Tillage of RADCLIFFE UPON seven miles distant from the County town; and its name, Rad (red) Cliffe, is derived from a hill of red marle hanging over the river Wreke.

At the Domesday Survey, the antient Family of Burdet possessed property here. In the time of Edward I. the manor belonged to the of Drayton. Ralph the last Lord Basset entailed it on his nephew Sir Hugh Shirley, knt. ancestor of Robert Shirley, the present Earl Ferrers, who is

now the owner of the manor and of almost the whole parish.

In 1774, about 800 acres were indosed by Act of Parliament.

The Church (see Plate II.) within these few years has been thoroughly repaired by Earl Ferrers and his teants; and his Lordship has rebuilt all that was defective of the beautiful Spire; the expence of the whole being Bear 3007.

The living, which is in the gift of the Crown, is a small one, rated at 16s. 8d. in the King's Books; cer

1799 remembered these sports; but they have long fallen into disuse.

After all, the conjectures of these two eminent Antiquaries were erroneous; as "the hill has been lately proved to be the wonderful work of Nature, not of Art; and has been produced by some uncommon surflux of the river Wreke. It was cut open a few years past, and found to contain strata of gravel and dently washed togeth red marle, evi

waters, making strands round it, which traordinary vortex of the river, or are very perceptible. There are strata of different sorts of earth: first, soil; then gravel; marle, red and white; some little blue marle; mixture of gravel, &c. ; but all evidently appear to been the work Providence, not of man." These latter observations were obligingly communicated by Earl Ferrers to Mr. Nichols, in whose History of Leicestershire a full account of the parish may be seen.

By the Return to the Population Act 51 Geo. III. 1811, Radcliffe contained 1 house building, 22 houses occupied by 22 families (16 of whom were employed in agriculture, and 6 in trade), consisting of 56 males and B. N. 61 females (total 117.) MEMORANDA RESPECTING AUTHORS, AND BOOKS OF ENGLISH LITERATURE OF THE EIGHTEENTH CEN TURY.

N the account Ephraim

Within a mile of Radcliffe, near the s-way, which runs through this, dship, is an antient funeral moment," says Mr. Carte, in the the nner of the Britons before the aral of the Romans, consisting of a und of earth about 350 feet long, broad, and 40 high, conjectured perpetuate the memory of a battle ween the inhabitants and the Bel-. Britons." Dr. Stukeley also nosit; "the country people call it pley Hill, and say a great Captain, ed Shipley, was buried here. I

bt not but this is of great antity, and Celtic. On the top are seal oblong double trenches cut in turf, where the lads and lasses of adjacent villages meet upon Easter nday yearly, to be merry with An old shepherd in Mac. January, 1814.

dotes of the Eighteenth Century," in the Biographia Britannica, and in the Biographical Dictionary, I find no mention of the Translation of Boer haave's Institutiones Chemiæ: intituled, "A New Method of Chemistry; including the Theory and Practice of that Art, &c. published jointly by P. Shaw, M. D. and E. Chambers, Gent. with additional notes and sculptures." Lond. 4to. 1727. This appears to be a translation of a work surreptitiously published in Holland without the Au thor's consent, and probably from the notes of some of the Students attending his Lectures. It contains, however, a very valuable treatise on the science, and was considerably improved in the translation by the addition of Notes, selected from recent authorities, extending the knowledge

of

1

of that branch of science. The original work having been received with much approbation abroad, the illus trious Author appears to have been reluctantly induced to publish, still in a less perfect state than he could have wished, his work intituled Elementa Chemia, which appears to be an enlarged and improved republication of the former work, with a very characteristic address to his Brother, and a preface reciting the occasion of this republication. This also appears to have been translated by Peter Shaw, M. D. and published as a second edition of the "New Method of Chemistry," 4to. 1741. A third edition appeared, 4to. 1753. To this is prefixed a short Advertisement announcing that most of the notes made use of in our first Edition are here preserved, and several others added where they seemed to be necessary. An Appendix is also added, to shew the way of carrying the Art still further, signed P. S. It does not hence appear how to distinguish the respective parts of the labours of the Translators and Editors in the first publication of the work, which, however, from the state of the science at that time in this Country, seems to have been an important accession, and to have ranked among the foremost of the systematic treatises on philosophical principles, which have promoted the advancement of that science in our Country; as it does not appear that at that period we possessed any approved Elementary Treatise on that science in our language. It is observable that, under the word Chymistry, in the Cyclopædia a quotation is made of a passage from the first edition of the abovementioned work in 1727.

In the books before mentioned I find no notice as an Author of Peter Shaw, the joint Editor with Ephraim Chambers of the Editions of Boerhaave's Chemistry, who is also the well-known Editor of the Abridgment of the Philosophical Works of Bacon, 2 vols. 4to. 1733, and of those of Boyle, 3 vols. 4to. 1725. Besides which, he is the Author of "Chemical Lectures, read in London in 1731 and 1732, and at Scarborough 1733, for the improvement of arts, trades, and natural philosophy," 8vo. 2nd edit. 1725; subsequent to which, he pubfished, "Essays for the Improvement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce,

by means of Chemistry, 2nd edit. improved by P. Shaw, Fellow of the College of Physicians, and Physician in Ordinary to his Majesty." It is the more observable that such slender notice occurs of this Author in either of the sources of information before mentioned, as, from the great extent, variety, and importance of the objects of science comprehended in the long successive results of his literary labours, he appears among the most eminent and extensively useful of those Writers to whom the English Reader is indebted, for more ready access to, and communication of, the knowledge contained in the works of the illustrious Fathers of Science of our own Country, as well as for affording the means of acquaintance with the principal improvements in science of those more recent Authors who have eminently distinguished themselves in other parts of Europe. It affords me, however, some satisfaction to find mention of this Author, as an eminent Physician, whose only daughter was married to the late Dr. Richard Warren, who succeeded to his practice, in Nichols's "Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century."

