of our old poets extends it to Death itself, whom he as beautifully as pathetically calls "The Combre-world," the horror and dread of the world-making life hideous.

But I paufe here-left your faithful friend and old correfpondent fhould be miftaken for one of THE LUMBER TROOP.

Mr. URBAN,

Jan. 2. R. Gilbert has obferved, in his MR.: "Tour to the Lakes," that shot were found in fome trees which grew near the field of battle at Marston Moor. A correfpond. LVII. 851, has observed, with a great degree of wit and ridicule, that Mr. Gilpin must be misinformed, becaufe fhot will not enter into green wood. Your correfpondent Y. p. 1054, has endeavoured to explain the reafon why green wood fhould fo powerfully refift shot; but one thing, I think, was rather neceffary to the juflice of the obfervation, or the neceffity of an explanation,—I mean the truth of the circumftance itself; for I have no doubt, Mr. Urban, that the cafe is notoriously otherwife. If your correfpondents will enquire of any game keeper who kills deer, or try the experiment themfelves, they will find, I believe, that a fhio, difcharged from a mufket, will as furely enter a tree, as a nail may be driven into it by a hammer. The note which at tended the obfervation in Otober, that balls, not bullets, were meant by Mr. Gilpin, I conceive to be erroneous, not only because Mr. Gilpin does not call them balls, but because a ball, with a fufficient degree of momentum to bury itfelf in a tree, would certainly either D. R. fplinter or go through it.

M. URBAN,

THE

from the Reviewers? Blood followed the fpear as well as water; but Mr. W. does not fay that both came from the fame place.

The human petrifaction in the villa Ludovifia, enquired after in p. 1071, though not mentioned by many travelJers, is to be met with in two modern accounts of Rome. In "Les Delices de l'Italie," London, 1709, tom. II. p. 115, is mentioned a petrified skeleton, un fquelette petrefié; and in the "Voyage d'un Francois en Italie, 1765 and 1766," Venice, 1769, tom. III. a fingu lar human petrifaction, une petrefaction bumaine finguliere.

Our countryman Richard Lafcelles faw this curiofity about the fame time as the fuppofed Sir R. Fanfhaw. His account of it is very full, as follows, p. 180, 1670.

"In a great fquare box, lined with velvet, I faw the body of a petrified man, that is, a man turned into flone; one piece of the leg broken, to affure an ambaffador doubting of the verity of the thing, fhewed me plainly both the bone and the ftone crufted over it. The head and the other parts lie jumbled up toge ther in the box. If you ask me why they do not put this body into fome tomb to bury it, I anfwer you, that it needs no other tomb than this cruft of ftone. Indeed I never faw a body fo neatly intombed as this. You would fwear that this tomb is a pure juft-aucorps rather than a tomb. It fits as clofe as if a taylor had made it, and that you may not think it an impoffible thing that men fhould be thus petrefied, I muft mind you what Otelius faith, that, upon the mountains fituated in the Western parts of Tartary, are feen figures of men, camels, theep, and other beafts, which, by an admirable metamorphofis, were changed into ftones about 300 years ago; and Ariftotle + himfelf fpeaks of men petrefied in the hollow cave of a mountain near Pergamus."

Lafcelles noted the wooden bedstead covered with precious frones, valued at 100,000 crowns, the four pofts all of oriental polished jafper; the rest of o ther rich tones: but the head exceeding the rest for riches and art, efpecially the midft, where the family arms are fet in rich tones of feveral colours. He pronounces the beft ufe that could be made of it would be to lay the man of fione in.

and that beds of ftone are fittest for men of fone. He also noticed a curious clock. These three articles are united in the "Delices de l'Italie" before mentioned.

