1824.] REVIEW.-William Wyrcestre Redivivus. churches, when the most beautiful window mullions and tabernacleworks can now be cheaply imitated in cast-iron. This Supplement, however useful and well-executed, contains no novelty which requires further notice; and we shall therefore here leave it, with expressing our satisfaction with the judgment of Mr. Gorham shown in this compilation. 98. Report of the Incorporated Society for the Conversion and religious Instruction and Education of the Negro Slaves in the British West India Islands, from July to December, 1823. 8vo. pp. 48. THIS Society is instituted for the purpose of sending out. Ministers of the Church of England who may promote the education, catechising, and introduction of Christianity among the slaves. The Ministers proceed only under permission of the masters, and exercise no compulsion; for so we judge by the Report, which is reasonable and modest, and, unlike other Reports of similar institutions, uses no pious frauds. The following is the statement of Mr. Curtin, who observes, that, according to his belief, the Negroes would prefer the Established Church to any other, if the Ministers could attend to them (p. 17); and so we believe also, for we see nothing in the intimidations and absurdities of Calvinism likely to induce a love of God. The amiable and philanthropic ecclesiastic adds, "It may also be worthy of notice, that of the slaves which I had baptized in the town of St. John's, during the first ten or twelve years of my ministry, more than one fourth, or perhaps a third part, are now free people, some off the island, some sea-faring people at sea." "From all this I infer, that slavery would gradually die away by a steady uniform perseverance in the performance of all the sacred duties of Christianity, which, by its own action, would imperceptibly produce more certain and lasting effects than all the speculative theories which can be devised for emancipation. A venerable Bishop of the English Church, with a conscientious and efficient Clergy, and a few pious catechists, would do more toward the general improvement of the religious and moral state of our colonies, than all the laws that could be enacted for the purpose." Pp. 17, 18. GENT. MAG. May, 1824. 433 result we heartily pray; but it is a rule That all this may be the ultimate with us on political topics to consider best, and therefore we decline committhe possible worst, not the possible ting ourselves, till time and experience produce sound data. We wish for two things in particular, the creation of an adequate population to supersede slavery, and Anglicism of habits among the Negroes, in the Roman modes of civilizing. See our Mag. for April, p. 350. 99. William of Wyrcestre Redivivus. (Concluded from p. 340.) attention is the celebrated Church of counts of its present state, from the Nor can we mention Mr. Britton due to him for his admirable porwithout observing that gratitude is traits of this Venus of Gothic-archihave succeeded him, but the works of tecture. Rivals and imitators may Buck and Grose still exist to prove that application of the powers of fine chalcography to Gothic buildings, and, of course, a superior powerful influential effect in regard to public taste, have been created by Britton. Before, things of this kind were valued as antiquities only; for their beauties we did not form an affection, because we did not perceive them. From Mr. Malcolm's entertaining this interesting Church, in its present work we shall copy a distant view of state, taken from the river. (See Plate II.) Mr. Malcolm regrets that it should be so surrounded with build ings as to render it difficult, if not impossible, to obtain an uninterrupted view of the general outline of the Church.: " "It appears very certain," says Mr. Britton (in his Account of Redcliffe Church, page 4)," that an ancient religious edifice was standing on * See vol. LXXXIII. ii. 252, 429, 545, 569, 570. 434 REVIEW.-William Wyrcestre Redivivus. or near the site of the present church anterior to the erection of the existing fabrick, the initiation of which is ascribed to Simon de Burton, who was Mayor of Bristol, not only, as Britton says, in 1292, 1293, 1294, and again in 1304 and 1305; but in 1302 also. (Hist. of Bristol, MS. penès the Rev. T. D. Fosbroke.) In this MS. are passages which throw light upon the history of this first unknown church. The first entry is taken from the confirmation charter of Henry III. to the Priory of Bradenstoke, printed in Dugdale's Monasticon, vol. ii. p. 210, old edition: "Ex dono Johannis filii Willelmi Capellani de Radeclive, totam terram suam, quæ fuit Ricardi de Merâ, quæ est contra clocharium Ecclesiæ S. Maria de Radeclive," i. e. from the gift of John, son of William, all his land, which was Richard de Mere's, [and] which is opposite the Belfry of the Church of St. Mary de Radeclive. That this was no relation to the Nottinghamshire Radeclives is, in our opinion, evident from the following further passages in the same MS. which show an intimate connection of the De la Mares, Meres, or Mores, with Bristol and the vicinity. In the year 1290, a Ralph de la Mare held the castle and town at a yearly rent (Originalia 19 Edw I. rot. 23); and a Richard de la Mere held lands in Milborn port in this county. (Id. 8 Edw. II. rot. 34.) Moreover, Isable de Kenefeg gave to the Abbey of St. Augustine all her land in Redclive Street, which was Matilda de More's, relict of Adam de Kerswelle. (Regist. Abbat. S. August. Bristol. f. 176.) It is further to be recollected, that