wards noon it fo far cleared up, that we faw one of the men of war and two or three of the convoy: about this hour, however, and at no great diftance from us, one of the frigates (La Dedaigneute) was completely difmafted, and nearly fent to the bottom by the violence of the typhoon. Our progrefs had been fo rapid during the typhoon, that we made Pedra Branca, a perpendicular rock, near Haerlem bay on the coaft of China, about two P. M. on the fifth, and hove to, to the Weftward of it, till the next morning. In the courfe of the night the gale increafed almoft to a hurricane, and that too, dead on fhore! The fituation of feveral of the convoy was now extremely perilous, as they were much to leeward of us, and completely embayed, without the ability of carrying fufficient fail to extricate themselves; and one of them indeed was obliged to run in at the utinoft rifque, and take fhelter under the lee of a fmall iland, where the lay in safety till the gale was over. The gale fomewhat abated on the 6th, though ftill blowing with confiderable violence; we were therefore obliged to carry a great prefs of canvas to keep us from fettling down too far in the bay, expecting frequently indeed, that fome of the mafts would go over the fide. A favourable flant of wind enabled us, next day, to run in between the Great Lama, and a cluster of islands called the Nine Pins, where we were foon furrounded by fwarms of fishing boats, out of one of which we got a pilot, who offered to, take us to Lintin for eighty dollars; this being refused, he afked fifty, and ultimately came down to forty, but would on no account accept a fmaller fum: this being counted out to him, he very leifurely marched forward to the galley-fire, where he fat down to finoke with the utmoft composure, leaving the pilotage entirely to ourselves! On being routed up on the quarter-deck, however, he made fome trifling figns with his hands refpećting the adjacent fhores, which we could not well comprehend; in fhort, we were obliged entirely to truft to our lead, while winding in among thofe iflands; and there feems to be little danger, the fhores being fo bold that a fhip may run clofe to them. In the evening, while paffing the high peak of Lantou, the pilot made figns to drop the anchor, which we complied with: this is the highest mountain on this part of the coaft, and may be feen at an immenfe diftance. In every direction that we now could look, nothing prefented itfelf but the wildeft affemblage of mountamous islands that it is poffible to conceive, all having a barren inhofpitable appearance. We next morning got under weigh, and kept working up for Lintin, ciofe to which we anchored in the evening, abreaft of the principal village on the fouth fide of the ifland, and about a mile from the thore. Lintin lies in the mouth of the river Tigris, about thirty miles above Macao, and is remarkable for a very high peak in the centre of the island; which may be from fifteen to twenty miles in circumfe relice. It contains three villages, befides fome ftraggling cottages, and is frequently the rendezvous of two or three of the fishing fleets, that are scattered in fuch numbers oyer every part of the coaft. The principal village is (as I have faid before) on the S. W. fide of the ifland, where there is a pleafant bay (called "Lintin bay,") and good anchorage, completely theltered from the north-eaft monfoon by the peak. Near this village, at the foot of a little hill, we pitched our tents; one for the furgeon and another officer, one for the fick, and a large tent for the artifi cers. When we first arrived here, the wea ther was fo hot and fultry, that we generally flept outside of the tents at night, without any danger of catching cold, there being little or no dews, but the moft beautiful ferene fkies imaginable. The villagers were a little intrusive at first, from curiolity alone; for they never, during the whole of our ftay, attempted to plunder or fteal the fmallest article from our tents, nor to moleft us in any refpect whatever! an example which. I am forry to fay, all our exertions could not induce our own men to imitate. The proximity of a potatoe field to our tents, was the caufe of many complaints from the natives, and it required all our vigilance to prevent the failors levying contributions, during the night, on this fa vorite root. As our prefence on this ifland excited the curiofity of every man, woman, and child belonging to it; and as our artificers and fick were no lefs curious, in viewing the grotesque and novel appearance of the Chinese villagers; we were forced to draw a line of circumvallation round the tents, and give orders to the centinels not