Monfieur Miffon in 1688 fpeaks of this petrifaction as "a piece of bone faid to have belonged to a petrified man. But this is a miftake, for the bones are no way petrified; but a candied cruft (croute candie), a certain ftony incruftation, has gathered round them, which has given them this name. I do not, however, mean by this, that bones do not petrify, as well as other fubftances. There is nothing but what will petrify. In various cabinets which I have vifited, I have obferved a hundred different things petrified fruits, flowers, trees, wood, plants, bones, fish, bread, pieces of flesh, animals of all forts. Paræus gives an account of a child petrified in his mother's womb. And, what is more extraordinary, the hiftory of our time fpeaks of a city in Africa petrified in one night, with men, beafts, trees, furniture, and every thing in the city with out exception." Nouv. Voy. d'Italie, 11 170, 1702.

:

I have not at hand any of the travel lers of the prefent century, fuch as Keyfler, Blainville, &c. &c. to anfwer whether their curiofity was excited by this petrified man. Mr. Wright does not mention him, nor the author of the "Viaggiana."

P. 1104. After fome hours chace, unaffifted by the bulky index of the Variorum edition of Cicero's Letters to Atticus, I have caught the paffage which Bishop Atterbury thought he had exactly pointed out, if not tranfcribed, into his letter to Pope, dated" Bromley, October 15, 1721." It is the 14th letter of the 2d book of the Epiftles to Atticus, where he thus defcribes the interruptions of his vifitors in his Formian retreat + Bafilicam habeo, non villam, frequentia Formianorum: at quam parem bafilicæ tribum Emiliam ? Sed omitto vulgus. Poft horam IV molefti ceteri non funt.

* The city of Bredeblo. Kircher, Mund.

Subt.

+In the fubfequent letter (XV.) Cicero refumes the fubject. The country gentlemen, then refident in the vicinity of the epifcopal palace at Bromley, were much obliged to the Prelate for informing his correfpondent that the company of thefe Arrii and Sebofi of his neighbourhood was worfe than none" folus non potuero, cum rufticis potius quam cum his perurbanis." W. & D.

C. Arrius proximus eft vicinus, immo ille quidem jam contubernalis; qui etiam fe idcirco Romam ire negat, ut hic mecum totos dies philofophetur. Ecce ex altera parte Sebofus, ille Catuli familiaris. Quo me vertam? Statim mehercule Arpinum irem, ni te in Formiano commodiffime exfpectari viderem, duntaxat ad prid. non. Maii. Vide enim quibus hominibus aures fint deditæ meæ. Occafionem mirificam, fi qui nunc, dum hi apud me funt, emere de me fundum Formianum velit." Which may be thus tranflated: "I have a court inftead of a country-houfe: fo great is the refort of the people of Formia to it, that you would think the whole Emilian tribe, the largeft in Rome, attended my levee. But I pafs over the bulk of attendants, who leave me after the fourth hour. C. Arrius, my next door neighbour, the fame who was formerly my companion, protefts he will not go to Rome, but spend whole days in converfing with me on philofophical fubjects. On the other fide I have Sebofus, the friend of Catulus. What can I do? I would make the best of my way to Arpinum, if it were not more convenient for me to wait for you here, at leaft till the 6th of May. For only think what kind of men I am obliged to liften to! It would be an admirable opportunity, if any perfon, while they are with me, fhould offer to purchafe this villa." A. B.

Mr. URBAN, Gerrard-freet, Jan. 3

ALONG journey, which I was o

bliged to make, and an accumulation of bufinefs fince, have deprived me of my ufual pleasure of attending you in your intellectual tour of obfervation through the world. However, I have at length found leifure to retrace your fteps, at leaft flighly, and fhall make fuch remarks as the shortnefs of my time will permit.

I have received much fatisfaction from perufing occafionally the defcriptions and hiftories of trees, by different correfpondents, particularly T. H. W. and J. A. I hope thefe gentlemen will continue their useful labours; and, recommend the re-publication of the when their plan is compleated, I would whole, apart, in a fmall volume. I think the publick would receive it favourably.

