Scott. This paper described various cists and deposits found in the ruins of a cairn on Clacharic and its neighbourhood, some of them of an unusual character. It was received with great interest, and a hope expressed that Lady Scott would favour the Society with further details, and with the result of her examination of other remains in the same district. II. Notice of the various attempts which have been made to read and interpret the Inscription on the Newton Stone, Garioch, Aberdeenshire. By Mr. Alex. Thomson, of Banchory, F.S.A. Scot. explained that the Newton Stone was a rude pillar of hard granite Mr. Thomson or gneiss, with inscriptions on its face and edge, now placed near the House of Newton, twenty-five miles north from Aberdeen. It was first brought into notice by the late Earl of Aberdeen, about the beginning of the present century, and he has recorded in a letter to Mr. Stuart, printed in the "Sculptured Stones of Scotland," the exact appearance which the monument then presented-having small lichens growing in the letters, as well as on the general surface of the stone. The inscription on the face of the stone consists of forty-six letters in six unequal lines. That on the edge is a series of Oghams resembling those so common on the Irish pillar-stones. As yet no inscription of the same character as that on the face of the stone has been discovered. The late Dr. Mill, of Cambridge, well known for his familiarity with Eastern languages, was induced to study the inscription; and, shortly before his death, he prepared a dissertation on the subject, with a reading of the inscription, which he concluded to be in the Phoenician character, and to commemorate an offering to Eshmun, the Syrian Esculapius. With the view of eliciting discussion, Dr. Mill's conclusions were read at the meeting of the British Association held at Oxford two years ago. On that occasion, Mr. Thomas Wright, who then saw the inscription for the first time, at once declared it to be Latin, written in a debased character; while Simonides, with equal confidence, read it as Greek, and extracted the same meaning from the Greek letters as Mr. Wright had done from the Latin. Mr. Thomson spent last winter in Italy, and being desirous of obtaining the opinions of those foreign scholars versed in inscriptions, he took with him well-executed photographs of the Newton Stone. Most of those to whom it was shewn at once confessed their ignorance of the characters, and declined any attempt to read or translate. A learned padre in Rome, however, pronounced it to be Celtic, and gave a reading of the inscription in that language; but from Mr. Thomson's account of the process by which he arrived at his conclusion, no reliance could be placed on it. Mr. Thomson met Dr. Davis in Florence, a gentleman well known for his Carthaginian researches, and he pronounced the inscription to be Phænician. He furnished Mr. Thomson with a hurried reading, but it did not tally with that of Dr. Mill. At Milan, Ceriani, the learned Librarian of the Ambrosian, at once pronounced it to be Palmyrene; but after further study he confessed his mistake, stating that although some of the letters seemed to be Palmyrenian, he could not identify all. The Academy at Turin, after mature deliberation, came to the conclusion that the letters on this monument do not appear to correspond with any known alphabet, and that the inscription must be the work or jest of some wag. Mr. Thomson left copies in the proper quarter at Heidelberg and Bonn, and also with the Keepers of the Manuscripts in the Imperial Library at Paris-but without any subsequent result. He also referred to suggestions made by others in this country, and in conclusion expressed a hope that competent scholars will not cease from their labours until the inscription be unmistakeably read and translated. The paper was accompanied by admirable photographs of the inscription by Mr. Riddle. Mr. Stuart made some observations on the original site of the stone, near to which some graves had been found, and after alluding to some of the Welsh stones, which had Roman and Ogham inscriptions, and to the reading of the latter by Dr. Graves, of Dublin, he expressed his belief that we might look with hope to the result of Mr. Skene's labours, who was now engaged on the Oghams of the Newton Stone. The Rev. Dr. Lindsay Alexander stated that he had for long taken an interest in this curious inscription, and had compared it with the Phonician and other alphabets, but without being able to find anything beyond resemblances. More recently he had been struck with the similarity of character between the letters on the Newton Stone, and those of the Sinaitic Inscriptions, and of the Caves at Ellora. Mr. Skene expressed his hope to be able to report the result of his labours on the Oghams ere long, and his belief that it was the line of enquiry most likely to be successful from our knowledge of the alphabet. So far as he had gone, he did not think that the Oghams presented any unusual difficulty. Professor Simpson joined in an expression of interest in this inscription, and his hope that the