to permit any commo nication, nication, but at certain ftated hours, when they might negociate as much as they pleated. We here got fith in abundance, long potatoes, and a few other vegetables, the produce of the ifland; but our principal fupply was from Achon, the compredore at Macao, who has the contract for fupplying his Majefty's fhips with fresh beef, and every defcription of vegetables, which he fent up to us regularly by junks; independent of thefe we had an extra fupply for the ufe of the fick alone, who here became more numerous every day. There is a watering-place about half a mile from the village, at the foot of the peak, where the fiream runs through a bamboo into the cafks on a little fandy beach. The water, though none of the beit, is as good as any on the neigbouring ifles. It may here be remarked, that the water in this part of China, is, generally fpeaking, of a very inferior quality; we were obliged to ftart fome of it overboard after leaving China. As we wished to have a commanding view of this little Chineje Cyclades, a party of us fet out early one morning in order to afcend the peak, which is very abrupt, except on the northern fide, where it is of fomewhat eafier afcent. On our way up, we had opportunities of feeing feveral pictures in miniature of Chinese induftry: every little rill of water that trickled from the fuminit, was led in zig-zag directions along the fides of the mountain, and made to país over innumerable little terraces of paddy or rice, that were formed on every fpot that would bear the flightest cultivation. The other parts of the mountain ferved to feed their goats, &c. The goat-herds' cottages, furrounded with beautiful little bowers, peeping out here and there from among the rocks and precipices. The peak itself terminates in three craggy eminences, or huge fragments of rock, that feem to have been fevered from each other by fome ftroke of lightning; and as the earth has been confiderably washed away from about their bafes, they appear as if refting on a perfect proot: that fragment particularly, facing the S. W. impends over a moft frightful chain of precipicos, which we could not look down upon without thrinking back with horror. From this elevated fituation, we could count between twenty and thirty inlands fcattered around in all directions, and exhibiting a peculiar wildacfs and variety in their features. We could barely make out Macao, on which the Portuguese fettlement of the fame name is built, and which we afterwards viited. In the contrary direction we could fee the celebrated itrait, called the Bogue, or Bocca Tigris, where H. M. S. Grampus was then lying. The north-eat view prefented the high blue mountains in the interior of the country. Towards the middle of November the weather began to get cold; the northeaft monfoon coming down from the bleak mountains of China and Tartary, felt very harp and biting to people juft arrived from the burning kies of India. As we expected fome bad weather about this time, we prepared to move up to the Bocca Tigris, where fhips are well fheltered by the furrounding moun tains. On the 15th of November, therefore, we ftruck our tents at Lintin, and removed the fick on board, who now amounted to 50 or 60, moftly agues, fluxes, and colds. We loft one officer and one man while lying here, whom we buried with the ufual ceremonies, on the fide of a little hill; the whole of the iflanders eving the process with the utmoft curiosity. The villager to whom the ground belonged, did not fail to afk me the next day for two dollars, pointing to the grave where the young officer was buried, and whom he had obferved me frequently viht while lying fick on the inland. We now unmoored, and proceeded up towards the Bogue; the Mafter having been fent iome time before, to take a furvey of the paffage, and in two days came to an anchor in Anfon's bay, fo named fince the time Lord Anfon refitted the Old Centurion in this place. It lies juft without, and on the eastern fide of the Bogue, between Annanhoy and Chumpee forts. The shore all round the bay is fo flow and muddy, that there is no landing except at high water and that clofe under the Annanhoy fort, among fome fharp black rocks, The laft-mentioned fort itands on the eaftern tide of the Bocca, or mouth of the Tigris. It is a fall femicircular battery pearly level with the water's edge, mounting twelve or thirteen old guns, of different calibre, feemingly about the fize of 4 and 6 pounders, placed on dead carriages, and apparently in a wretched ftate. On the oppofite file, are two small forts fituated on two litte inlands; the distance acrofs, I think, is about two mufketthots, or