HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE NOTICES OF LINCOLNSHIRE.

LINCOLNSHIRE is the largest county in England, except Yorkshire, from which it is divided on the north by the river Humber. Its extent of surfaceits local situation-its geographical character-and its ecclesiastical history, would each furnish a rich variety of peculiarly interesting topics for the meditation of the intelligent Christian.

Lincolnshire is about 70 miles in length from north to south, and 45 in breadth from east to west, and about 200 in circumference: it contains 2748 square miles, 632 parishes, 32 towns, and in 1831, a population of 317,465 souls.

This great county is bounded on the north by the Humber; on the east by the German Ocean; on the south by Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire; and on the west by the counties of Rutland, Leicester, Nottingham, and York. The earliest inhabitants of this part of the country, of whom we have any information, were the Coritani, or Costanni, a tribe of the ancient Britons, on whose subjugation by the Romans, several military stations were fixed in this district; and in the ultimate division of the island, under the Roman government, Lincolnshire was included in the province called Flavia Cæsariensis. Three British, or Roman roads, traversed the county, called the Fossway, the Ermin Street, and the Upper Saltway; and within its limits were the Roman stations, Lindum or Lincoln, Causensis or Ancaster, Vernometum, Croceolana, Ad Abum, Margidunum, and Ad Pontem, the sites of which are not accurately known. On the conquest of South Britain, by the Anglo-Saxons, this county fell to the share of the

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Angles, and made a part of the kingdom of Mercia, till towards the middle of the ninth century, when it became the scene of the piratical incursions of the Danes, who, in 870, landed in great numbers at Humberstone, ravaged the country, and destroyed the monasteries of Bardney and Croyland.

Alfred the Great having achieved many victories, Mercia submitted to his authority, and was governed by an earl or ealdorman; yet some parts, at least, of Lincolnshire, continued to be held by the Danes, who retained possession of Lincoln and Stamford till 941, when they were expelled by Edmund the Elder. When the barons took arms against king John, and invited prince Lewis of France to accept of the crown, in the subsequent war, Lincoln castle was successfully defended by the king's party against the insurgents; and John, dying in 1216, was succeeded by Henry III., whose forces gained a decisive victory at this place over those of the French prince, who shortly after quitted the kingdom. In 1536, the alterations in the ecclesiastical government, made by Henry VIII., occasioned an insurrection of the Roman Catholics in this country, headed by the prior of Barlings, and the commotion extended into the neighbouring counties, but was at last suppressed by the duke of Norfolk.

Lincolnshire has three principal divisions; Lindsey, with fifteen hundreds, containing one city, Lincoln, nineteen market-towns, and 431 villages; Kesteven, with nine hundreds, containing seven market-towns, and 190 villages; Holland, with three hundreds, containing five market-towns, and thirtysix villages. Lincolnshire presents three great natural divisions, the Wolds, the Heaths, two long ridges of high land, and the Fens, an extensive tract of low

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land, which includes nearly all the district of Holland. These fens formerly inundated by the sea, form now, being protected by great embankments, one of the richest tracts of land in the kingdom. The drainage of them has been mostly accomplished within the last fifty years: it is still going forward, forming one of the greatest works ever undertaken in Great Britain. Upwards of 150,000 acres have in this manner been reclaimed from the sea, yielding an annual revenue, exclusive of expenses, of at least 150,000. The fertility of the improved land is, in many places, extraordinary, owing, it is supposed, to the great impregnation of sea-salt. They are adapted to all the ordinary crops, but are chiefly devoted to grazing. The cattle are of great size, with large heads and short horns. They are principally fattened for the butcher, little attention being paid to the dairy. The sheep are a large horned breed, with a heavy fleece of coarse, long stapled wool. Their number is immense, amounting, according to Mr. Young, to upwards of 2,500,000, and yielding annually 22,000,000lbs. of wool; but manufactures are inconsiderable in this county, its trade consisting chiefly in exchange of its produce for manufactured goods and other consumable commodities.

Lincolnshire is celebrated for the number of its handsome churches, erected during the middle ages, by the munificent liberality of the Catholics: several of them are highly ornamented; and it is remarkable that the most splendid of them are found in low, fenny situations, still difficult of access, and doubtless much more so at the periods when they were founded. Some of these churches, however, as those of Boston, Louth, and Spalding, are crowned with lofty towers or spires, one object of their erection probably was that of furnishing landmarks for travellers.

