Mr. URBAN, Worcester, July 7. PERMIT me to endeavour to gratify a Southern Faunift, p. 100, relative to the induftrious Bee. About 14 years ago I purchased a moft elegant houfe and gardens; in fhort, with every other pleature-ground that art and tafte could devife, but I found no bees; for I perfectly agree with every one that has written on that head, that they deserve in an eminent degree our attention. For my part, I have duly paid attention to preferve them in long fevere winters, by feeding them with my own hands; and have taken great delight in the talk of making with my knife troughs, cut out of elder-wood, to contain the honey and fugar I gave them, fo that they might feed more re. gular. But that is not all the attention required; laft fummer, in particular, there were thore hornets and walps than ever I remember in one fummer, and their battles were many, and very defperate; and had not myself and my gardener, diligently attended them, by placing two eight-ounce wide-mouthed vials, filled with any fweet liquor, to every hive, and conftantly emptying them every day for many days together of the drowned infects, I should have had no honey or wax, nor a fall left for breed; which to me would have been fad indeed; for I do affure you I oft fpend hours in feeing them return home loaded with honey and wax. Many of my neighbours loft all their flocks from thefe defperate infects. In all my travelling, I never faw but one bee-houfe to contain the hives that I approved of, and that wanted a proper fituation. I turned my mind that way GENT. MAG. July, 1801. (for it is a fin to wafte any thing, a half or quarter brick, or square ftone); when with lime and fand a bricklayer and his labourer in two days made me a houfe large enough to contain nine hives; which in reality coft me about 14s.; but I had fome addrefs in perfuading the mafon to begin the work. with fuch rubbish (for those were his words). I gave it a not coat of white plafter, and I mean to paint it this fpring, with a small wooden spout to carry, off the heavy rains, which oft injure the bee. When the has been a long way for food, and returning loaded, I have often feen cut down within three or four inches of the hive. My vifitors one and all fay my houfe, which I have fent you a drawing of (Pl. II. fig. 2), exceeds every thing of the kind they ever yet faw.. But had not taken my old friend Time by the forelock, and picked up and laid by many a broken brick, &c. the houfe I now fpeak of would have coft me with new materials upwards of 31. In my next, you will hear farther refpecting my favourite infect, and of the ravages made on them by the trap the fpider and tom-tit lays for them. Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, FIDALIS. July 8. IT may be a gratification to the ad mirers of Bp. Atterbury, to receive a copy of the 30 lines which were promifed to the Editor of his "Epiftolary Correfpondence" by the late Rev. David Scurlock, "who died before he had an opportunity of tranferibing them," The lines feem to have reference to the clouded part of Bp. Atterbury's life; particularly lines 8 to 16. 'W. B. "Religion, chiefeft good to mortals giv❜n, A: once our tafte of, and our guide to, Heav'n; The chain thatliksusta the throne of Jove; The golden flops by which we mount [relief; above; The cheerful draught that gives the foul Howe'er confin'd in dungeons hid from day, Thou air, Thou art our liberty, and in thy fight Our bands are filken, and our fetters light. Thou art the hungry stomach's rich repaft, The draught refreshing to the thirsty tafte; The fureit, greatest wealth in all our need, Poffetfing thee alone we 're rich indeed. Though poorly drefs'd, expos'd to pinching [fair: Thou art a cloathing, lafting, warm, and Thou art the bandage of the aching head; Thou smooth'ft the fick man's couch, and mak'ft his bed, [vain Reviv'ft his drooping foul, when arts are To ftill his groanings, and compofe his pain; [death, Thou near him, he undaunted looks on And scarcely feems to figh away his breathi," Mr. URBAN, July 9. HE tranflator of the title of Mr. TWeston's llorace compared with the Greeks, p. 509, fhows himfelf to be as ignorant, as Mr. W. has been negligent, when he calls Sir George Baker a knight. He might have known that Sir George was a baronet by the dedication of Gray's Elegy, printed in the year 1794, and inferibed Georgio Baker, barometio, HINT. Mr. URBAN, Brynbella, June 12, fellow! as he was fon to an alehousekeeper at Abenfperg, and, chancing to be born upon Advent Sunday, 1446, was called after the day, nor would ever have arrived at the honour of having his name Latinized in the 19th century by our Critical Reviewers, had he not been a writer efteemed by his contemporaries, in days of real fchoarthip and found erudition; though, I believe, he did gain patronage from the great by his ftory of Alemannus and the chained lion, as the Bavarian house had long worn that device for read in his Annales Bojorum that it decoat-armour, and were delighted to fcended to them from the