A very valuable volume of Geoponics in Greek, with Scholia, not hitherto publifhed, written upon filken leaves, and near 500 years old. XXIV. Many rare MSS in Aftronomy, Cofmography, and Geography. XXV. A vaft variety of Alchymical, Chymical, Chymical, Chirurgical, Pharmaceutical and Medical tracts, one whereof, being a treatise in high Dutch, on the process for finding the philofopher's ftone, formerly belonged to the famous M. Cyprianus, from whose niece, Mrs. Priemer, it was purchased, and prefented to Edward earl of Oxford. This book is divided into a great number of chapters; on the back of the laft leaf of each chapter the fubject thereof is reprefented in an emblematical picture, in which the beauty of its colouring, the difpofition of the figures, the elegance of their attitudes, and the propriety of compofition is fcarcely to be equalled. XXVI. A great number of volumes of original letters, and authentic tranfcripts of others, written as well by fundry persons who have been eminent for their high ftations in the ftate, as by thofe who were remarkable for their literary accomplishments, Laftly, a prodigious variety of MSS which, exclufive of their importance in other respects, are highly valuable on account of the many beautiful illuminations and excellent paintings; thofe pictures being not only useful for illuftrating the fubject of the books in which they are placed, but furnishing excellent leffons and ufeful hints to painters, perpetuating the reprefentations of the principal per fonages, buildings, utenfils, habits, armour, and the manners of the age in which they were paint ed, and very probably preferving fome pieces of eminent painters, of whofe works no other remains are extant. Some of these MSS have already been occafionally mentioned, and to them must be added; A most noble copy of bishop Grofthead's Specul Humanæ Salvationis, every page whereof is decorated with admirable pictures explanatory of its contents. A tranflation of Valerius Maximus into French, by Simon de Hefdin, and Nicholas de Goneffe, comprifed in four large volumes, with fine hiftorical paintings placed at the head of each book, reprefenting the principal fubjects treated of therein; together with another copy of the four laft books of the fame work, embellished with paintings in the like manner, and by the fame hand as the former. A most noble volume, confifting of the Antiquities of the Greeks and Romans, reprefented in paintings. A volume, entitled, Le Trefor de Maitre Jehan de Mehun, with paintings. The four elements and four feafons, painted by J. Bailly, and intended as patterns of tapestry for the French king. An account of the discovery and conqueft of Siberia; from Bell's travels. AT the beginning of the laft century, a Don Coffack, named Yarmak, being obliged by fome accident, to leave his native coun try, try, and having no means of fubfiftence, he, with a few accomplices, betook himfelf to robbing on the highway. He foon became famous and powerful, for he robbed only the rich, and, by generofity uncommon in fuch a character, liberally beftowed to fuch as were in want. He never killed, or even hurt any perfon, unlefs compelled to fuch outrages in his own defence. This behaviour fo raised his reputation, that all the idle fellows in the country enlifted themselves in his gang, and he became at laft fo troublefome, that the governors of the fouthern provinces fent out troops to apprehend him; but he being informed of their defign, withdrew from the land, and procuring boats upon the Volga, commenced pirate. Being attacked here alfo, he was forced to cross the Cafpian fea and shelter himfelf on the Perfian fhore, where he paffed for a merchant, Being again difcovered, he was obliged by the Perfians to quit their coaft; and now his only refuge was to return to the Volga, where he behaved with great circumfpection, often lurking in woods and villages: and, being in no want of money, he paid liberally for every thing he needed. Forefceing, however, that fuch a numerous gang could not be long concealed, he took the refolution of leaving the Volga, and fteered his courfe up the river Kama at that time little frequented by the Ruffians, or any other nation; here he hoped to find, at leaft, a fafe retreat during the winter. Yarmak, therefore, with his followers, amounting to 200, continued their voyage up the Kama, till they were ftopped by the ice at no great distance from a large village. The inhabitants were alarmed at the fight of fo many armed men, whom they were not able to oppofe, they therefore gave them a hofpitable reception. Yarmak demanded only provifions and winter-quarters for his men, promifing to leave them unmolefted in the fpring. In confequence of this declaration, he and his followers paffed the winter very quietly in that remote place, afraid, however, at the approach of fummer, of being discovered by the government, and uncertain what course to steer; it was at last determined to