A NATURAL CURIOSITY.

In the neighbourhood of a town, called Torecilla de Camaros, there are several fubterraneous caverns, which feem to be the work of Nature, unaffifted by art; they had not hitherto been examined, on account of fome old fuperftitious notions, which kept the people from attempting an entrance, whilft the more fenfible part were deterred by the number of them, which expose the vifitor to the danger of lofing his way. The diving, as it were, into the bowels of the earth, was referved for the celebrated architect, Don Juan Antonio D'Oteiza, who, after having spent two afternoons in his vifit, gives the following defcription:

"About the middle of the hill, on its declivity, are four apertures, the first of which, the largest, leads into a road, rendered difficult and dangerous by the kind of precipices that furround it. Arriving at the bottom, I difcovered a large grotto divided by a kind of pillar, and of fo vaft an extent as to be able to contain 1000 head of cattle of all kinds; the light of which comes through another opening, is fufficient to give a full and diftinct view of the whole. A road between two rocks of black marble prefents itself, but fo bent with pointed stones as to make it a very painful walk; it leads to another cave of a ftill larger dimenfion, which is lighted to the diftance of about 100 yards the walls are covered with various figures, reprefenting different objects, but most of them confined, and fufceptible of all manner of vifions, which imagination can paint, or fear and prejudices point out; I, myself, fancied I saw the reprefentation of a Monk, and a head of a moit gigantic fize: fuch is the extent of this cave, that burning torches placed in the middle cannot difpenfe light fufficient

to

THE VALUE OF MONEY AT DIFFERENT PERIODS. 447

to discover the fummit, or its extremities.. A third fubterraneous cave is ftill more extenfive; it is near half a league in length; the roof and walls are all over ftudded with petrifactions. The pavement, in fome places looks like chryftal; in other parts are discovered a number of columns, measuring a full vare in diameter, and thirty feet in height. These are formed by the water, which filters through the vault, and is chryftalized by length of time. Nature is greatly variegated in its operations within the grotto; in fome of the chryftalifations the imitations of fruits, &c. are so true, that it requires a palpable inspection to discover the deception. Amongst the reft, I ob ferved half a lemon candied fo perfectly in nature, as to represent to the life the very fibres and colour of the fruit; the air is extremely pure, and divested of all disagreeable fmell; it is greatly to be wifhed, that fome perfon, learned in natural hiftory, would take the trouble of vifiting thofe fubterraneous abodes, as the world might then expect a more full and comprehensive description of those phenomena." W. L.

Remarkable Variation of the VALUE of MONEY at different Periods.

ABOUT the year 900, king Alfred left to each of his

daughters 1ool. in money.

In 1221, Joan, eldest daughter to king John, upon her marriage with Alexander, king of Scotland, had a dowry of 1000l. per annum.

In 1278, Edward the First gave with his daughter Joan, contracted to the fon of the king of the Romans, 10,000 marks fterling, but this to be reftored in cafe the Prince died before her.

In 1314, Elifabeth, confort of Robert Bruce, king of Scotland,

Scotland, beir imprisoned in England, was allowed for herself and family 20s. a week.

In 1350, Joan of Oxford, nurse to the Black Prince, had a pension of 10l. per annum, and Maud Plumpton, a rocker, had ten marks.

The penfions allowed by the King to the Cardinals, and great officers of the Pope, who were in a manner retained by the Court of England, were, at the moft, 50 marks a

year.

In 1351, workmen were to take their wages in wheat, at the rate of rod. a bufhel; a mafter-carpenter, mafon, or tiler, was allowed by the day 3d. their journeymen 2d, and their fervants, or boys, three halfpence.

In 1402, the falary of a Lord Chief Juftice of the King's Bench was 40l. per annum.

In 1408, the Lord Chief Juftice of the Common Pleas had 55 marks per annum.

In 1545, the Chief Juftice of the King's Bench had an addition of 30l. to his falary; and each juftice of the fame Bench, and Common Pleas, 201.

In Henry the Seventh's time, which in order ought to have been mentioned before, an Admiral, if a Knight, had, while at fea, 4s. per day; if a Baron, 6s. 8d. and if an Earl, 13s. 4d.

W.

The STUPENDOUS MONUMENT called KIT's COTTY-HOUSE, at Boxley-Hill, in Kent.

Krr's Cotty-Houfe is fituated on the brow of BoxleyHill, about a mile and a half from Aylesford, is compofed of four vast stones, and of that fort called Kentish ragg. Two are fet parallel, a third at the weft end perpendicular to thofe two, and clofing the end: and the fourth, which is

the