German Hercules, who lived Anno Mundi 2400, dows at Bachygraig here, you will fee When I fhow you my old painted winbeing duly acknowledged, as my faI have an intereft in Mafier Aventin's mily has given the fame heraldic dif(whence Saltsbury, Salusbury,) wore tinction fince Adam de Saltsburg it at the battle of Haftings: and Cœur de Lion confirmed it to his defcendant in the Holy Land. Catharine Tudor de Berayne befide (fee Pennant) quartered it with the lilies, as remote offspring, but in a right line, from Ifabella of WHAT makes our Critical Re- Bavaria, mother to Henry the Fifth's viewers fo outrageous? I expected more candour from thefe enemies, and cenfure better founded. They know the word Lufitania for Lithuania is, and mufi be, an error of the prefs. I have called Poland by the name of Lithuania not once, but many times, in the courfe of the work. They might as well have cried out againft Jofeph the Fifteenth, for fo my compofitor has printed Jofeph the Firft; and there never were but two. As a judgment on the Reviewers, however, their own compofitor makes as grofs miftakes; and the first line of their page 33, where they mean to deny that Tiberius wifhed the fenate would deify Jefus Chrift, the man has written it die for. The fuct refts on the authority of Eufebius and Tertullian, whom they explode as fictitious: but all of us can tell that it has been copied into every modern author; friend Goldfmith among the reft. The Fathers of our Church were not in his time quite exploded, I fuppofe. With regard to Aventin, he and I are nearer connected than they think for. I happen to know that he had no name at all at fetting out, poor queen, who, when a widow, married Reviewers, comes merely from the a ter a termination more familiar to their own ears, I fuppofe. It is but a conjecture; there is no blunder committed, nor any caufe of triumph. Yet the bottom of page 33 increases in its undeferved feverity: "They must be poor Scholars," &c. No fcholars were wanted to tell, nor no maps to how, what we may read in Monf. D'Anville's Compendium of Geography, p. 387, where thefe words will be found: "In the description of this maritime part of Syria, we shall take our leave of Laodicea, which was a Phoenician city before it became a Greek one by renovation under Seleucus. It then took the name Laodicea, which, distinguished by its maritime fituation, was named Ad Mare; and its name fuffers little alteration now that they call it Ladikieb." It is too hard to be fo infulted for ignorance not one's own. There are other towns of the fame appellation: Laodicea Libani, now Iouichi, I believe; and Laodicea Combufta, befides Efki Higar, once Laodicea in Phrygia; for it is a woman's name; and that city which St. John addrelles in his Apocalypfe was called Laodicea after his wife, by Seleucus Nicanor, as Nice in Bythinia was named after the favourite lady of Lyfimachus. But the Critical Reviewers do not like the analogy between the apoftatizing towns of Syria and of Holland. Turn over now to page 34 of their harth cenfures, and tell me why they think, or feem to think, it fo ridiculous that Polyænus's Stratagems of War, dedicated to Antonius Pius, thould be edited in later days by Cafaubon, and why they italick the word Greek as fupremely abfurd? Do the Critical Reviewers imagine it was neceffary that Polyænus fhould have written them in Latin? Polyænus was a Greek, a native of Macedon; and Ifaacfou, who wrote the Chronology, and was cotemporary with Cafaubou, mentions kis purchafing the Greek copies, and fetting them forth (is his expreffion) at his own charge in 1589. They were tranflated into French by Lobineau the beginning of the laft century, and called Rufes de Guerre. The very phrafe is proverbial: I guess not what our Critics mean here. My fecondhand learning, and I never boafted any learning at all, leads me moftly to French literature, fo that of Cafaubon I probably know as much as they. "My acquaintance with foreign man ners may, perhaps, help them likewife to find a more creditable name for Buonaparte than that of Apollion, which certainly frights all who have read our good Pilgrim's Progrefs. There is no need to look for an old Corfican faint. Santa Apollonia, a 'martyr of the feventh perfecution, who had her teeth torn out by the executioner before they burned her, is often prayed to by Italian ladies during geflation, when tormented with the tooth-ach. If relief comes fuddenly, they devote the infant to that faint who prefides over the complaint they have fuffered; and poflibly he was baptized Apollonio, which, by mere Corfican patois, has been accidentally and unconsciously altered into Apolloine, the tremendous leader prophefied of by St. John as furrounded by Locufts darkening the Sun, whofe ftings are in their tails, as if they were the fag-end of fociety; who have hair, fays the Apoftle, as women (like the French Poiffardes), but teeth like lions to devour their prey.. I never averred that Buonaparte was bap tized by name of the Destroyer; yet certain is