Dr. Kaye is bishop of Lincoln; and his diocese, the largest in England, embraces 1269 benefices, and 855,039 souls. The bishop has a net income of 11,545., with the prebend of Buckden, &c. The cathedral corporation consists of the dean, the procurator, the chancellor, the subdean, four primate vicars, with an annual net income of 7001. In this diocese there are 1251 benefices that yield a net income of 358,073/., or an average yearly stipend of 2867. each. There are also 629 curates, with total stipends amounting to 48,730., or 771. each per annum. The Church Building Society has made seventy-two grants to their diocese, amounting to 11,860, which have increased its church-room 18,380 sittings.

Episcopal Places of Worship.-In the county of Lincoln there are 607 churches and chapels.

Voluntary Churches.-Total number of Congregations, 306, i. e. Roman Catholics, 11; Presbyterians, 3; Independents, 19; Baptists, 36; Calvinístic Methodists, 2; Wesleyan Methodists, 211; other Methodists, 24; Quakers, 9.

Contributions to Missionary and Bible Societies,

Lincoln, ecclesiastically considered, is a place of | considerable interest to the Christian historian, as Robert Greathead, cardinal Beaufort, and cardinal Wolsey were among its famous bishops.

Lincoln was called Lindcoit, by the ancient Britons; Lindum, by Ptolemy; Lyndo-Collyne, by the Saxons, and Nichol, by the Normans; from which names it is supposed to have been distinguished as the town or colony seated on a hill. This city is still remarkable for some rare monuments of Roman architecture.

Lincoln cathedral, or minster, is the chief ornament of the city: it is one of the largest in England, and the ground on which it stands is so elevated, that the venerable edifice may be seen over five or six counties, fifty miles to the north, and thirty to the south but though it is inferior in beauty several others in England, it was so admired by the monks of Lincoln, that they imagined the devil could never look at it without frowns of malevolence: and hence arose the proverb, frequently applied to malicious and envious persons, "He looks like the devil over Lincoln."

Ecclesiastical power and wealth had prodigiously increased in England before any prelate established his seat at Lincoln: and the first of the episcopal order in that city was Remigius, bishop of Dorchester. Various provincial synods in 1072, 1075, and 1078, made new decrees for the consolidation of the episcopal authority, and Remigius chose Lincoln as a most eligible situation. In the reign of William the Conqueror, he procured the ground for the cathedral, the bishop's palace, and the houses of the dignitaries and officers, and commenced the buildings, which he nearly completed, dying in 1092, only four days before the consecration of his cathedral. Remigius had established twenty-one prebends, but his successor in the episcopacy, Robert Bloet, increased their number to forty-two.

Lincoln cathedral was partly destroyed by fire, in 1124, but it was repaired by Alexander, the third bishop, who vaulted the aisles with stone; but the great tower falling some time after, bishop Hugh, of Burgundy, who succeeded to the see in 1186, undertook the re-erection of a great part of it: he, however, built only the eastern part, from the great transept to the end of the choir, together with the chapter-house. Bishops Hugh de Wells, and Robert Greathead (Grosse teste) erected the nave and transept; and Henry de Lexington, the next prelate, enlarged the church towards the east, extending the choir: this is considered the most beautiful part of the whole structure. Many additions were made to it till about the year 1400, when the building seems to have attained its completion; and the subsequent introduction of chapels, oratorios, and other ornamental structures, may be regarded as so many superfluous additions.

Lincoln bishopric in the days of popery was im. mensely rich; its prelates having succeeded in getting possession of "thirty-two of the best manors in England." The revenues of this bishopric were valued at the dissolution by Henry VIII. at 20957. 12s. 5d. a-year, and the common revenues of the chapter at 5781. 8s. 2d. The splendour and value of the decorations of this sumptuous fabric may partly bę estimated from the fact, that Henry VIII. in 1540, took away 2621 ounces of gold, and 4285 ounces of silver, besides diamonds and other precious stones of great value. This great cathedral was stripped of its remaining treasures in the reign of Edward VI., when its tombs, statues, shrines, and altars were destroyed; and it suffered some degrada

tion during the civil wars, when the soldiers of the parliamentary army made it a stable for their horses.

