cumftance, perhaps, imputable to the long feceffion of feady funfhine; the folar rays being, probably, as contributory to the colouring of the foliage as to the ruddinefs of the peach, or the yellowness of the pear, exclufive of the general effect produced by them on the combination of leafy hues. An aurora, lefs brilliant than the former, and confined to the North, appeared on the 23d; and the nights of the 27th and 28th were very foggy. The whole portion of the horizon between the North and Eaft points was on the 29th filled with a tremendous fable opacity, which feemed heavily furcharged with repletion; but nought hap pened here: however, from former obfervations, fome particular meteorological intelligence was to be expected in confequence of it from the North, and fuch came. According to "The Courier," Whitehaven was deluged on the 30th, and Newcastle affailed by a boifterous gale two days after. The wild Northern cherry, with fome individuals of afh, apple, plumb, walnut, and whitethorn, became denuded of their leaves by the 20th of October; but on the laft the fruit hung fo thick, that the ramifi cation of the bushes was fcarcely more perceptible than it was before. Horfechefnuts fell in fhowers; no longer would they be deemed inutile, were they converted into hair-powder: the prac tice is particularly worth adopting at a time when the primary ingredient of that effential (as it is become) to drefs is likely to be fo much wanted for the prefervation of exiflence! The wild plumb, climbing birthwort, dwarf hazel, a few common beeches, and all the Jumes, were defoliated by the 30th, at which time the dwarf hazel was in full bloom. Let ornithologists obferve, that the moon was at the full on the goh of September, and that the public prints announced woodcocks to have been killed in Cumberland and Yorkshire two days after, and in Dorfetbire about the middle of October. This is only meant as "a word to the wife," for other faunifts must authenticate the arrival of shefe birds. The few pheasants hatched in this district flood the wet better than the partridges did; which still corroborates the fuppofition of their being indigenous t. During the first half of Sep tember, the fwallows all hovered together near rivers; but about the 17th they divided again into companies, and returned to the villages that had nurtured them. In the afternoon of the 28th, an immenfe hoft of them arrived from the Eaft, and winged their way towards the Weft, with a gentle zephyr in their teeth; but their rear had hardly been out of fight an hour, when a detachment returned and joined those belonging to the diftrict, fojourning with them fome days. After this, the numbers decreased gradually till the stormy week in October, when the remainder difappeared, the laft ftraggler being feen on the 16th. If thefe flew Westward likewife, they must have faced an hurricane that was then blowing from that quarter. (To be continued.) Mr. UREAN, Nov. 3 Tof Hexham, and of feveral of the HE following relation of the battle circumftances antecedent and fubfequent to it, is, I believe, very little known, being tranflated from the Yearbook of Eafter, 4 Edward IV. fol. 19b.; a book which is not likely to be confulted by any but lawyers, who are generally too much engaged by profefhonal purfaits to pay much attention to objects of literary curiofity. J. B. term, King Henry VI. was in Northumber "About Whitfun'ide next before Trinity land at Alnwick caftle: and with him the Duke of Somerfet, the Lords Roos, Molins, and Hungerford, the Queen, with Prince Edward their fon, other lords of France, and Sir Piers de Brace, and with him many lords and knights of France, fent by the King of France to aid King Henry and his lords. And afterwards all the French lords, except the abovementioned Piers, were taken at Holy Inland by Robert, the lord of Ogiell [Ogle], and other knights and efquires of Northum berland, and were ranfemed. "After this, the lord of Mountague, brother of the Earl of Warwick, came into the fame fhire, the king and his lords being at Euerick [York]; and King Henry with his lords, viz. the Lord Roos, Molins, Tailbois, Sir Ralph Gray, kn. Findern, Humphrey de Nevel, the Duke of Somerfet, and many others 2. But Sir Ralph Percy, kat. was flain in another field, called Heggely More, which was fought by the aforefaid lords against the faid Lord Mountague; in which all the faid Lords fled ex 1 Sir Thomas Fynden, knt. was attainted in the first parliament of Edward IV. together with Thomas Lord Roos, William Talbois, Robert Lord Hungerford, &c. 2 The fenfe is here incomplete, fome words being omitted, as is extremely ufual in the Year-books, which are most incorrectly printed. * See p. 507 + See p. 435. cept except this Sir Ralph, who was there killed like a man 3.1 "Then the faid lords took their King Henry, with all his power of people 4, and pitched their field in Hexhamfhire, in a place called Liuels, upon the river Deayll', against the aforefaid Lord Mountague, who joined battle with them, and gained the victory over them. The