There is another work much wanted in this way; an abridgement of the last edition of Evelyn's Sylva, which is now increased to a price that few can afford,

and

and to an extent which still fewer have time enough to go through. Yet there is a vaft deal of valuable knowledge in it; and a judicious Summary, in 8vo or 12mo, would be read with pleasure. While it is right and proper that large collections should be formed of all that is known on any fubject, for the ufe of perfons who have much leifure, or a peculiar tafte for the cultivation of fuch fubjects, it is alfo proper that fome regard fhould be paid to the cafe of men engaged in active life and profeffional bufinefs, to whom every "great book is a great evil," and who, though they may have an ardent love of knowledge, and might be extremely useful in diffufing it, and promoting the benefits derived from it, are, however, too much involved in the neceffary duties of their ftations to find leifure to perufe volumes in 4to and tolio. When we had fuch literary journalists as John Le Clerc, Michael de la Roche, and old Dr. Maty, there was lefs room for my complaints, because they gave abftracts of books; but, as we have no Review now conducted on this plan, it must be done in separate publications, or not all,

Your correfpondent J. Nafeby, LVII. p. 117, has ftated a cafe of a man who was bitten by an alligator in Twimming across a river, and did not feel any painful fenfation till he came out of the water. Before any argument can be founded on this cafe, I think we muft know more of the particulars of it. If it was a very flight wound, as I fhould be inclined to fuppofe, then the attention of the man's mind being occupied by the exertion neceffary in fimming to get to the other fide of the river, are, I think, fufficient to account for his not feeling any pain, without fuppofing that the water had any effect in the cafe: a man does not feel the blows given him in fighting while his attention is wholly engaged by the defire of mastering his antagonist. I can hardly conceive that immerfion in water fhould diminish pain. The idea of performing furgical operations in this way has, I believe, occurred to medical men. A furgeon of my acquaintance propofed, in order to prevent the bad effects of admitting cold air into the cavity of the belly, that the operation of dividing the jymphyfis pubis, in women who have narrow pelves, fhould be performed while the patient was half immerfed in luke-warm Water. But he certainly did not recolGENT. MAC. January, 1788.

lect, nor has it occurred to your correfpondent, that the first cut given by the knife would produce a gush of blood, which would foul the water, and put it out of the furgeon's power to proceed, becaufe he could not fee what he was doing. I am afraid, therefore, no advantage could be derived from what Mr. N. propofes; but we are certainly obliged to him, and to every person, who, from motives of humanity, offers any obfervation, or states any fact, for our confideration.

Amidst the variety of matter, Mr. Urban, that you difcufs, we have, every now and then, controverted points. If thefe intereft me, I read what paffes on both fides, for a certain time; but, if the difpute be not terminated, and I have bestowed on it as much time as it is worth, or as I can afford, I am obliged to give it up, by which means I lofe my preceding labour, and do not fee the iffue of the controverfy. Many of your readers, I am convinced, are in the fame fituation. It is much, therefore, to be defired, that when any fubject has been argued about for a long time, backwards and forwards, fome one of the parties should fum up the evidence, and let us know how it ftands at the lait. This would add much to the ufefulness of your Mifcellany. And I think it fo important, that if none of your correfpondents will do it, I think you yourself, good Sir, fhould occafionally employ fome fteady hand to do us this piece of fervice. You will excufe my taking the liberty of recommending this: I am fure you know I do it from the best motives; and I have fome little title to requeft it, becaufe, in the only matter of

controverfy I ever was engaged in in your Magazine, which was relative to English names of animals correfponding to the Scotch, after feveral letters from different people had paffed, containing various opinions about the "Fumart," I gave exactly fuch a fummary of the evidence as 1 here requeft of you. At prefent, I recollect three articles of which a fummary would be defirable; the difpute about the orthography of Shakspeare's name-about the origin of calling the nine of diamonds the curje of Scotland and about the changes produced by ingrafting trees. of your readere think my plan would occupy room in the Magazine which had better be devoted to original matter,

If any

I would