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expence of the whole would, no doubt, be soon repaid by the additional conveyance of carriages with so much ease. The cost of a horse or carriage ferry-boat over the Severn, is about seventy pounds; and of the foot-passengers' boat, between five and ten. What the additional expense of throwing up two piers and side causeways, with the moveable bridges would be, the writer of this paper cannot say ; but he is in clined to think that the sum expended would return ten per cent. interest from the increased transit.

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What the advantage of such a plan, or of one superior, might be to the proprietors of estates in Herefordshire, it is impossible to say. The county, says Marshall, is known to be one which contains every thing desirable; but the communication is most grievously interrupted by the Wye. There are only three bridges for forty miles, from Ross to Chepstow, where for the purposes of commerce, there ought to be twenty. Humanity also prompts the erection of better modes of passage than the present. A gentleman, well acquainted with the Newcastle navigation, and a native of the county of Durham, about Sunderland and Shields, assured the Author that, notwithstanding the immense number of hands employed in the coal trade, there were more lives annually lost in the Wye, than in the Tyne. Tourists who see the river only in the summer, when it is a mere pellucid brook, know nothing of its character in winter, or when it is swelled by a fresh from the rivers of supply. It is then a tremendous torrent, eddying like the Thames at London Bridge; and the bottom is full of immense rocks upon the sides, and deep holes, some of which, called salmon-holes, are from thirty to forty feet in depth. Immersion at such a period is, even to excellent swimmers, almost certain death. The rapidity of the current prevents their making a short cut across to the bank; and the cold of the water in the winter season, mostly produces the cramp. If a horse is unaccustomed to enter the boat, he is sometimes so restive, as to jerk his rider overboard by a sudden pull of the bridle, as he is being driven from

GENT. MAG. October, 1819.

the bank into the boat; and, as to foot passengers and ferrymen, they are often drowned by the stream forcing the boat from the rope. Loss of life among the bargemen is an occurrence of enormous frequency. In short, the river as it now is, through want of bridges, is hurtful to life and property, which it ill becomes an enlightened age like this to endure patiently; and therefore it is hoped, philanthropically and humbly only, that gentlemen who have property in Ferries on the Wye and elsewhere, will take the opinion of Engineers upon the ideas suggested in this rude sketch. If the untimely decease of a descendant of the Man of Ross's family should fortunately, though unexpected by the writer, suggest any thing which would not have failed to produce the approbation of that illustrious character, the loss of a fine young man, however deplorable, may become a providential good.

Yours, &c. A CONSTANT READER.

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THE annexed sketch, if inserted in

your Repository, will preserve the resemblance of a well-known house of public entertainment, the Old Queen's Head and Artichoke, now destroyed. It was situated in a lane nearly opposite Portland Road, and about five hundred yards from the road that leads from Paddington to Finsbury; and very near to the present new house of that name. The view in the print (see Plate II.) is opposite to the entrance of the house; as the door was on the other side of the bow-window. The barn along-side was well known by the name of Edmondson's Barn; it belonging to Mr. Edmondson, coachpainter to the Queen, in Warwickstreet, Golden-square, where he used to execute the first part of his coachpainting. The lane was not any public road, only for foot-passengers, as it led into the fields, towards Chalk Farm, Jews' Harp house, Hampstead, &c. On the other side the pailing, was the lane, and a skittle-ground belonging to the house. It was surrounded at the back and one side by an artificial stone manufactory, and several small houses with gardens attached to them.

B. L.

HERO

HERODOTUS AND DIODORUS SICULUS. "Verum quàm multi, risum dum cap. tant levem,

Gravi destringunt alios contumelia,
Et sibi nocivum concitant dicterium!!"

Mr. URBAN, Liverpool, Oct. 9. AM certain you subscribe and I give publicity to the opinion that truth is the first and most desirable object in all antiquarian research; and inasmuch as we are afforded help and guidance towards this rare attain ment, by the authors of antiquity, so our regard for them ought to be in proportion to the advantage we de sire. We should ourselves abstain from all incautious censure of their character, and defend them against the unjust attacks of others. This duty is incumbent in common justice to them as fellow men, in gratitude to them as literary benefactors, in charity from the consideration of their limited means of information, compared with the advantages and experience of the present day.

Their writings are the torches, by the aid of which we may see our way, and trace events down from the gloom which surrounded primeval

man.

The antient writers often prove most persuasive collateral evidence to the truth of the Holy Scriptures, and in this point of view deserve our especial regard.

These reflections are excited by the perusal of an article in your Number for June last, page 529. Your Correspondent A. H. in his own extract, and the observations and quotations of the Rev. G. S. Faber's remarks on the Pyramid of Cephrenes, affirms that the recent discovery of the bones of a bull in the sarcophagus of this pyramid, "has awakened the surprise of the chronologer, that Herodotus has now met with another testimony to contradict his idle tale, and that "Diodorus corroborates the same." With these antient historians, your Correspondent connects the celebrated Rollin, and even Denon, as dupes to the same credulity. When your Readers see the extracts from these two historians, which it is indispensibly requisite to furnish them, it will appear that A. H. and even the Rev. Mr. Faber, had not perused them, or that these passages had escaped their memories. I am very reluctant to suppose that they join the common cry

and erroneous sentiment raised and entertained against the credit aud veracity of these historians. Illiberal Fame ascribes to them as their own belief, and declared opinion, what is expressly told by themselves to be the tradition, belief, or information, of others. They are pointedly guard ed in expressing this distinction.