thereabouts. To To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, RELY on your candour and impar in, or connected with, every parish within the feveral counties comprifed in our first volume, and in fuch part of the I tiality for the infection of the following fecond as is ready for the prefs, who obfervations on Mr. Beitham's letter, in your last Magazine, containing fome remarks on the first volume of the Magna Britannia publifhed by my brother and nyfelf. It must be fufficiently obvious, that an unqualined affertion that our Hiftory of the County of Bedford "is deemed by perfons who poffefs the beft information refpecting multifarious fubjects treated in it, to contain a confiderable number of errors and inadvertencies," and a charge of "rifquing random prefumptions," efpecially when brought forward through the medium of a publication to extenfively circulated as your Magazine, must be very injurious to the credit of a work "whofe effence (as Mr. Beltham juftly obferves) is to exhibit plain matter of fact." That in a volume of fuch extent, comprehending a great variety of matter, collected from fuch numerous fources of enquiry, errors fhould be found, arifing in fome inftances from misinformation, in others from inadvertency, cannot be deemed extraordinary ; we are forry when any fuch come to our knowledge, yet thankful to thofe who give us an opportunity of correction, by pointing them out with candour. Thofe perfons therefore whom Mr. Belfham alludes to, as poffeffing the bett information refpecting the hiftory of Bedfordshire, will do us a great favour by tranfmitting fuch errors, as they may have difcovered, to our bookfellers, that we may infert corrections of fuch as are of importance at the end of our fecond volume. We have expreffed our acknowledgements to fome gentlemen of the county of Bedford who were pointed out to us as most converfant with that kind of information, which was wanted for our work, and we can confidently appeal to thofe gentlemen, when we affert that we were not remifs in our enquiries; and hope they will find that we have faithfully ftated the fubftance of their communications. If there were others who poffeffed better information than our correfpondents, it is our misfortune they were not alfo pointed out to us. We can moft confidently affert, that where the means of acquiring information have been within our knowledge or power, presumption has never been fubftituted for matter of fact; letter after letter has been written, to afcertain a fingle date; and we can fafely affirm, that there are individuals living can bear witness to the extenfive circulation of our queries. Nor have we been lefs anxious to avoid errors, than diligent in our endeavours to procure information; and where we have had reafon to fufpect inaccuracy, either in written communications, or printed authorities, we have never ceafed inquiring till our doubts (as far as poftible) have been fatisfied; therefore, although an erroneous date may have crept in, or fouth by inadvertency have been written for north, or north for fouth, we truft that the work will not be found, generally speaking, to deserve the character of inaccuracy. In thofe departments which confift chiefly of figures, we have been particularly careful; in the abstract of the population of each county, every figure was collated, as it went through the prefs, with the original report printed by authority of parliament; the fame care was taken with the Index, every reference of which was in the fame manner collated with the text. Your readers will excufe my having enlarged on these general heads, as it is not only of impor tance to the author, but to the public, to have it known whether a work whose chief utility depends on its accuracy, be or be not upon the whole accurate. With refpect to Mr. Belfham's correc tions we admit that he has pointed out a few errors; they are not of much importance; and might (with about two exceptions) be defended even from the charge of inadvertency on our part, and most of them had been noted for correction, before we read that gentleman's letter. We were certainly misinformed or mifunderstood our information, if the Single Brethren of the Moravians did not refide in community at Bedford in the year 1800. The fame may be obferved as to the Garnows poffeffing Caldwell priory; the Gardiners certainly were in poffeflion in the year 1682, and I underitood that they continued to poffels it till the time mentioned in our work; but was deceived no doubt by the fimilarity of found in the two names. As to the increafed population of Bedford, I caanot help doubting whether our informa tion was erroneous. Browne Willis, in