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It will scarcely admit of doubt, that Great Britain was originally colonized by Celtic adventurers, the earliest race that moved weftward from those regions which were the grand fource of the population of the world. All the Cambrian records confirm this ftatement, and an additional proof is derived from the univerfal prevalence of the Celtic language in the countries colonized by them. The defcendants of thefe tribes were in poffeffion of the different parts of Great Britain at the period of the Roman invafion, an event that gradually caufed a material alteration in their manners, customs, and condu&t. The Britons, become effeminate from the influence of Roman luxury, and deprived of their valiant youth for the defence of Rome itself, had loft that magnanimity, that patriotic ardour, which had fo eminently diftinguifhed their martial ancestors, when the Picts and Saxons commenced, or rather renewed, with redoubled violence their predatory incurfions on Roman Britain. The treachery of Vortigern rendered fruitlefs thatdefperate courage which excefs of calamity naturally awakens in a free-fpirited, but oppreffed people, and the Saxon power. augmented rapidly, though not without frequent oppofition from their brave, but unfortunate antagonifts. With Cadwallader expired the laft remnant of the dominion of this ill-fated people, the nominal fovereignty of Britain, and froin this period the Hiftory of Wales properly commences. Confined to their mountains, yet with the patriotic flame ftill glowing in their breafts, we might expect to find the hardy Cambrian race defying alike the efforts of our Saxon kings,. and the policy of our Norman monarchs; but though their history prefents the picture of an heroic people ftruggling to maintain the laft remains of expiring liberty and independence, the fentiments of compaffion that would otherwife. be excited in us, become nearly extinguished by their la mentable want of public virtue, their jealous and fierce contentions among themselves, which effectually did the business of the enemy, and inundated their country with that blood which fhould only have flowed in combat against the common foe. Thefe powerful engines of state policy were not neglected by the brave, though crafty Edward, and the death of the laft Llewelin finally placed the principality of Wales under the dominion of an English prince.

The author of the Hiftory of Cardiganfhire has commenced his account of the inhabitants from the first peopling of Great Britain, and coninued it to the union of Wales with England, in the time of Henry VIII., treating principally of occurrences

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within the county, except where the events of the princi pality at large are fo intimately connected with it, as to render their infertion abfolutely neceffary, and then they are not extended to a difproportionate magnitude, The introduction contains a confiderable mafs of curious and well-connected matter relative to ancient British rites and ceremonies. We are then prefented with the Hiftory of the Welch Jurifprudence, and with the religious profeflions of the people of Cardiganshire, from the period of Druidifm to the present time.

Speaking of the prevalence of Methadifm, Mr. Meyrick fays,

"That men fhould differ in opinion upon abftrufe points of religion is by no means wonderful, nor are they to be reckoned the worfe Chriftians on that account, but the Methodists in Wales are certainly to be condemned for their intolerant spirit, and to be pitied for permitting, in one inftance, their heated imaginations to get the better of their reafon. That mode of jumping, from which this feet has been emphatically called Jumpers, is, of all things, the moft ridiculous. Any one who has heard one of their preachers hold forth to his congregation, although ignorant of the language, may perceive how much ftage effect is the object of this reverend Diffenter. A text being given from the pulpit, he does not confine himself simply to expound it, but allows himself the utmoft latitude in his dif courfe, and preaches in the most familiar manner. He begins in a low tone of voice, with long paufes between his fentences, then increafing both the found of his voice, and the celerity of his fentences, and at laft, by exerting himself to the utmoft, fa works upon the infatuated and inflamed imaginations of his audience, to whom he appears infpired by the Holy Ghoft with utterance, that they foon throw their arms about in the wildest manner, groaning moft ardently; then, encreafing their motion, take hold of each others hands, and thus, by pairs, commence jumping, accompanied with religious exclamations, fuch as "Gogoniant," or Glory to God," and finally jump, until being quite exhaufted, they faint away in the arms of the by-ftanders. In fhort, if the preacher does not accomplish this object, he lofes his credit, as a fkilful perfon, and is no more run after by the thoufands he would otherwife attract." Introd. p. 108.

The author, in a fubfequent page, draws an unfavourable, though we fear not wholly imaginary, picture of the Cardiganfhire clergy. But when he talks of its being "almoft praife-worthy to defert fuch parfons," we trust he goes as much

too

too far in fact, as we are fure he does in principle. We shall infert, therefore, only the conclufion of this paffage.

"The ignorance and mifconduct of many of the clergy of the Established Church in thefe diftant provinces, muft first be corrected, and then the return of their flocks may be effected; till then it can scarcely be expected. It must be a moft gratifying confolation to all lovers of the Church of England, to find this laudable work already commenced under the aufpices of one, to whom this part of the principality must be forever indebted. The zealous endeavours of the Right Rev. Dr. Burgefs, the prefent Bishop of St. David's, will, it is to be hoped, meet with their merited fuccefs, and as fome of the prefent clergy have characters quite oppofite to the above defcription, and as a fupply of good fcholars, and good men may be looked for from the fchools of Yftradmeirig and Lampeter, let us anxioufly look forward to that happy time when the unity of the spirit fhall be kept in the bond of peace.'" P.119. :

In a later chapter we are prefented with a concife account of the Aftronomical knowledge of the ancient Britons, and here we meet with much novel information, and fome curious coincidences. The ancient cuftoms, and fuperftitions at this day remaining in Cardiganfhire" next occupy our attention, and on this fubject a variety of curious ancient inftitutions, and remains of fuperftitious ceremonies are detailed, which in many cafes, while they intereft by their fingularity, excite our pity for the degradation of the human mind. The next tract is on the drefs of the people, and this is followed by the mineralogy, in which much useful and valuable information is given; fuch as may be effentially ferviceable to those wishing to embark in mining concerns, as well as to the traveller. The general agriculture of the county, and an account of its live produce clofe that part of the work allotted to the Introduction.