efforts to read its interpretation might not be relaxed. He mentioned that Professor Aufrecht and Mr. Yates concurred in the opinion that the letters were Phoenician. III. Notes of Recent Finds of Coins in Scotland, &c. By Mr. George Sim, Curator of Coins, S.A. Scot. Mr. Mossman stated that it would be desirable if the new regulations of the Exchequer were still more generally known, whereby the finder of relics is entitled to receive their full value. Professor Simpson gave a description of a stone hammer found in the drift in the Island of Lewis. Among the donations to the Museum was a large collection of objects, presented as treasure trove through John Henderson, Esq., Q. and L.T. Remembrancer for Scotland. We give a list, as shewing the beneficial working of the regulations above alluded to: Clay sepulchral urn, containing burnt bones, found between the bridge of Banff and the station of the Turriff Railway, Banffshire. Two clay sepulchral urns, one in frag. ments, found near Rhynie, Aberdeenshire. Two clay urns, in fragments, found at the Hill of Tuach, near Kintore, Aberdeenshire. Two clay urns, containing burnt bones and a stone hammer-head, found when digging a gravel-pit near the village of Cambusbarren, Stirlingshire. Two clay urns, found in digging at Lanark Moor. Bronze spear-head, found near Whitrop Tunnel, Hawick, Roxburghshire. Bronze pot with handle and spout, found on the Hill of Auchinstilloch, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire. Bronze pot, with loops at the sides for handle, found at Rennelknowe, near Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire. Gold ring, found while excavating the furnace-pit for the heating of the parish church of Kirkpatrick-Durham, Kirkcudbright. Four gold armlets, found in draining a field near Ormidale, Brodick, Island of Arran. Two rings and three bands of gold, a small bar of silver, and twenty-six silver coins of the reigns of King David I. of Scotland and Kings Henry I. and Stephen of England, found on the farm of Plan, in the parish of Kingarth, Buteshire. Iron sword, found on the Strathspey Railway, near Gortons, Elginshire. Iron rapier, found at the Mills of Forres, Elginshire. Stone quern, stone with perforation at one end, bronze weight, &c., found when taking out the foundation of a house in the High-street of Dunbar. Two circular brooches and portions of two others, of silver, two rings of gold with stone settings, fifteen jet beads, and fifty-six silver coins of the reigns of Alexander III., John Baliol, and Edward I. and II., found in ploughing a field on the farm of Woohead, parish of Canonbie, Dumfriesshire. Massive silver chain, found in digging at Parkhill, Aberdeenshire. Bishop's crosier in oak, a chalice, and portion of a paten in wax, and relic of iron and bone (broken), found in Bishop Tulloch's tomb in St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney. Leaden plate, with inscription on both sides, found in St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. An aureus of Nero, found at Newstead, near Melrose. Thirty-two coins of the reigns of Elizabeth, James I., Charles I. of England, and Philip of Spain, found at Bankhead, parish of Newmills, Aberdeenshire. Thirty-five coins of the reigns of James II., III., IV., V. of Scotland, and Henry VI. of England, found in taking down the Wheatsheaf Inn, Ayr. An English sixpence of James I., found at Loanhead, near Hawick. Half-crowns of James VI. and Charles I., found at Ardoch, Perthshire. Gold half-crown of James I., found at Brechin. Four French Abbey counters, found in Virginia-street, Aberdeen. COLONEL LEAKE'S COLLECTION OF COINS AND ANTIQUITIES. LIEUT.-COLONEL WILLIAM MARTIN LEAKE, F.R.S., the eminent classical antiquary, who died January 6, 1860, by his will gave the University of Cambridge the right of pre-emption for £5,000 of his fine collection of coins and antiquities. The Senate referred the matter to a special syndicate, who reported in favour of the purchase from accumulations of the funds of the Fitzwilliam Museum, and at a Congregation held on the 25th of February a grace to confirm this Report was carried by an overwhelming majority (placets 94, nonplacets 14). Previously to the Congregation the Rev. Dr. Whewell, Master of Trinity College, had circulated Reasons for voting against the purchase. To this a reply was made by the Rev. Churchill Babington, B.D., Fellow of St. John's College. We may add that a brief memoir of the life and writings of Colonel Leake, drawn up by the Rev. John Howard Marsden, B.D., Disney Professor of Archæology (in accordance with a request made by the late Mrs. W. M. Leake, from original documents in her possession), had previously appeared. It is marked "For private circulation only," but we believe a copy was sent to each resident member of the Senate. Correspondence of Sylvanus Urban. [Correspondents are requested to append their Addresses, not, unless agreeable, for publication, but in order that a copy of the GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE containing their Communications may be forwarded to them.] HOW BELLS ARE CRACKED. [IN compliance