the laft edition of his Notitia Parliamen taria, fpeaks of the total number of voters in the borough, as being fomewhat more than 600; at the laft conteiled election in 1790 they were 1148, of whom above 600 were refident. As Mr. Belfham fpeaks from his own knowledge as to a late appointment to the benefice of Elitow, I fuppofe he is right in ftating it to be a perpetual curacy, or donative; but as it is defcribed as a vicarage in Bacon's Liber Regis, printed from official documents, by the principal of the office in which they are depofited; we could not hesitate to defcribe it as fuch, unless we had been poffeffed of proof to the contrary. Mr. Belsham accufes us of rifquing random prefumption," refpecting the fite of Bedford Caftle, when we might have obtained matter of fact. Now the truth is that we felt particularly interested in tracing the hiftory of the Barony and Caftle of Bedford and took no fmall pains in our enquiries on that fubject; as must be apparent to any one who fhall read the account of it in pages 46 and 47. In our endeavours to trace the defcent of a portion of the Barony, which we confidered as attached to the fite of the Caftle, we could obtain no information from the Duke of Bedford's profeffional agents, who were extremely Liberal in affording us every afliftance, that could be derived from his Grace's muniments; and we flatter ourselves that the hiftory of his numerous manors will be found to be accurately traced to the prefent time, with the exception of its being inadvertently stated, in the inkances pointed out by Mr. Beltham, that Goldington and Ravenfden were purchafed by John Duke of Bedford inftead of the Trustees under his will: the date is correct and the whole is accurately stated in the account of Knotting, which was purchased at the fame time. Had our enquiries been directed to the title of the Swan Inn, instead of the Cattle and BaTony of Bedford, we thould in all probability have obtained what we were in fearch of; or had we known that Mr. Beltham was in poffeffion of the defired information, we fhould undoubtedly have applied to him for it; but not having an opportunity of afcertaining the fact, we freely own, we rifqued a conjecture; and when it is confidered that we knew that the Gofwick family poffeffed lands which conftituted a third part of the Barony of Bedford; that the Duke of Bedford then poffeffed the whole, or the greater part of thofe lands; and that he poffeffed alfo the fite of Bedford Caftle; the conjecture that they paffed by the fame title will not perhaps be generally deemed a very random prefumption. MONTHLY. MAG, No. 156, Since our account of Bedford was printed, we have found a document, which proves that the fite the Caftle belonged to the family of Snagg, who poffeffed another third part of the Barony in the reign of King Charles I. We shall endeavour to trace the poffeffors of the Cattle, from the Snaggs to Mr. Henry Horton, whom Mr. Beltham mentions as its owner about half a century ago. now Mr. Belfham obferves that we are not perfectly correct, in affirming that the Duke of Bedford's eftates form what may be confidered as by far the largest landed property in the county. The difficulty of obtaining that information, which could enable us to divide the proprietors of the principal landed property into claffes; and the certainty of giving offence by incorrect statements, has deterred us from any attempt of that kind; but we thought, and cannot but fill think ourfelves perfectly fafe, in the cafual obfervation, which was thrown out refpecting the Duke of Bedford's eftates. Although the number of Manors of which a perfon is owner, cannot be deemed a fure criterion of the extent of his landed property; yet as the proprietor of the principal manor in a parish, generally has a confiderable eftate in it, we may conclude that the poffeffor of many fuch nanors in a county has an extenfive landed property there: it appears that the Duke of Bedford (including three which he holds on leafe under the crown) poffeffes the principal manor in no lefs than twenty-two parishes, being more than a fixth of the whole number in the county of Bedford, befides 13 fubordinate manors, and feveral impropriate rectories. I cannot tell what the extent of Lord St. John's or Mr. Whitbread's eftates in Bedfordshire may be, and certainly can have no with nor motive to depreciate their value: but though their united poffeffions in that County may be as large as Mr. Belthan ftates them to be; ftill, as the number of manors poffeffed by both, bears a very finall proportion to thofe of the Duke of Bedford, I cannot but think we are fufficiently juftified in the expreffion