you were thinking of, when you thought of college. To you, Coleridge, your contemporaries were indeed friendly, and I believe that in your literary Life you have passed over your college life so briefly, because you wished to banish from your view the "visions of long-departed joys." To enter into a description of your college days would have called up too sadly to your memory "" 'the hopes which once shone bright," and made your heart sink. Yours, &c.

Mr. URBAN,

CERGIEL.

Nov. 10.

I UNDERSTAND that a very curious and elaborate edition of Skelton is preparing for the press by the learned and reverend Mr. Dyce, the editor of Peele and Greene. I therefore take the liberty of saying, that, among many other very difficult and obscure passages of that singular poet, I have heard many persons doubt the meaning of the words 'Scalis Malis,' in the following lines:

"For men be now tratlers and tellers of tales: [Wales; What tidinges at Totman; what newis in What shippis are sailing to Scalis Malis? And all is not worth a couple of nut shalis."

Now, in Sir Henry Wotton's Parallel of the Earl of Essex and Duke of Buckingham, will be found (edit. 4, p. 177,) the following passage, which solves the difficulty:

"His fortunatest piece I esteem the taking of Cadiz Malez; and no less modest; for then he wrote with his own hand a censure of his omissions."

sundrie others. Howbeit, the tassells are supposed to be the males of such birds as live by prey, as the tassell of the saker is called a hobbie, or mongrell-hawk, that of the sparrow-hawk a musket, that of the lannar a lannaret, and so of the rest. Now some again distinguish these birds three several ways. First, by the form and fashion of their bodies, some being great, as the gosse hawk, faulcon, gerfaulcon; and some small, as the merlin, musket, harmhawk, hobbie, and such others," &c. J. M.

Mr. URBAN,

Lambeth, Oct. 16.

THE memoir of the Marquis Luigi Grimaldi, in your Number for October (p. 430), affords a fit opportunity of recording in your pages a document relating to his illustrious family, which I discovered since your publication of those interesting papers, on the "Golden Book of Genoa," on the "Tenants in Chief of Domesday

Book,' and on the "family of Grimaldi as connected with England," in September 1830, and in January and December 1832.

The original paper is preserved in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, among royal and princely letters in the volume No. 1729, f. 142, and is denoted as art. 76 in my forthcoming Catalogue. The wrapper (143b) bears the impress of a round seal of the size of a half-crown, thus inscribed in Roman capitals, DVX ET GVBERNATORES REIP. GENVE, around an oval shield bearing a plain cross; and it is indorsed thus by a contemporary hand, "The State of Gene to the quenes Mate vijo Junij 1554."

It contains the credentials borne by

"The columbine and nepte." This is the nepeta, or cat-mint; so called from a supposition that cats are fond of it. Bishop Hall, in his "Select Thoughts," has

"The cat to her nep."

At p. 231,

"The hobby and the musket,

The sensers and the crosse shall set." For the meaning of musket, see Swan's "Speculum Mundi,” 4to, p. 1643.

"Of hawks there be many kinds, as the falcon, merlin, tassell, lannor, and

who were elected and dispatched by the Doge and Governors of the Republic of Genoa, as Ambassadors, to pay their respects to Queen Mary at her marriage with Philip of Spain, which was performed at Winchester, 5 July, 1554; the treaty having been concluded and ratified by the Queen in March, and by the Prince 25 June foregoing. (Rymer, xv. 377-380, 393 -403.)

Though I have not found their names mentioned in any documents relating to the Queen's marriage, nor any evidence of their having been present; yet the existence of the original letter in England, and its contemporaneous indorsement, prove that their mission was executed. They are described therein as "principal gentlemen," and in the Genoese fashion, entitled magnifici, being persons capable of bearing high offices in the State. This Lucas was the person thus named in the pedigree in your Magazine for December 1832, p. 511, "Luke Grimaldi, Lord of Beaufort, Ambassador to Spain from Genoa, d. 1580." He was the elder son of Cardinal Jerome, and ancestor of the elder or English branch; while his brother John Baptist was ancestor of the younger branch,