cross the mountains of Verchaturia, and go to the eastward, in hopes of finding fome uninhabited country, at least, a safe re treat. Having paffed the mountains, they arrived at the river Tur; and, finding it navigable, foon made a fufficient number of canoes for the whole gang. After rowing for fome days down the Tur, they discovered feveral villages of Mahometan Tartars, who were furprised at the fight of fuch a number of ftrangers, of whom they had before never fo much as heard. Yarmak having got what intelligence he could procure of the fituation and government of the country, purfued his voyage to the river Tobol; where he found the towns populous, and the land well cultivated. His approach alarmed the king of the Tartars, who affembled a numerous body of horfe and foot, armed with bows and arrows, and lances, and other fuch weapons, with whom our adventurer had many fkirmishes, and defeated great multitudes by means of his fire-arms, which had never before been been known in thefe parts. The poor Tartars were as much amazed and terrified at the fight of the Ruffians and their arms, as the inhabitants of Mexico on the arrival of the Spaniards in America, to which Siberia may, in many refpects, be compared. Yarmak finding his enemies daily more numerous, the nearer he approached the refidence of the Tartar king; having alfo loft many of his men in continual encounters, and spent the greatest part of his ammunition, knowing, befides, of no place of safety, where he might pafs the winter, which is both long and severe in this quarter, at lan determined to retreat. He therefore fteered his courfe to the weft, up the Tobol, and Tur rivers. The Tartars gave him no reft, but harraffed him perpetually from the banks. He himself, and a few more, escaped with a confiderable booty, and returned to the village where they wintered before. The inhabitants, on feeing the rich furs and other fpoils, gave them a welcome reception; and Yarmak did not forget to difpenfe his favours liberally among thofe who had entertained him in his diftrefs, when he fled from justice. Our adventurer had now time to reflect on his miferable circumftances. He confidered, that his lurking in thefe parts, though remote from any town, could not be long kept a fecret; to make another attempt against the Tartars with a handful of men, ill provided with arms and ammunition, might perhaps be ruinous, and certainly unfuccefsfnl. He therefore refolved to fubmit himself to the Czar's clemency, in hopes of obtaining a pardon for himself and his ac complices, on condition of pointing out the way to a rich and eafy conqueft of a country which he had difcovered. The propofal was made at court by a friend, and was of too great importance to be neglected. In fhort, Varmak was brought to Mofcow under a safe conduct, where he communicated the whole affair. He begged his majefty's pardon, and asked a certain number of troops, which he promifed to lead to glorious conqueft. His majefty granted him a pardon, approved of the expedition, and gave orders for the troops to attend him. They marched to Solikamfki, where they paffed the winter in making preparations for their enterprife. During this interval, Yarmak behaved with furprifing prudence and activity, and difcovered himfelf to be a perfon of uncommon genius. He collected fuch of his former followers as remained, and formed them into a company, in whom he could confide on all occafions. At the proper feafon, the troops' fet out towards Siberia. On coming into the inhabited part of the country, they found many ftraggling parties of Tartars in arms, ready to oppofe them, and a number of boats upon the rivers, full of armed men; the king of the Tartars himself was on board one of thefe veffels. This expedition was of fhort duration, and fully anfwered the expectations of the Ruffians. The Tartars in the beats, being purfued by the Rufsians, a battle enfued on the river Irtifh. Yarmak obferving the king's barge, ordered his crew to board ́ her, which he endeavouring to do at the head of his men, jumped hort, fhort, fell into the river, and was drowned, to the great grief of all his followers. Thus fell poor Yarmak! Notwithstanding this misfortune, the Ruffians gained a complete victory. The brave king of the Tartars loft his life alfo in the action. His fon, and the reft of the royal family, were taken prifoners, and fent to Moscow, where they were honourably received by the Czar, and treated according to their quality. The prince had an extenfive property granted him in Ruffia, which the family now enjoys, together with the title of Sibiríky Czarewitz, or prince of Siberia. An account of a remarkable monument found near Ashford in Derbyshire; by the Rev. Mr. Evatt of Afbford. From the Philofopical Tranfactions for the year 1762. IN the year 1759, as fome people were making a turnpike road through the village of Wardlow, near this place, they thought proper to take out of an adjoining field, an