On opening the History of Herodotus, we observe his relation of the Trojan war, and the causes of the early hostilities of Persia and Greece. All this history he plainly states as resting for the most part on tradition. He emphatically says (Lib. 1, 5,) ;

"So affirm the Persians and Phoeni

cians; for my part, I shall not say with regard to these affairs, whether they so happened or otherwise; but having pointed out the individual whom I know to have been the first aggressor against the Greeks, I shall go on with my history," &c.

Not only this, but numerous simithis author to show, that while he lar passages might be quoted from confidently states what he considers truth, he is careful to discriminate between fact and fiction.

In Book 7, 152, he writes,

"I engage to report what is said, but I do not engage my belief in all; and let this observation apply to my entire History."

This is not the language of one anxious to propagate " idle tales.” He had at hand abundant materials for a general History, in the detached historical labours of his predecessors; nevertheless, he deemed as indispensible, a tour through the different countries, the history of which he intended to write. This personal visit certainly manifests a desire of originality, and attainment of truth.Much of his history bears the features of geographical relation, in which it is always considered incumbent to describe what is seen, and report local information, as to the face of the country, inhabitants, manners, customs, and traditions, however ridiculous or incredible they may appear."

As well, on the score of apparent probability, may we call in question the veracity of Captain Ross, in his relation of the late Voyage towards the Pole, when he details the ridiculous, and almost incredible, notions and manners of the inhabitants of those unexplored regions, as, on the

mere

mere consideration of novelty, to withhold our credence from Herodotus.

Let us suppose time about a dozen centuries in advance from the presentæra, let us picture to ourselves this interval marked by a second inundation of vandalism over the literary world; among the few precious relics destined to float over to a suc ceeding age of learning, imagine the lately-published, and to us well and really authenticated Arctic Voyage, which reports the phænomenon of Red Snow-lastly, at this supposed juncture, let us have Herodotus on the earth again, and the Arctic Voyage in Greek before him, in this supposed state of the world, deprived of all contemporary proof or evidence, on the perusal of this Voyage, might not he, too, think the Red Snow, the formerly authenticated fact, an "idle tale!"

Modern discovery has fixed the stamp of truth on that which had before been considered and cried down

as fabulous. Prejudice seems still to call for further investigation; and this leads me to examine whether Herodotus and Diodorus really hold out any expectation that the remains of Cephrenes might be found in the pyramid bearing his name? Perhaps the supposed tomb of this Sovereign may prove the real monument of their veracity!

"At his decease (i. e. Cheop's), his brother Cephrenes succeeded to the throne, and pursued a similar conduct; among other acts, he also constructed a Pyramid, though not rising to the magnitude of the other, neither are there subterraneous chambers, nor is there any stream flowing therein from the Nile, as into the other; but, entering through a walled channel, it flows round an inclosure of subterraneous structures (yngov, subintellige των ύπο την οικημάτων), where THEY SAY Cheops is deposited."

Now permit me, Mr. Urban, first to remark, that had this description of the Pyramid, contrary to what we see, been accompanied with the most improbable assertions, yet the author, as said before, justifies the relation, and is constantly pointing out to our notice in his historical tablet, the discriminating line of truth and tradition. Just before he enters on the

subject of these Pyramids, we notice,

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let each adopt as it appears credible.With me it is an established maxim throughout the History,-all that is said on every subject, I write from oral report." Next it may be noted, that the Historian, by the expression " τα ύπο γην οικηματα," connected in a former passage with " σε ἐν now, clearly conveys the notion of these subterraneous of the Pyramids. A singular, though vaults extending far beyond the bases natural, and not unprecedented, acceptation of the word in this only implies "land surrounded by passage must be remarked. It not blance; thus a robe surrounded by a water," an island, but any resemborder of purple, is voos ;-see the Lexicons. Our judgment instantly acquiesces in the analogy of this term yoos, as applied to that subterraneous space (under and around the Pyramids) occupied by the vaults, and surrounded by the aqueduct from the Nile.

νησος

Let us now proceed to Diodorus Siculus, and raise up our feeble shield in his protection against the shafts of slander.

Lib. 1, cap. 64, after mentioning Cheops and Cephrenes as the builders of the Pyramids, he observes;—

:

"But it happened that neither of these kings was buried in the Pyramids which they intended for their tombs. For the people, by reason of their oppression during the works, and these sovereigns having perpetrated many cruel and tyrannical acts, were incensed at the authors of their sufferings, and threatened to mangle their corpses, and ignominiously drag them out of their tombs. Whereupon, both of them at their decease enjoined each his relatives secretly to inter their bodies in some obscure grave."

Thus both Herodotus and Diodorus stand clearly acquitted of the charge of credulity, with regard to the byrial-place of Cephrenes.

of past ages, to say nothing of the The persevering reiterated curiosity ravages of time, may not have left an atom of the royal relicks for modern gratification.

spectable and intelligent visitors, that Indeed, it has been asserted by rethe sarcophagi in the Pyramids bear manifest appearance of past violence. The deposit of human bodies in these subterraneous receptacles is as manifestly proved and admitted. But I

What is affirmed by the Egyptians; fear I am transgressing the limits of

you!

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