Lincoln cathedral consists of a nave, with its aisles; a transept at the west end formerly crowned with angular towers and wooden spires, the latter of which were taken down in 1808, and two other transepts, one near the centre, and the other towards the eastern end; also a choir and chancel, with their aisles, and a large central tower. The entire length of this edifice is 524 feet; the breadth of the western front 174 feet; the length of the great transept 250 feet; the length of the lesser or eastern transept 170 feet; the breadth of the body of the cathedral 80 feet; the height of the central tower to the top of one of its angular pinnacles 300 feet; and that of the two western towers 180 feet. The most striking part of this edifice is the grand western front, which lord Burlington has characterized as an unrivalled specimen of the magnificence of Gothic architecture. In one of the towers was one of the largest bells in England, called "Tom of Lincoln:" it is twenty-two feet nine inches in circumference; it weighs 9894 pounds, almost fire tons; and it will hold 424 gallons ale measure; but it broke while under repair in 1831. Lincoln has twenty episcopal churches, and many chapels for the different denominations of Dissenters; but it is not reputed as eminent for the power prevalence of vital Christianity.

and

FORTITUDE OF THE MARTYR IGNATIUS.

THE emperor Trajan, A.D. 107, (being puffed up with pride on account of his victory over the Scythians and Dacians, and many other nations,) thinking that the Christians, who worshipped the true God, were yet wanting in an entire obedience to him, was therefore determined to compel them to embrace the service of idols, and to worship the gods of the Romans. In order to this, he compelled the Christians, with the threats of persecution, either to sacrifice to the Heathen deities or to die.

Hereupon Ignatius, (who was also called Theophorus, carrying God,) being in pain for the church of Antioch, was voluntarily carried before Trajan, who was then at Antioch on his way to Armenia and Parthia, against the people of which countries he was hastening. Being come into the presence of the emperor, Trajan, looking earnestly at him, asked, "Are not you a wicked wretch, thus to hasten to transgress our commands and to persuade others to do the same, to their destruction ?"

Ignatius answered, "No one ought to call Theophorus wicked; for all evil spirits are departed from the servants of God: but, if because I am a trouble to those evil spirits, you call me wicked with reference to them, I confess the charge; for having within me Christ, the heavenly king, I dissolve all the snares of the devil."

Trajan. "And who is Theophorus ?"

Ignatius. He who has Christ in his breast." Trajan. "And do not we then seem to thee to have the gods within us, who fight for us against our enemies?"

Ignatius. You err, in that you call the evil spirits of the Heathens Gods; for there is but one God, who made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that are in them; and one Jesus Christ his only begotten son; whose favour may I enjoy."

Trajan. "His favour you say who was crucified under Pontius Pilate."

Ignatius. "His who crucified sin, with the in

Trajan. 'Dost thou then carry Christ within thee?"

..

Ignatius. "I do for it is written, I will dwell in them and walk in them ?" (2 Cor. vi. 16.)

This answer irritated Trajan so much, that he pronounced the following sentence against him: "Forasmuch as Ignatius has confessed that he carries about within himself him that was crucified, we command that he be bound and carried by soldiers to to the Great Rome, there to be thrown to the beasts for the entertainment of the people." On the hearing of his sentence, Ignatius exclaimed, "I thank thee, O Lord, that thou hast vouchsafed to honour me with a perfect love towards thee, and hast made me to be put in iron bonds with thy apostle Paul !" His bonds were now put about him; and having prayed for the church of which he was bishop, and commended it with tears to the Lord, he was hurried away, by the brutish soldiers, in order to his being carried to Rome, where he was to be devoured by the beasts of prey. He was now speedily wafted to the capital of the Roman empire, where, being arrived, he prayed to the Son of God in behalf of the churches; that he would put a stop to the persecution, and increase the love of the brethren towards each other. Having finished his prayer, he was hastily led into the amphitheatre, and there, according to the command of Trajan, thrown to the wild beasts; by whom he was devoured, exulting in the Lord, and triumphing in Jesus!

"WHOSE I AM, AND WHOM I SERVE."

(Acts 27, 28.)

HERE is a delightful subject for an evening meditation, if so be like the apostle who thus expressed himself. A child of God can take up the same words, and from the same well-grounded authority. Paul was in the midst of a storm, and not only the prospect, but the certainty of shipwreck before him, when he thus reposed himself in his covenant relations.

