fully adhered as the Greeks. However, the Greeks of Ve◄ nice are among thofe whom the Romans call fchifmatics.'

What the Author fays concerning the paintings at Venice, will give some pain to those who are admirers of the elegant arts: The halls, he tells us, and all the apartments of the doge's palace, together with the feveral courts of juftice, the churches, chapels, &c. are full of paintings; among which Jhine thofe of Titian, old Palma, Paul Veronefe, &c. The Titians and old Palma's are fo blackened with the smoke of the many lights in the churches, or faded by the moisture of the Venice air, that they are now only magni nominis umbra, scarce any ftrokes or lineaments of the general defign or of the contour appearing. That was all that at high noon, in a very bright day, and with the most favourable light, I could make out in the affumption, one of Titian's capital pieces, over the great altar of the church of the Frati, or conventual cordeliers. Of all that mafter's paintings here, the celebrated St. Peter's martyrdom alone affords a clear view of fome of its parts.-The republic, he adds, is very jealous of thofe productions of the great mafters of its school, but this jealoufy goes no further than to hinder the exportation of them, without beftowing a thought on their prefervation, which might be done with very little care. I was fhewn in the treafury of St. Marcuola's church, three capital pieces of Titian, Tintoret and old Palma, which have lain by, bundled up on the vaults of the church, till now they are rotted away to mere rags, femefaque fruftra.' Some further account of this work we propofe to give in another number of our review.

[To be concluded next Month.]

The Natural Hiftory and Antiquities of Northumberland: and of fo much of the County of Durham as lies between the Rivers Tyne and Tweed: commonly called, North Bishoprick. By John Wallis, A. M. 4to. 2 Vols. 21. 2 s. on fmall Paper, fewed; and 41. 4 s. on large Paper. Bladon. 1769. IN fuch an enlightened age as the prefent, to fend abroad the natural hiftory and antiquities of a county, is, undoubt edly, an arduous undertaking. How well the indefatigable author, now before us, hath fucceeded, muft be left to the decifion of thofe perfons, whofe intimate acquaintance with the extenfive and remote county of Northumberland, may be fuppofed to render them more competent judges of the execution of the work, than we can pretend to be. We must, however, be allowed to exprefs our regret, that a number of uncouth words, local phrafes, and mifapplied terms, fhould fo frequently occur as they do, to the no fmall difguft of a critical

reader;

reader;-fome few of which, may be feen in the prefent ar

ticle.

The following extracts, from the Preface, will afford fome idea of the Author's plan, and defign:

It is now' [fays Mr. Wallis] upwards of twenty years fince I firft turned my thought to the ftudy of Natural Hiftory, rather then for amufement, than from any defign of cafting my obfervations under an historical form, for public view; rocks and dales, woods, heaths, hills, and mountains, the hores of rivulets and the ocean, being my company in the hours of leifure and relaxation.

In my fearch after foffils, I have met with fome hitherto fuppofed, by eminent and learned lithologifts, not to be of British, but of tranfmarine origin.

In my botanic fearches, I have met with fome curious plants on our northern Alps, acknowledged by the indefatigable and accurate Dillenius not to have been feen by him any where in England. Of these, and other curious and ufeful plants, I have given short descriptions, and have added the .fynonyms of the most eminent and ingenious authors.

I have alfo given fhort defcriptions and fynonyms of the moft curious birds obferved with us, and of the infects, &c. with no other embellishments than those of nature and truth.

Antiquities had a' fhare of my attention at the fame time. The works of the British Druids, their cefpititious and rocky thrones, temples, and fepultures, attracted my obfervation; their rude grandeur greatly raifing my curiofity.'-If the Author had properly adverted to the commonly received acceptation of the word fepulture, he would have found it to mean, not the place, but the act of burial.

