to be 100l. per annum, as has been allowed by the confeffion of feveral Parliaments; and if impartial inquiries were now made, upon this rule, it would appear, that of 9000 benefices, near 7000 are beneath a competence." The feveral Parliaments fpoken of muft have extended, in all probability, to the Long Parliament, in which the diftreffed fituation of the clergy was fo much the fubject of difcuffion; and that the difference in the value of money · (amounting to about one-third) during the preceding fifty years, was not adverted to; but, fuppofing it had been thought that 100l. according to the price of the neceffaries of life in the reign of Queen Anne, was a fufficient competence for a clergyman's family; upon the fame principle of calculation, 200l. would now - fcarcely fuffice, and 250l. is barely equivalent to 100l. per annum in the year 1650.

"From the foregoing ftatements, it must be obvious, that, ever fince the Reformation, a very large portion of the English , clergy, as I before obferved, muft have fpent their lives in the midst of pecuniary embarraffments; and that if they have had po other refources than their profeffional income, their families muft, at their deceafe, have become dependent on the benevolence of the public; and it is much to be feared, that, notwithstanding the relief provided by Queen Anne's bounty, and the late parliamentary grants, the accomplishment of that moft defirable object, that ; every clergyman fhould have an income, not only competent to the maintenance of himfelf and family, but fuch as might enable ⚫ him to make a decent provifion for his and children, and to leave them at his deceafe above the reach of want, is as yet far diftant." P. 107.

Thus it appears that for almoft fix centuries a large pro portion of the English clergy, and principally from the reign of the third Henry, had been in a diftreffed ftate; for the reft we refer the reader to the work, which will be found to contain in a fmall compafs a great mafs of very valuable and interefting information."

The diftreffes of the parochial clergy became at length to manifeff, that in the middle of the 17th century, plans were devised for making fome provifion for their widows as well as for themaintenance and education of the orphan children. Dr. Hall, afterwards Bishop of Chester, had the honour of first preaching a fermon at St. Paul's Church in the year 1655, the object of which was to promote charitable contributions for the families of the poorer clergy.. The fermons, with this end in view, were annually continued, with what is called the . Feaftof the Sons of the Clergy, celebrated as at the prefent day, in the hall of the Merchant Taylors' Company. In the year 1709, the famous Dr. Atterbury, afterwards Bifhop of Ro

chefter,

chefter, preached the fermon, and mufic was for the first time introduced, in aid of the charity. Mr. Ly fons, having expatiated on the above facts, proceeds to defcribe and specify other focieties inftituted for the fame excellent purpose, of which the oldeft is that of the Sons of the Clergy at Bristol, but there are others alfo at Suffolk, Durham, and other places; and one, if we are not mistaken, though not mentioned by Mr. Lyfons, in Norfolk. There are alfo, it seems, eftablished in different parts of the kingdom, for the fame wife and falutary purposes, various colleges and hofpitals refpectably endowed, the earlieft at Wolborough, in Devonfhire, the inoft confiderable at Brencey; many other private benefactions, charities and penfions are enumerated, which are how. ever collectively very far from adequate either with regard to the number or to the neceffities of the applicants.

Not the least entertaining portion of the volume is that confiderable remainder from P. 159 to the end, which difcuffes the fubject of the Annals of the Mufic Meeting, from its earlieft origin. This is replete with curious anecdotes of the various performers, vocal and inftrumental, from the first inftitution, to the time of Madame Catalani, and from this part we extract the following for our reader's entertainment. The anecdote related arifes out of the profeffed fubject, and is at the fame time highly honourable to the individual who is moft prominent in the narrative.

