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tired fituation, and the number of exceeding large yew-trees growing thereon); and its being on the borders of the South Saxon kingdom, against Weffex; at this place I fhould fix the fcene of contention between Edelwalch, king of the South Saxons, and Cadwalla, an exiled nobleman of Weffex, in the year 680, in which battle Edelwalch loft his life, and perhaps was buried in one of the barrows directly above; the fecond barrow from the South, by the fuperiority of its workmanship, bids fair for the fpot; and the victor was fo roughly handled as to be unable to improve his advantage; but, after his acceffion to the throne of Weffex, anno 685, he again invaded the South Saxons, and reduced them in fubjection to the kingdom of Weffex. The number of flain appears to have been great from the number of barrows difperfed all over the hills, fome of them very large: at the foot of the hill, to the South-eaft, their numbers are very great, I having told not lefs than twenty of different fizes on a piece of ground not exceeding four acres. They are placed as nigh one to the other as poffible, and cover the ground in rude confufion.

Explanation of the Section.

alfo inclofe Tooting church, and fome collections about the place. (Pl. II.)

Yours, &c. VAN LINE NAM. Tooting is in Brixton hundred; the furrounding parishes are Clapham, Stret ham, Merton, and Wimbledon; the name may have had its origin from the Saxons, on account of the base service by which the lands were held. Theon fignifies fervus; ing denotes a meadow; it is fuppofed to take the addition of Graveny from one of its lords, Richard de Gravenelle. This parish of Tooting is fometimes called Lower Tooting, to diftinguish it from a part of Stretham parish, called Upper Tooting, and Tooting Beck, both of which were in this parish before the Bishop of Baieux laid hands upon them. The village confits of two Atreets, which run the one out of the other in the fhape of an L.

The church is dedicated to St. Nicholas; it is a rectory in the deanery of Southwark. There was a church here at the Conqueft, as appears by Domefday-book. The church of Totinges was given to the monaftery of St. Mary Overree, and fo recorded in Dugdale's Monafticon. There were antiently three manors in Tooting, two of which were in after-times united and thrown

into Stretham parish; the third manor was, at the Survey, held by Haimo, fheriff of Surrey, from the abbey of Chertfey, A.D. 1736. Mr. Lewis was lord of this manor. The other two manors were, in the time of King William, held by the abbies of Westminster and Becc, which, in procefs of time, came both to Becc, and gave rife to the name of Tooting-becc, which that part of Stretham bears which was taken from Tooting. A. D. 1736 this manor was the Duke of Bedford's. The part which Weftminster held was, in King Edward the Confeffor's time, the eftate of Swane, of whom Waltheof had it; and he fold it to Alnod, a native of London, who bestowed it upon the church of Weftminster for the health of his foul.

AA, furface of the hill; a, trench furrounding the top of the hill; bb, from the middle of the trench to the top of the barrow, 51 feet; cc, outfide of the South barrow to the firft circular hollow, 5 feet; cd, diameter of the first hollow, 15 feet; dd, from the first hollow to the fecond barrow, 3 feet; dD, width of the trench 18 feet; ee, from the middle of the trench to the top of the barrow, 5 feet; ef, from the top of the barrow to the centre of the concavity, 15 feet; gg, from the fecond barrow to the fecond circular hollow, 21 feet; gb, diameter of the fecond hollow, 18 feet; bb, diftance from fecond South barrow to the first North barrow, 115 yards; ii, from the firft North barrow to the third circular hollow, 39 feet; k, diameter of the third hollow to the fecond North bar-her in the Spring, as it had third hollow, 15 feet; kk, from the THE CHRONICLES OF THE SEASONS. ARIABILITY chara&terifed the row, 39 feet; HH, height of the fift North barrow, 27 feet; KK, height of the fecond North barrow, 39 feet. S.

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before done in the Winter, with this difference, that the principal alternatives in the vernal quarter were fultry heat and chilling gloom instead of hard froft and mild miftinefs. Wind, as ufual, followed the equinox, which blew chiefly, yet not invariably, from the Well, and indeed in an abfolute hurricane.

