Lifford, LL. D., the Dean (in 1806), who has cure of Souls, is refident, and difcharges the duties, affifted by a Curate. Armagh is in the Diocese of Armagh, and Province of Armagh. It is 62 m. N. b. W. from Dublin: The Fairs are holden on the 21ft of May, 10th of July, 12th of Auguft, Tuesday before the 10th of October, and the 20th of November. This City (now called the Town) fends one Member to Parliament: Patronage, in the Lord Primate. The Affizes for the County are holden here. The Magiftrates are a Sovereign, and Register. It is fituate Bear the river Callen. It has fix Poft-days in the Week. According to Dr. Beaufort, the City of Armagh, which was very much decayed, was renovated, and is become a pretty Town, of good fize, and well inhabited, through the attention and muni ficence of Richard Robinson, D. D., Baron Rokeby, late Lord Primate who built there a handfome Archiepifcopal Palace, and a noble House for the School, which is one of the Royal Foundations (of Charles the First), and is extremely well endowed. To thefe His Grace added a Public Library for the promotion of Science. He alfo erected a complete Obfervatory, with a liberal Establishment for the fupport of an Aftronomer; and fecured the permanency of his endowments, by feveral acts of Parliament, obtained for that purpose. This See, which is valued in the King's Books at £.183. 17. 1 fterling, was founded by St. Patrick about the middle of the Fifth century, and was made an Archbishoprick, in the year 1152. It extends into five Counties, being 59 miles from North to South, and varying-in breadth from 10 to 25 miles. The Chapter confifts of a Dean, Precentor, Chancellor, Treasurer, Archdeacon, and four Prebendaries, with eight Vicars Choral. The City of Armagh is 35 miles diftant from the extremity of the Diocefe. According to the Report of the Commiffioners of the Board of Education, the Lands, with which the School of Armagh is endowed, contain, as appears by the laft Survey, made in the year 1771, 1530 acres English measure, including Roads, Lakes, Rivers, and alfo about 100 acres of Bog. The Lands are fituate in the County of Armagh, between the Towns of Newry and Armagh. It appears, that thefe Lands produced, in the year 1804, the grofs annual Rent of f.1,144. 1o. 5. The prefent Mafter, the Revd. Thomas Carpendale, A. M., was appointed by Primate Robinson, in the year 1786, to be Mafter, upon the refignation of Dr. Gruebere, for a valuable confideration. Mr. Carpendale is ftated to have paid, during the whole time that he has been Mafter, the closest and moft laudable attention to the duties of the School; and no School in this Country maintains a higher reputation than that of Armagh. St. Patrick, the great Apoftie of this kingdom, founded an Abbey here, A. D. 445, or in 457, for Regular Canons of the Order of St. Auguftin, and dedicated it to the Apoftles St. Peter and St. Paul; it continued, for many ages, one of the Bb 3

your

moft celebrated Ecclefiaftical Foundations in the world. This Abbey, and all the Poffeffions thereunto belonging, were granted, in May 1612, to Sir Toby Caulfield, Knight,, at the rent of £5. Irish. The Culdei, or Colidci, were Secular Priefts, and ferved in the Choir of the Cathedral of Armagh: their Prefident was called, The Prior of the College of the Culdei, and was a Precentor to the faid Church Upon a vacancy, a Prior was elected by the whole College of the Culdei, but he received his confirmation from the Archbishop.-Temple Brigid is faid to have been founded in this Town by St. Patrick.-Temple Fartagh, or The Church of the Miracles, was founded without the Town by the fame Saint, for St. Lupita, his eldeft Sifter, who was buried here; And, in -the beginning of the last century, her Body was found buried deeply under the rubbish of her ancient Nunnery, in a standing pofture: two Croffes were also discovered closely guarding the body before and behind. On the 9th of January, 1618, King James granted the Monafteries of Temple Fartagh, and Temple Brigid, to Francis Annesley, Efq.-Porter in his Annals tells us, that there was a Dominican Friary at Armagh; which is more than probable, otherwife the Primate Scanlain, who was of that Order, would not have made his Foundation for the Friars Minor.