"A few days after the Mufic Meeting, a Concert of Sacred Mufic, for charitable purpofes, was performed at the Cathedral, which originated from the following circumftance. During a visit made by Madame Catalani to the County Prifon, accompanied by fome of the Stewards, after giving a liberal fum to the Prison Charity, the propofed, under the moft evident impulfe of benevolent feelings, that a Concert fhould be given for the release of poor debtors, during her intended refidence at Cheltenham, offering the gratuitous exertions of her tranfcendent talents on the occafion. Hér kind propofal was inftantly accepted; and the Stewards of the late Meeting undertook to be Directors of the Concert, with the 'affittance of Mr. Mutlow, in arranging the mufical department. One of the Stewards, who was prefent, being of opinion that the receipts would in all probability be more than adequate to the fulfilling the benevolent intention of Madame Catalani—the release of fuch poor debtors as it would be found practicable to liberate propofed that a fhare of the profits fhould be appropriated to that excellent charity, the County Infirmary, an idea in which the immediately acquiefced.

"The intention being known, other offers of gratuitous affistance were soon made. Mifs Melville was prefent at the time, and immediately

immediately offered her fervices; and the Directors, when the Concert was advertised, had the fatisfaction of announcing, among other performers, the names alfo of Mr. Braham, who kindly ́made his arrangements to take Gloucefter, after a short tour, on his -road to Birmingham; Mr. Cramer, who proposed to make a journey from Hereford on purpofe; Mr. and Mrs. Afhe; Mr. Vaughan; Mr. Hawes, one of the gentlemen of the Chapel Royal; Mafter Barrett, Mr. C. Ashley, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Mahon and Meffrs. Petrides; moft of whom were then refiding at Cheltenham. Never, perhaps, was a Concert, without the aid of choruffes, heard with more complete fatisfaction by a numerous audience. The Selections were moft judiciously made by Mr. Mutlow, and confifted chiefly of fuch airs and duets as had been favourites during the preceding Mufic Meeting, intermixed with concertos of Handel, Corelli, &c.

"The Concert was opened with Dr. Boyce's beautiful and appropriate duet of "Here fball foft Charity repair," extremely well fung by Mr. Vaughan and Mr. Hawes. Madame Catalani, to whom the public were indebted for this harmonic treat, was never heard to greater advantage; and fhe delighted her audience, not more by the expreffive manner in which the fung fome of Handel's fineft airs, and her execution of a bravura of Guglielmi's, than by the energy and fimplicity with which the led off the popular national air of "God Jave the King." Mr. Braham gratihed the audience with the exertion of his extraordinary powers in fome of his most favourite airs, and gave the fine recitative of "Deeper and deeper till," (which perhaps may be deemed his chef d'auvre in that style of finging,) with the most exquifite expreffion. The other principal performers exerted their various and well known talents, in a manner which, at the fame time that it 'afforded a high gratification to their hearers, fhowed that the most sempting profpects of gain could not have acted as a more powerful ftimulus toward drawing forth the full extent of their powers, than the pleafing recollection that they were exerting them in the caufe of charity." P. 257..

We are exceedingly anxious for the extenfive circulation of this work. The inftitution, which is here recommended in hiftorical detail, combines every thing which is benevolent, with the moft elegant and most rational amufement. As the author judicioufly, in fome part of the work obferves, it pro

"The other performers who offered their fervices, and gratuitously affifted at the Concert, were, Mr. Entwifle, of Chelten. ham; Mr. Oliver; Mr. Whatley, of Ciréncefter; Mr. Sturge, of Bristol; Mr. Pilotti; Mr. Mackenzie; Mr. Richards; and Meffrs. Hale, fen, and jun,”

vides

vides relief for a large portion of the unfortunate, and at the fame time promotes the end of focial intercourfe.

It is almoft unneceffary to add, that what may he produced from the fale of this publication, will be appropriated to the excellent charity, which caufed its production;-may_it therefore experience univerfal favour and patronage.

ART. V. Organic Remains of a Former World. By J. Parkinfon, &c. &c.

(Concluded from Page 448.)

