are to perish everlastingly in the lake of fire. But the great difficulty, of which, perhaps, I may be unable to give any adequate solu tion, is this: For what reason should the proclamation of the finishing of the great work of redemption, be addressed exclusively to the souls of these antediluvian penitents? Were not the souls of the penitents of later ages equally interested in the joyful tidings? To this I can only answer, that I think I have observed, in some parts of Scripture, an anxiety, if the expression may be allowed, of the sacred writers to convey distinct intimations, that the antediluvian race is not uninterested in the redemption, and the final retribution.'

A farther reason is added for this preaching: It may be conceived, that the souls of those who died in that dreadful visitation, might, from that circumstance, have peculiar apprehensions of themselves, as the marked victims of divine vengeance, and might peculiarly need the consolation which the preaching of our Lord in the subterraneous regions afforded to these prisoners of hope.'

A variety of remarks may be offered on this very bold and curious passage: but we shall content ourselves with one stricture. If it were the object of Christ to preach to these antediluvians in prison, how are we to account for our hearing nothing of this design from himself; and for his devoting only a few hours to the consolation of so many millions of souls, who, in their paradise, had been trembling as the marked victims of divine vengeance?'

Though we have not always perused Dr. Horsley's representation of the intermediate state, and of our Lord's temporary visit to it, with that conviction which he might wish to impress on his readers, we admire his distinguished ingenuity; and we could wish, on account of the comfortable inferences which he deduces from the doctrine, that the objections to it were more easily surmountable.

Its great use, (says he,) is this: That it is a clear confutation of the dismal notion of death, as a temporary extinction of the life of the whole man; or, what is no less gloomy and discouraging, the notion of the sleep of the soul in the interval between death and the resurrection. Christ was made so truly man, that whatever took place in the human nature of Christ, may be considered as a model and example of what must take place, in a certain due proportion and degree, in every man united to him. Christ's soul survived the death of his body. Therefore shall the soul of every believer survive the body's death. Christ's disembodied soul descended into hell. Thither, therefore, shall the soul of every believer in Christ descend. In that place, the soul of Christ, in its separate state, possessed and exercised active powers. In the same place, therefore, shall the believer's soul possess and exercise activity. Christ's soul was not left in Hell. Neither shall the souls of his servants there be left, but for a season. The appointed time will come, when the Redeemer shall set open the doors of their prison-house, and say to his redeemed, "GO FORTH."

This sermon is intended to form part of the Appendix to the 2d edition of the Hosea; in some of the additional Notes to which, the Bishop has politely mentioned that he has availed himself of some slight hints which we gave in our account of that work, for the improvement of his new version of that Prophet.

ART. VI. Communications to the Board of Agriculture, on Subjects relative to the Husbandry and internal Improvement of the Country. Vol. III. Part II. 4to. pp. 250. 7s. 6d. Boards. Nicol. 1804.

PERE

Mo-y.

ERHAPS no country in Europe, on the proposition of a subject for general discussion similar to that which occasioned these Communications, could have obtained from the mere class of its agriculturists, such a number of able and ingenious essays as compose the first and second part of the volume before us. In this view, alone, the fact is creditable to the Empire, and we notice it with much satisfaction: but our pleasure in this case does not result solely, nor principally, from feelings of national vanity; it is especially derived from a persuasion that science and patriotic emulation, already so widely diffused among the cultivators of the soil, must be productive of incalculable benefits. The question on which the Board of Agri culture, at the instigation of the House of Lords, was desirous of collecting the opinions of practical farmers and countrygentlemen, was stated by us in our account of the first part of this volume, (M. R. Vol. xxxix. N. S. p. 59.) and is no doubt in the recollection of our readers. It was a question occasioned by the late scarcity of bread-corn, and respected the practicability of converting grass land into tillage, and of returning it to grass after a certain course of crops, in an improved state, or at least without injury. Various writers, some taking their chance for the premiums offered by the Board, others expressly disclaiming all view to pecuniary reward, offered their thoughts on this subject; and if there be any truth in the proverb that "in the multitude of counsellors there is safety," we may congra tulate ourselves on the mass of opinions which is here collected. Fourteen separate Essays occupied the first part, and that of which we are now required to give some account contains seventeen; making the whole of the papers published by the Board, on the convertible system, to amount to thirty-one.

Deciding on the evidence collected in this volume, we may consider it as an established principle that it is not adviseable to plough up those old pastures which are covered with a rich and luxuriant herbage: but that there is a kind of pasture

ground,

ground, which may be occasionally broken up with advantage to the occupier, the landlord, and the public; and which, under a judicious course of cropping, and with proper care and management, may be laid down again to grass in an improved state. Pastures which are covered with moss, fern, ant-hills, furze, rushes, &c. and the herbage of which is of an indifferent kind, call aloud for the plough: but in its use skill is required to clear them from noxious plants, and at the same time to avoid deteriorating and exhausting the soil. This process is greatly assisted, not only by the attention which is now bestowed in discriminating the different kinds of soils, but by studying the several grasses of which the herbage of meadows is composed. A proper selection of seeds is an object of prime importance; for all the labour of paring and burning, of ploughing, harrowing, picking, &c. is thrown away, as far as the restoration of the pasture is concerned, if, when the land is laid down to grass, the same rubbish be re-sown as that with which it was formerly pestered and disgraced. It is a promising circumstance therefore to find, by this and other publications, that our farmers are endeavouring to ascertain the characters and comparative value of the different English grasses; that they distinguish between Poas and Fescues, study the Linnean classification, and attend both to the variety of herbage, and to the quality of each plant, as evinced in supporting and fattening animals. To give practical effect to these attentions of the agriculturist, the seedman must be vigilant and accurate; and we should be pleased to see some spirited men in this line advertising to supply farmers with the pure and unmixed seed of the most approved grasses, such as the meadow foxtail and flote foxtail, meadow fescue and flote fescue, smooth and rough stalked poa and water poa, ray grass, cocksfoot dactylis, crested dog's-tail, sweet-scented vernal-grass (anthoxanthum odoratum), marle-grass (a species of red clover, indigenous and perrennial), white clover, rib-grass (plantago lanceolata), yarrow, and yellow oat. The seedman who should perform this task could not fail of obtaining ample remuneration.

