by the Water of Ness, which is here a shallow but extremely rapid stream, and the whole district wore an appearance of cheerfulness and hilarity. The barley was in sheaf, and seemed abundant. As we entered Inverness the inhabitants were returning from kirk, and both men and women bore the most primitive appearance. The old men with their bonnets and staves, -the gude wives with their gay and plaided cloaks, the maidens, with their snooded tresses, powerfully arrested our attention; and our garb and general appearance seemed to cause equal astonishment to them. We marched into Bennett's Hotel at four, and found it worthy of all commendation. Pedestrians as we were, we were treated like princes; and we noted it down as the very best quarters it had ever been our good fortune to enter. Inverness, throughout its whole extent, has an appearance of the greatest neatness and comfort. Some of the buildings, such as the Town Hall, and the principal church, are upon a large scale, handsome and highly ornamental. We also noticed the large school-room, in which, I believe, is a tolerable library. But the greatest ornament to the town is its bridge, over the Water of Ness; at this place broad and handsome, and dividing the town into two parts. With this inspection we were much gratified, and regretted that our sojourn was to be so short. In the evening we had a most delightful walk through the corn-fields leading to the Caledonian Canal, which we crossed, and arrived at the foot of the celebrated hill Craig Phadric. This we meant to have ascended for the purpose of inspecting the vitrified forts to be found on its brow. But the shades of evening were fast gathering around; and we were compelled to relinquish the attempt. From Inverness homewards there are comparatively few objects of curiosity; we therefore took a carriage. The weather was delightful, the roads good, and the country exceedingly pleasant. In the distance Fort George is visible. Soon after this the road becomes dreary and uninteresting; nothing but heath and mountain; but we pleased ourselves not a little by our now luxurious mode of travelling, and arrived at Aviemore Inn to dinner at five. After the usual rest, we proceeded a twelve or fifteen mile stage to the next inn, Pitmain. Next day we proceeded to the Falls of Bruars. Close adjoining is a cottage, the inhabitants of which have the keys of the walks, and act as guides to strangers. The grounds are adorned by two or three moss-houses, from whose windows the Falls appear to advantage. In one of them we were shown the verses of Burns, wherein he complains to the Duke that the Falls are bare of trees, and neglected, though worthy of a better fate. The appeal very deservedly met with success; and the banks of Bruars were instantly shaded with trees, which do not, however, appear very flourishing. Indeed, the whole place even now wears an aspect of neglect. The road onwards increased continually in interest; the hills became well wooded and pictu resque; the ground on each side rising into the most agreeable undulation; and finally we came in view of Blair Atholl. While the horses were baiting, we wandered, by the pale moon, under the deep dark shade of the ve nerable trees, in every direction ornamenting the park; while the far-off landscape seemed to us almost a scene of enchantment. With the appearance of the house we were disappointed; particularly when we called to mind the sieges and the battles which it had witnessed. It is now considerably and not very tastefully modernized, and glared through the moonlight an unsightly and uninteresting mass of white-wash. It was at this time under repair, and closed to the public. The surrounding country is truly beautiful, the hills superb, and covered with wood to an immense extent. Iminediately on quitting the village of Blair, we passed under an arch which crossed the road; the lofty and tufted trees cast around a solemn and chequered shade, and I shall ever remember the pleasure the scene afforded me. The Pass of Killicrankie, further on, has been much altered in appearance within a few years, from the plantations and improvements of the Duke of Atholl. It is extremely narrow, rising on the left into lofty hills, crowned with trees to their very summits, and exhibiting a most pleasing and noble appearance. Below, on the right, was the noble river Tay, its banks also clothed with wood. Altogether, the scenery is most magnificent, and our ride delighted us. (To be continued.) 1830.] Mr. URBAN, THE Ancient Paintings in Baston House, Kent. Dec. 8. HE ancient paintings which form the subject of the accompanying plate, were discovered by me about the year 1813, in Baston Manor House, ou Hayes Common in Kent, in a very degraded situation, into the particulars of which it is no further needful to enter than to say that they had been sadly mutilated to form the wainscot of a small closet in one of the domestic offices of the building. The intention in placing them against the walls of this apartment was, I suppose, ornamental, if not complimentary or respectful to their antiquity and the style of their execution. Little attention had, however, been paid, whether some of the personages whom they represent were placed on their heads or their heels, or whether they were made to recline on their faces or their backs, while others were unceremoniously sawed in pieces to fill up vacant spaces on the surface of the wall. Two portions of sound oak panel nearly six feet in height, and each bearing a regal figure, as seen in the print, were fortunate enough, however, to be preserved nearly entire, and to obtain their proper upright position in this obscure recess. The larger apartments of Baston House were at the time when I first saw these pictures submitted to the ornamental labours of a paper-hanger and stencil-painter from London, who, as coming from the fountain head of taste, had been requested to devote the day following that of my discovery to restoring and beautifying these old paintings; supplying them with new beards and noses, as he might think necessary, renovating the lustre of their eyes, or accommodating them with new ones if the old should appear beyond repair. A word or two of persuasion to the worthy gentleman who was at that time the proprietor of Baston (and 497 who was not aware of the curious nature of the paintings in an antiquarian point of view,) was sufficient to rescue them from the purposed innovations. I lost no time in informing my friend the late Mr. Charles Stothard of the discovery, and he with his usual zeal in the pursuit of subjects of this nature, repaired promptly to the spot, and by permission of the owner commenced the drawings which have been now placed in the hands of the engraver. I