be found in other histories of this interesting town and county, and carefully excluding copies of old, musty grants, written in uncouth, unclassical Latin, which, indeed, occupy many pages of Mr. Brand's work, and useful only to few readers. Another motive for our holding out to the public a history in the present form, is, that as we live in times when oeconomy becomes a virtue, so peculiarly necessary, we would, therefore, wish to condense the subject into as small a compass as we can with propriety, and so make brevity and precision the basis of our work. Two guineas for the history of a single town, to the greater number of people, has the appearance of extravagance ; but we hope to afford equally gratifying historical entertainment for a fourth part of that sum. Another powerful incentive, is, the vast increase of trade, manufactories, iron-founderies, new streets, and magnificent buildings, by which Newcastle is enriched and adorned, all since Mr Brand published his history in 1788. It would have crowned our wishes, had it been put in our power to have added, that a particular description is subjoined of the CANAL which, from Newcastle to the western shores, shores, divides the island, and joins the German Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. But, with a sigh, we presume only to hope, that, upon the return of a general peace, this truly noble, patriotic, and incalculably beneficial design, will be resumed. A circumstance highly favourable for throwing light upon a principal division of our work, is, that by the recent digging up of the vast fossa, or ditch, of the Roman wall, from near Byker to Wallsend, curious discoveries have been made of arms, altars, bones of sacrificed animals, and other pieces of antiquity. Two gentlemen, the Messrs. BUDDLE, at Wallsend, whose house is upon the very site of the ancient Roman castrum, have generously favoured us with their discoveries. And we feel ourselves highly gratified and encouraged by a variety of curious and interesting observations communicated to us by several other ingenious and learned gentlemen, to whom we offer our most grateful respects. In fine, in the execution of the work, we claim no indulgence from the candid public on the stale pretence, that it was a hasty compilation, indigestedly put together, the offspring of occasional vacant time.---No; we mean not in this manner to insult the good sense sense of an enlightened public; but, on the contrary, to assure them, that to render the production worthy of their attention and patronage, the talents, learning, and assistance, of several literary gentlemen have been employed. As we hereby candidly acknowledge, that we have made free with such sentiments in the works of Messrs. BOURNE, BRAND, and others who have written upon this town, as to us appeared useful; we will not, therefore, trouble our readers with references to the pages, &c. of these gentlemen's works. To command success, in any undertaking, is not the lot of humanity; but the editors, by diligence, and employing their most strenuous endeavours, humbly hope, at least, to deserve it. HISTORY HISTORY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, &c. &c. HE hiftory of the town and county of New THE castle upon Tyne, on account of its relative confequence and advantage to fociety, is highly interesting. Previous, however, to our entering upon this agreeable, but arduous undertaking, it will be neceffary to remark, that the richest domains of the three then known quarters of the globe were indebted to the Romans for their civilization and improvements in the arts of life. It is true, that mighty people were as boundless in their ambition, as they were irresistible in their arms; and not contented with the fairest and most fertile provinces of the world, they extended their vaft empire from the banks of the Tygris to the frozen fhores of the Caledonian fea. And fo, by either finding or making all nations hoftile to their arrogant claims, they, by policy, difcipline, and valour, in the courfe of fix centuries, fubdued Afia, Africa, and Europe to their dominion. It was from this love of conqueft, fatal to the repofe and independence of nations who had not before heard of the Roman name, that a B large large proportion of the human kind were fubjugated or destroyed. It was peculiarly fo with our ifland of Britain, with the hiftory of which we are beft acquainted, and in which we are moft immediately interested. Thus realising the defcriptive lines of the poet : Of rougher front, a mighty people came ! A race of heroes! in thofe virtuous times But, as a late enlightened hiftorian obferves, the Romans, after having fubdued, or exterminated, the nations, and given mankind time to breathe, fet about civilizing the countries they had conquered; and, by inftructing them in their language, laws, arts, and arms, they made fome atonement for the fanguinary exceffes to which their infatiable ambition had impelled them. But that warlike people, intending their empire fhould run on in the long line of ages coeval with time itself, have accordingly left, to the admiration. of mankind, the most ftupendous monuments of their unrivalled power and profound policy. And in no country, in the extenfive bounds of their once mighty empire, are left, to the investigation of the antiquary and the hiftorian, more ftriking remains of their pristine greatness than in Britain; nor in any part of the country, greater or more noble than those in Newcastle and its vicinity, as will fully appear when we present our readers with a detailed delineation of this town. The See Dr Robertfon's Hift. of Charles V. emperor of Germany. |