be seen in the valley of Glendalough, at Clonmacnois, and many other parts of the iland, exhibit a fpecies of architecture by no means deformed, and yet differing exceedingly both from the Grecian ftyle of building, and from the Gothic orders which were adopted in Britain. The few scattered fragments of our Brehon laws, which have been recovered by our ingenious English champion, Colonel Vallancey, among many curious particulars refpecting the preservation of private property, infict fevere penalties on the perfon who fhall injure his neighbour's trees; every fort of which is enumerated, and even the fhrubs and underwood are guarded by fanctions.-It appears from hence that there was a time when this island was not a kingdom over-run with forefts and bogs; when fuel was actually fearce, and laws made to defend it as the property of individuals. The numerous inftruments of peace and war, the many curious and coftly ornaments of drefs, which are every day dug out of our fields, afford abundant proofs that the arts once flourished in Ireland, and that the precious metals were not unknown here. Of the latter, many are exquifitely wrought; many of fuch intrinfic value, as to prove that gold and filver once abounded in Ireland in prodigious quantity ; that there was a N 0. T E S. It may not appear unreasonable to date the working of the Ballycaftle collieries at fuch a remote period as this, when from these laws of the Brehons we may naturally infer that wood was by no means a redundant article in Ireland. Though turf has been our common fuel for feveral years paft, yet are there many circumftances which muft lead one to imagine that this fubftance has entirely generated within thefe laft thousand years, while tillage and all attention to agricu ture gave place to war and rapine a‘one. . This win not appear furprising to any perfon who confiders that turf-bog increases by a procefs much refemb ing vegetation; and that the heft and, if neg ected, may by various accidents be very foon reduced to a ftate of rank bog. It is indeed next to demonftration, that many of the p aces where turf is cut at prefent have been once arable land; veftiges of which are difcoverable at great depths, and wooden paleings traced many feet under the furface-even at this day marks of the plough appear on the fummit of feveral mountains in the north of Ire'and, where the great population of that country (which is at prefent better inhabited than moft parts of Europe) has not yet spread itself. + Within the limits of my own knowledge, golden ornaments have been found to the amount of near one thousand pounds in value. time when we had more than the bare neces. faries of life, and when poverty did not compel us to pay our taxes in cattle. The greater part of these are originals in their kind, unlike any thing known at prefent; and of fuch decided antiquity, that even their ufes and purposes can rarely be inferred by any analogy derived from things in ufe at this day; tending in the cleareft manner to demonftrate, that the ancient arts and fashions of this island have certainly not been borrowed from our British neighbours at any time pofterior to the Norman conqueft." Additional Memoirs of Timothy Brecknock, the account given of this extraordinary man in our last magazine, p. 284, mention was made of two of his publications. THE BLOOD HOUNDS: A Political Tale, infcribed to the Earl of Brute; and DROIT LE ROY; or, Digefis of the Rights and Prerogatives of the Imperial Crown of Great Britain; and a brief account of thefe works may not be unacceptable to the pub ic, as they very clearly evince the ideas and princip'es of their author. The Blood Hounds was written in ftanzas of fix lines each. To the Peer, to whom it was addreffed, the author facrificed not on y the characters of the leading perfons of the oppofition, but even broke through the Latin adage (de mortuis nil nifi bonum) and replenished his cenfer with the afhes of the dead as incenfe on the altar of his patron, who he even deifies. After vi ifying the Earl of Bute's predeceffors in the adminiftration, he says, Them to fucceed, a statesman came, (i. e. the late Lord Chatham. It is no wonder after fuch oblations, that Mr. Brecknock should deify Lord Bute, in order to evidence the neceffity of his fanctity and the propriety of his offerings. But what muft we think of the Northern Alexander who could cherish fuch impious notions of immortality, and reward the fycophant for his fulfome flattery? There was however one line, to the truth of which a full aflent was given. It fays Lord Bute was then Abroad ador'd-at home rever'd. This doubtlefs meant that the French and Spaniards abroad adored him for the peace; and his countrymen, (for Scotland was his home) revered him for his innumerable and unmerit c 1786. Analyfis and Volcanic Theory of the Bafaltes. unmerited bleffings