we have made ufe of. The eftates of Lord St. John and Mr. Whitbread may be much more extensive than we were aware of; and this very circumftance juftifies our caution in not having entered into any further comparifon of the refpective extent of property amongst the prefent land-owners of the county. Had we meant to purfue the method X x of of eftimating the extent of property throughout the county by the number of proprietors manors, we thould have named Lady Lucas next after the Duke of Bedford, her Ladyfhip having the principal manors of nine parishes. It is evident that in eftimating the proportions of ancient property by the Domefday Survey, where the number of hides attached to each manor is fpecified, this method must be fatisfactory and conclufive; and had we thought it fo with respect to the prefent ftate of property, we fhould have made inore ufe of it. ferved in the Tower, we should have had lefs difficulty in afcertaining this and feveral other points. The fun of what we could clearly ascertain with refpect to Hawnes, was, that Sir Roger Newdigate poffefled it fo late as 1603; Sir Samuel Luke at least from 1626 to 1654; and that Lord Carteret purchafed it of Sir Humphry Wynch in 1667: your readers will judge therefore whether our conjecture, that the Lukes purchased of the Newdigates and Sir Humphrey Wynch of the Lukes, was very improbable. Mr. Belfham fays, that "the only fon of the Duke of Kent was not known by the title of Earl of Harold but fimply Lord Harold, his father being Duke Marquis and Earl of Kent and Baron of Harold.” I ftill maintain on the contrary, that we were perfectly correct in calling him Earl of Harold, and refer Mr. B. for our authority to the Herald's books in the College of Arms, were he will find that the father was in 1706 created Viscount Goodrich, Earl of Harold and Marquis of Kent: the fon bore the title of Earl of Harold; his eldeft fon is defcribed as Earl of Harold on his monu ment in Flitton Church, was always f defcribed in writing, but in conversation was no doubt, according to common ufage, called unceremoniously Lord Harold. With respect to the refidence of Sir Samuel Luke, I am really at fome lofs to discover what Mr. Beltham means to find fault with. He fays 66 we are informed (by Mr. L. p. 3.) that, Sir Samuel Luke's houfe was either Hawnes or Wood-end. But this was never before fuppofed to admit of a doubt. Sir Samuel Luke's houfe was unquestionably fituated at Wood-end in the parish of Cople." There certainly is no doubt, as we have afferted in p. 71. that Wood-end was the feat of the Luke family; however, though neither Mr. Belfham nor we doubt this, yet in the Magua Britannia of 1720, Wood-end near Toddington (in the parith of Harlington) is faid to have been the feat of Sir Samuel Luke, and this error has been copied into two or three fubfequent works. The note in p. 3. is perfectly correct: we could not affirm that Wood-end was the feat of Sir Samuel Luke, which Sir Lewis Dyve enjoyed in 1643; because Sir Samuel had at that time two houses, namely, Hawnes (now To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine, the feat of Lord Carteret) and Wood-end, and I have reafon to believe that he re fided chiefly at Hawnes; the entries of births and burials of the Luke family from the year 1626 to 1654 having been principally made in the regifter of that parish; Wood-end was certainly their ancient refidence, they did not poffefs Hawnes more than 50 years. Here we are again charged with fuppofing inftead of afcertaining: Mr. Belfham, I dare fay does not want to be informed, that if even the title-deeds of every manor were open to our inspection, in many initances they do not go beyond the middle of the feventeenth century, in fome not be yond the beginning of the laft: were the rolls of Chancery, which contain the grants and alienations of manors for the three last centuries, as open to our researches as those of a prior date pre D. LYSONS. Your's, &c. SIR, my earliest remembrance I an enthufiaftic lover of mufic, which I have been, though no performer, regard as one of the pureft fources of confolation in the miferies of life, and one of the fublimeft heightners of its happiness, as the univerfal language of the elevated and moft benign affections. With thefe fentiments I thould be particularly happy had I much information to offer on the fubject of your correfpun dent's interesting and refpectable enquiry concerning the authors who can pofed the words of the mufic of Handel, that great and venerable name, who ap plied this art with an energy the mot fublime, a fcience the most admirable, fertility and extent of invention which feens * P. 225. |