The Friars of the Order of St. Francis were brought inte this Town, A. D. 1261, and Patrick Scanlain, who was then Primate, built a Houfe for them two years after; Though Wadding, the Francifcan, as quoted by Allemande, affures us, that it was founded, in the year 1291, by O'Donnel. The Francifcans of the ftrict Obfervance began to reform this Friary in 1918, but it was not then perfected. In 1580, Walter Mac Cuard was Guardian, and, in 1583, Solomon Mac Conny was Guardian, in whofe time the Reformation was completed."Argbdall's Monaft. Hibern. pp. 14. et feq.

"CLONTIERET, in the Barony of Cremourne, Co. of MoNAGHAM, and Province of Ulfter: a R. and V. a Church, in good condition: a Glebe Houfe; 40 acres of Glebe, ahout half a mile diftant from the Church: The Revd. John Wright, the Incumbent (in 1806), who has cure of Souls, is refident, and dif charges the duties. Clontibret is in the Diocese of Clogher, and Province of Armagh. It is 6 m. N. b. W. from Castle Blayney. On the first establishment of the Proteftant Religion in this part of the Kingdom, George Montgomery (after a vacancy of 35 years), being appointed Bishop of Clogher, united and appropriated the parishes of Clontibret and Clones to the Archdeaconry of Clogher, on the ift of March, 1613. At prefent the Archdeacon is only in poffeffion of the Rectory of Clontibret: Mr. Wright receives the Vicarial Tythes thereof; and Mr. Roper, the Rectorial and Vicarial Tythes of Clones. In this Union, which the Corps appro priate to the Archdeaconry, the Parishes are distant from each other about nine miles.. See Clones."

ARTY

ART. IX. Scott's Marmion, a fupplementul Article. In Addition to our Account in Vol. xxxi. p. 640.

ON the fubject of this poem, a friend has fupplied us with an anecdote fo remarkable, and fo illuftrative not only of the power of the poetry, but of the nature of local reports, that we are convinced our readers will be pleafed with The poet certainly cannot be difpleased.

it.

In a voyage, with adverfe winds, from Leith to London, this friend was detained two days at Holy Island, the scene of the trial and fate of Conftance in that poem. He went afhore with an officer, and examined the ruins of the abbey, and found, on what feemed the fite of the cavern in which Conftance Beverley was tried and immured, a small fortress, with a few invalids, under a barrack ferjeant, and one company of a regiment of militia. The officer inftantly recognized the old ferjeant as a foldier who had ferved under his father, who had alfo been in the army; and their early acquaintance was eafily renewed. The ferjeant then guided the voyagers through the fortrefs, which is built on a high and fleep rock; and when they were, on the highest part of the rock, he very gravely said, that there mal be fome pro found cavern in it, to which, after a long learch, he had been unable to find the entrance. Our friend asked why the thought fo? Because, faid he, a bell is diftinctly heard to ring every night at twelve o'clock, in the centre of the rock, and apparently at a great depth; probably as deep as the level of the fea. He obferved our friend to fmile at fuch a fancy, and then swore that he had himself repeatedly heard it. As the officer had mentioned that his old acquaintance had received fome education, our friend immediately asked him whether he had ever read Marmion. On his faying, that he had read it with great pleasure, he was afked if the midnight bell had ever been heard by him before that period. "No," faid he," we never till then thought of liftening for it. The whole body of the invalids agreed in the famie tale. They had all heard him read Marmion, and all had ever fince heard the midnight bell, though before that time they never thought of listening for it.

A Aronger proof of the impreffive nature of the poetry cannot easily be imagined; and it, may ferve to how alfo by means of what faculty ftrange and preternatural founds are ufually heard, or fights of that defcription feen.

We meant to have interwoven this little narrative in our account of the Lady of the Lake; but having accidentally omitted it, we thought it too curious, knowing it to be lite rally a fact, not to be given to the public, syd kan g

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ART

ART. X. A View of the Ancient and Prefent State of the Zetland Islands; including their Civil, Political, and Natural Hiftory; Antiquities; and an Account of their Agriculture, Fisheries, Commerce, and the State of Society and Manners; By Arthur Edmonton, M. D. 2 Vols. 8vo. 18s. boards. London, Longman and Co.; Edinburgh, Ballantyne' and Co. 1810.

