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The year of his [Salivahara's] birth is our emergent year. He was incarnated 78 years after the nativity of Jefus Chrift, as well as whom he wrought miracles. The Myforean kings antecedent to the Jate Hyder Ally are faid to be his defcendants.

Here it is obfervable that the Western writers upon the Gentoo government of Trichionopoly vary from one another in this opinion; the one places the revolution of that government in the year 1736, and the other in 1738; but both parties are mistaken, fince the faid revolution took place in the latter end of the year 1742, as must be implied by the foregoing table of Gentoo kings, the authenticity of which is indubitable, as the faid table is an exact copy taken from the antient Tamil records of that government. I am, &c. &c. Black Town, TEROOVERCAUDOO 20 May, 1794. MOOTIAH.

Baldock, Dec. 22.

SINCE the numerous facts which have been of late brought to light, in the fciencies of Electricity, and Chemistry, we have been able to account for many of the phenomena which daily take place in our atmofphere, with much more fatisfaction than could have been done in a time when thefe fciences were but little known. Indeed, Electricity feems to be the grand agent in moft Meteorological appearances; for from the accumulation of this fluid is to be attributed the dreadful effects of thunder and lightning, the aurora-borealis, thofe meteors called falling ftars, &c.; allo, rain and evaporation must be confidered amongft the phenomena of Electricity. For the rain, befides its ufe in fertilizing the ground, feems to be the means employed by the God of Nature to tranfinit the electric fluid filently from the clouds to the earth, and thereby preventing the more often accumulations of if; which, if fuffered might, by its ftrong attraction to the earth, break through the electric air, and be more often fatal to man and caft than it now is. On the con

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trary, Evaporation tranfmits it from the earth to the atmosphere; hence, in fummer, when the evaporation is more copious, it is no doubt one reafon why we have more frequently thunder at this feafon than during winter. But it is not altogether from the great quantity of electric fluid in the clouds," that always produces thunder; for they are very often highly electrified, and yet no thunder or lightning follows: on the contrary, the thunder may be pretty loud, and at the fame time the clouds contain but little of this fluid. Hence it feems that there must be a predifpofition in the air to produce this awful phenomonon; now it seems necefiary, from the experiments which are daily made in Electricity, that, in order for an electrified cloud to produce thunder. there must be interpofed between this cloud and fome other conducting fubfiance, a good electric; now a firatum of very cold air will anfwer this purpofe, and which doubtlefs is the cafe from the great quantity of hail which generally falls during thander forms; and farther, we may often have thunder without hail, for this electric air may often repose itself above the cloud and in this cafe may prodoce thunder without hail. Again, the decompofition which takes place between the air and the water it contains, renders the air a conducter of electricity, and well anfwers the purpofe of a coating to this ftratum of electric air, which interpofes itself be tween the electrified cloud and the decompofed part of the atmosphere, and perhaps another cloud fometimes may anfwer this purpose, and it is evident from the finking of the barometer, that a decompofition does take place before a thunder form; for from the obfervations of Dr. Darwin, who fays, "that the falling of the barometer may proceed from a decompofition of the atmosphere occurring round or near that part of the globe where we are placed, which will occafion the elec tricity of the atmosphere to be repelled upwards in fine lambent portions, or driven downwards or upwards in more compacted

compacted balls of fire; or, laftly, to be cared along with the rain, &c. in an jmy receptible manner to the furface of the earth; the precipitation of the watery parts generally very foon take place, which diminishes the real gravity of the atmosphere, and alfo, by the decompofition of the mere active parts, the air lofes part of that elaftic and repulfive power which it fo eminently poffeffed, and will therefore prefs with lets force on the mercury of the barometer than before, by which meansa fall enfues. That the caufe of the currents of air, or winds, may alfo be this way accounted for; and a very fovere forms, where great decompoftions of the atmofphere take place, this is particularly evident, fuch as generally occur in one or more of the Weft India lands at one time, a great lofs of real gravity, together with a confiderable diminution of the fpring of the air immediately enfues: hence a current commences; for that direction, whence the air has molt gravity, or anoti difpofed to undergo fuch a change; but, it being foon relieved of its fuperior weight, or fpring on the fide, by the decompofition going on as fat as the wind arrives on the ifland, it immediately varies to another point, which then rushes in moftly with an increafe of force; thus it goes on till it has blown more than half way round the points of the compafs during the hur ricane. For in this manner the Weft India phenomena, as well as the alteration of the wind during heavy rains in this country, can only be properly accounted for."-The reafon of my copying this account is, because I think it well agrees with what I have faid above, and with any own obfervations. Yours, &c. T. S.

