remedy be provided in this behalf." This shews, Mr. Urban, how things went then: this is the preamble to the Act which restricts the qualification for a county vote to the pos session of 40s. a year clear freehold. But this is only as to county members. The members for boroughs being more numerous, it would be desirable to have information whether any change for the worse has been introduced in these elections, no matter through what means. If prejudicial innovations could be pointed out, they should be respectfully and specifically stated in petitions to the Legislature, and such petitions would, no doubt, meet with due consider ation. In perusing your Miscellany, I some time ago found a book reviewed (in June 1812) intituled "Historical Reflections on the Constitution and representation of England, by J. Jopp," which I think your Correspondent A. B. should consult. The Author seems very animated against some of the Reformers; but, if A. B. would add the information delivered there, to his own stock of research elsewhere, he might give the publick an useful insight into the true state of this important matter. A. B. gives extracts from different copies of Magna Charta, but he does not say which is the true one. He speaks indeed of the original Great Charter in French, but I think the original copy was in Latin, and translations should not be used when originals can be found. This Correspondent leaves a great desideratum on this subj et unexplained; it is, the meaning of the word commonally, which so frequently occurs in reading upon this subject; and he uses a treatise, entitled "Modus tenendi Parliamenta," &c. which is not what it is pretended to be, and is said to have deceived Sir Ed ward Coke. From such references as A. B. seems occasionally to use, he might alledge that Parliaments sat as often as three times in the year; for he may find the great Court Festivals held, long after the Conquest, at Christmas, Easter, and Whitsuntide, described as Parliaments, although they can hardly be properly so called. If A. B. and gentlemen who have talent and leisure for the subject, would favour the publick with short impartial accounts of these interesting and disputed points, it might operate as a great general benefit in and misguided zeal are very danger. these eventful times, when delusion ous. Mr. URBAN, A FREEHOLDER. UPON looking at your volume pp. 209, 480, I find some Remarks upon the use of the ar ticles A and AN, in which however, the writers do not come to any conclusion on the subject. The following rules will, I think, set this question at rest, being found. ed entirely upon the sounds of words, and not upon the mode in which they are spelled; for it is well known that the articles are wholly selected for the sake of euphony. The article A is prefixed, 1st. To words beginning with a consonant, as a day, a week, a month, |