it that he bears the appellation, and that no conqueror before him ever bore it. With regard to the Ethiopian river; if the Critical Reviewers will tell me how it was denominated in Ezekiel's time, I will withdraw my conjecture. They feem to think Latin names ab eterno; but it could not have been called Niger then there were no Romans to give Latin names in those days. Ezekiel was cotemporary with fome of their earliest kings; Ancus Martius, I believe. H. L. PIOZZI. Mr. URBAN, : July 5. reading a news-paper, a magazine, or any other periodical work, I find a great amufement, in remarking the various fignatures adopted by the anonymous correfpondents. From long obfervation I have found, that one may generally form a judgment of the tafte and fpirit of the whole compofition, from the ftyle and title which the writer affumes at the end of it. A witty writer makes an effay like an epigram, in which the laft words are always the moft brilliant. A grave author ufually choofes a folemn name; and your men of profound researches, confiftently enough, ufe a fignature, the meaning of which is hard to be difcovered. I obferve, Mr. Urban, that that the whole number of thefe correfpondents may be reduced to a few general claffes; each of which I fhall mention in its turn. The firft I fhall take notice of, are thofe who fign themfelves merely by one or more letters of the alphabet. Thefe have fometimes a fecret meaning, and fometimes are chofen at random. We are not furprized to read a diflertation on Algebra by X+Y. and when D.D. writes, we naturally expect that the fubject is Divinity. I confefs, I fee no reafon why an intricate difquifition in Metaphyfics, which I read the other day, fhould be figned A. B. C.; and when I faw the Greek at the end of a certain epifile, I concluded the fubject was too learned for me. But, upon reading it over foon afterwards, I found the fole defign was to recommend a mode of new-footing old filk-stockings. Indeed, it must be allowed that one cannot with much certainty fix on the meaning of mere naked letters of the alphabet, which after all may be ufed entirely by chance, or have an allufion totally different from what we apprehend. I remember that I once attributed a very myfterious fignification to the letters J. T. which (as I afterwards found) the good man the author intended only as the initials of his own name, which was indeed John Tomkins. The next fet of authors are of a more ambitious turn and of a livelier genius. Thefe are not content with any blind letters of the alphabet, but choofe certain names adapted to the fubjects on which they write. Thus one who laughs at the reigning follies of the times will cal! hintelf Democritus; an effay on politenefs comes recon.mended to us by the name of Atticus; and I have known obfervations on rope-dancing well received, becaufe they have been written by one Funarsbulus. Some writers affume real names, others fictitious. The former method is generally practifed by politicians. We all know, the wonderful effects produced by Junius. Cato and Puthcola have defended the caule of liberty two thousand years after their deaths; and the Cenfor of old Rome has preferved his office to this day. It is impoffible to take notice of all the varieties of feigned names, as the greater part is incapable of being reanced to any certain clafs or fpecies. We may, however, obferye that thefe imaginary titles have a wonderful propenfity to what fomebody calls the artifice of alliteration. I have known a poor writer tickle his readers under the name of Tom Touchy; and you may be as dull as you pleate, if you will but call yourself Dick Dewlap, or Gregory Grogram. There are three other kinds of invented names, which I fhall juft mention: thefe are the. Philos, the Mifos, and the Antis. The two laft indeed have much the fame meaning, being exactly contrary to the firft. Philo and Mito, being of Greek original, give occafion to many learned compounds. If all the works of Phileleutherus and Philalethes were collected, they would make a handfome volume. Mifargyrus often writes againft avarice, and it is well known that Mifogynes is no friend to the ladies. Some gentlemen indeed are not fo exact in their compounds, and feruple not to mix dead and living languages together. You must remember the ingenious writer * on wet-docks, who took occafion to fign himself Mifo-Mud. Indeed, a very worthy half-learned friend of my own has often fallen into this miftake. I have now before me two of his news-paper compofitions; one of which being againit patent medicines is figned MifoQuack; and the other, denying a real fearcity, he would perfuade the world was written by a certain Anti-Sulfiitute. But it is high time to take notice of that higher order of authors, who, not fatisfied with a name, take upon them to perfonate fome virtue or vice, or fome art or fcience. Nay, fome are fo refined that they involve themfelves in abttraction even more fibtle than this, and are not known to the world otherwife than in the form of fome proverb, maxim, or wife fentence. How many excellent little treatifes are there, which, if you will trufi to their fignatures, are the production of the four cardinal virtues! On the other hand, battle, murder, and fudden death, frequently inform the world on the fubjects of duels and apoplexies; and I remember a defence of gaming, which was produced by the joint labour of the jeven deadly fins. I knew a gentleman who ufed to fend into the world the moft whimsical paradoxes, under the difguife of Common-fenfe. And the reafon he gave for it was ingenious Vide Sheridan's Critic. enough. 