FRO

THE PURSUITS OF ARCHITECTURAL INNOVATION. No. LVII. ROM what has been advanced of late in thefe pages, it has become needful to atk the unbiaffed and, impaffioned reader this question. Is the illuftration and defence of our Antiquities either juftifiable or neceffary? I own,

my refolution is fomewhat fhaken. I have hitherto thought, in the profecution of what I conceived to be a national duty, the withes of all real Antiquaries went with me. Am I then deceived? Surely no; and how ever a few dependent hirelings, adverfe to antient manners, may with unblush

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fort of cant words, from our courfe; yet we tremble, notwithtanding does may arife as to the fuccefs attending its den clufion. Heart, be of good chcer! more perils mult prevail before the arduous trial is pali. Thus, when fome ineftimable prize is to be gained, the greater the danger, the victory becomes the more glorious. Like a true knight of old, I have put on the armour of refolution, tempered by confidence, to fally forth a redreffer of wrongs; wrongs which Antiquity has fuftained by Architectural Innovators, and by thole falfe imitators of her beauties; the firft to be confidered as the Monfiers and Giants, and the fecond as the Sprights and Goblins under the command of the Vizard Prejudice, to fpread devafiation on the one hand, and to feare and terrify fuch adventurous mortals as myfelf on the other. But I

am armed; behold my fhield; read, "Conquer, or fall!" I fhall now veil mv hoftile habiliments, by fhrowding on my pilgrim's robe, much good accruing to my caufe thereby, and to enjoy that content of mind I love from unmolested progrefs, and calm obfervation made on the treasures of antient lore.

CHICHESTER.

My first Item taken was the prodigious remnants of the city walls ftanding to the North; they form the promenade for the good people here.

THE MARKET CROSS. A kind of rivalry between two great names in the neighbourhood prevailing, as who fhould endeavour most to gain the good opinions of the many, this large and magnificent Crofs has fared the better for it. The name of the noble repairer is rendered confpicuous on one of the fronts to gratitude and commendation. May the like exalted care be ever continued! for, fhould it prove neglectful or be loft, foon would ftart up thofe men, who ready wait in official ambufh to doom this Crofs to a premature downfall; thefe fubalterns in Architectural Innovations whispering on all hands, "This Crofs is a nuifance, blocking up the centre of four streets; we will vote it to be taken down." I

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reply to fuch infinuators, "Why do you advance on with your hoveled dwellings fo near this tranfcendant object, one of your City's glories? Maft fuch a treasure fall, becaufe your fouls cannot know a higher elevation than the level of plebeian conception?

The plan of the Crofs is an octagon; eight arches enter within the lines, where in the centre is a large columa fupporting" groins, which groins have their counter rife from finaller columns at the feveral angles. The exterior of the arches are furrounded with rich compartments; and the finials above their points fupport rich niches. The eight intervening buttreffes finifh in the like manner with correfponding niches. At the back, and near the top of thefe but treffes, fpring as many flying arched fupports, to bear up an elegant turret, which, as a centrical- object, crowns the whole work. The columns, fpringings of the arches and their fpandrils, niches, and parapets, are embellished with their appropriate ornaments, shields of arms, &c. As the work of the Crofs compels me thus to enlarge on its merits, it glads me alfo to be a happy witnefs of the due care that has been bettowed on it. The innovations made I muli not cenfure, as they in no material fenfe interfere with the general outline of the performance; one being of the utmoft ufe to regulate the towns-peoples' affairs; and the other to keep alive their fentiments of loyalty; a large clock, and a finé but

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of parts, much confequence is derived thereby. This Cathedral is faid to be in miniature whit Salisbury's fane gives in the large. I cannot acquiefce in this. Chichefter's religious walls fhew the contructures of divers periods; Salisbury, that of one intire and uniform mode (meaning prior to the late aberation). In the edifice before us are many remarkable characters culiar to itself, equally curious and defirable to behold," and among the internal parts are to be feen fenii-circalar or Saxoa arches, with their feveral details, ferving to prove the exilience of this church prior to Salisbury's pile. · A circunftance highly to the credit of the Architect who raifed up the spire here, must be brought into general notice; the interior of which is left clear

