I might go on to quote from every page, But hap your readers think they have enough, See how catching it is, Mr. Urban; I am going on in the fame way. But if any one who has not feen this book, fhould think that it is really printed for poetry, he is quite mistaken. The words are printed as plain profe, but they fall into fuch measured rythm, that I have only changed the form of the lines, and they come out a poem in blank verfe. This is the true way, like Bayes, to elevate and furprize. Good night, Madam. Mr. URBAN, L. S. June 4. SOLUTION of the follow Who was " E. Collier," a painter? There is no mention of him in Walpole. Was he an Englifhman; as the orthography of his name rather imports; and are there many of his works remaining among us? I have feen an excellent painting of his (2 feet 5 inches, by 2 feet), the principal fubject a human fcull, from the bottom of which iffues a label, infcribed, "Vanitas vanitatum et, omnia vanitas. E. Collier fecit." By the fides of the fcull are inftruments of mufick, and a catket of trinkets. In the back ground, an open book, thetitle of which is, "Hier eindigd het verhall der Wereld, et Verandering." On the oppofite leaf, a reprefentation of a wood-cut of "Valerius Aurelianus, Romanorum Imperator." Above, in a circular frame, is the painter in his workroom, admirably done Is it known that Sir Peter Paul Rubens painted, while in England, a piece (4 ft. 6 in. by 3 ft. 2 in.), the fubject probably the fable of Niobe? This picture, which is in my potleffion, confifts principally of a female figure fitting (2 ft. 7 in. high), with the right arm extended across the body, writing an infcription on a marble flab, of which the letters NIO are com Aing queries, through the me- pleted. Oppofite to her, on a pe dium of your excellent Repofitory, will much oblige, A. Z. In Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting the following flight notice is given of Nicholas Caffana: “Nicolo Cafana, of Genoa, died here in the reign of Queen Anne. See Lives of the Genoefe Painters, vol. II. p. 16. Is it known that he painted any portraits while in England, and of whom? as I have a moft admirable one of a lady, which I much with to appropriate: it bears his fignature, thus: Nicolaus Caffana F which took shelter in his parlour in the winter; "Sits budge A feathery bunch." deftal, is the ftatue of a woman, into which the poet feigns the was turned in confequence of her exceflive grief. In the fore-ground are two boys fitting; one of them fupporting on his knees a mutilated ftatue. Oppofite to them is apo¬ ther boy, winged, leaning on a book which lies open before him, with a pair of compaffes in his hand. On the plinth of the pe‐ deftal, which fupports the book, is the fignature P. P. RUBENS. Though the painting has fuffered in some of its inferior parts, and has been repaired, yet the principal figure, and every other effential part of the piece, retains its original beauty. Yours, &c. A. Z. Mr. I Mr. URBAN, June 15. APPLAUD very much the laudable intentions of your correfpondent, who, p. 410, figns himfelf "An old Man," intending to fecure about 8000l. for the endowment and erection of about 12 alms-houses for the fupport of indigent perfons; and which he certainly may do by his will, by a bequeft of that fum to trustees payable out of his perfonal eftate; but he cannot by his will devife lands, or any money payable out of lands, for that purpose, as fuch devife would be void by the ftatute 9 Geo II. c. 36, reftraining gifts in mortmain by will, which enacts, that no lands or tenements, or money to be laid out thereon, fhall be given, granted, conveyed, or fettled or charged with any charitable uses whatsoever, unless by deed indented, executed in the prefence of two witneffes 12 calendar months before the death of the donor, and inrolled in the Court of Chancery within fix months after its execution, and unless fuch gift be made to take effect immediately, and without power of revocation; and that all other gifts of lands or tenements, or any money charged thereon, made in any other form than by the faid act is directed, fhall be abfolutely void. The intention of this ftatute is not to restrain charity, but only to prevent the difpofition of real eftates by will to charitable uses, to the difinheriting the heir at law; but it leaves at full liberty every perfon to difpofe of his perfonal eftate, or any part thereof, by will, to fuch charitable ufes as he may think proper, fo as he does not will the fame to be laid out in the purchafe of lands or on real fecurity for that purpose, but direct the fame to be invefted in the funds. I was, fome years ago, concerned in preparing a will for a perfon who was poffeffed of a confiderable perfonal