Competitor, two only being put upon tryall by the College.

This is all that I can think of at prefent concerning Mr. Spenfer, not worth mentioning, were it not to fhew my readinefs to ferve my Lord if my power were anfwerable to my inclination. Whenever his Lordship has any Commands wherein I am more capable of ferving his Lordship I fhall be glad of every opportunity of approving myself

His Lordship's most obedient
humble fervant

THO. BAKER.

That you may not think I go purely by conjecture Bishop Wren who was Fellow of

Pembr. Hall where Grindall
had been Mafter has thefe words
Spenferus nofter Algrini
paftoris perfonâ (metathefis
nominis ea eft) inter paftorilia
cafum mææret hujus Præfulis. (viz. Grin-
dalli)

To the fweet memorie of my country-
man England's chief Poet Mr. Edmund
Spenfer.

Homer's the captain of Apollo's race,
Renowned Virgil claims the fecond place :
Spenfer our glory, 'tis thy golden pen
Admits the third before all other men.
Sage Homer, Virgil, Spenfer laureat
Made a poeticall Triumvirat.

Greece, Rome, and England chaleng to
your merits,

T'have nurft the bravest Heliconian spirits.
Only King David's Mufe, Jehovah's birth
Excells as much as Heaven excells the earth.
So conceives the Autor, J. H.
Apollinaris dux Homerus eft Chori :
Teneas fecundum Virgili merito locum :
Spenfere, Calamus cujus eft auro rigens,
Capelle fortem tertiam, noftrum decus.
Spenfere Lauriger, Maro, Mæonides Senex
Vos fama celebret tres viros Pheebi facros.
Pelafga terra, Roma, dulcis Anglia
Tres nutricaftis optimos vates gregis,
Solum Davidis Mufa, de Ceelo fata

Superato, Ceelum ut fuperat has terræ plagas.

Sic cenfuit Autor, J. H.

the poft and fince the favor of your I HAVE the favor of your letter by other favor to beg, that you will let me book by the coach. I have only one know the price that I may take care not to be always in your debt, as I am already very fhamefully.

The rites and monuments of the church of Durham and Legend of St. Cuthbert are both printed. The antient and prefent ftate of the county of Durham is no where printed that I know of. Large collections concerning that county have been made by one Mr. Middleton, but they are yet in Mfs.

What authority Mr. Wood has for Jo. Puttenham's heing the author of the Art of English Pocfy, I do not know. Mr. Wanley in his catalogue of the Harley liSpenfer was the author of that book wch brary, fays, he had been told that Eam. came out anonymous. But Sir John Harrington in his pre face to Orlando Furiofo p. 2. gives fo hard a cenfure of that book that Spencer could not poffibly be the author. I have noted The Art of English Porfy by Rich. Field 1589 4to being the fame year wth the other.

I have not met with Puttenham amongst our Cambr. authors. By his post and ftation he feems to have been of no Univerfity. I will look further, but being in haft to return my thanks by the firft poft I have now no more to add but that I am

Hon" Sir your moft
obliged and he seryt

THO. BAKER.

Cambridge Apr. 1.
For the honourable James
Weft Efq at his Cham-
bers in the Inner Temple
London.

ACCOUNT of a DREADFUL INUNDATION of the SEA at INGERAM, on the COAST of COROMANDEL, in the EAST INDIES.

In a LETTER from Mr. WILLIAM PARSON to ALEXANDER DALRYMPLE, Efq.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

YOU with to have a juft and circumftantial account of the late calamity we have fuftained. It is no wonder the

Ingeram, June 7, 1787. accounts you have feen, fhould be incoherent and imperfect; for while the miffortune was recent, our minds were dif

tracted

tracted with a thousand fears and apprehenfions for the confequences: indeed people lefs alarmed and lefs gloomy than ourfelves might have admitted the apprehenfion of peftilence and famine; the former, from the air being tainted from fome thousands of putrid carcafes both of men and cattle; and the latter, from the country around us being deftroyed as well as our stock of provifions and the fruit of the earth.

From the 17th of May, it blew hard from the N. E. but as bad weather is unufual at fuch a feafon, we did not apprehend that it would become more ferious; but on the 19th at night it increased to a hard gale; and on the 20th in the morning it blew a perfect hurricane, infomuch that our houfes were prefently untiled, our doors and windows beat in, and the railing and part of the wall of our inclo fures blown down. A little before eleven it came with violence from the fea, and I prefently perceived a multitude of the inhabitants crowding toward my houfe, crying out that the fea was coming in upon us. I caft my eyes in that direction, and faw it approaching with great rapidity, bearing much the fame appearance as the bar in Bengal river.

