measure, formed the character of its varied inhabitants. HE whose work they are, made them, most surely, for great purposes. He meant them to play a grand part in his Divine book of lessons for mankind; and we, who read the histories brought down to us of countries and peoples, have it laid upon our consciences not to overlook any of the influences which have made human agents what they are.

The manner in which Protestant nations have responded to applications in aid of these interesting districts is, to say the least of it, highly creditable. Great care however is necessary in tendering our helps. We have always before us, much nearer home, the unhappy examples of pauperised families, whose independence many kind-hearted people have conspired to break down, and who learn to lean on charity rather than on themselves. By all means let the aids of a good education be afforded, but let not the difficulties attending on Christian practice and profession be removed with too eager a hand. This is no needless caution. England, the great dispenser of alms to the needy, has not always been judicious, either abroad or at home. Her generosity is as well known as her wealth. For ourselves, we are inclined to think her wisest course is above all things to uphold the cause of religious liberty.

Historical Notices of the Royal and Archiepiscopal Mints and Coinages at York. By Robert Davies, F.S.A. 8vo. pp. 79-Mr. Davies makes a material addition to his many other valuable contributions to the history of the great northern metropolis of old England by this comprehensive and complete review of its numismatic annals; and shows that, even on a subject which has already occupied the attention of many writers of great industry and information, there is much that may still be elucidated by the welldirected exercise of further research and discrimination. The City of York occupies an important place in the history of the royal mint at several periods of our history all of which are discussed in the pages before us in their due chronological sequence. 1. In the Roman æra the existence of a mint at York is only supported by probability, with no distinct evidence. 2. In Saxon times the kingdom of Northumbria, of which York was the capital, possessed both a silver and a copper coinage-the latter being peculiar to it, of all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The silver coins were the sceatta and the penny; in copper was struck the styca, which appears to have been the same which in the Domesday survey was Latinized by the

word minuta, whence the mite of our translators of the Gospels. Great hoards of stycas have been found during the present century-in 1808, 542 at Kirk Oswald; in 1833, about 8,000 at Hexham; in 1842, many thousands in the Mint-yard at York, and a few years later a large quantity at Bolton Percy. The Yorkshire Philosophical Society is now in possession of about 5,000 stycas formed from these two great discoveries; of which Mr. Wellbeloved has just completed an accurate and minutely descriptive catalogue. Mr. Davies specifies in succession all the Anglo-Saxon and Danish coins ascertained to have been struck at the York mint. Of the collection of 4,232 Anglo Saxon coins preserved in the Royal collection at Stockholm, and described in 1846 by its curator Mr. Hildebrand, it is found that more than one-tenth were struck at York. These, it is supposed, are the relics of the oppressive Danegeld to which the inhabitants of this island were at that time subjected. 3. In the period of our Norman Kings the York mint is found to have continued in action; and on a discovery made in York in 1845 of pennies of William the Conqueror, out of 200 between eighty and ninety were found to have been struck at York. No York coins, however, are known after the reign of Henry II. until in-4. The English æra, Edward I. re-established a mint at this city in the seventh year of his reign. From that period the royal mint at York continued in operation until the reign of Edward VI. after whose demise the practice of coining in provincial mints entirely ceased, except for a short period during the troubles of Charles I. and again for the great recoinage in the reign of William III. Early in the reign of Elizabeth, however, the current testoons of two different degrees of fineness were distinguished by the impression of the supplementary imprints of a portcullis and a greyhound, for which two dozen stamping-irons of the former die, and one dozen of the latter were employed at York. Mr. Davies shows, that the current traditions of Charles I. having had a mint at York, in the early years of his reign, are wholly unsupported by historical evidence. The monies he coined there in 1643 and 1644 were of the ordinary form, and not of the barbarous make-shift character of those substitutes which his necessities shortly after rendered necessary, and which are now commonly known as siegepieces. William III. coined at York, in the years 1696 and 1697, money amounting to the sum of 314,3421. 17s. 11d. The privilege of coining was exercised by the