which his Godfbip fo bountifully showered down upon them. In refpect to Droit le Roy, it is remark able that Mr. Brecknock was the firft fince the Revolution who dared openly to affert and vindicate the flavish and abfurd princip'es, which were heretofore advanced by the fervile advocates of arbitrary power. In this pamphlet he fets out with faying the Common Law" confifts of general cuftoms, and that it is not only grounded on reafon, but is the perfection of reafon." Hence it follows, that all that Mr. Brecknock ftates to be the rights and prerogatives of the Crown, being (as he fays) firmly fixed on the Common Law, muft, in his mind, be the perfection of reafon. What then will the reader think of the following pallages in his bo k: "A King of England is God's Vicar on earth, and God's Lieutenant. "A King of England is all perfection; and in him can be no folly, no defect, no negligence. He is Omnifcient, and Omnia jura babet in ferinio pectoris fui. He is infallible, and is alt truth, and all wifdom, and neither will, nor can be fallible: rex fallere non vult falli, autem non poteft. For the Crown, once worn, taketh away all de fects. "The Royalty of England is unalienable, and the King cannot prejudice the next heir in blood, fhould he even be found guilty of high treason, and be excluded by act of parliament what then becomes of the Revolation P "The power of the kings of England is an exempt, abfolute, fupreme, and independent authority. "This is not a mixt monarchy, and the houfes of parliament have no partnership in the legiflation. "The making of laws is a peculiar and incommunicable privilege of the fupreme power; and the office of the two houles, in this cafe, is only confultive or prepara tive. "When a bill is paffed, it is no more a law of the Lords and Commons, than the laws paled at the petition of Ce ius, Caffius, Sempronius, &c. were the laws of Celius, Caffius, and Sempronius." The whole book was a chain of like affer tions, but this fpecimen is enough to make the reader exclaim, what a heart and head inuft that man have who could openly avow fuch principles.? Analyfis and Volcanic Theory of the Bafaltes; by the Reverend W. Hamilton, A. M. Dub lin. VOLCANOS and their effects have been VOLC the aftonishment of mankind in all ages; but their productions never excited 341 curiofity till modern times. Philofophers obferving the fimilarity of the foffils in the neighbourhood of burning mountains with those that appear in places where no volcanos exift, began to fuppofe that the earth had been at fome remote period exposed to the action of volcanic fire; but after Sir William Hamilton had published the refult of his obfervations on Vefuvius, this opinion received confiderable fupport; and scientific travellers, fuch as Mr. Rafpe, Mr. Ferber, and Baron Born, discovered veftiges of volcanos wherever they went. The formation of columnar bafaltes, which had hitherto baffled the imagination of theorists, seemed now to be accounted for, and its kindred foffils, fuch as the trappe of the Swedes, and the whin rock of this country, with many others, were confidently affirmed to be lava. As the fubject is curious, we have extracted from Letters concerning the Northern Coafts of the county of Antrim, just publifhed, a hiftory of this hypothefis, and a very diftinct account of the arguments by which it is fupported. The author, after having given the natural hiftory and analyfis of the columnar bafaltes in the Giant's Causeway, proceeds to mention some of the leading varieties of its different species. First. With respect to form and magnitude.-The pillars of the Causeway are small, not very much exceeding one foot in breadth, and thirty in length; fharply defined, neat in their articulation, with convex or concave terminations to each joint. In many of the capes and hills they are of a large fize, more imperfect and irregular in their figure and articulation, having often flat terminations to their joints. At Fairhead they are of a gigantic magnitude, fometimes exceeding five feet in breadth, and a hundred in length; oftentimes apparently destitute of joints altogether. Through many parts of the country this fpecies of ftone is entirely rude and unformed, feparating in loofe blocks, in which state it resembles the ftone known in Sweden by the name of trappe. Secondly. With refpect to fituation.The pillars of the Giant's Causeway stand on the level of the beach; from whence they may be traced through all degrees of eleva tion to the fummit of the highest grounds in the neighbourhood: as at the old fort of Dunmell, and on the top of Croaghmore, fix hundred feet at least above the level of the fea. Thirdly. With refpect to difpofition and arrangement.At the Causeway, and in moft other places, they ftand perpendicular to the horizon; in fome of the capes, and particularly near Ufhet harbour in the Isle of Raghery, they lie in an oblique pofition; at Doon point, in the fame ifland, and along the the Ballintoy fhore, they form variety of regular curves. Fourthly. With refpect to colour and grain.