larger kind, represented by Silbury Hill and the College Mound; the former is the largest artificial hill in England, being 130 feet high, and although it has been twice excavated no relics have been found.

A discussion ensued in which C. Sankey, Esq., supported the Sacrificial Theory,' i.e, that Silbury and the mound were high altars, possibly connected with the Temple at Avebury; this was opposed by N. Masterman, Esq., and T. O. Harding, Esq., who maintained that the larger Barrows were only tombs; according to this theory the bones of some British hero are still mouldering at the bottom of our Reservoir: W. H. Chappel and D. E. Olivier also took part in the discussion.

Several stands with bottles containing the Botanical notices of the previous fortnight-numbering nearly 100-were exhibited.

There were 79 persons present, 4 Honorary Members, 35 Members, and 40 Visitors.

103

O. Elton made some remarks on the Entomological part of Mr. Hulme's paper, but the time did not allow of any further dicussion.

A specimen of Roman pottery, found in an Excavation near Salisbury, and some fossils from Binknoll, were exhibited by D. E. Olivier: and the proceedings terminated with the description of a series of Tin specimens by the President.

There were 76 persons present, 3 Honorary Members, 31 Members, and 42 Visitors.

An Expedition was made on Saturday, June 1st, to Bedwyn, but owing to the weather not much work was done. The Archaeologists however visited Bedwyn Church and the fine old British Camp of Chisbury. The return drive, through one of the most beautiful parts of the forest, greatly added to the enjoyment of the day.

GENERAL MEETING, THURSDAY, JUNE 13TH.

After the minutes of the previous Meeting had been read and confirmed, the President announced that T. O. Harding, Esq., had kindly consented to superintend the Conchological department. N. Masterman, Esq., O. Elton, and W. M. II. Milner then reported on the work done in the different Sections; the Botanical notices of the previous fortnight were exhibited, and a case of Moths and Butterflies by N. Manders, Esq., O.M.; also a specimenthe second caught at Marlborough-of the Orange Footman Moth (Lithosia aureola), by F. S. Alston. The President exhibited a specimen of the fruit of the Sago (Sagus Ruffia), on behalf of Mrs. Hulme; a sloe twig, with the fruit converted into long bladders, sent by G. E. Dartnell, Esq., O.M.; and a Daisy, half red, half white, found in the Rev. W. M. Furneaux's garden. F. E. Hulme, Fsq., then related some of his early experiences in Natural History; a story of an attempt to dissect a dead dog, and some anecdotes of Burying Beetles, caused great amusement, also an instance of strong attachment to man on the part of a Jackdaw.

On Thursday, June 6th, a general meeting was held in the Museum, when the illustrations of the word "Repose," the subject set at the last meeting were brought in, and after they had been duly handed round and examined, F. E. Hulme, Esq. very kindly read a paper on a sketching tour he made with a friend a couple of years ago in Somersetshire. As might be expected, his paper gave complete satisfaction, and afforded much pleasure to those who heard it; it was not only full of valuable suggestions and advice to those who go out on sketching expeditions, and interspersed with amusing anecdotes of sundry mischances and small inconveniences which the narrator had to put up with, but it also gave an excellent idea of the chief places of interest and the general appearance of Somersetshire; and the whole was aided by a number of very truthful sketches which Mr. Hulme took during his tour, and several photographs.

At the beginning of his paper, Mr. Hulme said we had been in danger of getting from him a paper on something very dry, as he had so little time to prepare his own in, mentioning amongst other possible subjects, his opinion on the pictures and general decorations in Chapel. Now we think that this would be by no means a dry subject, and would afford a great deal of interest, and we hope at some future time Mr. Hulme will let us know his opinion, which is sure to be worth having.

SCHOOL PRIZES.

PEDANTRY.

