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neous town, because the fand is rich as well as dry; for fand which is poor would foon crumble in from every fide of the pit, and confequently occafion the neceffity of frequently removing the incumbrance. Cole's pits are alfo furrounded by a molt fertile country.'

Art. XXIX. Memoir on Hokeday. By the Rev. Mr. Denne. -Hoke, Hokeday, or Hock-tyde, was formerly a feafon of great feftivity in England, but from what caufe is uncertain. By fome antiquarians this feftival is confidered as the remains of a heathen cuftom, while others fuppofe that it was defigned to celebrate the deliverance of Englishmen from the dominion of the Danes. Among thofe who favour the latter opinion, fome have afcribed the inftitution to the maffacre of the Danes in the reign of Etheldred II. and others to the death of Hardicanute, the laft monarch of that race, at a marriage-feaft at Lambeth, on the 8th of June 1042. The opinion laft mentioned is that which is fupported by Mr. Denne.

Art. XXX. A Letter from Governor Pownall to the Rev. Michael Lort, D. D. inclofing Mr. Ledwich's Letter on the Ship Temples in Ireland.-The following is the defcription of a monument, fuppofed to be of this kind, in the county of Mayo.

"On a conical ifolé hill, about two miles from the Mullet, on the western coaft of the county of Mayo, ftands a very ancient and curious monument in good prefervation. The walls are two feet thick, and formed of courfes of well-jointed stones, but without cement. Their elevation to the roofing is seven feet; the length of the room fifteen feet; the breadth unequal, the ground plan forming a curvilineal triangle. The door placed on one fide is conftituted of three large tones, two converging uprights with an impoft. The roof is made with large flag-ftones, with a graffy covering. There is no tradition refpecting it. The natives call it Leabba na Fathach, or the Giant's Bed."

Art. XXXI. Obfervations on the Alphabet of the Pagan Irish, and of the Age in which Finn and Offin (Offian) lived. By Colonel Charles Vallancey.The colonel, after laying before his readers a letter from Mr. O'Flanagan, in the county of Clare, relative to an ancient monument, obferves that it elucidates two defirable facts. One is, that the ancient Irish had an alphabetical character before the arrival of St. Patrick; and the other, that the period in which the above mentioned heroes flourished, was the latter part of the third century..

Art. XXXII. erronequfly marked XXXI. An Account of fome Artificial Caverns in the Neighbourhood of Bombay. By Mr. William Hunter, Surgeon in the Eaft Indies.

Art.

Art. XXXIII. marked XXXII. A Differtation on the Re

ligion of the Druids. By Edward Ledwich, LL. B. Vicar of Aghaboe, Queen's County, Ireland.-This fenfible writer oppofes, with much force of argument, the opinion maintained by fome antiquaries, that the Druids were conversant with the fciences. His opinion is, that the Druids poffeffed no internal or external doctrine; either veiled by fymbols, or clouded in ænigmas, or any religious tenets but the characteriftic of barbarian priefts, and the groffeft Gentile fuperftition.'

Art. XXXIV. Account of a curious Pagoda near Bombay, drawn up by Captain Pyke, afterwards Governor of St. Helena, and extracted from his Journal by Alexander Dalrymple, Efq.

Art. XXXV. Extract by the late Smart Lethieullier, Efq. from the Papers of the late Charles Boon, Efq. Governor of Bombay, giving an Account of the great Pagoda on the Island of Salfet.

Art. XXXVI. Subfidy Roll of 51 Edward III. communicated by John Topham, Efq.-This roll is a tranfcript of a record containing fome hiftorical facts, which tend to illuftrate the ftate of the population and revenues of this kingdom at the period to which it relates.

Art. XXXVII. On the Radical Letters of the Pelafgians and their derivatives. By Thomas Aftle, Efq.-The Pelafgians were the most ancient inhabitants of Greece, of whom we have any account; and from the monuments of their colonies which fettled at Etruria and other parts of Italy at an early period, the beft information concerning their language has been derived. There is reafon to conclude, that the alphabet which the Pelafgi firft brought into Italy, was carried out of Phoenicia before the Phoenicians had augmented the number of radical letters of which it was originally compofed. According to Mr. Swinton, this alphabet confifted of thirteen letters; but father Gori contends, that the number it included was only twelve; and Mr. Aftle, after much investigation, declares himself of the fame opinion.

Art. XXXVIII. Obfervations on a Seal of Thomas, Suffragan Bishop of Philadelphia. By the Rev. Mr. Pegge.This titular bishop of Philadelphia was prebendary of Stow in Lindley in the church of Lincoln, inftalled April 12, 1544, and was fuffragan to John Longiand, bishop of that fee.

Art. XXXIX. Obfervations on the Remains of the Amphitheatre of Flavius. Vefpafian at Rome, as it was in the year 1777. By Mr. Thomas Hardwick.

Art. XL. Obfervations on an ancient Sword. By Lieutenant-general Melvill. Though the length of this fword, from

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the cross-piece of the handle to the point, is full nineteen inches, which is rather longer than the Roman gladii appear to have been, from the greater part of baffi relievi, yet general Melvill, from feveral circumftances, which we think wellfounded, concludes it to be a legionary gladius.

Art. XLI. A Letter from the Rev. Mr. James Douglas to General Melvill, on. the Sword mentioned in the preceding Article.

Art. XLII. Account of fome Antiquities found in Glou cestershire. By the Rev. Mr. Mutlow.

