Francis Grose, the antiquarian.. He was the son of Mr. Francis Grose, of Richmond, the jeweller who fitted up the crown of George the Second, and died in 1769. The antiquarian was born in 1731, and early in life entered the Surry Militia, of which he became adjutant and paymaster. His extravagance, or rather improvidence, obliged him to resort to other pursuits; and, commencing the Antiquities of England and Wales,' and afterwards those of Scotland, he ultimately designed, in 1791, the illustrations of Ireland, but died in the onset, in Dublin, of an apoplectic fit. It was to him, while engaged in his labours in Scotland, that Burns alluded in the well-known lines, 6 A chiel's amang you taking notes, These are some of the most interesting and appropriate contents of the present ponderous volume. As to their novelty, the skill, or the toil required in collecting them, our readers will judge. But perhaps the dignitaries of the church, the Archbishops of Dublin, offer a more congenial and happy theme for the pen of our author: perhaps he is an expert and spirited chronologist, a passionate collector of biographical anecdotes, a delineator of periodical manners, an erudite annotator, or a quaint but exquisite portrait painter. No such thing; for the "Memoirs" are singularly imperfect, while they are more barren of those high and noisy flights which are ludicrous on account of their individuality or nationality, that distinguished the weighty history. It would have afforded considerable relief had we sometimes met with those flashes of Irish humour, or the striking readiness of remark which so often overflow in the conversations and the writings of Mr. D'Alton's countrymen. But he is serious and sentimental rather than joyous or naturally witty, while the Archbishops seem never to have presented a green or starting point from which to take a hazardous and irregular flight. These Memoirs are, in fact, forced, and being constructed of the driest materials are unable to stand of themselves. For elegant proppings to them, or rich connecting links from the author's own brain, the reader will look without finding what he seeks, therefore the whole mass will be unenduring. In short, not to speak of our author's literary style, he is a servile, poor and bad compiler. Nay, even as a compiler he seems from some notion as to his competency to have been distrusted, even before his present failure was actually demonstrated; for he says, "The brevity of these Memoirs, in reference to the later archbishops, is not to be attributed to any neglect or omission of their compiler, in applying, both by public advertisement, and by private letters, for fuller and authentic materials: and, he confidently hoped, that the magnitude of the undertaking in which he was engaged, with a devotion of his time, his researches, and his money, would be cheerfully responded to by every competent authority. In the above instance, however, his expectations were utterly extinguished, and, with the single exception of Mr. Cobbe, of New Bridge, the individuals applied to either refused to answer, or, as in the instance of one other more intimately connected with a memoir, absolutely refused to communicate what he could not but have well known." Again. "All endeavours, to obtain for this work any authentic or satisfactory particulars of the life of Doctor Whateley, having utterly failed, even in quarters where a refusal could least be expected, the following notice must be considered rather a catalogue of his grace's literary productions, than a memoir of his life." Why then publish such a lifeless mass at all, or why should we fill our pages with more specimens ? Accordingly, after these confessions and the above extracts, we are authorized to dismiss Mr. D'Alton, perfectly persuaded that he is neither a biographer nor an historian that will detain the world's ear for any considerable length of time. ART. IV.-The Remains of the late Viscount Royston, with a Memoir of his Life. By the REV. H. PEPYS, B. D. London: Murray. 1838. LORD ROYSTON perished by shipwreck near Memel thirty years ago, while but a young man who promised not only to add celebrity to the Hardwicke family name, but to be an ornament to his country. These remains afford sufficient evidence to show that elegance of taste, and amiability of disposition distinguished him, rather than any extraordinary endowments. They consist of letters written to his family during a tour through Denmark, Sweden, and Russia, and thence to the Caucasus and Persia, undertaken in 1806, the Continent at that period being closed against the sons of Britain. Besides these interesting documents, though not containing much that is now novel, we have some occasional verses, and a translation of "Cassandra" from the Greek of Lycophron, which, though written at an age that would fix it as a college exercise, deserves the admiration of scholars, on account of the beauty and fidelity with which one of the most difficult poems to be found in the classical language of Greece has been turned into English. The