An angel had informed him of what would happen; and had bidden him be of good courage. But Paul's chief confidence arose from the consideration, whose property he was, and whose service he was engaged in. See to it, my soul, that thy assurance is the same, and thy security in every dark night will be the same also. For if thou art Jesus's property, depend upon it thou wilt be Jesus's care. It is true indeed thou art God's property by creation; but if this were all, the Turk and Infidel have the same claims as thou hast. Look for some nearer ties of affinity in the new creation of God. Hath Jesus bought thee with his blood; made thee his by grace; and hast thou voluntarily given up thyself to him in a covenant not to be broken? Hath the Lord spoken to thee by the sweet voice of his word, brought home to the heart in the gracious application of his Spirit? Doth he say to thee as to Jacob of old: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine! Oh! then, how sure will be the promise that follows: When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee, and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee: for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel thy Saviour.-If in

a view of covenant relationship, my soul, thou canst say with Paul concerning Jesus, Whose I am: do thou next search after the love-tokens of thine own heart in covenant engagements also, and see whether thou canst adopt Paul's language in the other particular, and say as he did, whom I serve. Is Jesus the one only object of thy love? Did he give himself for thee; and hath he by his Holy Spirit enabled thee to give thyself unto him? Hast thou given thyself to him, and given thyself for him, and art thou willing to part with every thing for the promotion of his glory? These will be sweet testimonies, both of his property, and of thy service. And depend upon it, the real true confidence of the soul, can only be found in faith's enjoyment of these things. My soul! drop not into the arms of sleep before that thou hast brought the point to a decision. See to it, that Paul's experience is thine. No storm of the night, no tempest without will alarm, while Jesus, by his Holy Spirit, speaks peace within. If Jesus be thine, then all is thine; and as thou art his, every promise is made over to thee with him, whose thou art, and whom thou dost serve. Sweet promise to lie down with on the bed of the night, or the bed of death. My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places (Isaiah xxxii. 18).—Dr. Hawker.

HINTS, MAXIMS, &c. MATERIALS FOR MEDITATION.

(Continued from p. 217.)

11. An ill spent Sabbath is commonly the forerunner of a bad week.

12. Whatever gait or habit you acquire yourself when young, is likely to be your position through life, easy or awkward.

13. In prayer, never stand when you can kneel, nor sit when you can possibly stand; true the heart is every thing, but that man must be misled who presumes he may sit when there is convenience for him to kneel or stand to pray.

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14. The seeing of God in every thing is one of the greatest blessings to man; it far more than doubles his blessings and pleasures; while on the other hand, it lessens every trouble. "It is the LORD," says old Eli, let him do what seemeth him good." "The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away," saith holy Job, "blessed be the name of the LORD. Shall we receive good at the hand of the LORD, and not receive evil?" Surely then our greatest consolation in times of danger, is to realize this sentiment, "THOU GOD SEEST ME."

15. Beware of envy. The way to wealth and happiness is as open and free for your neighbour as for yourself: why then cherish for a moment such an odious disposition. If it were possible to feel shame in heaven, how must you feel, if you have any thought at all of meeting your envied neighbour there?

16. Beware of slander; "for with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again," think then that when you are calumniating others, some other, as false a friend as yourself, is retaliating upon you, in what you would not have brought to light for the world.

17. As politeness, when it is natural and easy, is an accomplishment which makes even our enemies to speak well of us, so affectation brings us into contempt among very friends. Cambridge. L. C.

CHRISTIAN LADY'S FRIEND.

ON THE CULPABLE NEGLECT OF FEMALE EDUCATION.

NOTWITHSTANDING the rapid strides of literature within the last century, the period is not far distant when females of superior rank, even in England, were incapable of spelling the most common word correctly; and though of late this shameful negligence has been considerably remedied, yet how insufficient is the education they now generally receive to fit them to be prudent mothers, sensible companions, wise and valuable members of society, or (and which is a consideration of no small magnitude) thoughtful and religious Christians! It too frequently happens, that as soon as an infant is born it is consigned to the care of a mercenary nurse, who infuses into her milk, the illiberality of her mind, the ruggedness of her temper, and, very possibly, the diseases of her constitution; and even when the child arrives at an age most capable of discriminating, and laying in a stock of useful ideas, it is sent to a boarding-school--and here, what does it learn?-music and dancing, of course; dissipation and vanity; every thing but solid knowledge; every thing but humility; every thing but piety; every thing but virtue! Not but that there are seminaries for the education of females, formed on a different principle, combining a useful with a religious education; but they are so rarely to be met with, that the great end of instruction would be more effectually accomplished under a mother's eye.