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hurricane. This arofe on the evening of April 4, lafted till the next evening, and was accompanied with heavy, driving fhowers. Fortunately for the holiday people, Eafter-week proved warm and bright. On the Tuefday, for the first time this year, Fahrenheit's thermometer, exposed to the N. reached 60°, and the next day 63°. This weather favoured the arrival of the feather. ed Spring migrators, and expedited ve getation confiderably. On Eafter-day, the 8th of April, the cuculus canorus first emitted its monotonous note, and afterwards continued filent till the 17th. Its forerunner, the inyx torquilla, had arrived about the end of March. The motacilla lufcinia tuned up alfo on the 8th. On the 9th appeared the birundo ruftica; on the 10th, the motacilla phænicurus; and on the 12th, the motacilla atricipilla. In the fame week, the improved verdure of the grafs rendered more confpicuous the fairy rings, which fhortly after produced the firft crop of fungi. The oak bark became feparable from the wood, was well got in, and fold at an advanced price. The fraxinus excelfior, prunus avium, ranunculus acris, byacinibus nonfcriptus, cardamine pratenfis, and antirrhinum linaria, bloffomed. The hamamelis, falix hermaphroditica, red-twigged tilia Europea, cratagus crus galli, cornus fanguinea, populus nigra, populus alba, acer pfeudo-platanus, and common white vine, foliated. Most of the hardy evergreens began fhooting. Troufles came up; and unforced afparagus, accompanied with dovecote pigeons, appeared upon the board. Yet was not the weather perfectly congenial; blights fullied its brilliancy, and threatening prefages in dicated a troubled atmosphere. The furface of the earth exhibited minute cracks, the air fmelt fulphureous, Northern-lights appeared, and fmal! vivid clouds kept gathering themfelves together. A general opacity was at length produced; and on the 17th, 18th, and 19th, fo great a quantity of rain defcended as caufed another confiderable inundation. The temperature of the air was now totally reverfed; the frigidity, however, prevented not the fig-leat from expanding, nor the different fruit-bloffoms then in blow from fetting kindly, thofe of pears in particular.

The week following being warmer, the effects of the recent blights be came obfervable upon moft kinds of fruit-trees, and the chaffers ventured

abroad. The Royal Society have very laudably deemed a method of deftroying these infects an object worthy of reward; yet perhaps no method is difcoverable likely to prove more effectual than that of employing children to deftroy them when they are turned up in their grub ftate by the plough and spade in autumn. Gratifying the children with a few pence, for every bushel of chaffer. bugs fo collected, would procure to the community the two-fold benefit of the chaffers being destroyed, and of the children being enabled to contribute fomething towards their own maintenance. If a child were to earn no more in this way than what would fuffice to buy it a pair of good winter fhoes, the expence of that neceffary would be faved to the parents or parith. The swallows increafed in number very flowly, feeming to arrive only in fingle pairs. Swifts appeared on the 3d of May. The fagus purpura came into leaf on the 8th of that month. Although Carver does not mention it, this beautiful variety of the fagus is a native of North America; its foliage in the fore- part of fummer is of a fine dark reddifh purple, which changes afterwards to an agreeable olive; during the decay of foliage the leaves exhibit, firft a rich yellow, and' laftly a bright brown. These pleafing variations in its hue render it a great acquifition to the ornamental grove, and it poffefes the additional merit of thri ving in fome foils where the common English beech will hardly live. It is, therefore, capable of atoning to the admirers of the fagus for any difappoint ments they may have experienced in the cultivation of the mild fort from an ungrateful foil. The uncommon tint, femi-tranfparency, and filky fringiness of its leaves, oppofed to the fmooth, filvery trunk, attract the attention of the most incurious fpectator. Cuckoofpittle and honey-dew appeared about the roth, when the cinnamon-roses be gan blowing, and dandelions wore their full-bottomed perriwigs. A few days after, the meads glowed with ranunculus acris, and troops of cabbage-butterflies came fluttering forth. The weather held fhowery, gloomy, windy, cold, and angry. On the evening of the 20th the afpect of the heavens was tremen dous; a great blacknefs, pervaded by ftreaks of brightnefs, filled the Southeast quarter, In the Eaft, a black column, ftraight in the upper part, and incurvated below, defcended from above