with the request of an esteemed correspondent we reproduce the following letter, which originally appeared in the "Ecclesiologist.”] SIR,-In my brochure on Chiming," published by Bell and Daldy, I have given a caution against "clocking" bells, which is a lazy trick of the sexton's to facilitate his work of tolling; the rope is hitched round the flight of the clapper, and so it is pulled athwart against the side of the bell, whereas the bell should be pulled till it meets the clapper, which at once rebounds and falls, toties quoties, against the side of the bell with its own legitimate weight and force. I mentioned that two bells had been so cracked at Canterbury. A friend has lately supplied me with the following list of bells so cracked in London within his memory. Such a fearful list cannot be too widely circulated, and therefore I forward it to you. Sixteen fine tenors:-no doubt all were clocked for funerals. Notes of similar catastrophes in the country would be valuable as further cautions. Clyst St. George, Devon. I am, &c., H. T. ELLACOMBE, M.A. 7th 15 Tenor 31 About 1828. Tenor 1860. Tenor 30 1820. Treble, 2, 4, 5, 7th 1820. Tenor 16 Tenor 16 1833. Tenor About 1858. ON BUILDING MATERIALS. SIR,-There is a very general impression, which appears to me not without foundation, that our modern system of building causes a great deal of money to be wasted which might be better employed. We have adopted the outward resemblance of the buildings of our ancestors in the Middle Ages with great advantage, but we have not yet revived their wise, and skilful, and economical modes of construction; we still follow in this respect the traditions of the last century and of the Italian school. This wasteful expenditure is shewn in various ways. The builders naturally encourage it, as making good for trade, and the architects too frequently act upon the same principle, and make it their business to lead their employers on to spend as much money as they can, without seeming to do so, rather than try to save their pockets, as it is abstractedly their duty to do, but against their own interest. I am afraid that in the weakness of human nature, when abstract duty is put in one scale and the pocket in the other, the pocket is very apt to weigh the heaviest. One way in which this waste is shewn is in the carriage of building materials from a distance without making sufficient enquiry beforehand how far the materials found on the spot can be made available. I remember an instance when by the architect's advice Scotch granite was brought to build a plain parapet and steps, which could have been built of the stone of the country for a fourth part of the cost, and the architect had his commission on the price of the granite. Of course his only motive was the benefit of posterity-the stone of the country would not last so long as the Scotch granite. To judge by that which it replaced it would have lasted about three hundred years, but that was not long enough for a conscientious architect, who looked to the interest of posterity only. Our ancestors would have used the stone of the country, and trusted to their posterity to renew it when it became necessary. In some districts the only material of the country is chalk, and in chalk flints are generally abundant. In such districts our ancestors built their churches of chalk, and faced them with flint on the outside to keep out the wet. We have hundreds of such churches built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries now remaining in use, and if they have not been wantonly injured by digging graves under the foundations they are generally quite sound. But no modern builder or architect would condescend to build in such a vile, detestable manner-it is quite out of the question, it would be a disgrace to them. Wherever a crack has been caused in the old chalk walls by the undermining of them it is quite impossible to repair them in the same manner as they were built, and strengthen the foundations with concrete, filling up the graves, and forming a surface drain. Oh, no! that is quite out of the question, it would be a disgrace to all the parties concerned. If a poor ignorant country parson ventures to plead the fact that his old church has stood for six or seven hundred years, and that he and his people are attached to it, Mr. Conceita the architect and Mr. Pocket the builder are astonished that an educated gentleman and a clergyman can be so ignorant and so stupid-can he not see what absolute rubbish the walls are, that directly you begin to pull them about they tumble down; it is quite impossible to let them alone. Of Mr. Conceit is the successor in business to Mr. Compo, who was so well known to the profession and to the public some twenty or thirty years since, and was so admirably described by the able author of "St. Antholin's." Of course both of them were the black sheep of the flock only, and were entirely discountenanced and disclaimed by the great bulk of the architectural profession, which contains as many honourable gentlemen as any other; but no profession or trade can be kept entirely free from black sheep. |