of Henry VIIIth, in whose thirty-third year was enacted a statute which adjudged all witchcraft and sorcery to be felony without benefit of clergy; and at the commencement of the reign of Elizabeth, the evil seems to have been very much on the increase; for bishop Jewel, in a sermon preached before the queen, in 1558, tells her;-"It may please your grace to understand that witches and sorcerers within these four last years are marvellously increased within your grace's realm. Your grace's subjects pine away even unto the death, their colour fadeth, their flesh rotteth, their speech is benumbed, their senses are bereft; I pray God they never practise further than upon the subject." Of the prevalence of this delusion in 1584, we have the testimony of Reginald Scot, in his treatise entitled "The Discoverie of Witchcraft," written in behalf of the poor, the aged, and the simple, as the author informs us; and it reflects singular discredit on the age in which it was produced, that a detection so complete, both with regard to argument and fact, should have failed in effecting its purpose. The mischief, instead of being restrained, was rapidly accelerated by the publication of the "Dæmonologie" of king James, at Edinburgh, in the year 1597; and the contagion was promoted by the succession of James to the throne of Elizabeth. In the year 1603, the royal treatise was printed at London, with an alarming preface concerning the increase of witches or enchanters, "these detestable slaves of the devil;" and it was accompanied by a new statute against witches, which describes the crime in a variety of particulars, and enacts, that offenders, duly and lawfully convicted and attainted, shall suffer death. Reginald Scot, in the treatise above-mentioned, has portrayed at large the character of those who were branded with the appellation of witches, stating the deeds that were imputed to them, and the nature of their supposed compact with the devil. The abode of a witch is admirably described by Spenser, the description being formed from an existing subject:— "There in a gloomy hollow glen she found A little cottage built of stickes and reedes In bomely wise, and wall'd with sods around; In which a witch did dwell, in loathly weedes And wilful want, all careless of her needes: So choosing solitarie to abide Far from all neighbours, that her devilish deeds 'IX 10A--' 514 from every writer on the subject the minutiæ of witchcraft, and he has annexed comments, for the purpose of refuting and exposing them; whereas James, the royal pedant, wrote in defence of this folly, and, unfortunately for truth and humanity, the doctrine of the monarch was preferred to that of the sage. The old laws made in England and Scotland against conjuration and witchcraft are repealed by a late statute of Geo. II. c. 5. and no person is now to be prosecuted for any such crime. BIRTH-PLACE OF CHRIST, FROM A We rode yesterday, accompanied by the We visited the church built by the empress Helena: it is large, and supported by several rows of marble pillars, but has a very naked appearance. Leaving the church, and descending thirteen stone steps, you are in the place that was formerly the stable where the Redeemer was born. There is no violation of consistency in this, as the stables in the East are now often formed in the same way, beneath the surface. Its present appearance is that of a grotto, as it is hewn out of the rock, the sides of which, however, are concealed by silk curtains; the roof is as nature made it, and the floor paved with fine marble. A rich altar, where the lamps are ever burning, is erected over the place where Christ was born, and the very spot is marked by a large silver star. Directly opposite to this is another altar, to signify the place where the Virgin Mary and her child received the homage of the Magi: and over it is a painting descriptive of the event. The second visit we paid to Bethlehem was a few days afterwards; and the monks being either absorbed in sleep, or in their devotions, as we could get no entrance to the convent, we found our way again to the grotto alone, and remained there without any intrusion. It is of small size, and not lofty; the glory, formed of marble 2 L 515 Cisterns of Solomon.-Pool of Bethesda, &c. and jasper, around the silver star, has a Latin inscription, "In this spot Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary." A narrow passage leads to the study of St. Jerome; and not far off is shown his tomb, near to which are the tombs of St. Paula and another pious lady. Ascending again, you enter the churches of the Greek and Armenian orders, but there is nothing particular in either. About a mile down the valley towards the wilderness, is the field where the shepherds kept watch by night, when the angels announced the birth of our Lord. Two fine and venerable trees stand in the centre, and the earth around was thickly covered with flowers. It is so sweet and romantic a spot, and so well suited to be the scene of that high event, that it would be painful to admit a doubt of its identity. At Bethlehem are sold the beautiful shells of mother-of-pearl, brought from the shores of the Red Sea: the surface is carved with various designs of the last supper and the crucifixion, by the inhabitants of the village; and they are purchased by the pilgrims. Small crosses also, cut out of the shells, are carved in the same way. The village contains about seven hundred inhabitants, who appear to live very meanly.