MINOR CORRESPONDENCE. MR. BRITTON remarks: "The notice of Bedfordshire Illustrations' in your October number, p. 420, has led me to make some inquiries on the subject, and I beg to offer a few remarks thereon. A Committee of Noblemen and Gentlemen of the County, should aim at producing some thing above a few illustrative prints. They may lay the foundation, and raise part, if not the whole, of the superstructure, of a substantial, respectable, and authentic County History. Let them begin with the principal town, and invite each of the resident Clergy, and some other inhabitants, to collect and write down all facts, and even hearsays, and communicate the same to the Committee. Let that Committee arrange a series of questions, adapted to direct the attention of inexperienced persons to the proper subjects; solicit answers, to be returned with all possible dispatch; name one, two, or more, competent persons to arrange and digest the materials; employ an artist who ean make correct and tasteful drawings of the churches, and other objects of in terest; and I will venture to predict that, before the Christmas of 1839, the Committee may be enabled to put to press a copious and valuable History of the Town of Bedford. At the time this is preparing, the same queries may be sent to all the clergy, gentry, and chief inhabitants of the county, directing their attention to each locality respectively, soliciting information, and urging the necessity of co-operation and patronage. In two large, wellprinted quarto volumes, and with about one hundred embellishments on copper and wood, the county may be fully, faith fully, and ably illustrated and described; and such a work would necessarily claim the attention of, and ought to be purchased by, every nobleman and gentleman, all the principal clergy, every professional man, and most of the respectable reading inhabitants of the county. Although the shire is comparatively small, it contains some magnificent and highly interesting mansions; some very fine remains of antiquity; churches of remote origin and of beautiful architecture; and a few towns abounding with objects and materials of historical importance.-The writer will cheerfully advise the Committee, when they are prepared to set about their task in earnest." With regard to the presumed skull of Eugene Aram, (mentioned in our last Number, p. 519,) the following statement has appeared in the Newcastle Journals since the late meeting of the British Association: "It is understood by the oldest inhabitants at Northallerton, that the skull and some of the bones of this ill-fated self-taught genius were collected by a friend of the family, at the request of Elizabeth, second daughter of Eugene Aram, and conveyed to her at Northallerton, where she resided; and, by the kind consent of the Rev. R. Pigott, thèn vicar of that place, they were safely deposited in the churchyard, a little to the north of the church, and strictly watched by the sexton for some months, to see that they were not disturbed. This said Elizabeth afterwards married William York, a currier, at Northallerton, a son of Mr. Barnet York, by whom she had a family; she died about the year 1800. This seems to disprove the identity of the skull exhibited at Newcastle." CLER. ANTIQ. would feel greatly obliged for an exact description of the Altar in Westminster Abbey, its decorations and ornaments, as it appeared at the Coronation of Queen Victoria, before the crown, &c. carried in procession, were placed upon it. R.'s Essay on English Poets, is declined. I. A. R. remarks, "Many years since, I recollect seeing, in some Magazine, an observation of a correspondent, that in page 350 of the first volume of Gray's Hudibras, there are black marks upon a name; e; and that in forty copies he had examined these marks invariably occur. In a copy belonging to a gentleman in Sussex, these marks were washed off, probably soon after the work was published: I find the name to be DUCAREL." GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE. THE REMAINS OF THE LATE LORD VISCOUNT ROYSTON. By the Rev. H. PEPYS. WE are pleased to see that Lord Royston's talents and virtues have not been forgotten by his friends; and we trust that this memorial, written by one who was intimately acquainted with him, accompanied, as it is, with the re-publication of his admirable translation of Lycophron-the most difficult undertaking of the kind, most successfully executed-will extend the circle of his reputation, and leave us only to lament the early loss of one in whom evidently the high attainments of the scholar would soon have ripened into the more extensive knowledge and more practical acquirements of the statesman, and have given proof that the high qualities of mind, which for two generations had made the house of Hardwicke illustrious, descended in no diminished lustre to him. Philip Lord Viscount Royston was the eldest son of the late Lord Hardwicke, and born 7th May 1784. After being educated under the care of Dr. Weston, Preb. of Canterbury, he was sent to Harrow, at the age of eleven, in 1795, and placed as a private pupil under Dr. Drury. While at school, he appears to have joined but little in the amusements of his companions; but was employed in accumulating considerable stores of knowledge, which became known when he went to St. John's college, Cambridge, in 1801. Unfortunately, however, his studies were not altogether in harmony with those of the University, and his neglect of mathematical pursuits precluded the chance of all public distinction. Here his biographer considers that he probably commenced his translation of Lycophron, and he refers to the same period the composition of an English poem, with the title of "Nothing," -a general title, which, like Cowper's "Sofa," was merely designed to be a vehicle for the introduction of elegant reflections, poetical images, and a brilliant and harmonious versification. The extracts which the editor gives, show that the author must have long paid great attention to the study of the best models of the poetical art; though the last quotation brings too clearly to our recollection some lines in the "Pleasures of Hope," to permit us to call it quite original in its execution. "Thine are the shapes, and thine the airy train, High o'er the clouds a second sun he sails, Having taken his degrees, Lord Royston passed some time in Ireland, where his father, the Earl of Hardwicke, was Lord-Lieutenant, and soon after turned his attention towards foreign travel. He had now completed his translation of the Cassandra, at the age of twenty-two; and, though diffident of throwing it at once on general criticism, he wished it to be known to his friends and his family, and entrusted the printing of it to the same friend who is now also the affectionate recorder