author of the Memoir in his rather too high estimate of an associate of his youth, asserts that the young nobleman possessed a knowledge of history and mythology, a profundity of thought, and a combination of taste and learning, altogether astonishing in one of his years. He appears to have been much given to retirement and to those pursuits and reflections that confer polish, and fit a man to be a choice companion and a sensible observer of human life under every variety of circumstances. Mr. Pepys says, when he was a boy of eleven years old at Harrow, he was rarely seen in the cricket-field or at foot ball. The same abstinence marked his conduct at the University of Cambridge, his taste and a very retentive memory enabling him to become acquainted with a number of languages and to lay up in store knowledge, though not of the abstruser sciences, that would in future be found more valuable than eminent skill in juvenile sports, or proficiency in the lighter studies which young men generally choose. Our few extracts will sufficiently exhibit his character and talents. First, we copy portions of a letter addressed to his father, the Earl of Hardwicke, from St. Petersburgh, dated Jan. 16, 1807, New Style. After stating that he proposes to give a detailed account of the preceding part of his northern tour, the narrative proceeds thus, "To begin, ab ovo, I purchased two sledges covered with a tilt, which I furnished with a mattress. These I stocked with frozen meat, Madeira, brandy, and a large saucepan. I dressed myself in flannel from head to foot, over that put on my ordinary clothes-over my boots I tied fur shoes of considerable size, and over these I drew a pair of fur boots of tremendous magnitude. I covered my head, with the exception of only my nose and eyes, with a cap of blue Astrachan wool; I wrapped myself in a flowing sable pelisse, and over all threw a most ample bear's-skin." Thus equipped, he made for Archangel on the 5th of December; and there being no accommodation between Petersburgh, the place from which he started in this guise described, and the point of his destination, excepting the houses of the peasantry, favourable opportunities occurred for observing the manners of this particular class. Here are some clearly expressed, and we have no doubt accurately described circumstances : ness. "The whole family live in one room, and at first it is difficult to support the suffocating heat and smell; nor do the number of cockroaches, which swarm in these wooden huts, at all contribute to increase the comfort of the traveller. The dirt is, as may be supposed, excessive. The table alone is kept scrupulously clean, which circumstance I should imagine rather to be the remains of some ancient superstition than any attachment to cleanliTheir baths seem to form an exception; these generally consist of a small detached building, and the vapour is produced by throwing water on red-hot stones, exactly in the manner which Herodotus describes to be practised by their Scythian ancestors. After a most profuse perspiration, the body is rubbed with birch twigs dipped in lather. I have frequently seen them sally out and roll in the snow. Both sexes use the bath at the same time without any separation, or any idea of indecorum. In general the people are exceedingly civil, hospitable, cheerful, and intelligent, excessively addicted to spirits, quarrelsome amongst themselves, and very well inclined to cheat and overreach any person with whom they have dealings. They are more like the common Irish than any description of men I have seen. Peter the Great has by no means succeeded in forcing them to abandon their beards and ancient customs, to which they adhere with the most scrupulous attention. In the corner of every room is a picture of a saint, sometimes of five or six, generally painted upon a gold ground, sometimes with no colour but on the face and hands, the remainder being of embossed silver; for, if a common Russian acquires a little money, it never enters into his head to improve his house; the use he makes of it is to adorn the shrine of his saint, and to buy a necklace of pearls for his wife. The dress of the women is very extraordinary, and sometimes by no means deficient in beauty. Till marriage they wear their hair in a long tress tied with bows of ribands." At the distance of some hundred miles from Petersburgh, Lord Royston himself became an object of much curiosity to the peasantry, his dress, his mode of eating, &c. attracting crowds. They seem also to have evinced a sufficient degree and minuteness of anxiety to know the country to which he belonged, the motives which he had in view as a traveller, and where he was going. Their mode of salutation on taking leave was, "May you be happy, Father," a name as singularly applied on many occasions, as the term Boy is by the Irish; for be the person old or young he is addressed as a parent. Young men, however, of nearly equal ages, designate one another by the kindly term brother. In every house there seems to be the image of some saint which is