-The Giant's Causeway ftone is black, clofe, and uniform; its varieties of colour are blue, reddish, grey; and of grain, all that can be fuppofed from extreme fineness, to the coarfe granulated appearance of a ftone which refembles imperfect granite, abounding in chrystals of fchorl, chiefly black, though fometimes of various colours. Fifthly. With respect to texture.-We muft obferve, that though the Giant's Causeway ftone be in general compact and homogeneous, yet it is remarkable that the upper joint of each pillar, where it can with certainty be afcertained, is always rudely formed and cellular: The grofs pillars alfo, in the capes and mountains, frequently abound in these air holes through all their parts, which fometimes contain fine clay, and other apparently foreign bodies: And the irregular bafaltes, beginning where the pillars ceafe, or lying over them, is in general extremely honey-combed, containing in its cells cryftals of zeolyte, little morfels of fine brown clay, fometimes very pure fteatite, and in a few inftances bits of agate. The foffils, attendants on the basaltes, are, Firft-Extensive layers of red ochre, varying in all degrees from the dull ferruginous colour to a bright red, answering well for coarse paint. Secondly-Veins of iron ore, fometimes very rich, commonly of a brown or reddifh caft, at other times of a changeable blue colour. Thirdly-Steatites, generally of a greenifh foapy appearance, more rarely of a pure white-it raifes an imperfect faponaceous froth when agitated with water. Fourthly-Zeolyte, of a bright and pureft white colour; in masses varying in weight from a grain to a pound; generally difpofed in cavities of the cellular bafaltes; often affecting a chrystallization, in which the fibres radiate out from one centre, in fome inftances resembling a beautiful spangled appearance of thiftle-down. The inoft remarkable property of this foffil is, that it forms a gelatinous mixture in the course of a few hours with any of the mineral acids, moft readily with fpirit of nitre. Fifthly-Peperino ftone, a friable matrix of indurated clay and iron, ftudded with little morfels of zeolyte and other substances. It is often of reddish burnt colour, correfponding accurately with the peperino stone of Iceland. Sixth-Pumice-ftone of a deep black colour, containing iron not entirely dephlogifticated, but ftill capable of acting on the needle; fometimes found on the shore of the ifland of Raghery. Having thus enumerated the chief varieties of the bafaltes and its attendant foffils as they occur in the northern parts of Ireland, I fhall now briefly ftate to you fuch arguments as may be derived from them, in proof of the ancient existence of fubterranean fire in their neighbourhood. Firft. The bafaltes itself is esteemed to be nothing else than lava; and its varieties are attributed entirely to accidental circumftances attending its course, or the manner of its cooling.In fupport of which opinion it is affirmed, that the bafaltes agrees almoft accurately with lava in its elementary principles *, in its grain, in the fpecies of foreign bodies which it includes, and in all the divertities of its texture. Secondly. The iron of the bafaltes is found to be in a metallic ftate, capable of acting on the magnetical needle. The fame is true of the iron contained in the compact lava. Thirdly. The bafaltes poffeffes the remarkable property of being fufible perfe; this property is alle common to the lava and moft volcanic fubftances. Fourthly. The bafaltes is a foreign fubftance, fuperinduced on the original lime ftone foil of the country, in a state of foftnefs capable of allowing the flints to penetrate confiderably within its lower furface. It is hardly neceffary to add, that the lava is an extraneous mafs, overfpreading the adjoining foil in a fluid ftate; that it is often borne on a limestone base; or that flints and other hard matters do frequently penetrate into its fubftance. In fhort, the circumftances of agreement are fo numerous and fo clear, as to create a very reasonable pre fumption that they are one and the fame fpecies of fubftance. But the evidence derived from the nature 1786. The Bafaltes is nothing else than Lava. and properties of the attendant foffils, feems alfo to contribute largely in fupport of this opinion. Thofe extenfive beds of red ochre which abound among our basaltes, are supposed to be an iron earth reduced to this ftate of a calx by the powerful action of heat; for fuch a change may be produced on iron in our common furnaces, provided there be a fufficient afflux of fresh air: and the bafaltes itself in fuch circumftances is easily reducible to an impure ochre, exactly