remember Mr. Stothard informed me at the time, that they were the earliest specimens of painting in oil which he had ever seen, and expressed his opinion that they were of the time of Edward IV. and that the erect figure with a crown and sceptre might be a portrait of that Monarch. I know, however, he had no other ground than what was derived from the period to which the pictures belonged for the conjecture, and 1 cannot trace any resemblance between the countenance. of this figure and that of received likenesses of the fourth Edward; two of which, among other ancient portraits, the donation of the late Rev. Thomas Kerrich of Cambridge, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, now adorn the walls of the meeting-room of that body. The Royal personage on one of the larger portions of these mutilated panels, who is represented as seated under a cloth of estate, his rich crimson robe powdered with golden A's, is a representation of the Saxon King Athelstan. The back ground to this figure is formed by a delineation of tapestry, in which is worked a shield charged with a cross patée, the armorial bearing fabricated for the Monarchs of the Saxon dynasty by the taste of a period much later than their own. Athelstan occupies a sort of stone or marble bench, ornamented in the Pointed style, which reminds us of that regale solium, which stood on the high marble dais* at the upper end of *The term dais, daiz, deis, signifying the platform with which the upper ends of our ancient halls were furnished, in its strict and original application belonged to that alone, although it was afterwards, it would seem, extended also to the canopy of estate, which was suspended over the principal seat on the dais, as in the following passage: "Sa Majesté estant revetue dautres tres somptueux habillemens, se sied a table sur un haut daiz preparé en la salle episcopale, et ornée dexcellentes tapisseries, soubs un grand daiz de singuliere etoffe." Here the King is described as sitting both on and under the dais.-Le Ceremonial de France par Theodore Godefroy, p. 688. I am led from another passage in this work to infer that the luminous editor of Chaucer mistakes, when in his note on the following lines, GENT. MAG. December, 1830. Westminster Hall, and from which our ancient Kings occasionally were wont to dispense justice in person; a practice still commemorated in the title" Court of King's Bench." This portrait of Athelstan is, I suppose, chiefly imaginary, although it were difficult to say what traditional materials for it might have existed at the time of its execution. He is depicted at least with one real peculiarity of his person, auburn hair. Malmesbury, and after him later historians, describe Athelstan as not exceeding in his stature the middle size, slender in person, his hair yellow, and beautifully wreathed with golden threads, as he (Malmesbury) had seen with his own eyes from his remains.§ Under the picture of Athelstan was an inscription in the old English black letter character, of which the following words remain legible: Athelstanus Edwardi...filius.........reg nabit anno..... d...... et consecrauit sanctus......tanus hic reges Wattens Sium et Scot.. .....pacem recepit eos sub se regnare..... This inscription was a brief sum. mary, perfectly according with the old chronicles, of the acts of King Athelstan, who, as his grandfather Alfred was the most virtuous, was certainly himself the most powerful Monarch who had wielded the sceptre of the Anglo-Saxons. The deficiencies being supplied, it must have run nearly to the following effect: "Athelstan, the son of Edward the elder, reigned fifteen years; holy Wulfstan consecrated him. He conquered the Kings of Wales and Scotland, received them to his peace, and suffered them to govern under him." There is in this inscription as much of the authentic history of the Monarch as could be well comprised in so small a space; all authorities agree that his coronation was performed with peculiar solemnity by the Archbishop of Canterbury, on a lofty scaf fold erected in the market place of the town of Kingston-upon-Thames. Stow says, "he brought the land into one monarchy, utterly expelled the Danes, and quieted the Welch; he caused the latter to pay him a tribute of twenty pounds of gold, three hundred pounds of silver, two thousand five hundred head of neat, with hounds and hawks "Wel semed each of them a fair burgeis speaking of the extended sense of the word, he says that Matthew Paris by deis means the dinner table on the dais. "Priore prandente ad magnam mensam quam deis vocamus," Vit. Abbat. S'e'i Alban. The platform itself is here I think understood, for Godefroy tells us, in another place, that "upon the great marble table in the hall was placed a chair for the King to sit on," &c. -Ceremonial de France, p. 381. The high marble table, alta mensa marmoralis, so often mentioned in ancient MSS. as being in Westminster Hall, was nothing more than the dais, on which the King's seat was placed, and on which by the bye the Court of King's Bench till lately stood. The stone dais itself still remains. I beg to corroborate this assertion by the following passage from Stow: "And heere is to be noted, that the Kings of this realme have used sometimes to sit in person in the King's Bench; namely, King Edward the Fourth in the year 1462, in Michaelmas tearme, sate in the King's Bench three dayes together, in the open court, to understand how his laws were ministred and executed."-Survey of London, 4to, 1613, p. 890. + There might for instance exist at this time, a received portrait of Athelstan at Malmesbury Abbey, as St. Alban's had one of Offa. The words of the historian are "capillo ut ipsi ex reliquiis ejus vidimus flavo filis aureis pulchrè intorto," which I believe must be understood literally, and that consequently it was the custom for Saxons of distinction thus to decorate their tresses, when living, or that respect for their rank or sanctity procured such attention for their reliques when dead. The head of the Saxon Saint Cuthbert was found at the recent disinterment of his body at Durham, encircled with the finest gold wire; and this circumstance was turned in after ages by the monks to a fraudulent account, for they cut off from St. Cuthbert's reliques minute portions of this wire as his hair, and exposing them to the flames, pretended not only that they were incombustible, but that they were converted into gold! See the Rev. J. Raine's account of the opening of St. Cuthbert's Tomb in 1827, pp. 56 and 212. § Athelstan was buried at Malmesbury Abbey, Wilts. Speed says he was crowned by Athelm, who was succeeded in the same year in the archbishopric by Wulfelm.-See Historie of Great Britaine, p. 339. Sax. Chron, sub anno 924. |