THE CATHEDRAL; the Clofe of which has feveral gateways, but their upper parts have been converted into habitations for the lower order of peo-ple; of couple their original finiflings are obliterated. This is to be regrettel; as well as to fee the North fide of this Clofe defiled by hovels filled with the loweft and mott profligate part of the community; while on the Southern file ftand the Bifh sp's palace, Deanry, and other buildings occupied by the Clergy. How thefe two oppofite degrees of people can accord in fituations fo neighbourly feated, I cannot poffibly divine. At the North Well angle of the Clofe is a large and lofty fquare tower, terminating in an octangular finish, which work is fupported by four turrets and flying buttrelles, emerging from the four angles of the tower. This defign is extremely fimple; yet, from the vaft dimentions, and fymmetry

of all timber-framing, or other fupports; while Salibury's fpire is entirely fuflained by fuch-like aids from the very bafe to the cap-foue at top whereon the weathercock is elevated. We wave farther comparifon between the two structures until the latter comes under our particular farvey. Returning to our prefent concern, we find that the great window in the Weft front of the Cathedral has a fhort time back had its mullions and other work knocked out, and your common mafoned" muntings" (mullions) and tranfoms ftuck up in their room, without any tracery-fweeps or turns of the fecond and third degrees; which work may before long be confirued by fome' fhallow dablers in architectural matters into the claffical and chatte productions of our old workmen. On the North and South fides of the church are buttreffes, with rare and uncommon octangular-columned terminations; but they have likewife, to fave a trifling expence in reparation, been deprived of their principal embellishments, and are now capped with vulgar houfe-coping. The Eaft window of Our Lady's chapel, judging from thofe in being on each tide, full of elaborate and elegant traceries, muft have borne a correfpondent fhew; has been flopped up with mortar, &c. Perchance thefe decorations are entirely cut out. How infenfible are fome to the jewels they poffefs! Speaking of thefe windows, let me advert to the great South window of the South tranfept. Its fituation is in the area of the cloifters: which window and the abogether fill yo

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radife." Admiring age, and wondering brought about; that is, converting infancy, each repeat the hallowed Our Lady's Chapel into a depôt for name, with the like inbred conviction, Books, Stationers Almanacks, and that fomething divine appertains to the other the like furniture, to constitute a facred place. It is not pollible, when Reading-room. If my memory is corconfidering the effentials of this win- rect (as I took no note of this circumdow, as heighth, width, tracery of ftance) a chimney is made to fill up manifold parts, to refrain from Tub- the fite of the original altar; which infcribing to each praife that can be deed may account why the beautiful given; fleering at the fame time clear Eaft window, before fpoken of, is of "Superftition," though not of "En- blocked up. Here I with to be corthufiafin." It may be well to fpeak of rected if in an error. I had now come the Weft porch as an excellent per- to one fpot of the Church, the contour formance; and the flatue over the of which fully repaid me for each double entrance is remarkably fo, al- innovating pang I had undergone in though it is not on record that a Fo- my prefent furvey; that is, the view reign Artift was the fculptor. As an had from the South Eaft angle of the apology, I may prefume that it fo South tranfept. The whole fcene was chanced upon a certain time an Eng- fo entirely original, replete with every lifhman was found, who had eyes as picturefque adornment and effect; that clear, and hands as apt to form a model for a while I was loft to the occupation of man in the likenels of his Creator, of the day; those Artists who had conas though he had made his way into tributed towards the delight I enjoyed, the land under the guife of a trea- being the characters I wifhed to have cherous' or an hypocritical Foreigner. in memory, and render to them my That this idea may be properly under gratitude, though expreffed in filent food, it is well known that our Ar- extacies. My tranfport over, before chitects, Sculptors, and Painters, have I proceeded to fum up the particulars a received opinion (a firange compli- of the view, I liftened to the morning ment to their own capacities!) that an- fervice, which had a particular tie of tiently there were no Englishmen ade- my attention; the office of the Litany quate to the talk of constructing grand being more devoutly and folemnly de edifices, or executing their feulptures; livered, and the refponfes from the and that we are folely indebted to French- Choir more harmonioufly and fweetly men and Italians for fuch works. cliaunted, than I had ever before heard;' This they argue, when in the mood to and fo devoutly and deliberately coinmend any the like performances. was the whole of the fervice gone through, that I heard one of the attending Dignitaries obferve, after confulting his watch, "that the morning's duty was longer at this time, by half an hour, than was the ufual cuftom.”

In the interior of this Cathedral, few innovations have been effected. We país over the pew lumber," filling up the nave but cannot overlook a new fort of church decoration, occupying the Weft and last divifion of the Against the Eaft and Weft walls of North aile of the nave. This divifion the faid tranfept are affixed hiftoric has been walled up into what is termed paintings; thofe on the Weft fide avault;" entrance is had from the (the figures as large as life) relate to South; when confequently the atten- the founding of the Church, and its tion is directed to the North, where, re-edification in Henry the Eighth's instead of beholding any Chriftian at time. Among the various portraits, is tribute to infpire the hope of a future that of Henry VIII himself. here are ftaté, you are inftantly track with the alfo, in feparate circular compartments, milanthropic demeanour and feoul- the quarter portraits of our Kings, from jug eyes of a aloft naked figure, un- William the Conqueror to Henry VIII. der the character of an Heathen admo- (and, fince his day, in continuation to ither. So triumphs the Roman and George I.) On the Ealt fide is the Grecian fchool over Apoftolic example! entire collection of the antient Bifhops of Here the ftatue of a Cynic Philofopher the fee (quarter lengths, and in circular fakes place of the effigies of a Saint or compartiments). A fhort time back, Martyr. So much for modern refine the faces of the feveral portraits was ment in our national tafte! Another touched upon by fome unfkilful alteration (none fore will maintain hand: however, we have before us that it is an "improvement)" has been oft curious fpecimens of the coftamé