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Another Author to whom the Publick is greatly indebted for the advancement of the science of Chemistry in general, in its application to the Arts and Manufactures, and as more particularly applicable to the purposes of Medicine, and whose merits as an Author have probably been obscured by the superior advantages of more recent promoters of that science, is William Lewis, M. D. late of Kingston in Surrey, who first communicated to the English Reader the advanced state of Chemical knowledge of the German Chemists and Metallurgists in his Translation of the "Chemical Works of Gaspar Neuman," 4to, 1737, illustrated with copious notes from the discoveries of more recent Authors, aud from his own extensive experience; which is conspicuously evidenced in the elaborate work published some years afterwards, intituled, "Commercium Philosophicum Technicum; or the Philosophical Commerce of Arts; designed as an attempt to improve arts, trades, and manufac tures," 4to. 1763.---This Author appears to have been among the first promoters of that excellent Institution, the Society for the Improvement

of

of Arts, Manufactures, &c. from which in 1767 he obtained the gold medal for an Essay on Pot-ashes, from the successful production of which in America, subsequent to that period, it appears that this Country derived considerable advantages. Another work of this Author, which has acquired much reputation as a work of comprehensive scientific knowledge and of great utility, is the " History of the Materia Medica," 4to, 1741; republished by the Author, and since republished with successive additions and improvements from the hands of Dr. Aikin.

I am equally at a loss to find suitable mention of that elaborate Author and promoter of science and general knowledge, John Harris, D. D. and F. R. S. The first work I have seen of this Writer is, a short but plain "Elements of Geometry and plain Trigonometry, &c. written by F. Ignat. Pardies, rendered into English by J. H. M. A. and F. R. S." 2nd edit. 8vo. 1702. (I have also an 8th Edit. with successive alterations and additions, 1746.) At this time it appears that Mr. Harris" lived and taught Mathematics at his house in Amen Corner." He wrote also, "A new short Treatise of Algebra; with the Geometrical construction of Equation, as far as the fourth power of dimension: together with a specimen of the nature and algorithm of Fluxions." This tract is announced to have been written primarily for the use of his Auditors at the Public Mathematical Lecture set up at the Marine Coffee House, Birchin Lane, by Charles Cox, Esq. M. P. for Southwark. He also published "Elements of plain and Spheri cal Trigonometry, together with the principles of spheric Geometry, and the several projections of the Sphere in plano." Also "The Description and Uses of the Coelestial and Terrestrial Globes, and of Collins's Pocket Quadrant." 4th edition. Of these or the subsequent works illustrative of mathematical science, no mention occars, or of the Author, in Dr. Hutton's Mathematical Dictionary, which

generally records notice of writers in that science of less extensive pretensions to utility or celebrity of reputation as promoters of Science and Literature. Dr. Harris is also Author of "Lexicon Technicum Magnum: or

Universal Dictionary of Arts and

Sciences, explaining not only the terms of Art, but the Arts themselves, &c." fol. 1704. In the preface to 5th edit. 2 vols. fol. 1736, mention is made of the Author's decease: a detail is, however, given by him of the materials and principal sources from whence, independent of his own contributions, he derived and composed the principal articles of his work, which, considered as the labour of one man previous to the existence of more voluminous compositions in our language, af fords satisfactory evidence of the comprehensive knowledge, industry, capa city, and perseverance of the learned Author, whose merit as a writer and promoter of general science and useful

Literature is still more conspicuous and generally known in that excellent undertaking of the "Collection of Voyages," 2 vols. fol. 1705. The merit of this work is also, perhaps, less generally and duly appreciated, from the circumstance of having since been rendered one of the most useful, instructive, and comprehensive works of historical, political, geographical, and commercial knowledge in the English language, under the care aud by the labours of Dr. John Campbell, whose uncommon candour and modesty, as in other instances of his valuable works, induced him to withhold the notice of his name or of the means to ascertain (otherwise than by comparison with the original Edition) the peculiar share in that undertaking executed by him, and which is accordingly still most generally known by the title of "Harris's Voyages," 2 vols. fol. 1744, and of which there is a subsequent edition.

I regret not having at present the means of more particularly noticing the dates of the several editions of the subjects of the present communication, which I trust will prove its apology. RUSTICUS.

On the Propriety of instructing the Children of the Poor in the Elements of the Art of Drawing.

(From the Liverpool Mercury.)

APROPOSAL has lately been made by a public-spirited Individual in this Town, for instructing the chil dren of the lower classes of the community, or such of them as shew a disposition towards it, in the art of Drawing, as an additional, though subordinate branch of education.