YORK MINSTER. NOTHING perhaps can exceed the grandeur of York Minster, as a specimen of ancient English architecture. It is justly esteemed the glory of the city in which it stands; and it has become more interesting, from the changes and injuries, which it has from time to time undergone. To enter minutely into the particulars relating to its history and architecture, is, with our limited space, impossible: but we can furnish a general account of the cathedral, and certain dates of the different portions of the building as they at present exist. These, we trust, will prove acceptable to Our readers.

The first church dedicated to St. Peter, in the city of York, is supposed to have owed its origin to Edwyn, King of the Northumbrians, who was converted to Christianity, A.D. 627; but it was scarcely finished when that prince fell in battle. His head is said to have been interred in this cathedral, and his body in the monastery of Whitby.

The church built by Edwyn, was burnt down in 741, and, being afterwards rebuilt, had the same fate in 1069. Thomas, a canon of Bayeux, and the first Norman archbishop, in addition to appointing the several dignities in the cathedral, repaired the fabric, which was again destroyed by a fire that accidentally occurred in 1137, reducing to ruins the greater part of the city. In 1171, Archbishop Roger began to rebuild the choir, in which the Norman style prevailed: circular arches, single and massive pillars with plain capitals, and an entire freedom from all the "aid of ornament," were here conspicuous.

York minster was, however, afterwards entirely renewed; and by the care and munificence of some succeeding archbishops and other benefactors, the stately fabric now standing was erected.

Of the present building, the south part of the cross-aisle or transept is of as ancient a date as 1227, and is supposed to be the oldest portion of the minster at that time, in the reign of Henry the Third, the large heavy pillar had given place to a cluster of slender and elegant columus; a quantity of rich foliage adorned the capitals; the windows were made high, narrow, and pointed; and the light tracery ran round the vaultings of the roof. The north transept was built in the same character in 1260. The first stone of the nave was laid with great state in 1291, and it was finished with the two western towers about the year 1330. The materials for building the nave were supplied by Robert de Vavasour and Robert de Boulton, earl of Boulton, the former of whom gave the stone, the latter the timber. The memory of these noble benefactors is preserved by statues at the east and west ends of the cathedral.

The choir just alluded to, as built by Archbishop Roger, not corresponding with the rest, was taken down, and a new one begun in 1365, and the great central tower in 1370. The eastern window, which forms the grand termination of the choir, was put up in the reign of Henry the Fourth. The glazing of this magnificent window was done at the expense of the dean and chapter, by John Thornton, of Coventry, who, by the contract then made, was to receive four shillings per week for his work, and to finish it within the space of three years. He was, also, to have one hundred shillings per annum besides, and ten pounds more at the conclusion, if he continued and finished his work to the satisfaction of his employers. The sum may at first appear small, particularly when the extreme beauty of the colouring, and the manner of execution in this window is considered; but it is no longer surprising, when the difference in the value of money is taken into account.

The nobility and gentry of the north of England were at all times great contributors to this magnificent structure; and the experience of our own times is sufficient to prove that, when such assistance is actually required, it is not denied in these days. The following are the dimensions of York minster. Whole length from east to west 524 feet. Breadth of the cast end...... Breadth of the west end

Length of transept from north to south
Height of the grand lantern tower..
Height of the nave....
Height of the east window
Breadth

105

109

222

235

99

75

32

The interior of the minster is in every respect answerable to the grandeur of its exterior, and exhibits a striking specimen of the progressive styles of architecture which marked the reigns of the English monarchs, from Henry the Third to Henry the Sixth or Seventh inclusive, with the last of whom Gothic architecture may be said to have ceased.

The newest portion of the building, but not the least beautiful, is the organ-screen, at the entrance of the choir. It is of a florid kind, ornamented with fifteen statues of the kings of England, and is probably of the time of Henry the Seventh. When the great repairs were recently made in the Minster, to which we shall more particularly allude, it was at one time contemplated to remove this screen eastward, in consequence of its concealing the bases of two great pillars, which help to support the lantern tower; but the plan was afterwards abandoned, as likely to injure the proportions of the choir, besides that it would have sacrificed some of the statues on the screen. It would be difficult indeed to imagine a view more calculated to fill the mind with awe and delight than that which is presented on entering the west end of the minster. The columns, the arches, "the long drawn aisle," the screen, not intercepting the noble eastern window, which sheds its rich and varied light through the forms of kings and prelates, giving that air of mingled gravity and beauty so appropriate to the sacred place, and assisting to lift the soul to Him who made us, whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain, and yet who dwells in the hearts of those who worship Him in spirit and in truth.