The Hiftory itself is divided into hundreds, and fubdivided into parishes, and partakes of the general nature of fuch works. At the end appears a copious appendix of valuable documents. Though the genealogies introduced, in fome inftances, favour of the Cambrian pride of ancestry, yet we think the method adopted in the prefent work, of giving only, fuch portions of pedigrees as are neceffary to the hiftory of each family manfion, is judicious and ufeful. Many curious anecdotes are introduced, and much poetry, we cannot fay of equal merit, is interspersed throughout the work. The book is embellished with twenty engravings, by Storer and.

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Greig,

Greig, in their ufual ftyle of excellence, from accurate drawings by the author.

On the whole, independent of poffeffing a rare quality in modern books, a very great bulk, in proportion to its price, we think this work will be found valuable to the antiquary, interefting to the hiftorian, and entertaining to the general reader; and we have no hesitation in predicting that it will readily find a place in every well-felected library.

ART. IV. Afiatic Refearches. Vol. VIII.
(Concluded from p. 230.)

CAPTAIN Wilford, purfuing his investigation respecting
the geography of India, or lambu, its native appellation,
prefents us with various fchemes of the mundane fyftem
formed by Brahmin geometricians, all of the moft romantic
nature, but that moft in repute, has the celebrated mount
MERU in the center, the abode of the Gods of India, as
Olympus was of thofe of Greece, and is furrounded with
feven iflands, or dweepas, which give their names to as many
respective zones, and are, in fact, the feven climates of·
weltern geographers. Thefe dweepas, he tells us, gradually
increase in breadth from the equator to the polar circle, and
both their names, and the fuppofed countries intended to
be defignated by them are enumerated in his differtation.
This long lift of inharmonious names we forbear to cite, as
conveying little inftruction to an European geographer,"
but the following defcriptive furvey of the coaft of In-
dia, of the courfe of the Ganges, and of the prominent
rocks and headlands that anciently formed its barrier against
the invading ocean, is too curious and valuable to be omitted,
especially as a great part of it is taken from actual in-
fpection of the country. The natural hiftory introduced
into this detail, and the extraordinary circumftance of an
old bed of the Ganges having been found at the depth
of ninety-five feet below the furface of the earth, with the
petrified bones of animals, probably offered in facrifice in
very ancient times, muft prove our apology for the length of
the quotation.

"The firft, or dwipa of Jambu, commonly called India, was formerly an island, as it appears from the infpection of the coun

try. The British province along the Ganges from Hari-dwár, down to the mouth of that river, was formerly an arm of the fea : and in the fame manner, toward the Weft, another arm of the fea extended from the mouth of the Indus to Hari-dwár, and there met the other from the Eaft. A delineation of the Northern fhores of India could not be attended with much difficulty, as they are in general fufficiently obvious. The fea coaft may be traced from the Neelgur mountains to Rájamáhl, where it turns fuddenly to the Weft. There the fhore is bold, and rifes ab. ruptly, forming a promontory confifting chiefly of large rounded ftones, irregularly heaped together, but thefe irregular heaps may be only the ruins of more regular ftrata in the mountain. Thefe ftones are in general of an oval, yet irregular fhape, about two feet long, fometimes three. Their fuperior and inferior furfaces are fomewhat flattened, and in fome inftances I thought I perceived, that one was concave and the other convex. I found alfo there fome Volcanic nuclei above one foot and a half in diameter: in one that was broken the interior coats were very obvious: the outward furface was remarkable for numerous cracks and fiffures, fome very deep, and all forming together a variety of irregular figures. This I found at the foot of the hill near the Sacri-gully pafs; unfortunately, I am not fufficiently ac quainted with natural hiftory to enter upon fuch a fubject; and I fhall conclude with obferving, that I conceive the cascade of Muti-' jirná near this place, to be the remains of the crater of a Volcano. This I mention with a view to engage the attention of perfons better qualified than I am, for fuch enquiries *.

"From Rájamáhl, the fhore trends toward the Weft, forming feveral head lands; the principal of which are Mongheir, and Chunar. From thence it goes all along the banks of the Jumná to Agra, and to Delhi, where it ends, forming two fmall rocky eminences; and then turns fuddenly to the South Weft; and forming an irregular femi-circle, it trends towards the Indus, which it joins near Backar, at the diftance of about four cofs from that place, and one from Lehri, or Rohri, where fuddenly turning to the South, it goes toward Ranipoor, fixteen cofs from Robri, and four from Gunmet on the Indus. This account is from Captain FALVEY, who vifited that country about the year 1787.

"In confequence of this, Mr. SAMUEL DAVIS, some time ago, requested a German gentleman, well skilled in natural history, and who was going upon the Ganges, for the benefit of his health, to stay at Rájamáhl, and ascertain, whether these were the remains of a Volcano or not. That gentleman, whose name I do not recollect now, having maturely examined every particular appearance about Muti-jirná and Rájamáhl, wrote a fhort effay, in which he proves thefe appearances to be Volcanic, and the caf cade to be the undubitable retains of the crater of a Volcans.”

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