It has been a place of considerable national importance, from the earliest times of English history. By the ancient Britons it was named Dour; by the Romans, Dubris, or Dovobernia; and by the Saxons, Dovre. The town lies in a valley encompassed by a half circle of hills. The extensive and capacious bay of the sea in which it is situated, its finely-wooded hills, and its streams of fresh water, were natural advantages which pointed it out to our British ancestors as a spot well suited for a settlement; and when the Roman General, Julius Cæsar, appeared with his forces to invade the country, he found on those hills a powerful army of warriors to oppose his landing. Dover, however, became a Roman station, and it is supposed that a castle was built by Julius Cæsar on the spot where Dover Castle now stands. At all events, the station acquired a high degree of eminence, under the Roman government, on account of its situation on the shore, and its short distance from the coast of Gaul, or, as we now call the country, FRANCE. From its advantages also in these points, it then was, and has ever since continued to be, the chief port of intercourse between this kingdom and the continent of Europe.

and civil causes.

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In the Saxon times, Dover enjoyed many important privileges; amongst others, a most valuable one, namely, that whoever resided constantly in the town, and paid custom to the King, should be free of toll throughout all England. King Edward, who was named the Confessor, granted to the barons of Dover a court for hearing and determining criminal In the ancient Doomsday Survey, this town stands at the head of the county of Chenth, or Kent, and the same ancient record provides that king's messengers, on their way to France, shall three-pence for the passage of a horse in the winter, and two-pence in the summer, and the burgesses or townspeople were to find a steersman and one assistant; and if more were required, these were to be provided by the king. This may be considered as the most ancient regulation of the price of a passage from England to France now to be found, and from this period Dover became the general port used by the government, and by the merchants trading to and from other lands, as well as by persons going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, or returning

from it.

In the reign of Henry the Third, the passage-fare was two shillings for a horseman, .and sixpence for a man on foot, and Richard the Second even made a statute that all strangers, pilgrims, and travellers on business, should embark and land only at this port. The passage-boats were numerous, and are frequently mentioned in the records of the times, under the various and curious names of forecasts, crayers, passagers and baylings: they paid two shillings each voyage to what was termed the fareship box, the contents of which, under the direction of four warders, went to the preservation of the wyke, or ancient harbour.

In the early periods of our history, Dover frequently presented a scene of splendour, activity, and magnificence, in the large fleets and armies of England, which, in time of war, assembled there on their way to the opposite coast of France. In 1189, that noble warrior King Richard the First embarked at this port when he set out on one of what were then called Crusades, or wars waged in the Holy Land against the Mohammedans, with a view to take

In the year 1213, also, Dover witnessed a scene of vast grandeur and magnificence, though not unmixed with circumstances of a very humiliating character. Here that weak and wavering monarch, King John, was then residing at the Maison Dieu, a celebrated religious edifice built by his faithful subject and honest minister, Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent, Lord Chief Justice of England and constable of Dover Castle, for the accommodation of the numerous pilgrims who passed through Dover on their way to visit the tomb of Thomas à Becket at Canterbury. Whilst residing there King John issued his precepts to the earls, barons, knights, and military tenants of the realm, to assemble in preparation against an attack then about to be made by Philip King of France, in consequence of the command of the Pope, Innocent the Third, whom John had displeased.

This call of King John produced one of the most imposing and magnificent displays of the power of England ever witnessed. It brought together the whole naval and military force of the kingdom. Indeed it was so great, that provisions could not be obtained for them.

Even after all those who were not completely appointed and equipped had been dismissed, there remained an army of sixty thousand men! But, notwithstanding the presence of this force, the

courage of the king failed him. He was alarmed because the pope had presumed to lay the kingdom under what was called an interdict, namely, a command from the bishop of Rome that, among other things, all the churches in England should be shut up. He knew also that the French king, besides a large army, had collected a fleet of seventeen hundred ships of various sizes, for the purpose of invading the country, and therefore he took the disgraceful course of submitting to the pope and doing homage to Pandulphus the pope's legate or minister, for his kingdom, instead of meeting his enemy boldly, and trusting to the faithfulness of his troops, and to the justice of his cause. However, though the king had thus basely satisfied the pope, the king of France was not to be so easily satisfied. Having been at vast expense in fitting out his forces, he was resolved not to retire, as the pope, who had stirred him up, then wished him to do, but persisted in prosecuting his attack on England. In the contest he met his deserts. The English fleet under the Earl of Salisbury, though vastly inferior in number, sailed from Dover, and attacked theFrench so vigorously in their harbours, that they took three hundred of their ships, destroyed one hundred more, whilst King Philip himself set the remainder on fire. And thus was wiped away the disgrace brought upon the country by John's conduct*.