-Carne's Letters, vol. i. p. 318. CISTERNS OF SOLOMON. At some distance from Bethlehem, and in rather a desolate spot, are the cisterns or reservoirs formed by Solomon, to supply Jerusalem with water. They are three in number, and rise up the hill over each other, so that the water flows down in a full stream from the highest, and descends from the lower one into the valley, and from thence, assisted by a small aqueduct, passes, by a course of seven miles, into the city, which it enters immediately by a subterraneous passage. These cisterns are sustained by strong buttresses, of various sizes, the lower one being above six hundred feet in length; they are evidently of the highest antiquity, and stand at present very much in need of repair. The spring that supplies them is not far off, and issues some feet below the ground. From hence to Hebron is a distance of seven hours: it is a large town; and a Turkish mosque is built over the cave where Abraham and Isaac were interred; but it is scarcely possible to obtain admission into the mosque. We repented afterwards not having visited this town, the 516 most ancient in the Land of Promise,Ibid. p. 321. POOL OF BETHESDA, &c. The places within the walls of the city, which tradition would render sacred, are innumerable. Beneath the gate of Bethlehem is shown the spot where Bathsheba was bathing when the king beheld her from the roof of his palace; and the present tower of David is built on the site of the ancient edifice. A small distance within the gate of St. Stephen, that fronts Olivet, is the Pool of Bethesda: it is deep and dry, the sides and bottom overgrown with grass, and containing two or three trees. A wretched street leads from this to the governor's palace, a spacious and rather ruinous building, of Roman architecture. In the palace, the monks point out the room where Christ was confined before his trial; and at a short distance is a dark and ruinous hall, shown as the judgment-hall of Pilate: a little further on is the arch where the Redeemer stood, as his judge exclaimed, "Behold the man!" You then proceed along the street where Christ bore his cross; in which, and in the streets leading up to Calvary, are the three places where, staggering under the weight, he fell. These are marked by three small pillars, laid flat on the ground. The very house of the rich man also is here, and the spot where Lazarus sat at his gate. Our faith had been on the wane long before we had accomplished the tour of all these places: for on what authority, save that of priesthood, can they possibly rest, since the ancient city was so completely levelled by Titus. From scenes that might be doubted, it is beautiful to turn to others where the faith is confirmed and the imagination delighted. Such is the fountain of Siloam: it rises about half way down Mount Zion, and gushes, from beneath a little arch nearly ten feet below the surface, into a small pool, about two feet deep. This is quite open, and the rocky sides of the spot are cut smooth. On the south side a flight of steps leads down to it. The water is clear and cool, and flows down the mount into the valley beneath to a considerable distance. Down this romantic valley, watered by the stream of Siloé, was my favourite walk; at the head of it the valleys of Hinnom and Jehoshaphat meet, and it winds between rugged and desolate hills towards the wilderness of St. Saba. It was frequented by few. To the north of the 517 Tomb of Lazarus.-Fingall's Cave in Staffa. town, and not very far from the walls, is the magnificent cavern, called that of the prophet Jeremiah. Here, it is said, he retired to pour forth his lamentations. As far as size, gloominess, and grandeur go, it well merits its appellation: it is held in no small regard, as the key of the gate is carefully kept. No spot could have been more suitable to the utterance of the woes against the devoted city, and the mournful and impassioned feelings of the inspired prophet. A pilgrim who comes to the city, must❘ set no bounds to his faith, as he is shown the place where the head of Adam was found, the rock on which the martyr Stephen was stoned, and the place of the withered fig-tree; with the milk of the Virgin Mary, and some of the tears that St. Peter wept on his bitter repentance. Beneath a large spreading tree down the valley, where the soil is rather elevated, is the place where the prophet Isaiah was sawed asunder. Among the pilgrims was a Servian and his wife, who had come a great distance from their own country to visit the sepulchre. This poor man was so enraptured at what he saw, that he gave forty pounds, (great part, no doubt, of his property,) as a present to the convent.-An Armenian, a man of property, died about this time in the convent: the monks, as is the custom, took possession of all he had with him, and turned his poor servant out, without ever paying him the wages due from his master. A curious instance was related to us of the uncertainty of regarding too highly many of the spots pointed out as sacred, by a gentleman whose travels brought him to the city about this time. He had gone to the summit of Calvary; and his mind being deeply affected with the solemnity of the scene, he knelt down, where the hole of the true cross was pointed out to him, and, though no worshipper of that, yet it served to bring vividly to remembrance all that had passed around. But in the midst of his beautiful reverie and blissful feelings, he was suddenly startled by the guide Antonio clapping him on the shoulder, with "Signor, signor, this is not the true hole; it is farther on." In an instant every solemn feeling was put to flight, and the charm irreparably broken.