This spacious building is well-adapted for music, and considering its size, favourable to the conveyance of sound; a point to which great attention seems to have been paid in the construction of our Cathedrals. Its importance in all churches, for the general purposes of hearing properly, and for the due effect of psalmody, scarcely requires to be pointed out. But the advantages possessed by York Minster in this respect were never so fully displayed, as at the Musi cal Festivals which have been held there.

The first of these took place in September, 1823, when the number present on one of the days was 4860, and of vocal and instrumental performers 459.

This performance of sacred music, which was chiefly from the works of Haydn and Handel, is said to have been most grand and striking, surpassed by nothing of the kind except the commemoration of Handel in Westminster Abbey, in 1784.

The benevolent object in view was the benefit of the York County Hospital, and of the General Infirmaries of Leeds, Sheffield, and Hull, to which be tween seven and eight thousand pounds were divided, as the balance of the receipts. Two similar festivals, for the same purpose, were subsequently held in the minster, in 1825 and 1828.

In recording in our pages a short sketch of this splendid cathedral, we now come to a memorable evert in its history which excited most painful emotions at the time of its occurrence, and must be yet fresh in

THE ALLIGATOR.

THE annexed engraving, which has been reduced from the original of Madame Merian, the German naturalist, represents this formidable reptile in the act of seizing a serpent engaged in the destruction of the alligator's eggs. The greatest enemies to the increase of these terrific creatures are serpents of all descriptions, which abound in the hot climates where the alligator is found, and break and devour great quantities of their eggs. The number of eggs produced by them is so great, that if they were not subject to many casualties, the countries they inhabit would be completely overrun with them. The alligator itself is also said to lessen the number of its progeny, by destroying many when very young.

The Crocodile of the Nile, of which genus the alligator is but a species, also finds an enemy in a little animal, about the size of a pòle-cat, called the ichneumon, which is peculiarly quick in discovering the place in which the eggs are concealed. The term alligator is applied to the various species of Crocodiles that are found in America, while the name Gavial has been given to such as inhabit the East Indies and the islands of the Indian Ocean, and the original word is more especially used when speaking of that species which abounds in the Nile. In the central parts of Africa, the crocodiles attain a very large size, in many instances being found as much as thirty feet in length. Their principal places of resort are the banks of rivers, swampy grounds, overgrown with weeds, and inland lakes; but they never approach the salt water. The natives who inhabit these districts are in constant fear of these enormous creatures, yet, although their power of doing mischief is extremely great, their natural timidity, and the low state of their instinctive faculties, allow them, comparatively, but few opportunities of exerting it.

Many strange tales have been told of their peculiarities, which later observations have proved to be unfounded; among other errors, it was supposed that they possessed the faculty, known in no other animal, of

moving the upper instead of the lower jaw. The peculiar manner in which the lower jaw is attached to the upper has been the cause of this error. In quadrupeds, the point at which the bones are jointed, is always on the under part, but in the crocodile that point is behind, and in consequence of the shortness of its legs, and the great length of its jaw, the reptile is compelled to throw back its head before it can open its mouth; an operation which produces, in a certain degree, the appearance of moving the upper jaw. Its movements, though, in particular cases, very rapid, are, in others, much limited; in a straight line, it can run with considerable speed; but its power of motion sideways is much restricted, from the little pliability of the joints of the back, and the thickness of its external covering. The swiftness, however, with which the head is turned, is very great; and this, in addition to its sideway movement, would render it rather unsafe to any enemy placed by its side, unless at a considerable distance.

The general opinion respecting these creatures is, that their ferocity and intractability are so great as to render them perfectly untameable; but experience in other classes of the animal creation ought to have taught us that every animal, under proper management, must bend to the mental superiority of man. We have also many instances on record to the same effect.

The priests of the temple of Memphis, in Egypt, in the celebration of their heathen mysteries, were in the habit of introducing tame crocodiles, as objects of worship to the deluded multitude. They were fed from the hands of their conductors, and decorated with jewels and wreaths of flowers. It is also reported, by the traveller Bruce, that the children in Abyssinia frequently amuse themselves by riding on the backs of these reptiles with perfect impunity. They have been also employed for the purpose of defence. The fortifications of the Dutch, in the island of Java, are surrounded by water; and, to prevent the desertion of their soldiers, or the approach

of their enemies, they placed crocodiles in the ditches, | to deter either from crossing them.

The age to which they live must be very great, from the slowness of their growth, and the large size they attain. The eggs, from which they are produced, are not larger than those of a goose, which, considering the magnitude of the full-grown animal, is another surprising fact.

