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PREFACE.

It is rather in compliance with a custom long established, than for the purpose of imparting any particular information to our readers, that we continue our addresses to them, at this portion of the year, on the subject of the Magazine: more especially, as we have fully communicated to them in our previous prefaces, the system which we have laid down for its management, and which we believe to be most conducive to the purposes for which it was established, and which it continues to promote. We think that nothing has occurred in the last half year, either connected with our literary or antiquarian departments, which demands any peculiar notice. Many valuable books have passed in review before us; and some points of literature, neither incurious nor unimportant, have been discussed either by ourselves, or by our correspondents. That in all cases we have satisfied authors, whose works we have reviewed, of the justice of our decisions, it would be vain to expect; for what parent can look with impartial eyes on his own offspring? but we venture to assert, that while not forgetting that the public has a right to expect from us an opinion formed with care, and delivered with impartiality; we have also endeavoured to take the more favourable side in our critical judgments; and not retard the exertions, or repress the hopes of those, who from various motives, and with various success, are honourably engaged in the field of literature. These observations may apply more peculiarly to the youthful aspirants after fame, whose numbers, particularly of the gentler sex, we observe are rapidly increasing, and whose compositions form no inconsiderable portion of the productions of the press. On

کو

GENERAL LIBRARY

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGI

ATHENS CEORGIA

thein, who perhaps will listen to us more willingly than their elders, we wish earnestly to impress the great necessity, if they wish to be distinguished among their numerous competitors, of severely reviewing their own works, before they trust them to be reviewed by others. This plan, honestly pursued, will blunt the shafts of the severest criticism, and inspire them with a well-grounded confidence in the success of their publications. Let them recollect, that the character of a work is estimated not by its quantity, but quality; let them not be ambitious, juvenili levitate, of for ever filling the press with their name: the naturalists tell us, that the mouse, and other insignificant animals, produce a numerous progeny at a litter-the lioness but two; but then those two are LIONS. June, 1841.

S. URBAN.

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GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE.

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Aungier's History of Syon Monastery and Isleworth, 49; Napier's Montrose
and the Covenanters, 54; Memoirs of the Court of England, by J. H.
Jesse, 56; Brougham's Dissertations on subjects of Science, 58; Keight-
ley's History of the Roman Empire, 60; Poulson's History of Holderness,
62; Beesley's History of Banbury, 65; Miscellaneous Reviews

FINE ARTS.-Panorama of Damascus.-Granger Society, &c.

LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.-New Publications,

74.-Cambridge University, 76.-Westminster School Play, ib.-Royal

Society, 78.-Botanical Society, ib.-Institution of Civil Engineers, ib.-

Royal Institute of British Architects, 79.-Oxford Architectural Society,

ib.-Cambridge Camden Society, &c.

Society of Antiquaries, 80.-Romano-
British Discoveries, 81.-French Antiquarian Intelligence
HISTORICAL CHRONICLE.-Foreign News, 85.- Domestic Occurrences
Promotions and Preferments, 88.-Births, 89.-Marriages

OBITUARY; with Memoirs of Lord Seafield; Lord Henry J. Churchill;
Adm. Lord Mark Kerr; Adm. Sir Sidney Smith, G.C.B.; Adm. Sir Ross
Donnelly; Lieut.-Gen. Gordon; Col. Henry Sullivan, C.B.; John Gardi-
ner, Esq.; Thomas Hill, Esq.; Francis Reynard, Esq.; William Hazle-
dine, Esq.; Mr. T. B. Johnson

CLERGY DECEASED, 103.-Deaths arranged in Counties

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Bill of Mortality-Markets-Prices of Shares, 111; Meteorological Diary-Stocks 112
Embellished with Views of the Wheel Window of the TEMPLE CHURCH; GARSING-
TON SCHOOL; CAIRN, in the ISLE OF SKYE; and a Plan of ROLLRICH STONES.

2

MINOR CORRESPONDENCE.

The ingenious reviewer of Dyce's edition of the works of Middleton is informed that the etymology of atone from at one, had neither Mr. Henley for its original author, nor were the critics, to whom the reviewer refers, indebted for it to a pun of Thomas Edwards. (See Gent. Mag. for Dec. p. 576.) The reviewer will find it in "The Guide into Tongues," by John Minshew, in the Etymologicon of Skinner, and also in that of Junius. The quotations from the writings of the early English writers on religion, produced by Richardson, leave no doubt that the etymology was familiar to their minds; and it appears that Bp. Beveridge expressly adopted it.

In answer to the question in our last number on the etymology of the name of a well-known suburban parish, "Hackney," Q. submits a conjecture. Ac is in Saxon (from which almost all our local habitations have their names) an oak, and ey, an isle, or isolated place; thence we find Acken-ey, or Cocknicé, Hackney, the place of oaks, like Thorney (where St. Peter's, Westminster, stands), the place of thorn-bushes, and Oseney (near Oxford), the place of oxen. [Here we may remark that in the cases above-mentioned, and such others as we can recollect, ey signifies absolutely_an island, not an isolated place.-Edit.]The same correspondent adds, Let me query whether the root given at p. 575, of your last, kok, foolish-for cuckoo, be not too farfetched? It apparently belongs to that large class of words imitated by man after the fashion of a mocking-bird, and only mimics the cuckoo's note, cuccoo, just as hic-cough does the guttural convulsion, or cough itself the noise of coughing, bark of barking, quack of a duck's quacking, &c. Guck guck is the German form of cuckoo, and has no allusion to folly; while from guck comes the Scotch word gowk, a cuckoo, which has received the secondary English meaning, silly, also. Perhaps Cuckfield, Cuckmere, and such localities, are contractions from cuckoo-field, cuckoo-mere, &c. Nay, it is possible that the much delitigated term, Cockney, might be derived from the same simple source: Cuckeney is the name of several places in England (one in Notts. for example), and means the place of cuckoos, on my theory: London would thence be allusively nicknamed Cuckney, or the place of simple tons. Aristophanes would call it, not "Cuckoo-cloudland," but Cuckoo-fogland, probably? It strikes me, that kok, foolish, is itself derived from cuckoo, rather than vice-versa.

