Mr. URBAN, Queen-square, Bloomsbury, July 5. THE Cedar of Libanus, mentioned in vol. XLIX. p. 138, is still standing in Tharter the Garden formerly belonging to the Old Palace, and has considerably increased since it was measured in 1779, by the late Mr. Liley. In 1793, at 3 feet from the ground, this famous Cedar measured, in girt, 12 feet. In 1815, at 1 foot 6 in. from the ground, 15 feet 8 in.; and in 1821, at 1 foot from the ground, 17 feet. But, to give you a more general and correct idea of this Tree, I send you the section and admeasurements, taken on the 15th of March last. ft. in. 4. Ditto at 5 feet 6 in. from ditto - 13 6 5. Ditto at 14 feet 6 in. from ditto 13 3 6. Ditto at 24 feet 6 in. from ditto 10 11 7. Ditto at 32 feet 6 in. from ditto (rather more than 1 foot below 11 8 8. Ditto b. towards the South West d. towards the South West e. towards the East f. towards the West ft. in. 7 7 29 "Too much, too much, Camdenius* hath been prais'd, Divine Euterpe, in thy glorious lines; 4 Enough hath Enfield's character been rais'd, Which now in Clio's sportive numbers 64601 539 3 10 2 4 6 5 2 3 10 4 0 g. towards the South East Extent of the branches from N.E. to S.W. 87 feet. The body of the Tree has encreased at girt 3, since 1815, 5 inches. This Cedar was destined to the axe by the late Mr. Callaway, after he had purchased the Old Palace at Enfield; the saw-pit was already prepared, and a trench dug round the tree, but some of the inhabitants of Enfield, the admirers of this tree, particularly the late Richard Gough, esq. and Dr. Sherwin, interfered; at whose request the tree was spared, and it is now standing, the ornament of the place. This circumstance gave rise to much versification, and about this time some high flown compliments appeared in the St. James's Chronicle, addressed to the late Mr. Gough; they were, however, composed with all the irregularity of a school-boy genius, and were signed Euterpe, to which Mr. Gough replied under the signature Clio, quoting Drayton's Polly-Olbion for a panegyrick on Enfield: these gave origin to the following lines, which were sent to Mr. Gough, but never publishedt: "Ye sister Muses, cease your idle strains, Ob! cease in sportive lays to sing, To torture Enfield or Castalia's plains, But strike, oh strike with me the doleful string. It is stated, by Mr. Liley's account, to contain, exclusive of the boughs, about 103 cubical feet; whereas, in fact, it contained at that time about 293 cubical feet, this may very probably be an error in the press at the time. + The words in italics were taken from the lines by Euterpe. shines. "Far other subjects on your labours call,' As erst im Lebanon's most holy land, "Weep, weep, ye Muses at the mournful deed, [tone, Ye Hama Cedryads join the plaintive With mighty Callaway, oh! intercede, The fate of lofty Lebanon hemoan." MELPOMENE. The branches in general spread horizontally; but at the height of about 40 feet, and little below the part where the main trunk was broken off, branch (A) has taken nearly a perpendicular direction, and viewed (B) appears to be a continuation of on the side opposite to the fracture the body of the tree; the extremity of this branch is 64 feet 8 in. from the ground. The dimensions already noticed, were taken by Mr. May, who occupies the only part of the old structure now remaining, as a boarding-school, in whose garden the Cedar stands in a flourishing condition, and to whom I am indebted for the present admeasurement and section. This tree has been erroneously stated beth, but it seems to be pretty certo have been planted by Queen Elizatain, that Dr. Uvedale planted it at the time he occupied the palace as a boarding-school, about the year 1665, which makes this tree 156 years old. every part of Enfield, whether on The tree may be seen from almost the hill or in the valley. The wood does not differ in appearance from white deal, nor does it seem harder, and has an agreeable smell. The *It was thought the compliments paid to Mr. Gough were at the expence of the other inhabitants of Enfield. (A) The branch which took nearly a perpendicular direction after the fracture, and now appears as part of the body of the tree. (B) The place where the trunk was broken by high wind in 1703. cones cones are ovate, abrupt, and their scales close pressed. The red crest of the Anthers flowers are ovate, flat, and erect. The leaves tufted, perennial. The male flowers are of a long cylindrical form; the female catkins are ovate, dull purple, both lips of their scales nearly obicular, and close pressed *. I have seen some cones of a Cedar from Mount Libanus, brought in a ship which arrived at Deptford in May last, from Syria. These cones were longer from the base to the apex than those of the Eufield Cedar, and were of a light brown colours those of the Enfield tree were much darker, shorter, and contained a greater portion of turpentine than the former; which probably may be attributed to the difference of soil, that of Enfield being of a much richer quality than that of Libanus, which is only sand, and that of the poorest description. The following directions have been collected for the information of those persons who are desirous of cultivating the growth of Cedars in England. The seeds, a little before sowing, should be taken from the cone in the following manner :-Let a hole be bored with a piercer, exactly up the centre of the cone, from the base