devoutly regarded. Some heretics make use of three; and if we are to judge of heartfelt religion by the number of dazzling churches which appear in towns that otherwise present a most wretched aspect, the Russians must be a holy people. At Kargossol we are told, "At this latter place I expected to find a magnificent city, for, from a distance, I counted nineteen churches, most of which had five domes, of which the central, by much the largest, is symbolical of Christ, the others represent the evangelists. These domes are either gilt, covered with copper, or painted in the most gaudy colours, and make a most extraordinary appearance. They are supported upon a very small base, so that the spheroid is almost complete, which circumstance gives them the appearance of balloons. Upon entering the town I was surprised to find that the number of churches almost equals that of the houses. Early on Monday morning, I arrived at Cholmogori, where there is nothing remarkable but a convent and church of singular architecture, situated picturesquely upon the banks of the magnificent Dwina. This convent was, for many years, the prison of the Prince of Brunswick and the Regent Anne. I continued my route along the ice of the river, for about seventy versts, and, owing to some unexpected obstacles, did not arrive at Archangel till five in the morning; I immediately knocked at a door, which proved to belong to a Russian merchant, and requested to be taken in for the remainder of the night. He consented, and got up to let me in. The thermometer was at twenty-four of Reaumur, or fifty-four degrees of Fahrenheit below freezing point. The north-east wind blew with great violence, and both my hands and left foot were frozen. Pauwells had a foot frozen. After they were recovered by rubbing them with snow, the sensation and appearance was similar to that of a violent scald." Lord Royston found the people at Archangel exceedingly hospitable. The Archbishop spoke Latin fluently, and appeared to have read a good deal. Yet strange to say, he did not know whether the Samoyedes of his diocese were Pagans or Christians. His Lordship, however, did not long remain entirely ignorant on this subject. He says, "We found our Samoyedes upon the Arctic circle, in a vast plain of snow, just striking their tents to move to another spot. They had a prodigious number of sledges to carry their provision, their tents, their kettles, and themselves. Their tents, as well as their clothes, are composed entirely of rein-deer skins. I bought a complete suit of clothes, including a pair of snow shoes six feet long. They first draw on a pair of stockings with the fur outside. Over their bodies they have a skin, which is made like a shirt, and which, including their gloves, is of one piece; this has the hair or fur inside. Over this they throw another skin exactly similar, excepting that the hair is outside, and that it has a cap attached to it; and thus equipped they will sleep in the snow in a cold more than sufficient to congeal mercury. I was obliged to adopt part of their dress, at least their boots and stockings, a measure for which I afterwards applauded myself. Some of them are very rich, possessing two or three thousand rein-deer; and, setting aside that they are under the protection of the Russian government, which meddles very little with them, their government among themselves is entirely patriarchal. Their religion is Paganism, but I did not see any of their idols. Not the smallest attempt is ever made to convert them or the other Pagan and Mahometan subjects of the empire. Even the worshippers of the Dalai Lama go on chewing their unsavoury incense without any molestation whatsoever; for the Russian government is so well aware of its complete dominion over the bodies of men, that it leaves every man to take care of his own soul. The day was about half an hour long, for we were passed the solstice, and the sun at twelve o'clock caused the snow to assume the brightest rose colour. After he had set, the twilight and the reflection of the snow lighted us back to Mezen, whither our deer took us at a good brisk trot. Unfortunately, I was able to make very few inquiries of the Samoyedes, owing to the circumstance of my Russian guide being almost ignorant of their language. I was disappointed, too, in my endeavours to procure a woman's dress, which is more ornamented than the men's, hung round with animals' tails, and slips of blue and red cloth, not to mention iron chains and circles of brass. I left word, however, at Archangel, that one should be sent to me." On his Lordship's return to Archangel the cold had increased to such a pitch that a bottle of brandy was frozen under his pillow, and his hashed veal had to be cut up with an axe. The Volga, which he descended, among other things is connected with the following notices :— "At a village to the south of Simbirsk (of which suffice it to say that it is an inconsiderable town), we were detained a whole day by a gale of wind; the people absolutely denied that they had anything to sell, which, as we |