Redcliff was a distinct manor, in private hands, at the early periods alluded to, and seemingly belonging, once at least, to a family of the same name; for another extract from the same Abbey Register (fol. 188) says, that Hugh de Bloedune, by assent of his Lord, John de Radcliff, gave to Nicholas, son of Horwin, &c. the angular land upon Trivele, &c. It is certain, too, that Robert Lord Berkeley (the thirdy died seised, 4 Hen. III. in 1219, of a manor of Radeclive Street (Berkeley MSS. p. 90); and that, in fact, Bristol was parcelled out among various great landed proprietors, and divided into the Old and New Town. These points are distinctly exhibited in the MS. quoted. The old Stone-house, inhabited [May, by Rob. Fitzharding, has been recently discovered; and an account of its remains was published in the Bristol Observer of Sept. 3, 1823; and the testamentary regulations of this Robert give some account of this house, as well as of the hold of certain great Barons in Bristol, whom he bought out. Robert, son of Harding (says the Abbey Register, fol. 34 a.), gave to Maurice, his son, the land which he had in Bristol of the Barony of Rich. Foliott, which Boso held; and the land which he had of the Barony of Rich. de St. Quintin, in the Great Street; and the land which he had of the Barony of Gilbert de Umfraville; and the land which he had in Broadstreet, where he first dwelt, et totum managium*, which he had there; besides the great Stone-house which hẻ built upon the Frome; and this land he gave to his son, "Ita quod Eva [his wife] tute meam terram illam teneat in vitâ suâ, et post mortem ejus ad Maur. fil. meum et heredes ejus liberè et quietè revertetur, &c.; together with the land, in which I had a bakehouse, towards the wall, as you go to St. James's, &c." As to the second point, the New Town, in the confirmation charter by King Henry II. of the Priory of St. James's, Bristol, is the following item: "Et unum burgagium in Novo-Burgo Prali, et quod totum Novum burgum de Prato, apud Bristold, quod est situm inter castellum et eandem ecclesiam sancti Jacobi, sit' de parochia ejusdem ecclesiæ." (Dugdale's Monasticon, i. 518). The object of this digression is to show, that there was probably a Church, situate upon the same spot as the present, founded by and for the use of some manerial proprietor. The distinction of St. Mary Redcliffe is obviously accounted for. There was another Church of St. Mary at Bristol, which William Earl of Gloucester gave in the time of Henry II. to the Priory of Keynsham (Dugdale's Monast. ii. 300). All this is explained in the following further extract from the MS. under the year 1247. "This year the mayor and commonalty of the town of Bristol concluded to build a bridge over the river Avon, with the consent of Redclyft, and the Governors of Temple fee, thereby minding to incorporate them Familia-Menage-Demesne farm. Ducange, v. Menagium. 1824.] REVIEW.-William Wyrcestre Redivivus. with the town, and soe make of two but one corporate town, for they passed by boat from St. Thomas's slip into Mary-le-Port, to come to Bristoll; for at that time the port was where now St. Nicholas Shambles is, and there the shipping did ride; for the Church is called the Church of Lady her Assumpsion, and the port of St. Mary Port," &c. It was after this union of the two corporate bodies, that Simon de Burton, in 1292, is affirmed to have laid the foundation of the present Church. The MS. proceeds to say, "William Cannings was the first founder of Red-clift Church, which afterwards [was] finished by William Cannings his graudson, in the reign of Henry VI. with the help of the Corporation." This is placed under the year 1369, and Mr. Britton rejects the account, because no direct mention is made of Simon de Burton; but we reconcile the omission in this way, that what Burton did was either very trifling, or was pulled down when Cannings first began the present most beautiful struc "This William Cannings, with the help of others of the worshipful town of Bristow, kept masons and workmen to repair and beautify, cover and glaze, the Church of Redcliff, which his grandfather had founded in the dayes of Edward ye Third." We are of opinion, that Bristol was cramped and oppressed by the various territorial feudalists before the 14th century, when it began to flourish, and exhibit the usual signs of commercial munificence; because they, who know any thing of the nature of landed property, know that it is a capital not to be augmented but by parsimony; a process which, under the age of fifty, people are not inclined to adopt, and then only for the sake of children; whereas skilful tradesmen increase, with their expences, their capitals also, by judicious management; and if they spend a crown extraordinary, know that it is only the fourth part of a new pound gained. Such a man appears to have been William Cannings, We make no apology for having gone this length concerning ST. MARY 435 REDCLIFT. The history of the foundation, the surpassing elegance and perfection of the fabrick, is a proud monument of the munificent and noble-mindedness of the old English merchants. It is not within our recollection, that England can boast of a similar building, the work of private citizens. The known defects of the present steeple, are pinnacles on the pedestal tower, out of the perpendicular; and a truncated quarter-spire, finished off with a top-mast and shrouds, as in a hulk, to support a vane. Mr. Dallaway, accordingly, in p. 21, offers a plan for the renovation of the spire, in the manner of the