neceffary for their fupply. I have always acquiefced in the impofition of thofe grievous burthens which, by whatever means they were first rendered indif penfable, muf now be borne. Yet I flattered myfelf, that, if ever the time did arrive when any of thefe impofts might be taken off, that which I am going to mention would not be forgotten. The tax on births, marriages, and bus rials, is the object of my prefent animadverfion. It has fallen under my notice as a minifter of the Church of England, and I think I may pronounce it paltry, unprofitable, and oppreffive. I leave out of the question the impropriety of reducing the clergy to be taxgatherers, though it be an ungrateful office, and may prejudice the more ignorant against them. I confine myfelf to the odious nature of the impoft, which is virtually a poll-tax, and is levied upon rich and poor alike, without any variation proportionably to their circum ftances. Thus what is the mereft trifle to a man of opulence goes into the treafury with the fame fum which is the hard-earned pittance of the indigent. I am aware that it is impoffible to meliorate this tax by making due diftinc tions between the great and imali, and therefore I with it were abolished. I have affirmed, that it is paltry; and can it be denied that the mode of collecting it by fingle threepences (especially when contrafted with the nature and folemnity of the occafions) is pitiful and unfeemly? That it is unprofitable, I think, I may aver; for, two parishes, of which I have the care, never return per ann. more than four or five thillings each into the hands of government. That it is oppreffive, the circumftance of its preffing with the fame weight upon all, whether more or less able to bear it, will evince. But it is more particularly grievous because it is exacted from the poor, when they are mot burthened with other expences. At the christening of a child every effort is made to furnish a little treat, befides the additional incumbrance of a new-born infant. The marriage ceremony precedes a multitude of pecuniary difficulties in procuring every article of houte-keeping. The burial of the dead is certainly the last expence, but it is well-known that the needy peafant will fpend his utmoft farthing to bury his departed relatives with decency. On all thefe trying occafions it furely becomes a mild government to fpare a patient people. It has been

urged that this tax promotes a greater accuracy in parish registers than could otherwife be exacted. But I believe and hope the clergy are not fo irregular as to need fuch a reftraint; at leaf, this certainly was not the reafon for its being impofed. Should this letter pafs through the channel of your Magazine into the hands of Mr. Pitt, or any of his friends, during the recefs of parliament, the writer hopes it will be confi dered, not as a prefumptuous interference with the bufinels of taxation, but as it is, indeed, an humble effort to relieve his poor fubmiffive countrymen.

A FRIEND OF THE POOR.

PADOUCAS, OR WHITE INDIANS. (From WOODFALL'S DIARY, March 19, 1792.)

M

UCH has been faid for fome time paft with respect to the existence of the above tribe of Indians, inhabiting a tract of country bordering on the river Miffouri, in the province of Louifiana, or New France, in North America, who are supposed to be defcendants of a party of the Welch nation, who left Wales with Maddoe, Prince of that country, in the year 1170, which is a period of 322 years prior to the difcovery of America by Christopher Columbus.

It is a pleafing fatisfaction to the con templating mind of the curious, to afcertain a proof of interefting circums ftances, which has hitherto refitted the inveftigation of ages.

The Society of Gwineddigion, held at the George, in George yard, Lombard-ftreet, have had the matter in contemplation for a length of time; and, however defirous their inducement might be to bring that matter to a crifis, nothing effectual has been hitherto done.

In accomplishing an undertaking where there is fome risk, two objects will naturally arife, which will require much deliberation; the first, to adopt a well-digefted fyftem; fecondly, to find ways and means to carry that fyftem into effect.

It appears to me highly worthy of be ing remarked, that, thould an attempt ever be made to inveftigate this interefting period of hiftory, with regard to the firit difcovery of America by Europeans, the fending perfons properly qualified to thofe Tribes, called the Welch or White Indians, would be attended with very little expence or fill lefs danger.