The most remarkable building in Dover, is, of course, its ancient Castle, supposed by some to have been founded by Julius Cæsar, but in the opinion of others, by Claudius. This celebrated edifice will be fully described on a future occasion.

In 1216, Lewis, the Dauphin of France, landed at Stonar, near Sandwich, captured several strong places, and besieged Dover Castle, but was unable to take it; and in the reign of Edward the First a great part of the town, with some religious houses, was burnt by the French, who were, nevertheless, soon driven back to their ships. According to the town records, Dover, in the reign of Edward the Second, was divided into twenty-one wards, each of which was compelled to provide, at its own charge, a ship Chiefly abridged from the United Service Journal.

Ir is pretty generally known that, the value of Church Preferment in the Diocese of St. David's being extremely small, a great proportion of its Clergy, till of late years, were educated at Grammar Schools, licensed for that purpose by the Bishops of the Diocese, the expense of which was very trifling compared with that of a residence at the English Universities. This system, though attended with some advantages, was found to be productive of very serious evils. The idea first suggested itself to the venerable Bishop Burgess, then Bishop of St. David's, of founding a College which should unite the advantages of a sound education and strict discipline, with such a limited scale of expense as would meet the exigencies of the country. With this end in view, his lordship collected subscriptions for nearly twenty years, and in the year 1822, before he quitted the diocese, had the satisfaction of laying the foundation of ST. DAVID'S COLLEGE, at Lampeter, in Cardiganshire, on a site granted by the Lord of the Manor, J. S. Harford, Esq., for the accomplishment of the objects he had so long had at heart. The building was finally completed, and opened for the reception of students on the first of March, 1827, the cost of the structure having been about £20,000. Of this sum, £5000. was contributed by Government, during the administration of Lord Liverpool; and one of the last acts of Mr. Canning's life, was the grant of an additional £1000 for the same purpose, and a munificent donation of £1000 was presented by his late Majesty King George the Fourth. A charter of incorporation was also granted to the College, the corporate body to consist of a principal and four professors; and his Majesty was enabled, by act of parliament, to transfer to the College the patronage of six benefices, to be annexed in future to the professorships, and held in trust by the professors during their continuance in their official situations.

It is to be regretted, however, that the funds at the disposal of the College have never yet been so ample as to place it on the liberal footing which was originally contemplated. Two only of the professorships have yet been filled up, the income of the College not being adequate to the maintenance of the other two, in consequence of which the course of education is necessarily confined within narrower limits than it would otherwise be.

As the College is not entitled to confer degrees,

the main consideration by which it must be recommended is the smallness of the expense incurred by its members, compared with that which is entailed by a residence at the Universities; the whole charge of College bills being about £55 per annum to each student. By those who are unacquainted with the circumstances of the country, for the benefit of which the College was mainly designed, it may perhaps be deemed matter of surprise, that with so small an annual expense as is above stated, any additional assistance should be required. But this sum is large in proportion to what was spent under the old system of education in the licensed grammar-schools, and considerable in proportion to the means of the class from which the great body of the Welch Clergy has hitherto been, and still must be, supplied. Those schools are now at an end. The College, if supported, and enabled to adapt itself to the circumstances of the country, will answer every purpose that can be required, and needs only a very small measure of assistance in order to make it an effective instrument of advancing the interests of true religion, both in Wales and in other parts of the kingdom. The number of its present members is not more than thirty-six, while its accommodations are sufficient for sixty-five.

THE GREAT CLOCK AT STRASBURG. THIS celebrated specimen of early clock-making, was invented by Dasipodius and Wolkinstenius, two famous working mathematicians, in the year 1571*. It stands within the Cathedral of Strasburg, and its details, which are exceedingly curious, are described at some length in the Strasburg Chronicle, whence the following particulars are abridged.