of his Life. In 1806, a hundred copies were printed, and the work received the high and rare commendation of Professor Porson. Dr. E. Clark wrote to say that "Porson had compared it with the original text, and found it to be as near the truth as it could approach, consistently with the dignity of the representation." From Dr. Gray, the Bishop of Bristol, from Dr. Butler of Harrow, and from that mighty Garagantua of Grammarians, that "princeps philologorum," Dr. Samuel Parr, similar commendations were heard; the letter of the last is too characteristic to omit, though, like many of the Doctor's, carrying more powder than shot: "Dr. Parr presents his compliments to Lord Royston, and begs leave to thank his Lordship for the translation of the Cassandra, which came yesterday to Hatton Parsonage, and which he will read attentively when he has time to compare it with the original. From a firm and serious conviction, that the character of mind impressed by a classical education, is the best preservative against the poison of a specious but spurious philosophy, and the best preparation for the purest and most sacred duties of society, Dr. Parr feels the highest satisfaction in finding that so many of his countrymen, distinguished by splendour of birth and eminence of rank, employ their talents advantageously and honourably in a right direction, and with the happiest effect. Dr. Parr would be glad to hear that Lord Royston is hereafter disposed to turn his attention to a masterly paper, which he believes to be in the possession of Lord Hardwicke, and which was drawn up by the Chancellor Yorke, for the vindication of Demosthenes from the charge of bribery. Doubtless the materials were within the reach of many scholars; but the elegance of its style, the clearness of its arrangement, and the force of the reasoning bear strong indications of an intellect largely indebted to the bounty of Nature, and disciplined by long exercise in the investigation of evidence. The subject, as Lord Royston must be aware, is interesting to all men of letters. The fate of Mr. Yorke's papers, destroyed by fire at Lincoln's Inn, the fortunate pre.. servation of his argument on a favourite topic, in the short-hand of Dr. Taylor, and the accuracy of the transcript, which required only five or six alterations, when it came under the eye of the writer, are circumstances very gratifying to public curiosity; but, above all, the justice amply and effectually done to the reputation of the Grecian orator, will be most creditable to the erudition, the sagacity, and the moral feelings of his illustrious advocate." In the mean time, while these great guns from Hatton were firing off, Lord Royston was pursuing his way through Denmark and Sweden to the Russian Empire; and we have some letters from him to his father at this period of his tour; one of which we shall give. "Gotheberg, July 8, 1806. "My dearest Father, " I intend to set out on Thursday next for Helsinberg, in order to proceed to Copenhagen, having by this time completely satisfied my curiosity with respect to this town and its environs. Last night I returned from an excursion to Trolhatte, which is situated nearly fifty English miles up the country, not far from the Wenner Lake, which is the largest body of fresh water in Sweden, being about ninety miles in length. I proceeded thither last Saturday in an open carriage; and, having taken the precaution to dispatch a peasant to order relays of horses, met with no delay except what resulted from the harness breaking three or four times between every post. In general the traveller drives, and the peasant who accompanies him either runs by the side of the carriage or gets up be. hind. I scarcely know how to tell you without a solecism, that for two or three stages the post-boy was a woman. I had, as you will readily believe, some difficulty in settling accounts in Swedish papercurrency, of which I know very little, with people of whose language I was entirely ignorant; but by speaking a barbarous jargon composed of my Saxon dialect, and catching every word of theirs I happened to understand, I contrived to get on without much delay. One inconvenience, indeed, resulted from driving myself, which was, that while I was employed in looking at the country, the horses made a sharp turn to their master's cottage, and both Dousset and myself were thrown out, but escaped without any injury. On arriving at Trolhatte, I found a tolerable inn, kept by a man who understood German. The whole of the next day I employed in inspecting the canal and cataracts, under the guidance of a fine old soldier, who told me that he had served in the wars under the late King of Prussia. The canal is certainly a very great work, considering that the river falls about a hundred feet in a very short distance, and that the cuts are made entirely through the solid granite. This canal opens a free water-communication with Gotheberg and the Wenner Lake; and I saw several vessels laden with iron and timber pass through the sluices, which are eight in number. It is in contemplation to unite the Wenner with the Wetter and Mæhler lakes, and by these means open a communication with Stockholm; that in case of a war with the Danes, or when the passage of the Gulf of Bothnia is blocked with ice, shipping may proceed from the capital to the ocean at all times in the year, and without passing the Sound. During my stay here I have received great civilities from English merchants, particularly from Mr. Smith, the English Consul. At their houses I met several Swedes, but hitherto not any who spoke French, excepting the wife of the Swedish merchant with whom I dined. This gentleman was distinguished by two particularities, which I should hope are not common in civilised countries: he never by accident combs his hair or shaves his beard, and never suffers a drop of water to touch him. In these circumstances I considered myself fortunate in getting a windward place at his table. If you ever read books of travels, you undoubtedly know the strong propensity travellers feel to give their bills of fare; and as this was the first specimen of a Swedish dinner which I saw, I will conform to their custom in this instance. We began with cheese and corn-brandy; we proceeded to raw herrings and caviar; we next attacked the joints, concluding with the roast, and finished with fish and soup. During this inversion of our English mode, I was presented with some dishes which reminded one of the line of Pope, 'Judicious drank, and, greatly daring, dined.' " A letter will hit me at Copenhagen. Yours ever." At the small inn at the falls of Trolhatte, where the waters of the great Wenner lake force themselves down a precipice and form the river Gothe, Lord Royston wrote some Greek anapæsts: a copy of which, with some |