to the apex; put it into water, where it may remain 24 hours; then having a wooden peg rather bigger than the piercer, let it be thrust into the hole, and it will so divide the cone, that the different scales may be taken away, and the seeds picked out. Great care must be taken not to bruise or hurt the seeds, which will be then very tender. The soil should be rather of a sandy nature, or for want of this, some mould taken fresh from a rich pasture, and sifted with a little drift sand, will answer the purpose. Let the seeds be sown about the middle of March, in pots or boxes, near half an inch deep. In about seven or eight weeks the plants will appear, when they should be removed into the shade, from the heat of the sun, where they may stand, but not under shelter, all the summer, during which time they See the beautiful plate by Mr. Sowerby, added to Mr. Lambert's Work after his original publication, of the different species of the Pinus. should be kept clear of weeds, and watered now and then. In the winter season they should be removed into a warmer situation, or, if it is likely to prove very severe, they should be sheltered either by mats, or removed into the green house, or covered with a hot-bed frame, for they are subject at first to lose their young tops by the severity of frosts. In the beginning of April following, these plants may be pricked out in beds four inches asunder, and if the weather proves dry, they should be staked and watered till they have taken root, after which they will want little shading and less watering; indeed nothing more is required than keeping them free from weeds, and covering the ground so as to keep it moist, and prevent its chapping by the rays of the sun. In this bed they may remain two years; when, in the spring they should be transplanted to the nursery, where they may remain till they are planted out for good. During the time they are in the nursery, and after planting out, many will have a tendency to droop in their leading shoot: as soon, therefore, as this is perceived, an upright stake must be driven into the ground, to which the shoots should be tied with bass matting, to keep them to their upright growth. This will not always effect it, for some, after being tied so effectually, turn the shoot downward over the bandage, though loose, so as to appear as if they were beat down on purpose. When Cedars are planted out for good, they should be left to Nature, after being properly fenced; not a knife nor bill-book should come near them, lopping even their lowest branches is so injurious, that it both retards their growth and diminishes their beauty. Cedars now growing in England, are found to thrive best in the poorest soil. W. R. ***The foregoing account of the Cedar at Enfield, is extracted from the MS. of an intended "History and Antiquities of the Town and Parish of Enfield," which will probably appear the latter end of this year. 1821.] On the Antient Tenure called Drengage. great diversity of opinion as to its nature; and I believe it is not yet settled whether it was a free tenure, of one of villenage and servility. If the following observations, made during a search after other matters, tend to throw the least light on the subject, they are beartily at your service. The word is Anglo-Saxon, and to be found in most of the dialects of the Gothic. There are three authors of note who advocate the claim of this tenure to the rank of petty serjeantry; Blount, in his book of Tenures, and Law Dictionary; Dr. Hickes, in the Thesaurus, and Sir Henry Spelman, in his Glossary and Remains. Blount says, the Drenches or Drengs were free, and held by knight-service; but this is a borrowed opinion merely, as is manifest from his quotation of a MS Domesday Book, and his reference to Spelman. The quotation from the manuscript is a garbled and imperfect passage from a transcript of the original, which passage will be given correctly hereafter. Dr. Hickes also thought drengage was a knight-service, in proof of which he quotes a grant or charter of Ralph Bishop of Durham, of the time of William I. "R. birceop getep pell alle hir þeiner J Spenger of Єalonorcine Nonhamrcipe" &c. which he renders, "R. Episcopus omnibus suis Ministris, et Militibus Lindisfarnensis Insulæ, et pagi Norhamensis, salutem dicit," &c. The Doctor gives "militibus" as the meaning of "openger," partly be cause it is so rendered in the Sharnborne pedigree: "In hac versione,” says he, "penger reddidi militibus, et eadem signification gaudere censes in historia familiæ de Sharnborne, quæ extat in Reliquiis Spelmanois;" and that "ipsi in posterium vocarentur Drenges, i. e. ut ego puto, Milites, a cimbrico breingt, vir strenuus, fortis, et synecdochice Miles.-Sic in Edda Icelandorum, Mythol. XLII. Chor gick ut bm Assgard sem vngur dreingr; Thor ex Asgardio profectus est in formå juvenis Militis.-Sic in bistoria StyrbiorBonis Suecici, quod extat in commentariis Christiani Wormii ad Aræ multiscii scecas: nu er dan markar drotten i dreingia lid geingenn; nunc profectus est Das Rex ad Militum copias.-Sic etiam = Glafs Daga, Gaek`attu in, quad 31 eckia, Armur drenge; Intro i, inquit Vidua, miselle Miles.-Sic, denique, in Herbarar Daga; cap. v. p. 68. en stal vid eirn orosto hepa braustra dreingia nemur hugurbili; Alter robustorum Militum contra alterum pugnabit, nisi animus fatiscat." have been determined in his translaAlthough Dr. Hickes appears to tion of these several quotations from the Icelandic, by the Sharnborne paper, and the signification of the word in the Cimbric, he, nevertheless, in his "Dictionariolum" gives the Icelandic word brengr, famulus.