Strange as it may appear, various objections have been made as to the propriety of cultivating the minds of females-many of the lords of the creation maintain, notwithstanding the absurdity of the idea, that to educate a woman is to raise her above that sphere in which nature designed her to move! Learning, it is said, would improve their talents of address, and only make them worse by rendering them more artful. This is an idea which no man who ever enjoyed the conversation of a good and virtuous woman could for one moment indulge.

The grand cause, however, of the culpable neglect of female education at the present day, arises, in a great measure, from the melancholy effects of dissipation, which so occupies the time that but little else is regarded; and unfortunately the first peeress of the realm is scarcely more culpable, or, rather, more inattentive to the discharge of domestic duties, than the wife of a common tradesman; both are engaged in successive rounds of visiting or receiving company, and both depute to others the formation of their children's minds.

Allowing, however, (which is straining a point) that during a state of adolescence, a child does not feel the want of a mother's protecting kindness, that careful attendants have been provided, in whom others have placed confidence; yet who, like an anxious parent, will watch the opening bud of intellect?-who, like her, will have penetration to discover its leading propensities ?-who, like her, will repress the bold and encourage the timid? How can the parent who has never been the friend and companion of her children, be expected to discover the leading feature in their characters? or how can she expect to inspire them with confidence and affection when they have been merely taught to treat her with a mixture of form and respect?

The number of female seminaries which abound in the environs of the metropolis, prove that the important business of education is not in domestic

hands; and though many of these institutions, as already observed, merit the highest commendations, there are others conducted upon a much less praiseworthy plan. "The chief end to be proposed in cultivating the understandings of women (says the celebrated Hannah More*) is to qualify them for the practical purposes of life." But this is totally unknown in the modern systems of education. A female studies (or ought to study) not that she may qualify herself to become an orator or a pleader"She not that she may learn to debate, but to act. is to read the best books, not so much to enable her to talk of them, as to bring the improvement she derives from them to the rectification of her principles, and the formation of her habits." But where do we find the female thus anxious to improve herself? where the mother, thus solicitous for the welfare of her daughter? A novel, or romance, is more frequently seen in the hands of a female than a book of solid instruction. Domestic occupations are considered as inelegant and degrading; the active duties of life are neglected; and the daughter thus educated is converted into either a faithless or an inattentive wife!

Hence springs the culpable neglect of female education in England, which is so much to be deplored at the present time; and it is a fact which no one can deny, that the superficial mode of their instruction, furnishes them with an improper standard of intellectual excellence. Too much time is occupied in what are termed accomplishments, whilst the more solid and important studies are disregarded.

It must, however, be observed, that, in a flourishing, commercial country like Great Britain, some parents will rise from the lowest state of poverty to affluence and independence; such parents, consequently, wish their children to have a better education than they themselves had an opportunity of enjoying, or are capable of imparting. And it is probable that, under their roofs, daughters might imbibe only a set of illiberal notions, or a system of vulgar, purse-proud superciliousness. In cases of this kind, seminaries, combining a religious with a useful education, are highly beneficial. But where mothers are themselves equal to the task (if a task it may be deemed) there cannot be a doubt about the difference of the advantage.

Reason, religion, the thrillings of affection, the voice of nature, and the voice of God; the interests of society, the happiness of private life; the honour, the dignity, and true policy of woman-all say, that a MOTHER should be the preceptress of her children, and that such children would stand a chance of the

happiest instruction. "If well nurtured sons grow up as young plants, such daughters would be as polished corners of the temple."-Goakman on Female Education.

"Out of

ON CONVERSATION. CONVERSATION is an index to the mind. the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." The observation is true, not only when referring to those who use the language of openness and sincerity, but also when applied to the reserved man and the dissembler. Closeness indicates distrust; and often, by sharpening curiosity, causes the discovery of the very thing which is meant to be concealed. Art, sooner or later, drops the mask, or gives ample proof that she wears one. If it be admitted, con

*Now deceased.