Archbishop, as well as by the sovereign, within this ancient city. Annals of the archiepiscopal mint may be obscurely traced from the eighth century to the reign of Henry VIII. Mr. Davies has duly arranged all the particulars which are preserved of its transactions, His very interesting treatise is concluded with some notices of the locality of the ancient royal mint at York, which, it appears, was set up within the precincts of the castle. And he has appended a compotus of Sir William Haryngton, sheriff of the county in 1423, for repairs amounting to 681. 88. 5d., which show that the buildings of the mint within the castle then consisted of a dwelling-house for the moneyer and his servants, a melting house with the requisite furnaces, and a strong-house, or treasury, in which the moneys might be kept with safety.

Curiosities of London: exhibiting the most rare and remarkable objects of interest in the Metropolis; with nearly Fifty Years' Personal Recollections. By John Timbs, F.S.A. 12mo.-This portly pocket volume, of just eight hundred pages, is quite an encyclopædia of Londiniana, a very Iliad in a nutshell. We announced its approaching publication, and the multifarious character of its contents, in our November Magazine, at p. 478. It has formed one of the daily objects of half of Mr. Timbs's life, having been commenced in the year 1828, and it aims at nothing less than to grasp in one manual "the Notable Things in the History of London through its Nineteen Centuries of Accredited Antiquity." We give Mr. Timbs every credit for his great labour and assiduity, and are fully convinced that the book will form a very useful resource for reference on countless topics of interest or curiosity. We rather regret, however, that it has taken its present form. During the progress of compilation the author has had the misfortune to be anticipated to a great extent by the Handbook formed by Mr. Peter Cunningham, which provides nearly every item of information which a stranger can require. We think, therefore, it is hopeless to think of running a race of competition with that work. Under these circumstances we should have advised Mr. Timbs to have arranged his historical "curiosities" in a different, and perhaps more dignified, shape. We do not find that his alphabetical arrangement has any advantages. Indeed, the particular heads under which his subjects are arranged are sometimes so arbitrary and accidental, that that arrangement would be a positive disadvantage were it not helped out by an GENT. MAG. VOL. XLIII.

excellent index. The strange mixture of subjects it produces has, to our eyes, a chance-medley and unfinished appearance. At the same time, we are anxious to bear our cordial testimony to the great merits of this interesting compilation, and especially to the many curious articles on subjects not strictly local, but of much historical and statistical importance, which are here assembled, for the first time in a work of this class. To review at one glance all the conventual establishments of ancient London, its stately mansions, and its venerable and historic hostelries, its churches, courts of law, theatres, hospitals, &c. even to look down the catalogue of "great fires," or to trace its changing "fashions" and amusements," must evidently convey more just ideas of the past and present grandeur of this vast metropolis than is to be readily gathered from isolated notices. Such order is a handmaid of truth; but its harmony is somewhat dislocated when the subjects are afterwards thrown into one heterogeneous alphabet, under arbitrary heads, which, even if well considered, cannot possibly occur intuitively to the most intelligent reader. The same objection does not apply to Mr. Cunningham's Handbook, which presents an alphabet of localities only, and we think it might have been better to have abstained from this apparent imitation of Mr. Cunningham's plan, and to have relinguished the garb of the cicerone to assume the more dignified rôle of an historian. There would, no doubt, have been considerable sacrifice of past labour in such a determination, for we should not do justice to Mr. Timbs's exertions did we not particularly state that he has devoted especial pains to the description of the museums, libraries, exhibitions, and other objects of present interest and curiosity, which are most likely to engage the attention of those who visit London with the view of "sightseeing." These portions, therefore, have considerable present value, but of course can only be maintained in a satisfactory state for use by frequent new editions of the work.