Cathedral of Rouen, and the Church of Boston, which in our judgment is very ingenious, harmonious, and elegant. there are in this Church three by HoConcerning altar-pictures (of which garth, who was out of his way in historical painting), Mr. Dallaway speaks thus: "For the reception of this extensive canvass, the original altar-skreen, and the richest tabernacle work were destroyed, and the great East window above it, hidden in utter darkness. When the sublime efforts decoration of Churches, it was of those of the painters of Italy were applied to the which were the works of their contemporary architects, and not of the Gothic age; in which the scriptural subjects were universally stained in glass, or painted in fresco. It has, therefore, excited a doubt in my mind, whether modern pictures can be placed in Gothic Churches, with that strictness of local appropriation which must ever be demanded by good taste." P. 24. We believe that our Readers will agree with Mr. Dallaway, that all paintings in Churches (the glass excepted) have a tawdry and incongruous aspect. Mr. Dallaway further adds, p. 30, concerning altar-pictures in the centre of ancient screens: "The finest picture of our own or the Italian schools of painting, would not, in my humble judgment, strictly accord. For it would become the concentrating point of sight, and predominate over the shrine work, which would be thus rendered its frame only. Perhaps a double curtain of velvet embroidered, as the sacerdotal vestments were, would not be out of place. the purpose of concealing the sacred eleSuch were formerly usual over altars, for ments. Mr. Dallaway proceeds, lastly, to the 436 REVIEW. Huggins's Sketches in India. the restorations of the high altar-skreen, Poyntz's sepulchral Chapel, and the great western window at St. Mark's, of the Gaunts, or the Mayor's Chapel, all of which he very judiciously commends, and which have been very ably executed by the talent and ingenuity of Messrs. Clarke and Edkins. With cordial sincerity we join our Author in the following eulogy, p. 32, "In the centuries which have succeeded each other, the inhabitants of Bristol have distinguished themselves by a devoted attachment to their sacred edifices. In the piety and opulence of individuals only, have originated several Churches, Chantries, and Towers, all of which are beautiful-some of them magnificent. The same good feeling dictated the furnishing of their Churches after the restoration; when in fact, to repair was to deface or conceal all projecting sculpture; and to beautify was to render all surfaces glaring, either by the raw uniformity of white lime, or by surrounding the wainscot altar-pieces, with ruddy cherubs, ogling the decalogue; supported by a many-coloured Moses and Aaron, not less gaudy than harlequin himself. "It may now be said, that we live in an age, when good sense has pointed out the investigation of first principles. Embellishments can never be produced by employing ornamental particles which are incongruous in their effect." 100. Sketches in India, treating on Subjects connected with the Government; civil and military Establishments; Characters of the European, and Customs of the native Inhabitants. By William Huggins, late an Indigo Planter in the District of Tirhoot. 8vo. pp. 237. SO frequent and intimate is the intercourse and connexion between India and Great Britain, that a precise knowledge of the manners of the former almost comes under the character, as to utility, of a school or university education. Life is a voyage, and the art of navigation is not more necessary in the latter than is in the former knowledge of the habits of the people, among whom we are going to sojourn. Books of this kind, therefore, partake of the utility of charts. They enable us at home to form better judgments of the prudence or imprudence of our undertakings, and prepare those going abroad with proper precautions. There is less precarious dependence upon interested advice, less time lost in acquiring the indispensable modes of business, and many blunders and much unhappiness [May, are prevented. All that we would seriously impress upon the writers of such books, is, that they should make it a point of honour to be well informed and accurate; for in many respects they stand in the situation of pilots. Lives may be lost through their misinformation. Every country has its distinct manners, climate, and dis eases; and to give false or even grossly negligent accounts, would be as wicked as to send a ship to Greenland, and give the place the character of a hot country, where the credulous crew might in consequence be frozen to death, for want of being provided with suitable clothing. If we could admit the subjection of books to a censorship to be at all right, it would be in regard to accounts of foreign countries; for most certainly many flourishing statements about America and the Cape colonies, have involved numbers of our fellow countrymen in misery, or ruin, or death. Mr. Huggins could have none but honest motives in publishing this work; and, setting aside now and then a little turkey-cock strutting in fustian description, we have no fault to find. That there is no deficiency of mind, however, in this inflation, will appear from the following account of commerce, which in poetry would have made a fine appearance. Speaking of Calcutta, as a grand emporium, Mr. Huggins thus figures away in the buskins: "In this point of view, commerce appears a noble profession, like Minerva, extending the olive-branch of peace to mankind; subduing their prejudices and passions, binding them together in a chain of harmonious concord. Her head touches the heavens; her foot treads upon the ocean; her wings are upborne by the winds; her hand is a reservoir of plenty and luxury, which she scatters bountifully over the earth. The Sciences are in her train; the Arts wait upon her steps, and Civilization follows her path. nod; she bids mankind live together like Wars of rancour and folly are stopt at her brethren." P. 90. 