• Northumberland being Roman ground, and receiving my first breath in one of their Caftra*, I was led by a fort of enthusiasm to an enquiry and fearch after their towns, their cities and temples, their baths, their altars, their tumuli, their military ways, and other remains of their fplendour and magnificence; which will admit of a thousand views and reviews, and still give pleasure to fuch as have a guft for any thing Rman; every year almoft presenting new difcoveries of the wif dom, contrivance, ingenuity, and elegance of that refpectable people.'

Many of the Romana exhibited in this work, we are informed, were never before defcribed; and, that not a few of them afford excellent precepts to prefent and future times. The Saxonica and Monaftica, he adds, are as curious and inftructive as the Romana,-In fpeaking of the religious houfes, he

* Alione, or Whitley-Caftle.

REV. Nov. 1769.

Z

has

bas described their foundations, patrons, and chief revenues; and given an account of the feveral prelates, and other learned perfons that adorned them.-He hath alfo illuftrated the baronical honours, tenures, and feudal property, from [what he calls] authorities of the higheft pre-eminence in the king

dom.'

The late John Warburton, Efq; Somerset-herald, had made large collections, (it feems) refpecting this county which are now in the poffeffion of his Grace of Northumberland; by whofe favour Mr. Wallis had the perufal of them, though he does not fay of what ufe they were found to be, towards compleating his own defign.

After the Preface, follows A general introductory defcription of Northumberland,'-in which the number of its prefent inhabitants is fuppofed to be about one hundred thousand.

The foil of Northumberland is various. On the borders cf rivers, and on the fea-coaft, it is remarkably fertile, abounding with rich meadows, paftures, and corn-fields. To the north-west, and fouth-weft, it is very mountainous; and to the weft, full of heaths, fens, and lakes; but fome of thofe heaths, abounding with mines of rich ore and coal, and others being very improveable, and capable of culture, and the mountains feeding vaft multitudes of fheep, render [it] a very opulent county. Our wool brings home to us the wealth of the remoteft kingdoms, and our lead and coal give us the treasures of our neighbours both at home and abroad. There is hardly a gentleman, but who has all the neceffaries and conveniences of life on his own eftate. The barreneft hills, and the lakes and rivers, contribute to his health and delight, by giving him exercife, and furnishing his table with plenty both of fish and fowl. It is, indeed, very naked of timber in moft places, except on the banks of rivers, and fome pleasant and fertile spots, and by gentlemen's fears, with great judgment reared and preferved, for pleasure, fhade, and shelter.-Are we, from this representation, to understand that thofe gentlemen's feats were reared, or that the woods about them were raised, for the abovementioned purposes of pleafure, fhade, and fhelter ?—If the Author means the latter, the grammatical conftruction of the fentence, unfortunately, announces the former application of the words.

Some of thofe feats are good old caftles, built upon rifing hills and eminences, 'not fo much for fhew as defence, to have a better profpect of an approaching enemy, fuch as before the union with the Scots, and a fort of thieves, called, mofs-troopers, whofe custom it was to pillage the country, and to retire into the western and northern waftes, and other inacceffible places,

on

on the borders.' . . . After the Union, thefe and other irregularities were wifely fuppreffed.'

The firft volume of this work is divided into thirteen chapters, in which the following fubjects are treated of: viz.

Chap. I. Of the heavens and the air.-Extraordinary appear ances in the heavens [Mr. Wallis obferves] naturally excite our attention.'-Thofe here introduced, are, an annular eclipfe of the fun, in Feb. 1737-A lunar annulus, feen by himself and family, 31 Oct. 1762; and laftly, a lunar iris, obferved 19 Mar. 1763.

The falubrity of the air in Northumberland is proved from the general long life of the inhabitants; fome living to eighty, ninety, and fome to an hundred years. Among the inftances produced, are- Anne Tellford, a poor woman of Haughton, who could fee to thread a needle at the age of 103, and died at 105, in Dec. 1759.'-The frigidity and purity of the air, whereby the folids are braced, added to the hardy way of living of the poorer fort, are the caufes to which the ufual longevity, of that rank of people efpecially, is attributed.