An Historical Sketch of Carlisle Cathedral. A Lecture delivered at the Carlisle Mechanics' Institution, Jan. 9, 1855. By the Very Rev. A. C. Tait, D.C.L. Dean of Carlisle.-In the present day the devoted student of archæology meets with many encouragements which were denied his less favoured predecessors of former generations. His pursuits are no longer despised by the supercilious scholar, and consequently no longer ridiculed by the 20

frivolous multitude. The antiquary, having taken courage, and ventured forth from his cell in Somerset House, finds himself courteously received in all the provinces, where well-educated men of every class cooperate with him to the best of their power, expressing their sense of the merits and utility of his pursuits, and only lamenting their own comparative inexperience of his peculiar lines of study. This honour has he received a hundred times during the last few years, from men of talent and judgment, as well as rank and education; and the result has been to the mutual advantage and pleasure of those who have thus overcome unreasonable distastes and antipathies. In some cases men of accomplished scholarship, though not hitherto versed in archæological inquiries, have been tempted themselves to embark on the illustration of our national antiquities, and have at once discovered in their pursuit a greater interest than they have previously suspected. In the present instance, we have the late learned Master of Rugby coming forward to instruct the townsmen of Carlisle upon the historical antiquities of their ancient church and town, disclaiming in the outset any pretensions to adequate architectural knowledge of his subject, or sufficient antiquarian research, and yet producing a composition which will diffuse instructive information, and cherish a just appreciation of the treasures of antiquity, more efficiently than many a strictly professional dissertation, because offered in an attractive form, and from an authority to which all would be predisposed to listen and pay respect. Important repairs are now in progress in the cathedral church of Carlisle, under the superintendence of Mr. Christian; and any proceeds that may arise from the sale of the present Lecture will be appropriated to stained glass for the windows. It presents an interesting review of the early history of the North, particularly in the time of our Norman kings, connecting the progress and influence of public events with the rise and in. crease of the city and church of Carlisle.

A Guide to the Borough of Derby, with descriptive Trips by Railway to the most interesting places in the Neighbourhood. By Llewellynn Jewitt, F.S.A. &c. 12mo. -One of those books which are always acceptable and useful to visitors in strange places, particularly when they are places of considerable antiquity and interest, and which we are happy to find are now generally more carefully executed, and by persons of more competent talent, than they used to be in days of yore. In the present Guide every remarkable object appears to

be satisfactorily though briefly treated, and it is illustrated by many neat woodcuts, engraved by the author. The common seal of the town of Derby presents, like those of some other towns, a canting or punning device,-a deer lodged within a park. We observe that in p. 50 Mr. Jewitt has described the animal as "a buck," which misses the intended allusion. The name of Deoraby was given to the town by the Danes, the Saxons having previously called it Northworthige, as is stated in the chronicle of Ethelwerd. Its etymology is not discussed by Lysons, but we presume it is connected with that of the river Derwent on which it stands. The latter, says Lysons, derives its name from a chapelry in the High Peak, in the parish of Hathersege, from whence it runs its course throughout the county of Derby to join the Trent on the borders of Leicestershire. We have still to ask, what was the etymological derivation of Deoraby?

Photographic Pleasures, popularly portrayed with Pen and Pencil, by Cuthbert Bede, B.A., Author of Verdant Green. 8vo. We have been much amused with the facetiæ, both of the pen and the pencil, contained in this volume, and we heartily recommend it to all who have the wisdom to meet the inevitable difficulties of an incipient art with that good-humour which is the best antidote to all petty grievances.

"Evangelical Life," as seen in the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. By John James, D.D. Canon of Peterborough. 12mo. No one who in former years has felt the influence of the author of "A Comment on the Collects of the Church of England" will receive without a welcome this new work on a subject of the highest interest and importance. That sustained warmth of feeling and practical turn of thought, which is observable in all the author's writings, naturally lead him to dwell with an affectionate delight and admiration upon the perfect pattern of all Christian teaching in action-that pattern which is so evidently his own inspiring and informing principle. The present book deserves all success, and especially among those in whose hands the author would most rejoice to see it, viz. among those of both sexes who are growing up into manhood and womanhood. There is a heartiness and manliness about this author's religion which we think is well calculated to influence youth, and to this we must add its truthfulness. There is no divorce made between the religion of Jesus and the religion of the human heart. He does not teach us that the new nature and the old move on lines as