the

the horizon to the ground, apparently at two miles diftance from the place of obfervation. At 8 P. M. enfued thunder, lightning, and rain, which, after an hour's continuance, ceafed. At 10 P. M. the form returned, and that with great violence; the thunder was then very loud, the lightning ftrong, and the rain extreme hard. In two hours more its fury was expended, without any mifchief having been fuftained from it in the diftri&t wherein thefe Chronicles were kept, though much was done at Portsmouth-common, and more there apprehended. From this time till the middle of June the weather held gloomy, cold, and showery; fome froft occurred, and vegetation ftoed ftill. Wheat was not in ear till the fecond week in June, and the grafs was backward. The crops of hay were pretty good, though rather lefs than was expected, the chilly weather preventing the thickening of the bottom. Goofeberries were plentiful till a deftra&tive blight on the 15th of June took them and many other articles. No apricots. Apples, plumbs, and pears, in profufe abundance, particularly apples, but much injury to be apprehended from the blight. The field crops of peas, beans, and wheat, exteeding promifing. Molt kinds of foreft-trees hot boldly about the beginning of the month. The Spring crop of fungi on the fairy rings uncommonly crowded, and edible fungi plentiful and well-flavoured. Straw intolerably dear, owing to last year's fcarcity of that neceffary. During the month of May, and the fore part of June, humble bees and cabbage butterflies played about in unusual numbers.

June 19.

A SOUTHERN FAUNIST.

Mr. URBAN, Wells, June 14. YOUR YOUR correfpondet (S. Denne) in

your Magazine, p. 432, after defcribing a tablet, formerly in the chan. cel at Lambeth, placed between two cantelievers, fupporting a pitched pediment, on whofe top flood a globe, or ball, with a raifed pyramid behind, which recorded the burial of two tons and five daughters of Bishop Hooper, hazards a conje&ture, that this tablet was removed by Mrs. Abigail Piowie, the Bishop's daughter (after her father's deceate), to be near that prelate's monumeat in this cathedral; which furmale, he thinks, will not be improbable (to ufe his own words)---“ If in the fecond monument, mojiced by Dr. Crane,

there is a friking refemblance to that which was once in Lambeth chancel.-I beg leave to inform him, that there is not the leaft refemblance between the monument in queftion and the tablet removed from Lambeth; which must be fought for elfewhere, nothing like it being to be found in this cathedral. I omitted to defcribe the arms, which are the fame as mentioned on the tablet, viz. Gyronney of eight, Or and Ermine, a caftle triple towered Sable, impaled with Or, a faltier between four martlets. Sable.

I wish to correct an erratum in my account, refpecting the defcendants of Mrs. Abigail Prowfe now living. The two worthy ladies mentioned are by mistake faid to be the daughters, inftead of the "grand-daughters" of Mrs. A. P. Having faid fo much of Bishop Hooper, I am afraid of taking up too much room in your Mifcellany, in defiring you to infert his character, as drawn by Bhop Ken, the ci-devant or ex-bishop of Wells; you will therefore print it, or not, as you pleafe.

J. CRANE. THE CHARACTER OF BISHOP HOOPER, BY BISHOP KEN.

SONG, filent at the clofeft door attend
Of my fweet-temper'd, venerable friend;
You'll him the facred Volume reading find

Submiffively, to fearch his Maker's nind,
The gloffes of bold criticks to expose,
And the full force of the bless'd tongue difclofe
Or by his prayers, hard places to untold,
Or to extract from mud, rabbinick gold;
Or be the rich Chaldean treasure drains,
Or wealth of Zabian, and the Syrian plains;
Or he digs deep in the Arabian mine
For ore, which he expends on writ divine;
Or he from Latian and the Grecian fhores
Himfelf with facred erudition itores;
Or he is on his paft'ial care intent,

To guide his theep, and ftrayings to prevent;
Or he, confuited, gives refpontes clear,
Which movethe Church his wifdom to revere;
Or, if his mind he for a while unbends,
He minutes in his youthfui ftudy fpends,
Some philofophic treatife to perute;

Or to range o'er the modern tongues, to view
What they improve, or steal, or boast of hew.
Stay, Song, till le fure moments you defcry,
Then bow to his judicious candid eye.

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