As

As every information touching what I have before faid, I am well affured, will be pleafing to the curious enquirer, I beg leave to give verbatim a copy of a letter I received from a gentleman who has lived at New Orleans, and on the banks of the River Miffiffippi upwards of twenty years, and who is now in London:

"DEAR SIR, Cheapfide, Jan. 28, 1792. "I now return you the Pamphlet written by Dr. Williams, on the fubject of the Padoucas, or Weich Indians.

"If Mr. Jones did, in 1660, find a tribe of Indians in the neighbourhood of Carolina, who fpoke the Welch language, it is very certain that for these many years paft no veftige of it remains among the Tribes inhabiting that country or its neighbourhood. On the other hand it is well known, that, within even these fifty years pait, a number of Tribes have, from war and debauchery, become extinct, and that others (as encroached on by the White People) have removed weftward; I myself having known, within these 20 years, feveral fmall Tribes

of the Ancient Indians to have removed to

the western fide of the Miffilippi; among thofe, and in the neighbourhood of the Spanifh fettlements, there yet remains the remnant of a once powerful nation, called the Mobilians, reduced at prefent to about 20 families. Their language with refpect to the dialects of the Creeks, Chactaws, and Chickefaws (the most powerful Tribes now inhabiting the back of Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia), would appear a mother tongue, for they can understand and converse with all thofe Tribes in their different dialects, but yet fpeak a language which no other Tribes understand. This has been frequently proved by thofe French who have acquired the Mobilian language

"That the natives of America have, for many years paft, emigrated from the eastward to the weftward, is a known fact. That the Tribes mentioned by Mr. Jones, who fpoke the Welch tongue, may have done fo, is much within the order of probability; and that a people, called the White or Welch Indians, now refide at or near the banks of the River Miffouri, I have not the leaft doubt of, having fo often been affured of it by people who have traded in that river, and who could have no poffible inducement to relate fuch a ftory, unless it had been founded in fact.

"Since writing the above, a merchant from the Illinois country, and a perfon of reputation, is arrived in London. He affures me there is not the smallest doubt of a people exifting on the western fide of the Miffilippi, called by the French, the White-bearded Indians, none of the natives of America wearing beards; that these people are really

1

white-that they are faid to confift of 32 villages or towns-are exceedingly civilized and vaftly attached to certain religious ceremonies-that a Mr. Ch. a merchant of reputation at the Illinois, has been to their country, which is, as he supposes, upwards of 1000 miles from the Illinois.

"Having been prevented from calling upon you as I intended, I now return you the pamphlet, and will, at any time you please, procure you a meeting with that gentleman. "Yours, &c. J. J."

I have the fatisfaction to add, 'that I times; that he confirms the latter part have met the above gentleman feveral of this narrative; that Mr. Ch. is a near relation of his; that when Mr. Ch. was introduced to the Chief of the Padouca Nation, he was received with much folemnity, owing to his being of white complexion, and by which circumftance, as far as Mr. Ch. could understand by being fometimes amongst them, he was deemed an Angel of God, his hands and feet being washed by order of the Chieftain, who appeared much advanced feally white; that the people chiefly in years, his hair being long and perfubfift by the produce of the chace; that the inftruments they use on the occafion are generally bows and arrows; that, the further he advanced from the frontiers, the different Tribes he paffed through were the more civilized; that he fuppofed the reafon to be (which I am afraid is the cafe) owing to the continual encroachment made on their land by the White People in thofe parts contiguous to them. The late tranfactions on the back frontiers of the United States of America, it is probable, are owing to the fame circumftance.

It may be neceffary to remark, that the distance from the mouth of the Mif

filippi to the entrance of the Miflouri into it, is about 1200 miles; that the navigation of the Milifiippi, upwards, is tedious and difficult, owing to the current continually running the fame way, by which means the veffels employed on the occafion feldom make that diftance in lets than three months. A light boat, well manned, however, might go from New Orleans to the Miffouris in fix weeks; and from Kentucky, on the Ohio, in lefs than three weeks; whereas, on their return, the fame diftance is made in a few days; that the country bordering on thote rivers is extremely fertile; that in very fevere winters they are fubject to frost, which is generally of thort duration; that every

article

inn.