heap of ftone, that had lain there time immemorial, and without any tradition, that I could find, why it was thrown together in that place, although it was manifeft it was a work of art. Here, to their great surprise, upon removing the stone they found a monument, to the memory of 17 perfons, or more, who had been there interred. The bodies appeared to have been lain upon the furface of the ground, upon long flat stones, and their heads and breasts protected from the incumbent weight of ftone, by small walls made round them, with a flat ftone over the top, excepting the two capital ones, which were walled up, and covered from head to foot, in the form of a long cheft, with a stone cover over each. Upon removing the rabbish, many bones, fuch as jaw-bones, teeth, and the like, were found undecayed; but none at all of the larger bones of the body that I could learn. The heap of stones that covered them was circular, 32 yards in diameter, and about five feet high; and the ftones, forming the coffins or tombs, appear, very plainly, to have been taken from a ftone quarry, about a quarter of a mile distant. A part of the circle is vacant, but probably it was not fo originally, as there were found feveral bones and teeth in that space; the caufe might be, that as the part lay next the road, it might have met with an accidental disturbance, or, what is yet more likely, the people that came to clear the ftone away, beginning on that fide of it, destroyed that part before they were aware that it was any ways remarkable, or worthy note. There is one circumftance that feems to denote the monument to have been rather modern, which is this: One of the walls inclofing the field, in which this circular monument stands, runs through it within a few feet of the circumferance; and it appears, from the beft obfervations I could make, that the wall was erected before the monument was made, as I think it hardly probable that the perfons who built it would be at the trouble to remove that part of the circle that was without, for the fake of building a field-wall entirely level; which is the cafe; for all that portion of the circle, from the infide of the wall, was as level as any other part of the field: and as walls, I apprehend, are not of a very ancient date here (if the above be a fact) I cannot help conclud ing, that the monuments must have been erected in fome or other of the wars of the houses of York or Lancaster, or later; but this is only conjecture, and must be fub. mitted to the judgment of the more curious, or those who may have heard of, or feen fome fimilar ones; for my part, in my reading, I have not met with any thing at all like it. The feveral coffins were about two feet high, and the two complete ones about feven feet fix inches long, each, and the others had the flat stone nearly the fame length; but the covering extended only as far as the breast. Account of a skeleton of uncommon dimenfions, lately found in the county of Durham. SIR, A Few weeks ago a gentleman from Durham was brought to fee me, who fhewed me fome large teeth, and two Roman coins. The teeth, he said, he took out of the Jaw of a gigantic skeleton of a man, and the coins were found in the grave near it. The account he gives is in fubftance as follows: Upon Fullwell-hills, near Muncremouth in the county of Durham, and within a measured mile of the fea, there are quarries of lime which he rents of the proprietor. In the year 1759, he removed a ridge of limestone and rubbish, upon one of these quarries, which he was digging in fearch of ftone that was there very good; (the ridge was about 25, yards in length from east to west, its perpendicular height was about a yard and an half, its breadth at the top was near fix yards, and the fides were floping like the ruins of a rampart.) In the middle of this bank was found the skeleton of a human body, which measured nine feet fix inches in length, the thinbone measuring two feet three inches from the knee to the ancle; the head lay to the weft, and was defended from the fuperincumbent earth by four large flat ftones, which the relator, a man of great probity, who was prefent when the skeleton was measured, and who himself took the teeth out of the jaw, faw removed. The coins were found on the fouth fide of the skeleton, near the right-hand. Yours, &c. P. COLLINSON. Account of fome antiquities lately found at Lewes. SIR. Lewes, Aug. 15, 1763. THE South-downs near this place abound very much with thofe lafting monuments of antiquity, the Barrows or Tumuli of our ancestors, either British, Roman, or Danish, or perhaps all of them, the chiefeft part of which are of a bell fashion, with a fink in the middle; fome are double, fome fingle, others treble; fome few there are of the the long kind, one in particular at Aldfriston is 55 yards long, with three finks, one at each end, and one in the middle, with a deep ditch on each fide, from whence the earth was thrown that compofes it. A gen tleman |