lord of Somerset was there, and bebeaded at Hexham, where he was buried. The Lords Ros, Molyns, Hungerford, and Findern, with many other knights, efquires, and others, were alfo taken and executed: the lords beforementioned, with two others, being beheaded at Newcastle upon Tyne, in a place called Sandhill, and buried in the Friars Minors and Auguftines. "Whether King Henry was taken after this fkirmish, or not, is diverfely reported; but it is certain that three of his followers were made prisoners, who had in their cuftody his helmet, and two of his crowns richly adorned; which were prefented to King Edward at York, on Wednefday, the 23d of May, in the fourth year of his reign [1464]. "The other lords and knights, viz. the Earl of Kime, Gray, Nevel, Richard de Dunftable, and many others, took flight from Hexham field. The Earl of Kyme was apprehended a long time after in Riddefdale, and beheaded at Newcastle, where he was interred in the Friars Minors. But Humphrey Nevel remained in that county, near the river Derwent, concealed under the earth, for the fpace of five years; and was afterwards feized in Holderness, and beheaded by the Earl of Warwick and others. "After this battle, King Edward, in the fame year, went to Durham with his nobles, and fent the Earl of Warwicke, Mountague, Fauconbridge, Scrope, and many other lords, into Northumberland, commanding them to feize Alnwick castle, which was garrifoned with French troops. [Which fervice they performed, but] 7 could not make themselves matters of the perfon of De Brace: nor could they take Bambrught [Bamborough] caftle, in which the abovementioned Sir Ralph Gray, knt. was. And the fervants of the aforelaid lords, with a man called Goys, defended Dustanbrught [Duftanburgh] caftle against them. Nay, though at first they took Alnwicke castle, and held it for King Edward, yet the Scots, to whom Henry, the late king, had delivered the town of Berwicke, foon won it from them, and fetting the French at liberty, against the will of King Edward's lords, carried them into the kingdom of Scotland. "The manner in which this caftle was furprized, and lost to our lord King Edward, caufed the death of that noble knight, the Lord of Fauconbridge, Durham. But afterwards the lords regained the possession of Alnewicke caftle; and took Dunstanbrught caftle with all that was therein; and Goys was beheaded at Euerwicke; but the reft were dismissed. "After Midfomer they took Brambrught caftle, which Sir Ralph Gray held against King Edward IV. Gray was carried to Doncafter, where he was deprived of the honour of knighthood, before many of the king's people, in the following manner: his gilt pores were hewed from his feet, his fword and all his armour broken upon him, and taken from him, in the field; after which he was beheaded. The reafon of his being punished in this manner was his perjury and doublenes to King Henry VI, late king, and alfo to King Edward IV. that now is. Afterwards his head was taken to London, on Saturday the eve of St. Mary Magdalen, in the fourth year aforefaid, and fixed on a high pole upon London-bridge for the public view. On whofe foul God have macy!” Our historians celebrate him for dying bravely at this battle with these words in his mouth, "I have faved the bird in my breast," meaning the oath that he had fworn to King Henry. 4 "One tout lour power de pepil." The sheriff may, to keep the peace, purfue felons, or or repel the king's enemies coming into the land, fummon all the people of his county to attend him; this is called the poffe comitatus, or power, of the county. May not this word be derived from the Greek word, omnibus copiis? The expreffion is not yet entirely dif ufed; we fay-" there were a power of people"-for-a great number. 5 This is curious; it fhews the great difficulty with which news of the greatest importance found its way from one end of the kingdom to the other. 6" En tabis fouth le terre." This word occurs in the statute of Winchester, 13 Edw. I. c. 5, which enacts, that the king's highway fhall be cleared of wood to the breadth of two hundred feet, that the felon may not be able to conceal [tuper] himself. I meet with it allo in that curious old book the "Contes à rire," vol. 11. p. 77, where, in a story of fome GypLes ftealing a pig, it is faid, "le gaillard de Bohême qui étoit tapi derriere une borne."" 'It is very justly derived, by Mr. Barrington (Obf. on anc. Stat. p. 132), from Fr. taupe, a mole, I do not find that this fubterranean refidence of Humphrey Neville has been noticed by any of our hiftorians; nor can 1 parallel it with any thing but that stratagem of Pythagoras, reJated by Hermippus (ap. Diogen. Laert. p. 324), who fays, that, upon his arrival in Italy, he built a houfe under-ground (xala [f. xalw] mus axion: was), where he lived fome time, to induce a belief that he had vifited the infernal regions. 7 I am not fure that I understand this paffage; I have, however, rendered it according to what I conceived to be its meaning, and have added a few words, to make it more intelligible |