Serma et inuita Regina,

Il non potere, si come al debito nostro si conuerrebbe, Serma e christianissima Regina, intrauenire di presenza alla celebratione di queste santissime nozze di .v. Mta con l'inuittissimo e gloriosissimo Prencipe di Spagna, et ad honorarle, per quanto potessimo, ha caugiato in Noi ardentissimo desiderio di far palese à tutti, quanto sia grande questo nostro piacer', et allegrezza. Col mezo al manco della uiua voce de principali gentil' huomini di questa nostra Repub. e cosi habbiamo fatto elettione deli Magci. Simone di Negro, e Luca Grimaldi, Ambascri nostri essibitori di queste, et impostogli che affrettino il prestamente condursi al cóspetto di .v. Mta per fare l'ufficio sudetto, Tanto desiderato da Noi sotto que mig lior modi che potráno e sapráno. eglino Consapeuoli à pieno dell' animo nostro, l'aprirano à .v. Serta, et ella (merce della sua immensa humanità) degnera di credergli come anoi stessi, e restare anco seruita di accettare questa Repub. per vna di quelle, che hoggidi piu affettuosamente desiderano la grandezza di .v. Mta alla quale, quanto piu inchineuolmente possiamo, si raccomando. Da Genoua. Allj sette di Giugno del MDLIIII.

Di vv. serma e chrma Mta deuotmj seruitori, Duce e Goueri della Repuca di Genoua.

AMBROSIUS.

which has become extinct in the person of the late Luigi Marquis of Pietra.

With the transcript of the letter I beg that you will publish the translation; and let me extend my remarks by communicating a fact that has come to my knowledge,-that a valuable collection of wills, pedigrees, and other MS. documents relating to the family of Grimaldi of Genoa, having been offered for sale there, by the executors or representatives of some female descendants; the whole was bought up by the Sardinian Government, and lodged in the archives of Turin for the purpose of assisting in the investigation of the long-pending claim of the male line of the Grimaldis to the principality of Monaco.

WILLIAM HENRY BLACK.

(Translation.)

Most serene and invincible Queen, The not being able as we ought, most serene and most Christian Queen, to be present at the celebration of these most holy nuptials of your Majesty, with the most invincible and glorious Prince of Spain, and to honor them as much as we could, has caused in us a most ardent desire to make manifest unto all how great is our pleasure and joy,-by means (at least) of the word of mouth of the principal gentlemen of this our Republic; and so we have made choice of the Magnificents Simon di Negro and Lucas Grimaldi our Ambassadors, the exhibitors of these [letters], and have charged them that they make all haste to conduct themselves to the sight of your Majesty, to do the above office, so much desired by us, in the best manner that they can and know. Conscious to the full of our mind, they will open to your Serenity, and you (a mark of your vast politeness) will deign to receive them as ourselves, and to continue the service of accepting this Republic as one of those which now most affectionately desire the greatness of your Majesty, to which as humbly as possible we recommend ourselves. From Genoa, on the seventh of June 1554.

Of your most serene and most Christian Majesty, the most devoted servants, the Duke and Magistrates of the Republic of Genoa.

AMBROSIUS.

To the most serene and invincible Queen of England.

find Mr. Wells supporting an opinion that we have lung maintained, that the clerks and officers of the Government establishments àzre no claim whatever, or right to retired alicances; they enjoy large incomes without risk or draw. back, larger than could be got in many professions or trades. What must be thought of men who have saved nothing from half a century's receipt of one or two thousand a-year? What would a tradesman, a prudent tradesman, say of such conduct? and why should they not share the common lot of their fellow-citizens, enjoy the reward of their own care and produce, or suffer, as others do, the consequence of their heedless extravagance?

On Chemistry, Meteorology, and the Function of Digestion. By W. Prout, M.D. (Bridgewater Treatise.)

THERE are few names in science more eminent in the present day than that of Dr. Prout; and the contributions which he has made to it, have been among its deepest and most abstruse principles. That he should be selected for one of the Bridgewater Treatises was to be expected, and we think that his work has fulfilled the purposes which it professed, and has proved the sagacity of the author's views, and the extent of his knowledge. Such Treatises as the one before us, are not without considerable difficulties attached to their execution. In the first place they can present but a very abridged view of science—and yet its philosophical principles, its most important discoveries, its yet remaining deficiencies, are all to be enumerated or discussed. Hence the art of compression can only be the result of a most clear and comprehensive view of the subject. Again, it is absolutely necessary that the difficulties of science should be smoothed, and its principles familiarly illustrated, and the whole work adapted to general perusal. This we think Dr. Prout has effected in most instances; and in the few cases where such explanation was impossible, and where the subject could only be explained to persons familiar with science, Dr. Prout has judiciously admonished his general

readers, and led them on to discuss attended with less difficulty.