fimilar to that found at Bengore. This phenomenon is alfo observed to take place more or lefs in the prefent living volcanos, particularly within their craters, and is therefore held to afford a prefumptive argument of the action of fire in the neighbourhood of the basaltes. I remarked to you the frequent bits of zeolyte which abound in the county of Antrim ; and theft, though not the immediate product (as far as I know) of any living volcano, are yet thought to countenance the general fyftein, becaufe zeolyte is found in countries where fubterranean fire is ftill vifi. ble, and where there is great reason to apprehend that the whole foil has been ravaged by that principle. Thus it abounds in Iceland, where the flames of Hecla yet continue to blaze; and in the Ifle of Bourbon, which is faid to bear undeniable marks of a volcanic character. This fubftance is therefore fuppofed to arife from the decompofition of the volcanic products, in places whofe fires have been long fince extinct. Crystals of fchorl appear in great plenty among many kinds of our bafaltes; and these, though not absolutely limited to volcanic countries, yet being found in great abundance among the Italian lavas, in circumftances exactly correfponding to ours, are thought to fupply a good probable argument in the prefent inftance. The fubftance which I mentioned under the name of the peperino ftone, is believed to be the undoubted offspring of fire: it has frequently the burnt appearance and fpungy texture of many of the volcanic products, and agrees accurately with the peperino of Iceland and Bourbon; islands which ftill contain burning mountains. Puzzolane earth is not immediately found in that state in Iceland; but it is difcovered among the bafaltes of France; and there is very little doubt that our bafaltes, if pulverifed would agree with it in every refpect; that is, it would produce a fine sharp powder, containing the fame elementary parts, and moft probably anfwering all its valuable ufes as a cement. Puzzolane earth is found in the Canary Inlands, which are efteemed to have other characteristics of the effects of fire; it is met in abundance through all the volcanized parts of Italy; it is never difco 343 vered except in places which have other ftrong marks of the ravages of fire. The difcovery of this earth is therefore thought to add great weight to the many other proofs which have been mentioned in favour of the general system. Pumice-ftone is a fubftance fo generally acknowledged to be the product of fire, that I need not be at any trouble to enforce it; indeed it bears the character of a cinder fo obviously in its exterior appearance, that one must be convinced at firft view of its origi nal. This foffil is fometimes found on the fhore of the island of Raghery, among the rounded ftones on the beach of the fea; and being fuppofed an unequivocal teft of the action of fire, is imagined to complete all that could be defired in this kind of reafoning. But there ftill remain other external proofs, which when added to the former are fuppofed to form a demonftration almost as perfect as the nature of fuch analogic reafoning will allow. There are three living volcanos at prefent known, with whofe neigbourhood the bafaltes, and moft fpecies of its ufual attendant foffils, have been obferved. The firft is fituated in the island of Bourbon, off the fouth thern coaft of Africa; the fecond is Ætna, in the ifland of Sicily; and the third is Hecla, in the island of Iceland. To which it may be added, that the bafaltes is found in the volcanized parts of Italy, as at Bolzena, and other places; though not (as far as I have been informed) any where immediately contiguous to Vefuvius. Thus do the arguments derived from the fituation of this fpecies of foffil, with refpect to mountains which yet continue to burn, coincide with thofe other clear and fatisfactory proofs which were drawn immediately from its nature and properties, in proof of its volcanic origin. In addition to what has been here ftated, I fhall mention another plaufible argument in fupport of the opinion, deduced in fome measure à priori. It is well afcertained by experience, that there are vaft beds of pyrites difperfed through the interior parts of the earth at all depths; and it is a certain fact, that this compound fubftance may, by the accidental affusion of a due quantity of water, become hot, and at length burn with great fury. This, therefore, is one principle to which we may, with the strongest probability, attribute the origin of fubterranean fire, more efpecially as the prefent living volcanos do actually pour forth in abundance all the component parts of the pyrites; the chief of which are fulphur, iton, and clay. Now, among the fuperinduced fubftances of the county of Antrim (and I believe the fam 344 Copy of a Letter from the Lord Bifbop of Clonfert. to