eftate; and, after giving feveral fpecific legacies to his relations, he gave and bequeathed the refidue thereof unto four trustees (one of whom I was) to be invested, upon Government fecurity, for the purpofe of endowing a fchool, and ap plying the intereft and dividends for the benefit of a schoolmaster for teaching children, free of expence, belonging to the townfhip where the teftator refided. The teftator died foon after making his will, and the truftees invefted the money (after paying off the legacies) in the Three per Cent. Confols. built a fchool upon the wafte by the confent of the lord of the manor and freeholders, and now apply the dividends, according to the directions of the will, for the benefit of the mafter; and at the prefent time there are about 50 children benefited by the inftitution, before which there was no fchool in the township; and very few of the inhabitants (being chiefly tenants of fmall farms at rack-rents) can cither read or write; but there will be a happy reverfe to the rifing generation in the place by the charitable difpofition of this teftator. I think the charitable bequest intended by your correfpondent will be fubject to the tax on legacies; and it may, from what has been before faid in former letters on this fubject, be unneceffary to add, that a will made by a perfon of this defcription ought to be prepared by a profeffional gentleman. Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, W. C. April 5. Nobferving inhabitant of this metropolis for half a century cannot help comparing the prefent appearance of population, which daily prefents itfelf in Cheapfide, with that of fome years paft; and he has been particularly ftruck with the following obfervations made by that celebrated arithmetician, Sir. William Petty, in his Effays on Political Arithmetic, ed. 1669. He obferves, that "London doubles its inhabitants in 40 years, and all England in 360 years. That in the year 1682 there were about 670,000 670,000 fouls in London, and about In a table, he fhews the progreffion of the increafe of mankind from the Flood to the birth of Chrift; in which laft period he fuppofes the eight perfons that came out of the ark were increased to 128,000,000. "That, in 1682, there were computed to be upon the face of the earth $20,000,000 of fouls. That in the next 2000 years the world will be fully peopled, fo as that there fhall be one head for every two acres of land in the habitable part of the earth. And then, according to the prediction of the Scriptures, there must be wars and great flaughter. That, in the year 1840, the people of the city of London will be 10,718,880; and thofe of the whole country but 10,917,389.", Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, R. W. June 11. Vficulties about Pliny's defeription 121, will find his dif third edition is there described to be of Diana's temple obviated by Mr Windham, in the Archæol. VI. 68, and Mr. Falconer, Ib. XI. 3, the firft propofing, the fecond approving, the feparation of centum from viginti feptem, making the whole number of pillars 100; of which 27 were given by as many kings or princes. To fuppofe otherwife would introduce an odd num-. ber of columns. Your traveller is fo accurate in the fite of the temple, that one wishes to have a little more converfation with him on the fubject. VIATOR MINOR. June 9. L. M. p. 423, will find an ac count of the two earlieft and rareft editions of Juliana Barnes's book in that moft elegant of modern publications, the Specimens of early English Poetry," by G. Ellis, efq. The the greatest literary curiofity of the feffes a fecond edition of Juliana Barnes's Mr. URBAN, June 19. HE inclofed letter is fubmitted to the inveftigation of your readers, who may be acquainted with its meaning, and with the Dean's reafons for fuch an addrefs to his diocefan, who, it is fuppofed, was Dr. John Wynne, died 1743. Dr. Crefwick was made tranflated from St. Afaph 1727, and dean 1739, and died of an apoplexy, Feb. 15, 1746*. "To the Bishop of Bath and Wells. "My Lord, on Sunday next I intend, by God's grace, to celebrate the Lord's Supper in the cathedral church; and the rubricks before the Communion office are our rule for admitting or rejecting those that offer themselves to be partakers of it.. Offence, great offence has been given; and in that cafe a proper declaration is required and expected. This is the method prefcribed; and the notice (though with grief and concern for the occafion of it) E give you, as I think it my indispensable duty fo to do; and likewife that you may be under no forprize, nor leave it in your power to complain in any future reprefentation of this matter for want of a lue warning from your faithful monitor and friend, SAM. CRESWICK." |