The sketch from Sect. II. to Ser IX. of the Molecular forces and actio is not only very clearly and es lently written, bat is distinguished as for the developement of original vi The author closes his consideration of them, by fearlessly asserting the the molecular constitution of matter a decidedly artificial, or, to use the wre of a celebrated writer, that the m cules of matter have all the essentia characters of a manufactured artice, and consequently are not eterna Again, the present order of thes could not have existed, unless molecules of matter had been end.wit with both properties of chemicsi azi cobesive affinity. One of which, the chemical, as it were, goes before, and imperiously determines what moverze shall be combined or separated, whle the other, the cohesive, silenty obtrusive, follows in its train, and sdustriously assisting and arrang its predecessor's labours, here perlaps forms a diamond, or there superintends the integrity of the atphere. Such are molecular forces as they obviously appear to us, and seri the arguments deducible from them; but when we attempt to go further. and inquire into the intricate arve of these forces, we not only find a that is unknown to us, but much the apparently surpasses our utmost cmception. And what a still more > lime idea is this calculated to cuaver to us of the wisdom and power of that Being who contrived and made the whole. When and where, do we raturally exclaim, did this Being exist? Whence his wisdom, and whence has power? There is-there can be bet one answer to these inquiries. The Being who contrived and made al these things, must have pre-existed from eternity-must have been Omniscient-must have been Omnipotent

must have been God. In a simbar line of argument at p. 155, the Athor observes:

"The phenomena of Chemistry are so extraordinary, and often so unexpected that little in general can be predicated f them but what is actually known. The most experienced chemist, therefore, w compared with the great Chemist of

nature, is immeasurably deficient, and can only contemplate His wonderful opera tions with astonishment and awe, and own them unapproachable. Who then can tell what design is latent under apparent incongruities? What elaborate contrivances and adaptations only have I been requisite to have produced water, or carbon, or any other essential principle, out of the materials, and in conformity to the laws, by means of which the great Author of nature chose to operate. Who can tell that the minor evil may not have been essential to the existence of the greater good? That the poisonous metals, for instance, are not, as it were, the refuse of the great chemical processes by which the more important and essential principles of nature have been eliminated? That these poisonous principles have not been left, with such subdued properties as scarcely to interfere with his great design, not because they could not have been prevented- not because they could not have been removed-but on purpose and designedly to display his power."

In speaking of the changes in organization that have attended the convulsions of nature, and the catastrophes of our globe, Dr. Prout ingeniously observes :

"If we judge from what we see going on in nature around us, and from the little tendency there appears to be in things at present to combine with new forms, we must be almost led to the conclusion, that the developement of new elements, as well as of new agents, is necessary to produce new and specific arrangements.

May we not infer, that during those periodical convulsions alludfed to in the text, new elements have been developed, or old ones decomposed into others of a higher or more elementary kind, and that, in virtue of the general laws in operation, these new elements have subsequently combined to form series of new arrangements. Of course, this supposition is intended to apply only to the means adopted by the Deity to effect his purpose. The formation and selection of these new elements must in all instances be supposed to result immediately from His will and agency."

As we have no space to enter into Dr. Prout's two following treatises on Meteorology and Digestion, though both of them are highly interesting, we think it best to extract a part of the Author's concluding remarks,

which are deduced from the reasonings that have been employed in the survey of the Chemical Laws of Nature.

"It appears improbable, in the highest degree, that the present variable and finite order of things should constitute a term or link of an uniform and infinite progression. The notion therefore that the laws of nature have existed, as they now exist, from eternity if not actually impossible, is so exceedingly improbable, that it cannot be admitted for a moment. Then as these laws cannot be proved to have a necessary existence, or to have existed from eternity as they now are, it becomes more than probable that they have had a beginning; and thus the inference of a pre-existent lawmaker, and all its consequences, are at once inevitable. We now come to consider the second class of objections to the argument of design, those, namely, which are founded on the grounds that design cannot be proved, and that what we call design is little more than mental delusion. We admit at once, that every thing we know of external nature, we know from experience only; and consequently, we admit that what we call design in external nature, is only very probably design; that is to say, cannot be proved to be design by any argument founded on reason or necessity. having made this admission, we assert upon the self-same grounds that our opponents cannot, by any argument founded on reason or necessity, prove that what we call design is anything else than design; that is to say, is not design. Now until this be proved, the force of their objection may be considered as completely neutralized; while the objection itself becomes thus reduced to the condition of a mere sophism, that leaves every thing precisely in the same state as it was in the beginning. Having thus briefly disposed of these objections to the argument of design, we finally recur with pleasure to the common sense view of the subject, which we have always contended for, and which we still maintain, viz. that the design is independent of the designer-in other words, that design is design, whether exemplified in the works of man or those of his Maker-a view which has been

But

adopted by the wise and good in all ages; which has all the probabilities on its side, and which alone of all others, points out to man his true and natural position among created beings. When man indeed compares himself with the