As my

rifen fifteen feet above its natural level. About the time of the water fubfiding, the wind favoured it by coming round to the Southward, from which point it blew the hardest. As the Fory-houfe was in a very ruinous state, and shook exceedingly at every guft, we were very anxious to get back to Mr. Boures' houfe. I attempted it twice, but found I had neither power nor ftrength to combat the force of the wind, getting back with the greatelt difficulty to my former ftation. About five o'clock, during a fhort lull, we happily effected our remove. It blew very hard the greatest part of the night: at midnight it veered to the weftward, and was fo cold, that I thought we should have perifhed as we reclined in our chairs. The gale broke up towards the morning I fhall not attempt to defcribe to you the fcene that prefented itfelf to our view, when day-light appeared: it was dreary and horrid beyond description. The trees were all blighted by the falt water, and the face of the country covered with falt mud; yet it had more the appearance of, having fuffered by a blaft of hot wind, or by the eruption of volcanos, than by an inundation of water, fuch an effect had it in deftroying the herbage and foliage of every defcription. Our houfes were found full of the inhabitants, who had taken refuge therein, ftripped of doors and windows, and quite open to the weather at top; the godowns moftly car ried away, and feveral fubftantial tiled houfes fo completely levelled, as scarcely to afford a mark of their ever exifting: but our fufferings were light, when compared with thofe of Coringa, and the reft of the villages nearer the fea. At Coringa, out of four thousand inhabitants, it is faid not more than twenty faved, and thofe molly on Mrs. Corfar's Terrace, and on the beams of Captain Webfter's houfe. Mr. Gideon Firth, Mr. George Day, and the Portugueze Padré were, I believe, the only Europeans that were drowned. At first the fea rofe gradually, and as it came in with As the tide the people were not much alarmed; but when they found it still encrease fo as to render their fituation dangerous, they mounted on the top of their Cadjanhoufes, till the fea impelled by a strong Easterly wind ruthed in upon them moft furiously, when all houfes at the fame awful moment gave way, and nearly four thousand fouls were launched into eternity. This tremendous fcene was vifible from Mrs. Corfar's Terrace, over

houfe was fituated very low, I did not hefitate to abandon it, directing my fteps toward the old Factory, in order to avail myfelf of the Terrace for in that dread ful moment I could not fo far reflect upon caufes or effects, as to account for the phænomenon, or to fet bounds to its encrcafe. I had indeed heard of a tradition among the natives, that about a century ago the fea ran as high as the talleft Palmira trees, which I have ever difregard ed as fabulous, till the prefent unufual appearance called it more forcibly to my mind. In my way to the old Factory, I stopped at the door of Mr. Boures' houfe, to apprize the reft of the gentlemen of their danger, and the meafures I had concerted for my fafety: they accordingly joined me; but before we attained the place of our deftination, we were nearly intercepted by the torrent of water.

the house is built on a high spot, and pretty well elevated from the ground, the water never ran above a foot on the first floor, fo we had no occafion to have recourfe to the Terrace. Between one and two o'clock the water began to fubfide a little, and continued gradually decreafing till the body of it had retired; leaving all the low places, tanks, and wells full of falt water. I think the fea must have

were

which

which the fea fometimes broke, and they
were frequently in great danger from the
drifting of veffels and other heavy bo-
dies, which muft inevitably have brought
down the house, had they come in con-
tact. At the Dutch village of Jagger-
naickporan, I hear the diftrefs was very
great, and that about a thoufand lives
were loft; many of the villages in the
low country between Coringa and Jag-
gernaickporan were totally destroyed, aud
the inundation carried its dreadful effects
as far to the northward as Apparah; but
I do not hear that many lives were loft at
that place. The inundation penetrated
inland about ten Cofs from the fea in a
direct line; but did little more damage
to the westward of us than destroying the
vegetation. It would be very difficult
to afcertain with any precifion, the num-
ber of lives loft in this dreadful vifita-
tion; the most intelligent people I have
conferred with on the subject, flate the
lofs at from ten to twenty thoufand fouls.
This is rather an indefinite computation;
but I think, if the medium be taken, it
will then rather exceed than fall fhort of
the real lofs. They compute that a lack
of cattle were drowned, and from the
vaft numbers I faw dead at Neliapilla, I
can easily credit their affertion. For two
or three days after the calamity fuch was
the languor of the inhabitants, that not
a Cooley or workman was to be procured
at any price; it required our utmost exer-
tion to get the dead bodies and the dead
cattle buried with all poffible speed, to
prevent the air being impregnated with
putrid effluvia. This, to be fure, was a
talk we could not fully execute, except
juft in the villages. However, no ♦ id ef-
fects have ensued, which I impute to the
continual land winds that have blown
ftrongly for fome time paft. These have
the property of drying up the juices of
dead bodies and preventing putrefaction,
which must neceffarily have been the
confequence in a damp air. It is extra-
ordinary, that the vast tract of low ground
on the fouth-fide Guadavery, from
Gotendy to Bundarmalanka, suffered very
little from the inundation, and scarcely a
perfon perifhed. This country lies fo
exceedingly low, as to be flooded in many
places by the common spring-tides, and
a great deal of it is in confequence cover-
ed with falt jungle. It is probable they
owe their fafety to thofe fmall islands at
the mouth of the Gradavery, as well as