The Crocodile swallows its prey whole, and feeds indifferently on fish or small quadrupeds; and the upper teeth, instead of resting with their points upon the under when the mouth is closed, enter between them, and thus prevent all chance of escape. It but rarely attacks mankind. On either side of the under part of the lower jaw, a small opening is found, from which the creature can force, at will, a liquid possessing the smell of musk. This property has been lately noticed by Mr. Thomas Bell, in a paper inserted in the Transactions of the Royal Society of London, and, in his opinion, the reptile employs it for the purpose of attracting fish into the places it haunts.

RICH AND POOR.

BESIDES those who work for their living, some at a higher rate and some at a lower, there are others who do not live by their labour at all, but are rich enough to subsist on what they, or their fathers, have laid up. There are many of these rich men, indeed, who do hold laborious offices, as magistrates and members of parliament. But this is at their own choice. They do not labour for their subsistence, but live on their property.

There can be but few of such persons, compared with those who are obliged to work for their living. But though there can be no country where all, or the greater part, are rich enough to live without labour, there are several countries where all are poor; and in those countries where all are forced to live by their labour, the people are much worse off than most of the labourers are in this country. In savage nations, almost every one is half-starved at times, and generally half-naked. But in any country in which property is secure, and the people industrious, the wealth of that country will increase; and those who are the most industrious and frugal, will gain more than such as are idle and extravagant, and will lay by something for their children; who will thus be born to a good property.

Young people who make good use of their time, are quick at learning, and grow up industrious and steady, may, perhaps, be able to earn more than enough for their support, and so have the satisfaction of leaving some property to their children; and if they, again, should, instead of spending this property, increase it by honest diligence, prudence, and frugality, they may, in time, raise themselves to wealth. Several of the richest families in the country have risen in this manner from a low station. It is, of course, not to be expected that many poor men should become rich; nor ought any man to set his heart on being so: but it is an allowable, and a cheering thought, that no one is shut out from the hope of bettering his condition, and providing for his children.

And would you not think it hard that a man should not be allowed to lay by his savings for his children? But this is the case in some countries, where property is so ill-secured that a man is liable to have all his savings forced from him, or seized upon at his death; and there all the people are miserably poor, because no one thinks it worth his while to attempt saving any thing.

There are some countries which were formerly very

productive and populous, but which now, under the tyrannical government of the Turks, or other such people, have become almost deserts. In former times, Barbary produced silk; but now most of the mulberry-trees (on whose leaves the silk-worms are fed) are decayed: and no one thinks of planting fresh trees, because he has no security that he shall be allowed to enjoy the produce.

Can it be supposed that the poor would be better off if all the property of the rich were taken away and divided among them, and no one allowed to become rich for the future? The poor would then be much worse off than they are now; they would still have to work for their living as they do now; for food and clothes cannot be had without somebody's labour. But they would not work near so profitably as they do now; because no one would be able to keep up a large manufactory or farm, well stocked, and to advance wages to workmen, as is done now, for work which does not bring in any return for, perhaps, a year or two. Every one would live, as the saying is, "from hand to mouth," just tilling his own little patch of ground enough to keep him alive, and not daring to lay by any thing, because if he were supposed to be rich, he would be in danger of having his property taken away and divided.

And if a bad crop, or a sickly family, brought any one into distress, which would soon be the case with many, what could he do after he had spent his little property? He would be willing to work for hire; but no one could afford to employ him except in something that would bring in a very speedy return. For even those few who might have saved a little money would be afraid to have it known, for fear of being forced to part with it. They would hide it somewhere in a hole in the ground, which used formerly to be a common practice in this country, and still is in some others, where property is very scarce. Under such a state of things the whole country would become poorer and poorer every year. For each man would labour no more than just enough for his immediate supply; and would also employ his labour less profitably than now, for want of a proper division of labour; and no one would attempt to lay by any thing, because he would not be sure of being allowed to keep it. In consequence of all this, the whole produce of the land, and labour of the country would become much less than it is now; and we should soon be reduced to the same general wretchedness and distress which prevails in many half-savage countries. The rich, indeed, would have become poor; but the poor instead of improving their condition, would be much worse off than before. All would soon be as miserably poor as the most destitute beggars are now. Indeed, so far worse, that there would be nobody to beg of.

It is best for all parties, the rich, the poor, and the middling, that property should be secure, and that every one should be allowed to possess what is his own, and to gain whatever he can by honest means, and to keep it or spend it, as he thinks fit,-provided he does no one any injury. Some rich men, indeed, make a much better use of their fortune than others: but one who is ever so selfish in his disposition can hardly help spending it on his neighbours. If a man has an income of 50001. a year, some people might think, at first sight, that if his estate were divided among one hundred poor families, which would give each of them 501. a year, there would thus be, by such a division, one hundred poor families the more enabled to subsist in the country. But this is quite a mistake. Such would indeed be the case if the rich man had been used to eat as much