-Now, according to his own shewing, the through the Cimbric, and the word apprehend the meaning should also being the same in both tongues, I be so; why, therefore, should he say in one instance miles, and in the other famulus. Icelandic is but a dialect of the Gothic With regard to the history of the Sharnborne family, published by Giblittle need be said; for it is now unison in Sir Henry Spelman's Remains, versally acknowledged not to be a genuine document. It was probably in the latter part of the reign of Hen. compiled by some intriguing Monk VII. or early in that of Henry VIII. who found his account in flattering the family. Mr. Parkin, in his "Impartial Account of the Invasion of William Duke of Normandy," 4to. 1757, Mr. Brooke in the Archæologia, and Dr. Brady, declare their conviction of its being a forgery; and it is allowed to be so by Tyrrel, in his History, vol. ii. p. 51, 52; though Mr. Hume calls him "a pertinacious defender of his party notions." Dugdale also thought it genuine, his MSS. in the Ashmolean Museum, and the original is deposited among wheuce Spelman had it. The objec tionable passage is as follows: Propter quod, idem Edwynus et alii quidam, qui ejecti fuerunt, abierunt ad Conquestorem, et dixerunt ei, quod nunquam ante conquestum suum, nec post, fuerunt contra ipsum Regem in concilio, et auxilio; sed tenuerunt se in pace, et hoc parati fuerunt probari, quomodo ipse Rex vellet ordinare; propter quod idem Rex fecit inquirendum per totam Angliam, si ita fuit quod quidem probatum fuit; propter quod idem Rex præcipit ut omnes illi qui sic tenuerunt se in pace in formâ prædictâ, quod ipsi retinuerunt omnes terras et dominationes suas adeo integrè, et Seaver, after proceeding to Rio de Janeiro to solicit the aid of the Portuguese Government to enable him to cultivate the Island, being disappointed in his expectations, abandoned the project, and entered into the service of the Government of Buenos Ayres, by whom he was promoted to the rank of a Commodore: but they having, it is said, some reason to suspect his fidelity, and being accused of tampering with the Spanish Government, he was arrested; and after a short and rigorous confinement, condemned to suffer death, and shot, on board of a schooner off the island of Flores in the river Plate. This information I received during a short residence at Buenos Ayres and at Rio de Janeiro, in 1819. About five years since, to the best of my recollection, when I was a resident at the Cape of Good Hope, the present Governor of that Settlement, Lord Charles Henry Somerset, sent a military detachment, under the command of Capt. Claste (one of his aidesdu-camp) to Tristan de Acunha, who took possession of the Island, in the name of his Majesty, provisionally, till the measure received the sanction of the British Government: but after a few months occupation, having received orders to abandon the place, the troops were withdrawn, and returned to the Cape a short time before I left that Colony. This Island was first discovered by the Portuguese Admiral Tristan de Acunha, from whom it takes its name. Another of the group, Diego Alvarez, is called after a vice-admiral of that name; the remainder of the cluster are, Nightingale Island, Gough's Is. land, Inaccessible Island, and Rocky Island. In the History of St. Helena, written by Mr. Brook, he states that the East India Company had it once in contemplation to abandon that island, and take possession of Tristan de Acunha, as a depôt,-it having a decided advantage over the other, not only from its local situation, but from its superior fertility and produce and this project would have been carried into execution, only for the opposition of the Portuguese Government. A. SINNOT. STATUES IN THE FRENCH MUSEUM, (Resumed from vol. XC. ii. p. 216.) HIS saloon is so called from a THIS painting on the ceiling, representing Poetry and History celebrating with envy the exploits of warlike Rome. With every deference to the political necessity of continental nations preserving a military spirit, the introduction of History shows that it ought to have commemorated the truth; namely, that the conquests of the Romans merely imply the success of regular tacticks over the mobfighting of barbarous warfare. But the vanity of France is here conspicuous, and the comparison with English good sense is striking. The battles of Marlborough are tapestried at Blenheim, but these were fought with equal arms. Our Indian combats are not deemed worthy of notice, except as picturesque records. LXXVII. GETA. A Bust. This bust, taken from the ruins of Gabii, is in perfect preservation. Portraits of this Emperor are very rare, because they were destroyed by Caracalla. (Monum. Gabin. n. 4. Visconti, p. 31.) There is a marble bust of him at the Capitol, which Mongez (Rec. p. 17) says, is perhaps unique. His face upon the Florentine gems. (i. pl. 15, n. 12) is that of a beardless youth, and exhibits a singular mode of hair-dressing; for though the Romans wore crops, yet their perukism is of inexhaustible variety. LXXVIII. INOPUS. A Fragment. This fragment belonged to a demireclined statue, of which there remain only the head, and a part of the torso. This piece of fine workman |