time, and at half the expence.' Mr. Gerrans purfues his joke; but his wit is fomewhat of the unpolished kind. From the notes, feveral of which are very learned, as well as pertinent and juft, it may not be unacceptable to fome of our Readers, if we infert a fhort anecdote, quoted by Mr. Richardfon in his Arabic grammar: it is introduced when Renjamin fpeaks of the Alchafchifchens, a people of Phenicia, whom hiftorians have called Haffeffins, Affeffins, Affaffins, &c, and their commander the Elder of the mountains; the paragraph affords a fpecimen of his defpotic influence over his followers; with respect to its truth, we have nothing to fay; take it as it ftands: A certain Sultan sent to the Elaer, requiring his fubmiffion. When the ambaffador appeared in his prefence, he called before him fome of his people, and giving the fignal to a young man among them, faid to him, "Stab yourself;" and he did fo. He then ordered another to precipitate himself from the castle, which he did, and was dafhed to pieces. He then faid to the ambassador; "Of fubjects fuch as thefe, seventy thousand are thus obfervant of me: let this be your answer *." This performance is recommended to notice by a number of refpectable names, nobility, clergy, and others, who have encouraged the publication. This Saracen Chief is mentioned by our English Hiftorians, under the name of the Old Man of the Mountains. He flourished when Richard I. was engaged in the Holy war. His name, we think, fhould be written Cheik el Chaffin. ART. VI. Archeologia, or Mifcellaneous Tracts relating to Antiquity, &c. Vol. VI. Concluded: fee our laft. Art. 21. REMARKS on the Sumatran Languages, by Mr. Marfden*: in a Letter to Sir Jofeph Banks. The Remarker gives us two comparative specimens of the language spoken in Sumatra, and other parts of the Eaft; his design in which is, if poffible, to trace a common origin; and also to determine whether the unconnected nations, who inhabit the internal parts of Sumatra, fpeak languages radically and effentially different, or only different dialects of the fame.' His information on the fubject, we are told, leads but a fmall way, and can only boast the merit of genuineness, being taken from the mouths of the natives themselves, except in the inftances of Savu and Otaheite, and not from books. One general inference he draws, which is, that from Madagascar, eastward to the Marquefas, or nearly Author of the Hiftory of Sumatra fee Rev. laft volume, Two Articles. from the eaft coaft of Africa to the weft coaft of America, there is a manifeft connexion in many of the words by which the inhabitants of the iflands exprefs their fimple ideas, and between some of the most diftant, a ftriking affinity. The links of the latitudinal chain remain yet to be traced.' Some readers will wish that Mr. Marfden had been fomewhat more explicit and exact in determining what he intends by Sumatra, fince when he speaks of the various, independent, unconnected nations,' which inhabit its internal parts, they may conjecture that he means fomewhat more than one of the principal of the Sund iflands, known by this name, which can hardly he supposed to contain such a variety of nations. The article which follows bears a little fimilarity to the former, but will be more generally amufing: viz. Obfervations on the Indian Method of Picture-writing; by William Bray, Efq. This gentleman prefents a copy of an hiftorical painting in figures taken from a tree in North America. The marks are faid to have been found, as far as the fpecies can be recollected, on a Sugar Maple, growing on the banks of the Muskingham river; the bark was peeled off on one fide of the tree, about a foot fquare, and thefe characters painted on that part with char coal and bear's oil. It may be fuppofed there is nothing very elegant in thefe paintings, the end of the finger, or the point of a burnt ftick, being the only pencil they ufe. This was the performance of Wingenund, an Indian warrior, of the Delaware nation, when going out to war; and was interpreted to the gentleman who took the copy by Captain White-eyes, a Delaware-chief. The first figure reprefents a river turtle, the emblem or badge of the tribe to which he belonged. The fecond is Wingenund's perfonal mark or character; the Indians choofe fome fuch firm in their youth, and retain it, without alteration, to their death. Other ftrokes fhew the number of times he had been at war, and others the number of fcalps and prifoners he had taken in different expeditions. Another figure is defigned for a fort, at the taking of which he affifted, fuppofed to be one of the fmail forts on lake Erie, furprised by the Indians about the year 1762: Fort Detroit and Fort Pitt are alfo here reprefented, both befieged by the Indians, about the fame year: the fpace between fome of the ftrokes expreffes that he did not go to war for fome time: other ftrokes fhew the number of warriors he had with him when he made the warmarks, and their inclining to the left with the backs to the fun (which is one of the figures) fignifies that they were going to the northward: vermillion is a peaceable colour with them, and declares that their angef is no more, whereas black fignifies anger, To these few hints we shall only add, that the Dela or war. wares wares are divided into three tribes, the badges of which are, the turtle, the wolf, and the eagle. 23. Obfervations on the Origin and Antiquity of Round Churches, and of the Round Church at Cambridge in particular, by Mr. James Effex, F. A. S. As the number of circular churches in England is thought large, it has been supposed that most of them were built by the Jews for fynagogues. This conclufion has been greatly ftrengthened in regard to the round church at Cambridge, becaufe of its being fituated in a part of the town called the Jewry. Mr. Effex offers very fatisfactory reafons for a different opinion. It appears, that the Jews who formerly refided here, were, many of them at leaft, fituated in another street, in the centre of the town, where they had a fynagogue, which afterwards became a cell of Mendicant Friars. The erection of the circular buildings in queftion is attributed, with great probability, to the Knights Templars, an order inftituted in 1118 for the protection of Jerufalem: their first number was nine, but it became afterwards almoft unlimited: they were fettled in various parts of Christendom: but in the year 1134 all the knights who were in the convent at Jerufalem were flain by the Saracens : then, it is probable, thofe who had fixed in different parts of Europe, where they are faid to have acquired vaft revenues, began to build round churches, refembling (as well as they could) that which flood over the holy fepulchre at Jerufalem, which they were immediately felected to defend: from hence fuch churches are fometimes called St. Sepulchre, and the parifh the Jewry: befide thofe erections which were raifed by the Templars or their benefactors, parish-churches, during the Croisades, were occafionally built in the fame form, in honour of the Sepulchre. Among the other inftructive and entertaining obfervations in this article, Mr. Effex enters into a particular account and defcription of the church at Cambridge. He thinks that this building is the beft copy of the church of the Refurrection, or Holy Sepulchre, at Jerufalem, which we have now in England; at the fame time it has undergone fo many alterations, that it is a matter of difficulty to determine its first form, and the original defign of the architect. This our ingenious antiquary has endeavoured to accomplish, and he prefents us with an engraving made from an actual furvey, and stript of several additions which it has received. The drawing therefore will appear very diffe rent from the building in its prefent form, though it may be, and no doubt is, an exact representation of it, in its primitive ftate. In the third volume of this work, p. 185, we had an account of an ancient picture in Windfor-castle, representing the interview of Henry VIII. with Francis I. between Guines and A a 4 Ardres, Ardres, in 1520 *. The twenty-fourth number of this volume relates to the fame subject, and defcribes another ancient picture, at the fame place, reprefenting the embarkation of Henry VIII. at Dover on the above occafion. Befide a minute account which is given of the painting, this article confifts of many obfervations on the ftate of the navy in Britain, and indeed these form its greatest part, together with remarks on the harbour and forts of Dover. King Alfred is generally deemed the founder and promoter of our naval ftrength: Athelstan gave great encouragement to navigation; the merchant who had been thrice across the high feas on his own account, was intitled to the rank and privileges of a Thane. Edgar's fhips increased to a number almoft incredible; fome hiftorians talk of three or four thoufand; we may fuppofe their fize to have been small and infignificant. The royal navy had no existence in those times, except in the pinnaces and barges for the King's own ufe. Long after the days of the Saxons, when the King had occafion for a fleet, he iffued his mandate to the Cinque-ports to fit out the number of fhips which by their tenure they were bound to fupply. In a pardon granted to William of Wickham, Bishop of Winchester, 1 Richard II. we are told, it is recited, that the faid Bishop had undertaken to supply Edward III. in the 50th year of his reign, with three fhips for a quarter of a year, each fhip having fifty men at arms, and fifty bowmen, at the wages and rewards which the King ufually paid; the King to pay the mariners.' Several accounts of a like kind are given in the different reigns, till we arrive at the time when the navy of England was fettled on a regular and permanent eftablishment, and a navy office erected by Henry VIII. By an inventory taken after the death of that monarch, it appears, that the King's fhips, gallies, and pinnaces, were increased to 53, containing 6255 tons, and carrying 7780 men. The form of our fhips is alfo particularly attended to. The introduction of cannon, which are fuppofed to have been occafionally used in some shape on ship-board about the middle of the 14th century, must have contributed to enlarge their fize. This article. is attended by a plan of the port of Dover, made in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and another engraving of the fhip Harry Grace à Dieu, from an original drawing preferved in Magdalen College, Cambridge. The author of this tract is John Topham, Efq. Two differtations which follow the above, On the cubical Contents of the Roman Congius, and the Roman Amphora, by Henry Norris, Efq; are curious and ingenious, but admit of no par • Vid. Month. Review for Dec, 1775, `P. 494• ticular ticular account from us, unless we were to transcribe nearly the whole of the two articles; we pafs on therefore to No. 27. Sequel to the Obfervations on ancient Caftles. By Edward King, Efq. The first part of this differtation is in the fourth volume of Archæologia, No. 25 *. This fequel conftitutes a confiderable part of the prefent volume, as it draws near to the length of one hundred and fifty pages. The former article was confined to a general explanation of the manner of fortifying those remarkable parts of ancient caftles and ftrongholds, called Keeps and Mafter-towers, without any regard to the different ages in which any of them were conftructed. In the prefent, the æras in which thefe buildings were erected is the first object of attention, together with the fucceffive gradual changes introduced in the mode of accommodation and defence; after which the almoft imperceptible transition, made by the ancient chieftains of this land, from a refidence in formidable, ftately, inconvenient ftrong-holds, to that in embattled manfions (embattled, it is faid, without ufe, and almoft without meaning); and at length to convenient and elegant palaces, abounding with the luxuries of life; this curious fpeculation forms the concluding part of the number. From fome very ancient buildings ftill exifting almost entire, Mr. King felects two as deferving particular attention. The firft is Connisborough, in Yorkshire, called in the old editions of Camden Conines-borough, which, it is here faid, if we pay any regard to ancient etymolo gies, will lead us to understand this to have been named in Saxon times, the King's Fortress, as before, in British times, it appears to have had the name of Caer Conan, the royal city. Our learned antiquary thinks we may fairly conclude, that although many British and Saxon fortifications were merely entrenchments of earth, yet that here was in the earliest times fome building, and ftrong place of refidence; especially as an ancient tradition has been preferved, and is mentioned by old hiftorians, which fays, here was a caftle that afterwards belonged to King Harold. Our author favours us with a very minute and amufing account of this castle; first of the court or area, and then of the extraordinary structure itself, which stands, he tells us, in one corner of the area, commanding a moft glorious view of the windings of the river Dune, or Dun, and of the adjacent country; if, it is added, any ideas of the beauty of fuch a fcene could be conceived in those barbarous times of defolation, when this fortress was erected; and when not one fingle window conftructed therein was fo placed as to behold it. We shall only take notice farther of the ascent to the grand entrance, which Vid. Month. Review for Dec. 1777, p. 456. Also ib. for July 1777, P. 14. is, |