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of Henry's day, when the whole of thefe paintings were done (excepting thofe of fubfequent dates) in drefles, warlike habiliments, buildings, &c. Looking towards the North, ou the outfide of the choir, is the monumental chapel and tomb of St. Richard. The groins above are embellished with paintings of foliage, arms, &c. conveying the eve over the choir; thence into the North tranfept, intercepted in the way by the galleries over the fide ailes, when the general combination of objects is terminated by the North tranfept window, which, though inferior to the Southern window, fill has its own peculiar attractions.

AN ARCHITECT.

(To be continued.)

Mr. URBAN,

Jan. 4.
OU have inferted in vol. LXXII.

which Akerblad fhews to have been pronounced by the Copts as by the Greeks, as well as Arfinge; and that of Alexander has exactly the fame number of letters in one language as in the other, and, the genitive prefixes, and is not put in its right place by Sacy, who has taken into it the preceding word aufwering to priest, and the following word anfwering to and, and part of that anfwering to gods. A fourth proper name is Berenice, but in the genitive cafe, the Greek original being tranflated into Coptic, in which in the preceding line the order is changed, and the words εφ' ιερέως αείου του δε του Αλεξανδρου XXI DEWY σulepay, &c. "the prieti of Alexander, &c. being Aetes," as if the tranflator ftudioufly avoided putting the name of the high-pricft before those of ftance where the pricfteffes of the queens the gods, which he does in no other in

Y p. 720, Sacy's interpretation of of Leware en pucrated. Me. Ateers

the Coptic infeription brought from
Rofetta. I fend you now the different
ideas of J. D. Akerblad, antient feere-
tary of the orders of the king of Swe-
den;
of the Royal Society of Gottin-
gen*; &c. in a letter from him to
Sacy. He fets out with obferving,
that, when almoft all hope of recover-
ing the antient alphabet of Egypt was
nearly gen up, as that of afcertaining
the meaning of the hieroglyphicks has
long been, the infeription in queftion
has reanimated their hopes, and led

them to think that the veil which co-
wered the ancient monuments of Egypt
was about to be removed. He gives a
plate of the few words which he has
difcovered to contain the whole Egyp
tian alphabet, and another of the
Egyptian letters difpofed according to
the order of the Coptic alphabet. Both
the fentences and the letters are traced
by the copy fent to Sacy by Marcel,
and by him lent to our authort. A-

kerblad fet himself to find out the pro-
per names.
First, that of Ptolemy,
which is always followed by a train
of titles; then of Alexander and Ar-
fine. To the first of thefe Sacy had
prefixed aleph, and thus unwarrantably
altered the pronunciation of the name,

*Ancien fecretaire des commandemens

de S. M. le Roi de Suede.

+ An excellent impreffion in fulphur, belonging to Raffigeau, of Lille, will certainly ferve as a pattern, if the monument is to be engraved, as we have reafon.to hope it will.

GENT. MAG. January, 1803.

blad reads the Greek as above in p. 20, but in p. 22 the Coptic fuggets a different reading, A TOU Afov, as indeed I read it from the engraving by the Society of Antiquaries; and Akerof the Coptic infeription, diftinguith blad, though he could not, in his copy any intermediate mark, obferves, that the other is an innovation in the Coptic. language, which always inerts the word fon between the names of father and fon. Yet, he fays, the father of Aetos is not mentioned in the Greek; and adds, that Pachom anfwers to Alc; as the name of a bird in the Coptic. The name of Pyrrha is expreted in the vowel of uncertain found. Her relation Coptic, though the lati letter of it is a to Philenus is marked by a kind of tigle, or monogram, which recurs twice; p is fublütated to ph in Philenus, and the Egyptian word antwering to Athiophorus requires fome conjecripe. In the following fentence Area tures, for which the fubject is not yet has at the end a vowel like that terminating Pyrrha and Eirene; and the word correfponding to Canephorus, by a fracture in the lione, has only the first fyllable left, which anfwers only to bedger. Thus the doubt of Saev, whether the minifters of religion preferved ir Greek names, is here removed. The word, 1. 14, evažus, contributions of corn and money, is retained in the Coptic, and fo Mr. A. thinks ate Ardekes, Exipzing, Evxa

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