Point Guadavery itself, which must have both contributed to break the force of the fea.

When we had recovered from our confternation on the 21ft, we began to confider how we should be able to exift in fuch a field of defolation, as our wells were filled with falt water, our provifions deftroyed, and we found by digging in different places that no fweet water was to be procured; when it was discovered that Providence had fo far interfered in our favour, as to bring down the freshes at a very early and unusual feafon. From what accounts we could haftily gather, we were apprehenfive that the flores of rice were either much damaged or totally destroyed, as the rice godowns and gomarks are generally fecured against an accident lefs formidable than this. How ever, the event has happily falfified our furmifes, and proved our information fallacious, for rice has hitherto been plentiful and not dear. The generous fupplies that have been fent us from the Pic fidency, will I truft fecure us from ferious want. Our markets have not yet been attended by a perfon with an article for fale; but this is not to be wondered at, as our fupplies were generally furnished by the villages at no great distance inland; and thefe countries have been drenched fufficiently in falt water to deftroy their produce. The fishermen, a moft ufeful body of people, inhabiting chiefly by the fea- fide, have been almost totally extirpated; and we are thereby deprived of a very material part of our fubfiftence. Time alone can restore us to the comforts we have loft, and we have reafon to be thankful that things have not turned out fo bad as we apprehended. I have tired my felf in attempting this narration, and I fear I have almost tired you in the perufal of it. A great deal more might be faid upon the fubject in a flowery garb: if it yields a moment's amufement to my friend, my end is fully aufwered. The greatest part of this intelligence you have already had in detail, but it is your defire I fhould bring it to one point of view. It is haftily written and very inaccurate; but you will remember I was in a good deal of pain at the time of writing it, from an inflam▾ mation in my legs, fo had not fufficient eafe or leifure to correct or tranfcribe it.

Your's affectionately, (Signed) WILLIAM PARSON,

An ODE on the POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS of the HIGHLANDS of SCOTLAND, confidered as the SUBJECT of POETRY.

By WILLIAM COLLINS.

[From the TRANSACTIONS of the ROYAL SOCIETY of EDINBURGH, juft published.] To ALEXANDER FRASER TYTLER, Efq.

SIR,

SEND you inclofed the original manufcript of Mr. Collins's poem, that, by comparing with it the copy which I read to the Society, you may be able to anfwer moft of the queries put to me by the Committee of the Royal Society.

The manufcript is in Mr. Collins's hand-writing, and fell into my hands among the papers of a friend of mine and Mr. John Home's, who died as long ago as the year 1754. Soon after I found the poem, I fhewed it to Mr. Home, who told me that it had been addreffed to him by Mr. Collins, on his leaving London in the year 1749: That it was haftily compofed and incorrect; but that he would one day find leifure to look it over with care. Mr. Collins and Mr. Home had been made acquainted by Mr. John Barrow (the cordial youth mentioned in the first stanza), who had been, for fome time, at the univerfity of Edinburgh; had been a volunteer along with Mr. Home, in the year 1746; had been taken prifoner with him at the battle of Falkirk, and had escaped, together with him and five or fix other gentlemen, from the caftle of Down. Mr. Barrow refided in 1749 at Winchefter, where Mr. Collins and Mr. Home were, for a week or two, together on a vifit. Mr. Barrow was paymaster in America, in the war that commenced in 1756, and died in that country.