THESE interefting volumes are introduced with the pertinent and juft obfervation, that the importance of a publication of this kind is too apt to be estimated in propor tion to the geographical distance of the people or places defcribed; and that "while the most trivial obfervation refpecting New Holland, and thofe ifles which lie fcattered in the Pacific Ocean, is read with intereft and remembered with fatisfaction, many valuable and useful communications which relate to our native country are foon overlooked and forgotten."

There can be no doubt that this truth conveys a just reproach. There are many readers of Voyages and Travels who have a strong and lively curiofity about the character and manners of remote nations, who are perhaps unac quainted even with the geographical fituation of the Zetland or Shetland Ifles, and that they conftitute an integral part of Great Britain. Such therefore may thank Dr. Edmonton for a pleafing and inftructive account of a country and a people once of no inconfiderable political importance, and now partakers with themfelves of the fame privileges, and fubject to the fame laws. Our information with refpect to the remote history of Zetland is very imperfect and unfatisfactory. The principal authority on this head is the Danish hiftorian Torfæus; fince, however, it came under the dominion of Great Britain in the fourteenth century, our information is more authentic and extenfive.

These volumes commence with an account of the fituation, climate, &c. of the Shetland Islands; their ftate previous to their occupation by the Norwegians; their invafion by the Norwegians; their transfer to the crown of Scotland; res mains of antiquity, language, and literature. A part of this narrative is worth infertion.

"Almost all the bays are denominated ves, and each has an epithet prefixed to it, derived either from a place on fhore in its neighbourhood, or from fome accidental circumftance refpecting itfelf. Thus Deal's voe implies a bay near to a daal or valley; Aith's voe, a bay close to a fertile fpot; Burra ode, a bay in the neighbourhood of a burgh or Pictish caftle; Sellagune, a bay frea quented by herrings, Laxfrith voe, the bay of salmon. is

"Some

* Some of the more high and perpendicular rocks are called beads or noups; thus Nfs-head, Fitful bead; the Noup of Burra furth, the Noup of Graveland.

Kaim is a name generally given to a ridge of high hills. "Holm is a name generally given to a very small uninhabited inland.

"A taing is a narrow piece of land projecting into the fea and is always bordered by a flat shore. It appears to have been derived either from a fimilarity to the law-tings, or from having been actually the fcite of a circuit-court.

"Aftack is a high infulated rock.

"Afkerrie means a flattish rock which the sea does not over

flow.

"A bag is a rock overflown by the fea, but which may be feen at low water..

"A helyar is a fubterranean cavern, into which the fea flows. "Any confiderable indentation made by the fea on the more rocky parts of the coaft is denominated a goe. To pronounce this word as is done in Zetland, we must confider it to be written gio, and sound the g hard as in give, gift.,

"Moft of the extenfive beaches on the coaft are called airs as Stour-air, Whale-air, Bou-air.

"Ham or havn means a harbour; and of these there are feve ral in Zetland. Many other fimilar names might be mentioned, but I have enumerated the most remarkable.

Several Chriftian names are evidently Norwegian: fuch are Hans, Eric, Olla, Swein; and of the other fex, Brinda, Bretta, &c. The firname of the children is frequently formed by adding the word fon or daughter to the Chriftian name of the father. Thus the firname of the son of Thomas, is Thomason, and that of the daughter of Thomas, Thomafdaughter. This mode of giving names is alfo practifed in Norway.

"The ancient language of the Zetland islands, as might be inferred from the names of inftitutions, places of refidence, and of individuals, was Scandinavian and Norwegian. What it was at the time when the Picts first fettled in it, cannot now be afcer tained. It was probably a dialect of the language then spoken in Scotland; but the admixture of foreign words would natu rally change and new-model it. To the Picts fucceeded the Norwegians; and the latter poffeffed an uncontrolled influence over the islands nearly fix hundred years. Zetland has been united to Scotland above three hundred years; and pure Norfe or Norwegian is now unknown in it. It has long been wearing out; and the change appears to have begun in the fouthern extremity, and to have been gradually extended to the northern parts of the country. The ifland of Unft was its laft abode; and not more than thirty years ago, feveral individuals there could fpeak it fluently. It was preferved, too, for a confiderable length vjeg

of