-Ibid. p. 323. TOMB OF LAZARUS, &c. We chose a delightful morning for a walk to Bethany. The path leads up the side 518 of Olivet, by the very way which our Saviour is said to have descended in his last entry into Jerusalem. At a short distance are the ruins of the village of Bethphage; and half a mile further is Bethany. The distance is about two miles from the city. The village is beautifully situated; and the ruins of the house of Lazarus are still shown, and do credit to the good fathers' taste. On the right of the road is the tomb of Lazarus, cut out of the rock. Carrying candles, we descended ten or twelve stone steps to the bottom of the cave. In the middle of the floor is the tomb, a few feet deep, and large enough to admit one body only. Several persons can stand conveniently in the cave around the tomb, so that Lazarus, when restored, did not, as some suppose, descend from a sepulchre cut out of the wall, but rose out of the grave, hewn in the floor of the grotto. The light that enters from above, does not find its way to the bottom: the fine painting in the Louvre, of this resurrection, was probably faithful in representing it by torch - light. Its identity cannot be doubted; the position of Bethany could never have been forgotten, and this is the only sepulchre in the whole neighbourhood. It is a delightful Sunday afternoon's walk to Bethany. After crossing the mounts, the path passes along the sides of a hill, that looks down into a wild and long valley, in which are a few scattered cottages. The view just above the village is very magnificent, as it embraces the Dead Sea, the valley and river of the Jordan, and its embouchure into the lake. On the descent of Olivet, is shown the spot where Christ wept over Jerusalem: tradition could not have selected a more suitable spot. Up this ascent David went, when he fled from Absalom, weeping. And did a Jew wish to breathe his last where the glory of his land and fallen city should meet his departing gaze, he would desire to be laid on the summit of the Mount of Olives.-Ibid. 349. FINGALL'S CAVE IN THE ISLAND OF STAFFA. STAFFA, in Geography, one of the islands 519 Fingall's Cave in Staffa. ment and jurisdiction it is included in the district of Mull, and shire of Argyle, and constitutes part of the parish of KillNivian. It is about five leagues w from the isle of Mull, and three leagues N N E from the Icolm-Kill. The form is oblong and irregular, and the whole extends about one mile in length, and half a mile in breadth, with steep and craggy coasts; its sides are entirely bare, and in many places it exhibits superb basaltic columns, with various caverns. It is accessible only by a small entrance on the west side, where the surface slopes towards the sea; but which will only admit a small boat, and that in calm weather. The most elevated part of the island is over the cave of Fingall, where it is two hundred and fourteen feet above the sea, at ordinary tides. The greatest length of Staffa is about one English mile, and its breadth half a mile. During the summer a few cattle are fed on this island, and are attended by a herdsman and his family, who have a small hut. More than half the circumference of the island is occupied by grand and regular colonnades of basaltics, which are completely exposed to the operations of the sea the rest of the island exhibits the same basaltic appearances; but the pillars are bent and twisted in various directions; some lying nearly horizontal, and others forming segments of circles. The pillars are chiefly of five or six sides; but some of three, four, or seven. The diameters vary from one foot to four feet and a half: the surface of the large pillars is, in general, uneven; some are jointed, having the upper surface concave, with a correspondent convexity in the inferior; but in many the surface is plain. The spaces between the perpendicular prisms are filled with a yellow sparry matter, of which the oxyd of iron, separated from the basaltes, with some argyllaceous earth, and specimens of zeolitic crystals, are the component parts. Near the landing-place the pillars are small, but their magnitude increases in the vicinity of the cave of Fingall. This natural curiosity of the island is 53 feet wide at the entrance, 117 feet in height, and 250 feet in length. The arch is composed of two unequal segments of a circle, which form a natural pediment. The mass by which the roof is crowned, or rather formed, is 20 feet in thickness at its lowest part. It consists of small prisms, inclining in all directions, closely cemented with a calcareous matter, and zeolitic crystallizations, which afford a 520 striking contrast with the dark purple hexagons formed by the ends of the pillars, and exhibit the appearance of mosaic work. The bottom of the cave is filled with the sea. In very calm weather, a boat may sail into it; but if such an attempt should be made when the waves are in the slightest degree agitated, the vessel would be dashed to pieces. The only way of entering at such times is by a causeway on the eastern side, not more than two feet broad, formed by the bases of broken pillars, which being constantly washed by the spray, is very slippery and unsafe. At the further extremity is another small cave, which, from certain passages, emits an agreeable noise every time the water rushes into it, whence it has acquired the name of the "Melodious cave.' sides the cave of Fingall, there is another, exhibiting the same appearances, though on a smaller scale. It is situated on the north side of the island, and is called the "Corvorant's cave." Be Staffa, though one of the greatest natural curiosities in Europe, or perhaps in the world, has been till lately little noticed, and indeed scarcely known. The first person who called the attention of the learned to this singular isle was Mr. Leach a native of Ireland; who, in the year 1772, having been on a visit to Morven, in Argyleshire, on a fishing excursion, was