EDINBURGH MAGAZINE OR LITERARY MISCELLANY, FOR MAY 1796; With a View of CASTLE HUNTLY, the Seat of G. Paterson, Efq, State of the BAROMETER in inches and decimals, and of Farenheit's THERMOMETER in the open air, taken in the morning before fun-rise, and at noon; and the quantity of rain-water fallen, in inches and decimals, from May 1ft to 31ft, within one mile of the Caftle of Edinburgh. THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE, O R LITERARY MISCELLANY, FOR MAY 1796. DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEW. CASTLE HUNTLY, the feat of top. From this obfervatory, in the George Paterfon, Efq. is delightfully fituated in the Carfe of Gowrie, in Perthshire, about fifteen miles diftant from Perth, and fix from Dundee. It anciently belonged to -the family of Gray, from which it paffed to the family of Strathmore, and then had the name of Caftle Lyon; but the prefent proprietor, who married a daughter of the late Lord Gray, has reftored it to its original name, which it now retains. Castle Huntly is built upon a rock, at a small distance from the river Tay. Many additions have been made to it by the prefent proprietor. Two wings have been added; alfo turrets, and an obfervatory upon the SIR, YOUR fummer months, the view is charıning. Although the fublime of Nature dwells not here, yet the eye is delighted in contemplating the fields waving with golden grain. The hills that bound the view are cultivated to the fummit. A richer profpect cannot well be imagined. The grounds around the caftle, though not extenfive, are laid out with taste. From the dull uniformity of Art, they have now affumed the fimplicity of Nature. Travellers who come many miles to vifit the Highlands of Scotland, and view the wonders of Nature there, would not be difappointed although they ftepped afide to take a peep of Cattle Huntly. For EDINBURGH MAGAZINE. OBSERVATIONS ON PROVINCIAL COINS. To the EDITOR. the time, his form and preffure," in bearing fymbols of the high fpirit of political party which is a characteriftic of thofe days. The naval victory on the 1st of June 1794, the nuptials of the Prince of Wales and Duke of York, and the imprisonment of Ridgeway and Symonds, are recited on London halfpence. One exhibits Paine on a gibbet, as a worthlefs criminal; while others Sf 2 OUR polite reception of my few loofe obfervations on Provincial Coins*, emboldens me to fuggeft, by way of fupplement, that a fixth clafs of devices, worthy of diftinction and imitation, might have been included. -Some derive confiderable dignity from their recording hiftorical events; or "how the very age and body of See our Magazine for Feb.la3, p. 131, clafs / Glafs him with Sir Thomas More, and mention him with applaufe, &c. With regard to fubfequent improvement, it should have been remarked, that among the best pieces recently published, not a few are found deftitute of the date of the year when they were iffued of fuch are most of the coins of Kimpson of Birmingham bearing public buildings; on thofe of Skidmore, Holborn, altho' the periods when St Andrew's and St Luke's churches were founded are given, no year appears for the birth of the coin: Caermarthen halfpenny has the iron-works, and the Stratford one "commemorates Shak fpeare," and tells, what every body knows, the years of his birth and death; but these pieces are regifter. ed into no æra of time with refpect to themselves. In monuments fo lafting, this is a moft deplorable and radical defect. The omiffion cannot be too feverely reprobated; nor its future correction too carneftly enjoined. An effential improvement has lately appeared in the fabric of coins: adopted by Mr Boulton of Birmingham, to preferve more effectually their impreffions from the effects of attrition: a plain and broad circle, confiderably elevated, furrounds the figures on the field, into which the letters of the legend are indented in intaglio, in a fimilar manner to thofe ufually occupying the external rim. This improvement is differently modified, in different pieces;→ fome having circular, and others elliptical portions of the field, bearing the more interefting fubjects of the defign, funken deeper than the level of the exterior parts. The original of this beautiful invention feems to be from the hand of Duprè, a Parifian artist, in his fine " Medaille qui fe "vend cinq-fols chez Monneron ;"ftruck on the first great æra of the French Revolution in 1790. ANECDOTES OF PERSONS CONNECTED WITH THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. Dumourier. UMOURIER poffeffes fingular acquirements: he is a good otator, an able politician, an excellent writer, and one of the best generals of his age. His father, alfo, was a man of talents, and by infifting that he fhould never learn any thing by heart, prevented him, according to his own account, from ever forgetting any thing! It has been generally supposed that he acquired an immenfe fum of money during the revolution; but he folemnly declares this to be a cruel and unjust afperfion; and boafts that he is now indebted to his pen, as he was formerly to his fword, for his fupport. compofition, writes with elegance upon all fubjects, and is intimately acquainted with every thing relating either to the politics or the wars of Europe. He received a fum equal to gool, of our money, for his life, from a book feller at Hamburgh, in the neighbourhood of which city, and within its territory, he now refides, with Madame Genlis-Sillery-Brulart. who occupies part of the fame boufe, and, like himfelf, is employed in writing. This celebrated lady is well known as an author, and has lately published a new work, relative to the age of chivalry," called Les Chevaliers de Cygne. Her husband was a member both of the national " affem |