Chap. II. Of the Waters :-particularly rivers, lakes, fanative fprings, petrifying waters, curious water-falls, &c.

Chap. III. Treats of the various forts of Earths, with fome hints of improvements to be made in agriculture, particularly by the inclofure of waftes and commons:-the general utility of which, to the public as well as to individuals, is thus fenfibly difplayed by our Author:

Hufbandry and planting, fays he, have of late years rofe to a confiderable degree of perfection in fome parts of Northumberland. Our vale-earths are fo naturally rich, that, by a moderate labour, they answer our moft fanguine expectations. I cannot, however, but lament the fteril afpect of many thousand acres in the weft, and north-weft, and of fome tracts alfo in the midland and maritime parts, all capable, by divifion and inclofure, of the ornaments of tillage or planting. The bringing them thus under cultivation, inftead of being oppreffive to the poor, as alledged by the inconfiderate, would raise them from indigence and poverty, to competent and eafy circumftances. The very planting of large portions of heaths and hills, and the making roads of pleasure or carriage to them, would find employment for a multitude of poor, whofe families would otherwife be ftarving by the precarious dependence on the milch of dwarf-cows, horfes and fheep, lean and hungerftarved, ranging in fwarms on the waftes. Let the rocky hills of Brifley near Alnwick, of Rotheley, of Camboe, and the grounds about Wallington, be teftimonies of the felicity and fmiles of the poor employed in planting them, and making roads; comfortably fed and cloathed! Let the divided commons of Hex

hamshire

hamshire, of Shilden, of Simondburn, and feveral waftes by the military road, be remembered, and paralleled with the common and township of Wark upon North Tyne*, for instance, and with the large one above Bellingham, and its neighbouring townships. In the former, agriculture exalts her head; the plowmen, jolly, rofy, and robuft. In the latter are all the marks of beggary and want, meagre faces, empty cupboards, whole families of both fexes, and of all ages, taking their weekly, monthly, and quarterly circuits, and levying contributions by alms on their happier neighbours; multitudes of them wandering, not from inclination, but called abroad by hunger and pinching neceffity.'- This is the real state of our improved and unimproved commons. Who that loves his country, and is moved at the profpect of fo much wretchednefs; who that prefers plenty to poverty, pleasure to diftrefs, a fociety to a defert, would not give his voice for a general inclofure and diftinction of this vague property, and refcue it [rather its owners] from fo much wretchednefs? We fhould then prefently fee a fort of new creation, new towns, a new people, bufy and induftrious, well cloathed, well fed, enough for the culture of rural and domeftic arts, and enough for national fervice; an acceffion of wealth and felicity to the fubject, and of power, opulence, and greatnefs to the fovereign.'

Chap. IV. Of Sand;-and its useful varieties.-Sea-sand, in particular, of great ufe for mellowing stiff clay-ground.

Chap. V. Of Stones;-ufeful, ornamental, and curious. Of the latter, they have gems, agates, jafpers, cornelians, &c. of various kinds.-Note, Mr. Wallis calls the laft-mentioned fpecies, repeatedly, Carnelian.

Chap. VI. treats of Fofil-fhells, and other marine exuvie; of which great varieties, both native and exotic, are here found. Thefe fhells have been frequently difcovered at the distance of 30 or 40 miles from the fea; thofe of our own, and thofe of the Mediterranean and Indian feas, buried together in the fame tomb. To what catastrophe could this be owing, but to the Mofaic deluge? For the teftaceous inhabitants of fo many diflant fhores and oceans to be thus brought together, and to have the fame alpine fepulture with those of our own, could be owing [in Mr. Wallis's opinion] to nothing lefs; and are, he thinks, irrefragable teftimonies against every fyftem tending to fupport a partial or topical deluge.'

Chap. VII. Of Ores.-Among the various productions of this county, the moft lucrative are lead and coals; with the latter of which commodities it furnishes a great part of the

Since divided,'