parallel, as if they had originated in a good and evil principle. He treats the ruined temple of man's fallen nature piously and reverently, and as a "good master-builder" points out how it may be restored, ever encouraging hopefulness in those he addresses. The work is divided into chapters, each of which treats of some separate subject in our Saviour's character; and we direct attention to the following heads, as showing the extent and variety of application to which the great example is made to minister :-The twelve chosen-Love of order-Social character-Christ at the marriage feastSelf-denial- Prudence Christian courtesy-Sympathy-The Christian the good subject and true patriot -The love of our country-Moral courage-The fruits of moral courage.

March Winds and April Showers, by "Acheta," author of Episodes of Insect Life. This is a very beautiful book, with but one considerable fault. An earnest, generally healthful, and religious love of Nature breathes through all its pages, and man, in his practical part, in his feelings and his duties, is appealed to in a manner which is often very strong as well as just andgentle. Some passages in the chapter

on

Late Awakenings" are really striking in their moral and religious significance.

The one fault to which allusion has been made, is that of occasional affectation of style. We would give a good deal for greater simplicity. Words are coined and passages are framed with the appearance of desire to produce an effect. That a good effect is often the result is quite true, but the perfection of workmanship is not yet attained. So much it is our duty to say: but the real beauties of the volume are so many and so great that its author can afford a deduction, and we feel that the kind of fault noticed is apt to increase, and to tarnish the value of the most striking thoughts.

What Aunty saw in Scotland. By Mrs. Tonna. 12mo.-This is as pretty a juvenile tour, or tour for juvenile readers, as we have ever met with. The writer's main object has been to associate localities with the most interesting events of national history, and she accomplishes her design with much success.

Among other books for children we have received two, which deserve especial mention Words by the Way-side; or, The Children and the Flowers, by Emily Ayton; and Playing at Settlers, or, the Faggot-Trees, by Mrs. R. Lee, both pleasing works, and the latter formed on the recollections of real life. Their graceful illus

trations, in the former case by H. Anelay, and in the latter by John Gilbert, do credit to the taste of the publishers Messrs. Grant and Griffith, and will add materially to their attractions.

A Catalogue of the Drawings, Miniatures, Cameos, and other objects of Art, illustrative of the Bonaparte Family, and all the persons connected with the Republic and Empire of France, now in the Collection of John Mather, esq. of Mount Pleasant, Liverpool. 8vo. This interesting collection was arranged for exhibition to the British Association, at the soirée given by the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, on the 27th Sept. 1854, and is described by Mr. Joseph Mayer, F.S.A. F.R.A.S. himself so well known for his very valuable Museum and his patriotic use of it. The catalogue is illustrated by a memoir of the Bonaparte family, tracing their varied fortunes down to the present time, which gives it a claim to especial notice and commendation in our historic pages.

The Historical Pocket Annual for 1855. By Dr. Bergel. 12mo. - This manual contains, in a chronological arrangement, a summary of the events of the past year, particularly those of the war, an obituary of notable persons, and brief abstracts of the more important state papers. Its German author seems to have executed his task with the diligence and painstaking characteristic of his countrymen, and we only quarrel with the title, that a register of the events of 1854 should be called an Historical Annual "for 1855."

Mr. Vacher in his Parliamentary Companion continues to issue monthly, during the session of Parliament, corrected lists of both Houses, accompanied with various information, indispensable to the transaction of parliamentary business. This very useful manual has now been continued for twenty-four years.

Literary Papers by the late Professor Edward Forbes, F.R.S. 12mo. This pleasing memorial to a talented and amiable man, whose loss is generally deplored in the scientific and literary world, consists of a selection of his critical essays contributed during the last three years to the Literary Gazette, grouped together as twelve papers or chapters. The greater part of them relate to foreign travels and the observations of our recent naturalists, and one is devoted to the wonders displayed in the gallery of organic remains in the British Museum. A slight biographical sketch is prefixed, and an animated portrait forms the frontispiece,