A. J. K. submits to the consideration of Mr. READER, (Dec. p. 616) whether the true derivation of the name Warwick is not hinted at by Camden from the British word Guarth or Garth, signifying a fortified inclosure on a hill. Let the orthography of Guarth be altered to Warth, Gu and W, in many old names and words, have the same power: as Guido, Wido, Guiscard, Wiscard, Gulielmus, Willelmus, Guarantizare, Warrantizare, to guarantee and to warrant, are synonymous, &c. Let this alteration, I say, be made, and of Guarth-wic we have Warth-wick familiarly Warwick the fortified place, or the hill place. It may be observed that the definition he gives of the term as from Waring, a mound, and wick, a town, approaches very nearly to the derivation I have proposed. A good deal might be said on the modifications of the word Guarth, alias Warth—of this I take Warren to be one; and that is, indeed, the very term which Mr. READER, following the Saxon Chronicle, thinks is compounded into Warwick, q. d. Warren-wick.

W. H. will feel obliged if any correspondent can inform him from what family of Tonge, Dr. Tonge was descended, who was concerned in the pretended Popish plot in the reign of Charles II. and who procured the infamous Titus Oates as a witness against the Catholics.

A member of the Barry family (at Stockton-on-Tees) begs to correct an error in his signature (Dec. p. 562.) He intended to sign himself" a Barry," meaning that he was "A member of the Barry family" only; and not that his Christian name began with the letter A. The wife of Mr. William Barry whom he named was Susanna Burren, not Burrew. Her father, Mr. Anthony Burren, was a wealthy merchant in the parish of St. Dunstan's-in-the-East. Her husband, Mr. Barry, resided in St. Dunstan's-inthe-West.

Mr. J. G. NICHOLS requests to be favoured with references to any topographical or other works into which inventories of household furniture and other property, particularly of the time of Elizabeth and James I. have been introduced.

We recommend Z. X. to address his remonstrances to some local periodical.

In the review of Krasinski, Dec. p. 626, col. 1, the words "the Bishop first mentioned," should be, "the Bishop just

mentioned."

In Dec. p. 648, the respective numbers of votes for Lord Lyndhurst and Lord Lyttelton should be 973 and 488.

THE

MAGAZINE.

GENTLEMAN'S

1. Tour in Sweden, &c. by Samuel Laing, Esq. 2. On the Moral State and Political Union of Sweden and Norway, in answer to Mr. Laing, 1840.

THE observations in this work appear to us to be those of aninquiring and informed mind: the view which Mr. Laing gives of a country so closely connected with our own, and yet so dissimilar both in its social system, its political institutions, and its natural character, must lead to an interesting comparison of their relative advantages and excellence; while the inferences which he draws from certain apparent peculiarities and anomalies which he meets with in the course of his observations, and the conclusions he wishes to establish, if not generally admitted, will yet, we think, be found to be based upon something more than partial truth.

In the present state of political feeling, and in the struggle which is now maintaining between those who wish to preserve the ancient institutions which have grown venerable by time, and appear to be approved by the experience of mankind, and those who think the general happiness to be inseparably connected with a new and more popular form of government; it is to be presumed, that the great importance of the subject will force itself on all reflecting minds, and place them on one side or the other of the controverted question. Mr. Laing adopts what is called the more liberal view, and consequently the Norwegian constitution finds more favour in his eyes than the aristocracy of Sweden.

But as the value of facts is to lead to general conclusions, so it is most necessary that these facts should be established on wide and accurate observation; and as Mr. Laing, like other travellers in the present day, spends no more time in the country which he visits than enables him to take a panoramic view of its leading features, we think, that, whether right or wrong, his theories are of less importance than his observations; and no one who has read his work will deny that it presents, if not many finished and elaborate pictures, yet some pleasing sketches of the country and the people among whom he dwelt for a few summer-months. Different countries require travellers of different minds and acquirements: from him, who acquaints us that he has traversed the Italian Alps, gazed on the temples of Pæstum, and measured the gigantic sculpture of Girgenti, we expect a somewhat refined and artist-like knowledge of the principles on which the masterpieces of Italian art are formed he who, like the late Mr. Douglas, plunges into the untrodden wilds of the western globe, and traverses in many a lone and moonlight journey the immense savanahs of California, will doubtless return laden, as he did, with the rich spoils of rifled nature, and adorn our landscapes with the new and exuberant foliage of a foreign clime; and as neither Medicæan Apollos, nor Doric temples, nor forms of beauty glowing with the hues of Titian's pencil, are to be found on the shores of the Baltic, or on the Scandinavian hills, Mr. Laing wisely directed his mind to the more useful inquiry concerning the constitutional system of the countries, the administration of the laws, the formation of the government, and the wellbeing of the inhabitants.

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