WHO cannot, in his mind's eye, form a picture of the pedant as he is personified in the popular imagination ? His unwieldy figure, his rolling gait, his uncouth manners, his misapplied labour, and his ponderous dullness-for all these he has from time immemorial been the butt of the satirist and been pointed at with the finger of scorn. Such men are rarely to be met with now: they have been improved off the face of the earth, with other relics of the good old times; the class of real old-fashioned pedants is well-nigh as extinct in this country as the mammoth or the megatherium. Few can regret their disappearance only let us not deny them the honour that they deserve. They did a useful work in their day. In olden times the name pedant itself was not one of ill odour. Readers of Shakespeare know that it once meant no more than a pedagogue, with which word it is in fact identical. It is not hard to imagine how it became a term of contempt: the pedantic temper is a fault that naturally besets the trade of teaching. But it is easy and only too natural to underrate the services rendered by Dryasdusts of bygone times to the cause of learning and enlightenment; their industry accumulated priceless materials

PRICE 3d.

in every branch of human learning, which the brilliant criticism and imagination of subsequent times could ill have dispensed with; like pioneers, these humble drudges have cleared the way by which their successors might easily and triumphantly advance to knowledge. Those who profit by the ponderous pedant's toil should be most ready, while condemning his method and his spirit, to acknowledge the debt they owe to him.

It would be interesting to inquire why this plodding race of men chose the literatures of two particular nations for their especial field of action. The fact remains, however you explain it. It has been a favourite theme of the wits to picture the sufferings that the sensitive soul of a Sophocles or a Virgil must undergo at the hands of dull commentators and unfeeling scholiasts. What more cruel fate can a high-minded poet look forward to than to become a classic, to have every phrase quarrelled over and mangled, and to be a name of loathing in the mouths of successive generations of schoolboys? But the ancients have of late in this country begun to receive more sensible and kindly treatment. In place of the crude unsympathetic criticism which neglected the spirit and human interest, and interpreted the words in a slavish and arbitrary manner, pains are now

taken to realize vividly the times and surroundings of a writer, and enable the reader to see what he really felt and thought.

But though we are on the way to ousting the pedant from his rule over the classics, singularly enough he has lately cropped up in another sphere, and is all the more insidious in his attack because he apes the latest sense and enlightenment. It has been lately felt, and felt rightly, that the study of English literature is discreditably neglected at schools, and vigorous efforts have been made to introduce it. Any wise attempts to encourage and foster this study cannot but be most beneficial; but attempts to force it at all risks, and to force it prematurely and in a crude and scholastic way, are simply fatal. Enterprising persons publish editions. of some simple author, such as Goldsmith or Bunyan, overlay it with elaborate introductions, notes, etc., and fancy that doses of this administered at stated times to an elementary form will train them up in a love of the literature of their country. Any real feeling for good writing that a fellow has, vanishes when he is choaked with a mass of miscellaneous information hung on to a few lines of text, not to explain it, but merely that some 'getting up' may be exacted; it is in the cumbrous scholastic apparatus, the parsing and paraphrasing, etymology and the rest of it, that the baneful spirit of pedantry appears; they are all very well in their proper place, but if such means are intended to foster a love of literature, they merely defeat their object.

The modern pedant may be tracked in yet another quarter; he is labouring heart and soul to introduce phonetic spelling. His sense of symmetry is offended by the anomalies of our pronunciation; he cannot get over the fact that superfluous letters are in use in our present alphabet; the present spelling of some words, he complains, obscures their etymology. He even poses as a benefactor to his country; he promises to lessen the sum of human misery by abridging the months of unnecessary labour spent in learning to read, forgetting that infants of tender years must have something to employ their time and keep them out of mischief. That argument is put forth merely as a blind: his ardent wish is to air some of his pet theories on language, and, with the true pedant's blindness to facts, he fails to see that his scheme is at once condemned by the fact that many

words are pronounced, and therefore written phonetically, in twenty different ways in different. parts of England, and that no two spelling reformers agree on the same symbols to represent the spoken sounds.

SCRIBERIS VARIO.

Nay, ask of Varins, not of me
To chant your deeds by land or sea!
The wings of Homer, Poet-swan,
Are his to bear you ever on;

Not mine, Agrippa, nay, nor mine
To tell of Pelop's fated line:
Achilles' wrath I may not sing,
Nor shrewd Ulysses' voyaging.
O who a worthy strain may chant
Of Mars arrayed in adamant,
Of Merion smirched with Trojan dust,
Or Him whom forward Pallas thrust
Against Immortals? Mine the art
That mingles with a lightsome heart,
Or free or fettered, in the fray
Whose warriors all are maidens gay.
Horace, Carm. I. 6.

G.E.D. 1875.

PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTES.