1 44 enough. You must know, fays he, I do it with a view to fecurity againft attack, for who would be fo abfurd as to write in open defiance of common fenfe? It must be owned that all writers do not chufe their titles for fo good a reafon as my friend gave. I have fometimes known a very perplexed author conceal himself under the “ Naked Truth." The very firft effay in a modern mifcellany has been figned Better late than never; and at the end of au apologetical epifile that I once faw, the writer defires his adverfary to be lieve that this is The first Blow. The molt dogmatical author in the world, will call himself As you like it. I relifhed very much an effay on cookery, written by Mr. Potluck, but I thought a grave divine had damned all his arguinents by calling himself at laft Much ado about nothing. And a gentleman who had written fomething upon Attic wit, feemed at length to turn his tail upon all his opinions, by putting at the bottom of his letter, My A-e in a Band-lor. For my own part, Mr. Urban, I profefs myfelf to be nothing more than one of the crowd of your admirers and this I look upon as the natural confequence of being, as I am, YOUR CONSTANT READER.. TOUR TO THE NETHERLANDS IN THE AUTUMN OF 1793. (Continued from p. 220.) IN my laft letter, I gave you an account of iny journey from Utreht to Tergow, or Gouda, a confiderable town in the province of South Holland; where I arrived on the 17th of September, and found time, during the latter half of the day, to fee every thing, to which firangers had accefs, that was worth notice. Gouda under the Stadtholderian government ranked in order the fixth of thofe towns that fent deputies to the States of Holland. It stands very pleasantly upon the confluence of the Gone and the Yifel, about four leagues North-caft of Rotterdam, double that diftance South of Amfterdam, and nearly midway be tween Utrecht and the Hague. The population was calculated at 20,000; a majority of whom, I was told, were Roman Catholics; and perhaps you may be furprized to hear, as I was, that, throughout the whole extent of the Seven Provinces, there were more Roman-catholics than members of the Eftablished church. The ftreets of Gouda were kept remarkably clean, and the air pure, by the various currents which ran in every direction, and by the tide which comes up the Yffel. The environs were beautifully inter fperfed with villas and gardens; and the neighbouring paftures are famous for the production of cheefe. The commerce of this place is very inconfiderable. The cheefe fairs are capital'; and there is a large manufactory of tobacco-pipes, for which last article there is a great demand in every part of Holland. Rare, indeed, are the intervals in which a Dutchman is to be feen without a pipe in his mouth; and, although England justly boasts of more comforts than Holland, I believe the point must be given up as far as the art of fmoking is concerned; for their tobacco is more fragrant, and their pipes are more neatly fabricated than with us. Of late years finoking has been pretty much difcarded in fafhionable focieties, especially at the Hague. Upon my arrival at Gouda, I was directed to an inn oppofite the Maifon de Ville, where I found a very civil landlord and comfortable accommodations. My hoft informed me, that the firft thing to be feen in their town was the great church; which is truly a magnificent edifice. It was rebuilt about the middle of the 16th century upon the ruins of the old church, which had been deftroyed by lightning. Before the Reformation there were 72 altars in this church; and I can conceive no fpectacle more grand than the celebration of the Romish worfhip muft have exhibited there - on a high feftival. When I faw the great church of Gouda it was adornedwith mot beautiful painted windows, which had been executed during the latter part of the 16th century. If you will believe the people of Gouda, there is no fuch painted glafs in all Europe. I pretend not to be a connoiffeur; but, allure you, my eyes were never fo richly feafted in any church as in this; and the emotions I felt will be readily understood by thofe "Who never fail To walk the ftudious doyfters pale, And love the high embowed roof With antic pillars maffy proof; And ftoried windows richly dight, Cafting a dim religious light. Then let the pealing organ blow In the full-voic'd quire below, In fervice high and anthem clear, As may with tweetness through mine ear Diffolve |