the Rev. Mr. Moore. July, fame may be faid of every other bafaltic country), it is certain that the quantity of iron and clay, diffused through almost every fpecies of foffil, amounts to more than one half of the whole materials: so that two of the principal elements of the pyrite are ftill found here, reduced in many inftances to a ftate of flag or scoria; and the third principle, namely the fulphur, cannot in the nature of things be expected to remain, because fulphur does in great measure perifh during the act of inflammation; and what might perchance escape or be fublimed, would no doubt have long fince perished by decompofition, in confequence of being exposed to the air. An objection to this hypothefis is derived from hence, that in many of the countries where the bafaltes most abounds, there are no traces whatever of thefe bold and decifive features which conftitute the diftinguishing characteristic of a volcanic mountain; its lofty pointed form, its unfathomable crater, and many other circumftances that ftrike the fenfes very forcibly at Etna and Vefuvius.The bafaltes, therefore, is affirmed to be a foffil extenfively spread over the furface of the earth: and where it is found in the neighbourhood of volcanic mountains, it is faid we should suppose these to be accidentally raised by a bafaltic foil, rather than to have created it.. It must be confeffed that volcanic mountains are not always found to attend the ba faltes, at least there do not appear any direct veftiges of them in the neighbourhood of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. But the advocates of the fyftem are not much embarrassed with this difficulty; acording to them, the bafaltes has been formed under earth itself, and within the bowels of thofe very mountains, where it could never have been exposed to view, until by length of time, or fome violent fhock of nature, the incumbent mafs must have undergone a very confiderable alteration, such as should go near to deftroy every exterior volcanic feature. In fupport of this it may be obferved, that the promontories of An trim do yet bear very evident marks of fome violent convulfion which has left them ftanding in their prefent abrupt fituation; and that the island of Raghery, and fome of the weftern isles of Scotland, do really appear like the furviving fragments of a country, great part of which might have been buried in the ocean. It is further added, that though the exterior volcanic character be in great measure loft in the bataltie countries, yet this negative evidence can be of little avail, fince the few inftances where the features have been preferved afford a fufficient anfwer to this objection. Thus the Montagne de la Coupe in France ftill rears its pointed top to the heavens, reains its deep crater, and bears every cha racteristic of a volcanic origin; and this HOUGH I had not the pleasure of re on Sunday schools, at the time you intended, I have fince got it, and read it with the greateft fatisfaction. It is an admirable de fence and recommendation of this new inftitution, which I hope wil daily become more genera', and produce the best moral effects, by impreffing the children of the poor with a fenfe of duty and re igion at the only time and age when they are capable of impreffions. A poor man's creed need not be long, but it should be struck in eary, and a true and right one. If he believes, as the common proverb fays, that he is to die like a dog, he wil undoubted y live tike one. This communication of education is certainly a very great bleffing to the poor; and had Mandeville, and they, who, to ferve political purpotes are for denying all inftructions to the lower claffes, on y pushed their arguments far enough, they might have proved, that they had a right to main or put out the eyes of the common people, in order to make them more manageable, and more in the power of their fuperiors. Hav ing never feen the paragraph in the Eng ih papers concerning me, to which in your appendix, 1 can fay nothing to it, but what I have endeavoured to do in my dioces, ever fince my appointment, is this; there are twenty catho ics to one proteftant in it. To attempt their converfion, or to think of making them read proteftant books, would be in vain. I have, therefore circu lated amongst them fome of the beft of their own authors, particularly one Gother, whole writin gccntain much purechriftianity, ufeful knowledge, and benevolent fentiments. He wrote eighteen volumes of religious tracts, and died about the year 1696. Unable to make the peasants about me good prote tants, I wish to make them good catho ics, good citizens, good any thing. I have efta bifhed too a Sunday fchool, open to both proteftants and catholics, at my refidence in the country; have recommended the scheme to my cergy, and hope to have feveral on foot in the fummer. you allude Female |