14. We went from Newcastle to Hexham, and lodged at the Black Bull that night; without attendance, and unconscionably dear. 15. Baited at Hartwhistle, a mean but honeft houfe; the man's name was Jackfon. Dined at Melton-gate; another still meaner house, but honeft, and came to Carlisle a little after eight, thanks be to God! after a fafe but tedious journey, great part of the way proving very bad.

September 18. We left Carlifle, and dined at the George, at Penrith; a very good houfe. Lodged at the Crown, at Appleby, where are good rooms, but very bad entertainment.

19. We stopped a little at Brough, at the Prince's Head, and baited at the Spital, not taking out the horses. Lodged at the George, at Bowes, where the beds are intolerably fmall, but the entertainment good.

20. Dined without taking out the horses at the Bull, in Catterick-lane; a good house; and lodged at the Salutation, in Leeming lane; a very good house.

21. Dined at the Crown, at Boroughbridge, a good houfe, but dear. Lodged at the Swan, at Weatherby; a very good house.

22. Dined at the Angel, at Ferrybridge, with a very negligent landlord and landlady. Lodged at the Mitre, at Doncaster; a very good houfe.

23. Dined at the Eel-pye Houfe. Lodged at the Saracen's Head, at Newark, where we continued on Sunday; an excellent house.

25. Dined at the Angel, at Coltsworth. Lodged at the Bull, in Stamford; a very good house.

26. Dined at the Bell, at Stilton; a very good houfe, but the bill extravagant. Lodged at the Crown, in Huntingdon; a very good house.

27. At noon we came to Cambridge. In this journey we enjoyed very fair weather,

and met with no difafter but in coming over Stanmore, where we were twice in great hazard from boggy ground; but, thanks be to God! got fafe out, and arrived all fafe and well at our journey's end.

To the above diary the tranferiber swill fubjoin only two remarks: 1, that the tourift did not live in a flying age, he and his fuite journeying but little above 23 miles per day on an average; and, 2, that in thofe times Sunday was to travellers a day of rest. But, tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis. GENT. MAG. July, 1992.

D.

Mr. URBAN, Lincoln, June 13. IN your Mifcellany, p. 398, C. Lofft

has given us a lift of the editions of Paradife Loft, which he wishes any of your correfpondents would enlarge. I have amufed myfelf for fome time in collecting and writing notes on that work, and have by me a lift of the various editions through which it has paffed, and of the commentaries, remarks, &c. which have been written upon it. My lift of editions correfponds in general pretty exactly with Mr. Lofft's; where there is any difference, I have noted it, and fhall be happy if the following addenda be of any fervice to your correfpondent:

1678. 3d ed. 8vo.

1695. 6th, fol. with notes, and a portrait, by Patrick Hume, the first com

mentator.

with explanatory notes and remarks, 8vo. 1734. Ed. by Meffrs. Richardfon, 1746. Printed for J. and R. Tonfon, with fome very indifferent cuts.

1751. Printed for ditto, embellished with twelve engravings from Hayman's defigns.

1766. Svo. London, with notes of various authors, by Rice.

1775. 2 vols. 12mo, London, with hiftorical, philofophical, and explanatory notes, tranflated from the French of Raymond de St. Maur, &c. &c. In this edition are fome very bad plates. Yours, &c.

I

Mr. URBAN,

J. C.

June 22. HAVE wished to procure the information required by your correspondent Academicus with refpect to the Bishop of Offory's tranflation, of Homer, and I have the pleasure of communicating the following account from the fir authority:

fon, who found his tranflation of Homer to "The Bishop left his writings to Dr. Lawcontain many excellent paffages, and, upon the whole, to have great merit. At the fame time he found other (perhaps several) parts fo inferior as to be unfit for publication. He began a review of the work, and had corrected the firft Iliad when he was attacked by the diforder of which he died. He left the Bishop's writings to the late Dr. library, where they now are. Mercier, who depofited them in the College The work contains a tranflation of the entire Iliad and Odyffey of Homer, and is to remain in the MSS. room until fome perfon of abilities fhal undertake to review and correct it. None fuch has appeared fince Dr. Lawfon's death."

This