1824.] REVIEW.-Huggins's Sketches in India. be met with there. After landing, he is charmed with the variety of new sights, the faces, customs, every thing different from what he has witnessed before; but he is posted to a battalion, ordered to a distant station, and the bubble bursts. Although an officer's pay in the Company's service is handsome, it will go but a short way to procure him luxuries; indeed, for many years, he will be barely able to live comfortably; for as promotion goes by seniority, and is consequently very slow, he cannot expect to obtain command in less than sixteen years; and until that period an officer without any appointment is but indifferently off. The expences for servants, for show, and for idleness, are so numerous, that his pay is consumed by them, and very little is left to procure him wine, or articles of real comfort, particularly at a distance from Calcutta, where every thing of that kind is extremely dear. Thus, then, subalterns in the Company's service live during a long period in a state of genteel poverty, anxiously longing for war to cause casualties, and accelerate their promotion. In the mean time they are on the alert, ready to take advantage of any opportunity which may present itself for bettering their condition. Of these the most common is, forming a connexion with some mercantile house in Calcutta. If an officer, through letters of recommendation or other means, can procure a handsome employment or support from one of these merchants, he resigns the service, sans ceremonie, and becomes a man of business, so that one is constantly meeting in agents' offices, auction rooms, and shops, with military men." pp. 27-29. India civil service is a hen which lays golden eggs, and some of the best pullets of the breed are the writerships. Of the lucky possessors of a chicken of this kind, our author gives the following account: "These young gentlemen [the writers], generally the sons of respectable families, have received the rudiments of a good education at home; perhaps the height of their ambition and extent of their means in England was to purchase a dandy coat, and strut upon the flags; or on a journey to the country to travel in a mail-coach. But in India how altered! Arabs, English blood-horses, Pegu ponies, curricles and phaetons, come prancing before them with most bewitching fascination. Their pay three hundred rupees per month, is quite sufficient to keep them respectably, but not at all sufficient to purchase all these fine things. How are they to be procured? These young gentlemen who have got excellent situations in expectancy upon their arrival in Calcutta, generally find some wealthy Baboo [native merchant] to advance them large sums at 437 an exorbitant interest, or else obtain a credit with some house of agency; so that, like young birds which dirty their wings in the mire, and are rendered incapable of flying, these youngsters incur a burthen galling to them many a day afterwards; they make their appearance at the course on high mettled horses, or in equipages; go to balls dressed out in all the puppyism of dandies; keep the first company; drink claret and champagne; have houses in Garden Reach; in fine, live far beyond their means: debts accumulate, and the economising judge often regrets the follies of the writer. There is a college, founded by that liberal and high-minded nobleman, the Marquis Wellesley, to which these young men are attached, for learning the languages of India; here Arabic, Persian, Sanscrit, Hindostanee, and the other dialects, are taught. Every writer must make some proficiency in them, and undergo an examination, before he can be appointed to any employment. There are some who live within their income, attend to their studies, and are sure to be rewarded with speedy appointments; young men of capacity are not uncommon among them; so that, endowed with classic and Eastern literature, they possess a variety of knowledge not sought after, and not obtained in Europe. To sum up these young gentlemen's character, barring the ridiculous extravagance to which I have alluded, their manners are in other respects inoffensive." pp. 63-65. We seriously recommend to the proper authorities (Letter xi. p.77) a proper consideration of Mr. Huggins's suggestion concerning the incorporation of Indo-Britons, or half-cast men, with the army; and a perusal of the work by all persons going to India. 101. Dyer's Privileges of the University of Cambridge. (Concluded from p. 339.) THE contents of the Supplement to which we are arrived are miscellaneous; generally speaking, biographical and critical minutiæ. Concerning the former, we have to express our dislike to the dissection of religious opinions which pervades the biographical part. We do not blame Mr. Dyer, for it is an ancient custom in this kind of literature, but one against which we solemnly protest. The best of men may be the victims of error, unknown to them as such, and the error after all be only one so deemed in the opinions of men as fallible as themselves. Absurd classifications of trifles and shades of doc |