I thought no more of the poem, till a few years ago, when, on reading Dr. Johnfon's Life of Collins, I conjectured that it might be the very copy of verfes which he mentions, which he fays was much prized by fome of his friends, and for the loss of which he expreffes regret. I fought for it among my papers; and perceiving that a ftanza and a half were wanting, I made the moft diligent fearch I could for them, but in vain. Whether or not this great chafm was in the poem when it first came into my hands, is more than I can remember, at this diftance of time. As a curious and valuable fragment, I thought it could not appear with more advantage than in the collection of the Royal Society.

H

I am, Sir, your most obedient fervant,

I.

ALEX. CARLYLE.

thou return'ft from Thames, whofe Naiads long
Have feen thee ling'ring, with a fond delay,

Mid thofe foft friends, whofe hearts, fome future day,
Shall melt, perhaps, to hear thy tragic fong.

Go, not unmindful of that cordial youth †,

Whom, long endear'd, thou leav'ft by Lavant's fide;
Together let us with him lafting truth,

And joy untainted with his deftin'd bride.

Go! nor regardlefs, while thefe numbers boast
My fhort-liv'd blifs, forget my focial name;
But think far off how, on the fouthern coaft,
I met thy friendfhip with an equal flame!
Fresh to that foil thou turn'ft, whofe ev'ry vale
Shall prompt the poet, and his fong demand:
To thee thy copious fubjects ne'er fhall fail;

Thou need'ft but take the pencil to thy hand,
And paint what all believe who own thy genial land,

*This Stanza and a half, viz. the fifth and half of the fixth were fupplied by Mr. Henry

Mackenzie, of the Exchequer in Scotland.

+ See the preceding letter from Dr. Carlyle.

VOL. XIII.

་

I i

II.

II.

There must thou wake perforce thy Doric quill,

'Tis Fancy's land to which thou fett'ft thy feet;
Where still, 'tis faid, the fairy people meet

Beneath each birken fhade on mead or hill.
There each trim lafs that fkims the milky ftore,
To the fwart tribes their creamy bowl allots;
By night they fip it round the cottage-door,
While airy minstrels warble jocund notes.
There every herd, by fad experience, knows
How, wing'd with fate, their elf-fhot arrows fly;
When the fick ewe her fummer food foregoes,

Or, ftretch'd on earth, the heart-fmit heifers lie.
Such airy beings awe th' untutor'd swain :

Nor thou, though learn'd, his homelier thoughts neglect;
Let thy fweet Mufe the rural faith fuftain:

Thefe are the themes of fimple, fure effect,

That add new conquefts to her boundlefs reign,

And fill, with double force, her heart-commanding ftrain.

III.

Ev'n yet preferv'd, how often may'st thou hear,

Where to the Pole the Boreal mountains run,

Taught by the father to his liftening fon

Strange lays, whofe power had charm'd a Spenfer's ear.
At ev'ry paufe, before thy mind poffeft,

Old Runic bards fhall feem to rife around,

With uncouth lyres, in many-colour'd veft,

Their matted hair with boughs fantastic crown'd:
Whether thou bid'ft the well taught hind repeat

*

The choral dirge that mourns fome chieftain brave,
When ev'ry fhrieking maid her bofom beat,

And ftrew'd with choiceft herbs his fcented grave;
Or whether, fitting in the fhepherd's fhiel +,

Thou hear'st fome founding tale of war's alarms;
When, at the bugle's call, with fire and steel,

The sturdy clans pour'd forth their bony fwarms,
And hoftile brothers met to prove each other's arms.
IV.

'Tis thine to fing, how framing hideous fpells

In Sky's lone ifle the gifted wizzard" fits ‡,"
"Waiting in" wintry cave "his wayward fits §;
Or in the depth of Uift's dark foreft dwells:
How they, whofe fight fuch dreary dreams engrofs,
With their own vifions oft aftouifh'd ¶ droop,
When o'er the wat'ry ftrath or quaggy mofs
They fee the gliding ghosts unbodied troop.
Or if in fports, or on the festive green,

Their

***
piercing glance fome fated youth defcry,

Who, now perhaps in lufty vigour feen

And rofy health, fhall foon lamented die.

* First written, relate.

A kind of hut, built for a summer habitation to the herdsmen, when the cattle are fent to graze in diftant pastures.

Collins had written, feer.

§ Collins had written, Lodg'd in the wintry cave with-and had left the line imperfect : Al ered, and the chafm fupplied by Dr. Carlyle.

A blank in the manufcript. The word piercing supplied by Dr. Carlyle.

For