epochs may have been intended, but these uneven and unequal numbers of years seem to me conclusive against this theory. They seem, moreover, to have

Mr.
ar. James

Uther cases are admitted by annual payments, regulated # the funds of tho by the Board. The 29th festival in aid of institution was held on Wednesday evening at the London Tavern, under the presidency of the Earl of Shaftesbury, K. G. Among the company were Sir G. Biddlecombe, Sir J. Bennett, the Rev. Dr. Aveling, the Rev. Mr. M'Sorley, Rev. W. Marshall, Mr. J. Abbiss (treasurer), "The Health of the Queen,' Downing. In proposing progresses of Her Most noble chairman remarked that the Gracious Majesty would be as famous in history as her illustrious predecessor, Queen Elizabeth. he was at Windsor Castle, and the Queen spoke with to Whitechapel she was gratitude of the affection of her people, remarking that on the occasion of her recent

visit

the of

those

Last much

We have then to work out the problem of our early history by other means, in which (although much must be still left to conjecture) there will nevertheless be found a ground-work much more safe and more probable to go upon than the information afforded by such crude historians. In consequence of the very slight materials we have for British history, it has hitherto been the habit of historians to pass over almost all which has been handed down by tradition relating to this country in the ages preceding Julius Cæsar's invasion, and to treat these islands as though they had emerged from the sea opportunely at that moment for a commencement of our history, ignoring as a myth all the suggestions relating to former times. which some more credulous historians have admitted.

Yet while we live in days when writers of great name, commencing in Germany, and tainting, I regret to say, some distinguished names in this country, would plunge us in a sea of historic doubt, and rob us of many of our fond traditions, we live also at a time when the spade and pick-axe of the archeologist, the researches of the linguist, etymologist, and ethnologist, are bringing to light discoveries which tend to confirm to a great degree the traditions of olden time, and I doubt not but that a vein of truth will be found to run through most of those traditionary accounts received from our forefathers, which of late years have been held to be fabulous.

A gentleman of influence in the Committee of Council on Education, at a public meeting on that subject, recently spoke in very sceptical terms of all British

history preceding the times of Julius Cæsar. Such language from one holding so high a position is to be regretted. It is to be lamented also that the popular histories of England intended for the instruction of youth, slur over and treat as fabulous those portions which relate to the early British times, instead of taking the pains, which would become historians, of investigating the truth of popular traditions.

Materials nevertheless are being constantly produced tending to confirm many of those traditions which have of late years received great blows and heavy discouragement from the pens of a certain class of men of undoubted ability. And if Nineveh, Carthage, and Jerusalem are now unfolding their archæological treasures in confirmation of their past history, so in England we are constantly receiving additional testimony to fill up the gaps of the unwritten and hitherto only problematic history of our country.

As an apt illustration of this remark, we find that C. J. Solinus, who is supposed to have written about the year A.D. 80a, in his description of Britain, makes mention of the hot-springs of Bath, and the magnificence with which the baths at that place had already been decorated for the use of bathers; moreover that the baths were "dedicated to Minerva." Richard of Cirencester, whose work has been received with considerable scepticism, says "Apollo and Minerva ;" perhaps he had seen a different MS. of Solinus's works: but, singular enough, both are correct, as modern discoveries prove, tending to confirm the account of Solia Monumenta Historica Britannica, p. 12.