The Uppingham School Magazine contains an account of the Athletic Sports, which began on March 7th, and were run on the Leicester road. Some of the times were unusually good, notably that of the quarter mile, 51 secs., and of the mile, 4 min. 43 secs. The champion was Harris, who excelled not only in speed, but also in staying qualities. The competition was on the whole very good. There were far more entrances than usual, showing that fellows ran not because they had a chance of coming in anywhere, but for the sake of making themselves strong and unselfish.

The Easter Concert was held March 28th, in weather most trying to the singers' voices, heavy storms of snow and rain. Herr Joachim honoured Uppingham with his presence, and was most enthusiastically received. The concert was a most brilliant success. In the Debating Society, the motion that "it would be in accordance with the interests of England to keep the Dardanelles in statu

quò," was lost after a keen debate by a majority of seven. Of articles we notice a well-written and interesting defence of the character of Lancashire operatives.

In the Eton College Chronicle for June, there is a review of the events of the fourth of June. The speeches were quite up to the average, but the unpleasant weather spoilt the out-door enjoyment of the visitors. In the Debating Society the motion that "Lord Beaconsfield was justified in sending the Indian troops to Malta," was carried easily by a majority of twenty. The shooting seems far above the average of that of former years. The size of the corps at present may well excite our envy; it consists of 335 rank and file, and with the officers amounts to 363.

The Shirburnian begins with an Editorial, reviewing their past successes and future prospects. Their football fifteen was successful last year, and their races were quite up to the average. The chances of the eleven are good, though only four of last year's team remain, and the bad weather has to a great extent prevented practice. The Debating and Scientific Societies are prospering; their numbers are large and active. A very successful concert was given by the Musical Society on Monday, April 8th, selections from the Oratorio "Samson," by Handel occupied the greater part of the evening. Various particulars of School News, and an Article on Modern Education complete the number.

In the Wykehamist there is a very amusing translation from a French Paper, giving an account of the Oxford and Cambridge boat race. We subjoin one sentence as an example: "A peaceful citizen of the Strand, who won five guineas on the dark blue, was playing on a trumpet with his hand, beating a tambourine on his stomach, and bellowing his joy like a savage bull"! The rest of the number is mainly occupied with the doings of the XI, who have been. very successful this season, winning the last four matches they have played.

The Radleian is, as usual, principally occupied with School news. The Debating Society is reviewed, and some hints thrown out to its members. The motion that 'Handel is the greatest musical composer who has ever lived' was ably brought forward and carried by 10 votes to 3. The prospects of the Boating Club are not so cheering as usual, the crew

being the lightest that the School has ever had. At Cricket they were badly beaten by Merton College, but had a very close match with the Old Radleians, being eventually beaten by 8 runs. A correspondent suggests prizes for fives, other than the challenge cups, which are only tenable for one year,

MR. BRANDRAM'S RECITAL.

IF Shakespeare is the world's greatest poet (a proposition which in England at least only one sect would, we believe, dispute), to be one of the best, if not the best of Shakspeare's interpreters is to share something of his fame and greatness. Mr. Brandram by his version of Macbeth has confirmed the impression which he created at Marlborough by his Merchant of Venice, and if we cannot honestly say that he succeeded so well in the former as in the latter play he succeeded so well as again to fill us with astonishment at his powers, and to secure the heartiest cheer of the evening for that sentence in Mr. Bell's speech which hinted that it was not the last time that the reciter would appear in the Upper School. Several things moreover on this occasion made his task more arduous. In the first place the audience came fully prepared for the splendid tour de force of memory which before took them by storm, and were therefore disposed to be more critical. Secondly, as even Mr. Brandram's face and voice are capable of only a limited number of variations, certain reminiscences of previous impersonations would inevitably crop up, and we found ourselves detecting in Lady Macbeth's accents, Portia's, and the mien of Shylock in the crouching form of the Third Witch. So that the very completeness of Mr. Brandram's first success in fixing his character indelibly in our minds somewhat militated against him now. Thirdly, Macbeth is in itself an infinitely harder play to represent than the Merchant of Venice. The passion of the Merchant of Venice is pitched altogether in a lower key, and while its human interest is far less absorbing, the superhuman is altogether wanting. It is comparatively easy to enter into Shylock's character because it is more commonplace, but it requires a strong imagination to realise and express the various and