Art. XLIII. Obfervations on the Language of the People commonly called Gypfies. By Mr. Marfden.-The author of thefe Obfervations informs us that, after much accurate enquiry, there is found to be a great fimilarity between the Hindoftanic language and that of the Gypfies in this kingdom. He inftitutes a comparifon in a number of words, which feem to justify the remark; but how far fuch a coincidence, obfervable likewise in fome other languages, can evince, with any degree of çertainty, that the Hindoftanic and Gypfey tribes have formerly been one people, we are not fuch affertors of etymological or verbal authority to pronounce in the affirmative.

Art. XLIV. Collections on the Zingara, or Gypfey language. By Jacob Bryant, Efq.-This article, which feems to be intended as a fupplement to the preceding, contains five pages of a vocabulary of the Zingara, or Gypfey language; several of which words accord with others in the native Perfic, or in the Perfic of Indoftan. Some inftances are likewife produced of a remarkable fimilarity between words of the Zingara and other languages, among which are the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

Art. XLV. A Defcription and Plan of the ancient Timber Bridge at Rochester, collected from two manufcripts, published in Lambarde's Perambulation of Kent.

In an Appendix to the volume are contained extracts of fuch communications as the Council of the Antiquarian Society has not thought proper to publish entire. The principal fubjects are fome Account of a brafs Image of Roman workmanship, found at Cirencefter; Account of Discoveries at Allington in Kent; and of a Roman Pavement found at Caerwent, in 1778.

The

The Increase of Manufa&tures, Commerce, and Finance, with the Extenfion of Civil Liberty, proposed in Regulations for the Intereft of Money. 4to. 6s. in Boards. Robinfon.

THE

HE fubject, of which this author treats, is of great national importance; and we have the pleasure to find, both from his narrative and obfervations, that he has investigated it with particular attention. He endeavours to prove, that the prefent laws relative to the lending of money, by confining all intereft, whether for large or fmall fums, and upon certain or uncertain fecurity, to the fame ftandard, and without any regard to the neceffities or circumftances of the borrower, are by no means fufficiently comprehenfive or liberal to answer the lawful purpofes of trade. To remedy this inconvenience the author gives the sketch of a plan for fupplying individuals with fums of money, upon principles which would conduce greatly to the extenfion of commerce. The outlines of the propofed plan are as follow.

The first regulation, in an inftitution of this fort, would require to be,

That no loan fhould ever be granted which did not appear to be for the advantage of the borrower, whatever other circumstances might warrant the expediency of granting it.

That, as the minds of men are often too apt to be biaffid by circumstances, there fhould be a limit fet to the highest rate of intereft that may be taken, which must be regulated by the extent of the loan; that is to fay, the power of granting ufurious loans not to be left to the directors of fuch a bank.

The extent of the loan fhould be estimated by the intereft which it produces during the whole time of the existence of the loan. Thus, 500l. for two years, fhould be reckoned the fame as 1000l. for one year.

That the principal management be in the hands of men who have no intereft in exacting too high a premium of infurance, nor of increafing the expence of the negociation.

That men of character fhould be employed to inquire into the particular circumftances of borrowers, under the best regulations that can be devised for coming to the true state of their affairs.

That a certain time elapfe between the afking a loan and the granting of it, unless it be under fuch particular circumftances as may be excepted from the general regulations.

That, in order to avoid making any kind of monopoly of the lending of money, where fecurity is fo good as not to require much premium of infurance, this bank be never al

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lowed to lend money without a premium, nor unless that premium amounts to two-fifths of the interest.

That, in order alfo to render the inftitution quite competent to the equalizing the monied affairs of the kingdom, and without refpect, in this inftance, to public revenue, any perfon may be allowed to take, for the loan of money on uncertain fecurity, two-fifths premium of infurance more than what, at the time of fuch loan being granted, is given for the loan of money on mortgage. This laft general licence for taking premia not to extend to loans above a certain amount.

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Registers of all tranfactions to be fo kept, that the circumftances attending them may be known at any time afterwards.

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Probably the regulation of the inftitution might with advantage be fubjected, in fome degree, to the yearly inspection of a committee of the houfe of commons; and, at all events, as there would be a good deal of difcretionary power vested in the managers, it ought to have every poffible check, which frequent and minute infpection into the exercise of fuch an office might afford.'

It is a preliminary article in this plan, that upon any appli cation for money, the circumftances of the borrower should be made known with the utmoft fidelity. The proposal is undoubtedly reasonable and neceffary; and when the refult of the enquiry, fhould be fuch as ftrongly favoured the probability of re-payment, to obtain a loan even at high intereft, and at fuch a rate as at prefent comes under the denomination of ufury, might not only extricate the borrower from embaraffment, but prove the means of both improving his private fortune, and of benefiting the public. Thefe are the important confiderations on which the author founds the utility of his plan; and we must acknowlege, that however the propofal may be received by those who could carry it into execution, it does honour to his benevolence and his regard to the interefts of the public.

By Francis

A Treatise on the Influence of the Moon in Fevers.
Balfour, M. D. 8vo. 15. 6d. Robinfon.
HIS little work, originally printed at Calcutta, is reprinted

very respectable profeffor has led us to examine the Treatife with particular care, and it feems defigned to induce practitioners to obferve the periods of fevers, as connected with the changes of the moon, with greater attention. Dr. Balfour feems to have clearly established its influence at Bengal, and Dr. J. Lind had

ob.

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