THE third volume of Mr. Parkinson's Organic Remains,

which we now proceed to examine, contains the most interesting part of the fubject. In the former volumes he has treated, as we have had occafion to fhow, on the foffil remains of vegetables, and the more obfcure and less known parts of animals. We have now the more agreeable task of following this ingenious author through a lefs difficult, al though not well trodden, path, and in which we meet with much new and valuable matter. The first part of this volume treats of foffil fhells; and in the arrangement of thefe, Mr. P. acknowledges his obligation to M. Lamarck, whofe important obfervations and difcoveries have been introduced into the prefent volume. Little appears to have been hitherto done refpecting their fyflematic arrangement, except in the Foffilia Hantonienfia, of Solander and Brander. The more complete arrangement of Lamarck, becomes therefore highly eftimable. His arrangement is fo clear and comprehenfive, that of the numerous foffil fhells, which were before unclassed, there are hardly any, which may not now be placed under an appropriate genus. On this account, Mr. Parkinfon has availed himself of the generic characters of Mr. Lamarck's fyftem.

The remarks of M. Cuvier, on the foffil remains of amphibia, and land animals, with regard to their anatomical itructure, have alfo afforded much valuable matter, which Mr. P. has judiciously employed in the prefent volume. M. Cuvier has poffeffed the greateft opportunity of invefligat ing this curious fubject, and feems to have employed this opportunity with much ardour and fuccefs.

"The hiftory of thefe foffils, (as Mr. P. obferves) must now be chiefly formed with the materials which he has furnished. The full range of the plafter quarries, fo rich in fofil bones, and the unlimited power of examining the rich cabinets of foffils,

which have been dragged to the National Museum, from different parts of France and of the continent, and above all the opportu nity of comparing thefe with the recent bones, in the prodigious collections of skeletons, &c. in the Museum, have placed before him a rich harveft, which he has most carefully reaped. By his perfevering affiduity, he has accomplished the most important dif coveries refpecting feveral unknown animals, which have exifted in former ages of this planet." P. x.

Having thus acknowledged his obligations to M. Lamarck and M. Cuvier, Mr. P. proceeds to avail himself of the materials thus collected, and in his display of them does not fail to contribute much useful matter and many ingenious obfervations, the refult of his own ftudy and labour; and collected from the best sources that this country can afford.

It would far exceed our limits to follow Mr. P. through the extenfive fubje&ts of foffil ftar-fifh and Echini, their various fpecies, and fyftematic arrangement; but from this part of the work we have ventured to felect one observation concerning the fpines of Echini, and fome curious remarks and discoveries refpecting belemnites.

"From the opportunities of feeing the fhell and fpines in connection, in a mineralized ftate, being fo exceedingly unfrequent, proceeds in a great meafure the difficulty of fucceeding in the attempt to afcertain the particular fpecies to which the various foffil fpines belong." P. 37.

"Among the numerous riddles which the admirers of foflifs have to folve, there has been hardly any more involved in puzzle than the original nature of the belemnite. A confiderable progrefs had, however, been made in removing the mystery, when fresh difficulties ftarted in confequence of the peculiar appearances discovered in fome foffils, which were fent to Klein by his friend Fischer, from Studtgard.

"These bodies, although of a dark colour, and ftriated from the centre to the circumference, and generally confidered to be belemnites, were, in the opinion of Klein, the fpines of echini. Defcriptiones Tubul. Marin. p. viii. To this opinion he was led by their figure, their feeming spathofe fubftance, and by their striæ concentering in a line paffing longitudinally through the centre of the body, in which no trace of a canal was obfervable. Led by the examination of these bodies, which bore fo ftrong a refemblance both to belemnites and to the fpines of echini, he formed thefe, as it will appear, just conclufions :-That all foffils, refembling belemnites in their fubftance and figure, are not to be referred to belemnites; that all belemnites cannot be confidered as fpines of echini; and that the fubftances naturally conftituting the belemnite and the aculeated, if not all the fpines of the echinus, were such as to be capable of undergoing the fame kind of change. Q q

BRIT. CRIT, VOL. XXXIX. JUNE, 1812.

The