charmed with the peculiar appearance of its rocks, and landed upon it. Soon afterwards, Sir Joseph Banks, Dr. Van Troil, the learned bishop of Linkoeping, and others, in their voyage from Iceland, anchored in the sound of Mull; and having been informed by Mr. Leach of the wonders which Staffa afforded, they visited the island, and an account of it was communicated by Sir Joseph to Mr. Pennant, who published it in his "Tour to the Hebrides." Since that time it has excited the attention of various naturalists, who have given accounts of it in their respective works: among whom, M. de St. Ford and Dr. Garnett may be principally mentioned. The former, who visited the British dominions on a voyage of research, thus expresses himself respecting Fingall's cave."This superb monument of a grand subterraneous combustion, the date of which has been lost in the lapse of ages, presents an appearance of order and regularity so wonderful, that it is difficult for the coldest observer not to be singularly astonished by this prodigy, which may be considered as a sort of natural palace. I have seen many ancient volcanoes, and I have given 521 On the Velocity of Falling Bodies. descriptions of several basaltic causeways and delightful caverns in the midst of lavas, but I have never found any thing which comes near to this, or can bear any com. parison with it, for the admirable regularity of its columns, the height of the arch, the situation, the form, the elegance of this production of nature, or its resemblance to the master-pieces of art, though art has had no share in its construction." Similar to this are the animated observations of the learned prelate before-mentioned.-"How splendid," says he, "do the porticoes of the ancients appear in our eyes, from the ostentatious magnificence of the descriptions we have received of them and with what admiration are we seized on seeing the colonnades of our modern edifices! But when we behold the cave of Fingall, formed by nature in the isle of Staffa, it is no longer possible to make a comparison, and we are forced to acknowledge that this piece of nature's architecture far surpasses that of the Louvre, that of St. Peter at Rome, all that remains of Palmyra and Pæstum, and all that the genius, taste, and luxury of the Greeks were ever capable of inventing." In Pennant's Tour in Scotland, 4to. 1790, and St. Ford's Travels, are accounts of this island, with plates. ON THE EXACT ARITHMETICAL CONNECTION OF THE EARTH'S TWO MOTIONS WITH THE VELOCITY OF FALLING BODIES. MR. EDITOR, your SIR, Since I last intruded on readers a speculation relative to the probably immense number of planets attached to the solar system, I have determined the arithmetical relations and dependence of the velocity of a falling body on the two-fold motions of the earth, which motions occasion the fall of every body towards the centre. In this determination lay the experimentum crucis, which I have long sought, and which many eminent mathematicians had told me would be the test of their faith in my theory of motion, and the signal for their conversion from the theories which depend on the anti-mechanical miracles of attraction, repulsion, &c. &c. A very slight exertion of plain common sense will lead every one of your readers, whether mechanically learned or not, to understand the slight data on which the solution of this very extraordinary problem is founded. The problem is this,-That dense bodies fall towards the centre of 522 the earth, or any planet, in two-fold motions, as local consequences of those local motions, and that the velocity of fall is the exact arithmetical ratio of the two acting forces. It follows therefore,-1. That any two of these quantities being given, we get the third, and that by two well-known quantities, the diurnal rotation and the fall of a body in a second, we determine the orbicular velocity and the true distance of the earth from the sun. And,-2. As the fall is determined by a definite force or velocity, so acceleration is limited, and cannot exceed the original velocity which produces it.* With reference to the major problem, it should be considered that the motions of the earth are of two kinds, absolute in the orbit, and relative in rotation. The first carries forward the entire mass with a velocity of about 98,000 feet per second at the calculated distance, and, as a translation in space, is an absolute motion. But the second is only a relative motion of the parts within and upon the earth one among another, and as such serving to confer relative phenomena among the parts. In a single motion of rotation in one place, all the parts from the centre to the circumference have respectively increased degrees of force, but in this case of motion, the centre is a point of no force. If then any part from either side fly off by its tangental force, the centre, having no force, and being a point determined by the balance of the sides, shifts up or down, backward or forward, as required, by the diminution of either side, and hence, by the single motion of rotation of a body in one place, a mass is dispersed, or tends to disperse. Of course it is the momentum of the largest side or longest lever, which seems to pull the centre, and there is therefore a mutual action of the sides, in their determination of the centre of their rotating motions, which mutual action is as the velocity of rotation. This being understood, and it is so easy, that it is almost easier to understand it at once, than to read its elucidation, we shall then as easily perceive the change of disposition which arises when we give such a mass in relative motion, a greater absolute motion in space than the velocity of the exterior parts in rota |