A curious circumstance is related of the construction of this clock. It is of very complicated and delicate workmanship, and the artisan, who contrived and made it, becoming blind before he had terminated his labour, it became a question of some difficulty, and of much importance, how the work was to be completed: the of the design upon which the whole was meant to be constructed, public authorities engaged other mechanics; but they being ignorant were unable to proceed, and the blind artisan, anxious to reap all the honour himself, not willing that others should have the credit of begin, refused to communicate any information, but offered to finishing that, which their genius could not have enabled them to complete the work, blind as he was; and this very wonderful and of the genius of the maker, but a curious illustration of the ingenious piece of mechanism now remains, not only a monument power of habit, as well as of the acuteness communicated to one sense by the deprivation of another.-INGLIS's Tour in the Tyrol. gaged in the construction of the clock. Another account states that two persons were at the same time en

"Herein nine things are to be considered, whereof | eight are in the wall; the ninth stands on the ground three feet from the wall. This is a great globe of the heavens, in which are three motions; one of the whole globe, which displays the whole heavens, and moves about from the east to the west in twenty-four hours; the second is of the sun, which runs through the signs once every year; the third is of the moon, which runs her course in twenty-eight days. So that in this globe you may view the motions of the whole heavens, the motions of the sun and moon, every minute of an hour, the rising and falling of every star, described! The instruments of these motions are hid in the body of a pelican, under the globe. The pole is lifted up to the elevation of Strasburg, and noted by a fair star made of brass; the zenith is declared by an angel placed in the midst of the meridian.

"The second to be observed, are two great circles one within another, one eight feet, the other nine feet broad; the outmost moves from the north to the south once in a year, and hath two angels, one on the north-side which points every day in the week; the other, on the south-side, which points what day shall be one half year after. The inner circle moves from south to north, once in a hundred years, and hath many things described about it; as the year of the world, the year of our Lord, the circle of the sun, the processions of equinoctials, with the change of the celestial points, which things fall out by the motions which are called trepidations; the leap-year, the moveable feasts, and the dominical letter, or golden number, as it turns every year. There is an

immoveable index, which encloses for every year, all these things, the lower part of which index is joined to another round circle which is immoveable; wherein the province of Alsatia and the city of Strasburg are described. On both sides of the circles, on the wall, the eclipses of the sun and moon are told for many years, from 1573 to 1624.

"The third thing, is a weekly motion of the planets; on Sunday, the sun is drawn about in his chariot, as the day is spent; and before he be full in, you have Monday, that is the moon clear forth, and the horses of Mars' chariot putting forth their heads: and so for every day in the week.

"The fourth thing is a dial for the minutes of the hour. On the north-side, a child, with a sceptre in his hand, tells every stroke of the clock; another child, on the south-side, has an hour-glass in his hand, which runs just with the clock, and when the clock has struck, he turns his glass. Above the minute-dial is a dial for the hour; the outermost circumference contains the hours, but within it is a perfect astrolabe, whereby is shown the motion of every planet, his aspect, and in what sign, degree, and hour, every one is in every hour of the day; the opposition likewise of the sun and moon, and the head and tail of the dragon.

"The sixth thing is a circle, wherein are the two signs of the moon's rising and falling; at two hollow places it is seen at what state she is, and her age is declared by an index.

with a staff, having a crook at the end, and he strikes the four bells, and stands at the fourth quarter, until the next quarter: immediately to strike the clock comes Death in a room above the others, for this is the eighth thing: and that at each quarter he comes forth, to catch each of those former ages away with him; but at a contrary side, comes forth a figure intended to represent our Saviour, which drives him in: but when the last quarter is heard, Death has leave to go to the bell, which he strikes with his bone, and stands at the bell, as the old man does at his quarter-bell, till the next quarter, and then they go in both together.

"The ninth and last thing in this right line, is the tower at the top of the work, wherein is a chime, which goes at three, seven, and eleven o'clock, each time a different tune; and at Christmas, Easter, and Whitsuntide, a thanksgiving: and when this chime has done, the cock (which stands on the top of the tower, and the north side of the main work,) having stretched out his neck, shakes his comb, claps his wings twice, and crows twice. The tower contains the curious machinery, the whole of which has long been out of repair.'

CURIOUS CLOCK, AT STRASBURO

Hg who never relaxes into sportiveness is a wearisome companion; but beware of him who jests at every thing! such men disparage, by some ludicrous association, all objects which are presented to their thoughts, and thereby render themselves incapable of any emotion, which can either elevate or soften them; they bring upon their moral being, an influence more withering than the blasts of the desert.-SOUTHEY.

reconciliation.-BURKE.