In this collection of Essays, though professedly on a given subject, we find considerable variety; and much agricultural information may be collected from them. We cannot, however, regularly examine each paper; and we must request the several contributors to pardon the cursory manner in which we are obliged, by our limits, to report the merits and contents of each.

The first memoir, in this second part, or No.15 of the series, is written by Mr. Bailey, of Chillingham, Northumberland.

3+

This

This gentleman would preserve from the plough-share all lands which will depasture five or more sheep an acre, through the summer, or two oxen to three acres. On such pastures, he would not run the risk of making the proposed experiment; yet he has no hesitation in recommending the convertible husbandry to be tried on those old grass lands which, in the technical phrase of the farmers, are become "hide-bound" and "deaf," as well as covered with moss, fern, and rushes, &c.; and he asserts his conviction of the possibility that, after having produced several abundant crops of grain, they may be restored to pasture in an ameliorated state. Directions adapted to different soils are given, respecting the mode of breaking up, the course of crops, the seeds with which they are to be laid down, and the mode of managing the young seeds.—In respect to the question, What increase of rent the tenant should pay, on permission obtained to break up old pastures? this writer, weighing, as others also have done, the variety of cases which may occur, prudently abstains from giving a decisive judgment.

Mr. Bridge, of Winford, Dorsetshire, the author of the next Essay, is nearly of the same opinion with his predecessor on the chief subject in discussion. Though he admits that there, are pastures which may be occasionally ploughed up with advantage, yet, says he,

I would by no means recommend an indiscriminate breaking up of grass lands, as the rich pastures and meadows, if once converted to tillage, will not for a long course of years, perhaps not for ages, resume their former luxuriancy. The lands which promise the greatest advantages are the coarse and rough pastures, where the soil is moderately good and dry, and which can be covered with some one of the various sorts of marle before they are broken up. This pasture forms a considerable part of the ewe-leases of the county of Dorset, to which my observations have been chiefly confined. That my meaning may not be misunderstood, I will repeat, that it is not my intention to recommend a general breaking up of ewe-leases, or of any part thereof, where the grass is sweet and much fed on by the sheep, for such land cannot fail of being injured by tillage; with respect to the rough pastures the case is very different, as I have learned from actual experiments.'

Mr. Wilkes, of Measham, Derbyshire, corroborates this decision; and his view of the subject also we shall transcribe:

'Grass land, of the first and second rate quality, is so valuable to the owner and community, by a great production of beef, mutton, milk, butter, cheese, pork, wool, hides, tallow, &c that the value of its produce would be much decreased by the plough; if it be strong tenacious soil, it cannot be restored to its former quality in less than thirty years; land of a deep rich light soil will not return to its ori

ginal quality, in less than fifteen years, upon a system of good management, as that of an ameliorating crop between two white crops, such as the land is adapted for, with fallows and dressings of lime.

Land which is capable of artificial watering is too valuable to be ploughed.

• Land situated near large towns, and other situations for cheap improvement, may also be made too rich for the plough, but not for grass.

There is a sort of heathy and moory land, that produces scarcely any keep for sheep or cattle; such lands on the north of Trent, in high cold situations, I would also advise not to be ploughed but to lay on such rough turf, eighty quarters of quick lime per acre, which will destroy that turf, and produce a rich one, which will feed either sheep or beast.

All the aforesaid lands are a small portion of the whole of the kingdom; therefore great quantities of land of the third aud fourth rate quality, which alternately produce grass and corn, may be varied in their culture, according to the demand of the kingdom.'

In the Essay No. 18. Mr. Ans, near Launceston, Cornwall, is induced by the circumstances of his situation to advert to the process which should be pursued on moory soils; and he throws out a hint, by way of caution, for the benefit of those who may be disposed to speculate on such soils as he describes :

The moors in general, with much of the inclosed lands in this country, are composed of a light soil uppermost, consisting probably for the most part of decayed vegetables, mixed with spar, (a hard white stone,) with clay, within a few inches below. Where the bottom is of granite, which happens chicfly, if not entirely, in elevated situations, there, clover is not expected to thrive, nor does corn ripen kindly unless in warm dry summers. It is much to be feared, therefore, that those sanguine writers, &c. on husbandry, who count so largely on acres of coarse ground yet to be inclosed and added to the stock of tillageable land in this kingdom, have had but little experience, or are superficial observers, of the laborious attempts which even experienced farmers have occasionally made in tillage, at such heights on the forests and moors of these, and other counties, but which seldom repaid their cost and toil.'

No.19. does not apply to the first object proposed by the Board, though the author contends for its connection with the last; being an Essay on Gypsum as a manure, by Mr. Smith of Highstead near Sittingbourne, Kent. This gentleman speaks in the strongest terms of the advantage of Gypsum as a manure, though no brother agriculturist in this associate volume joins with him in its praise. He observes; I have the best grounds to believe, that in all dry loams, sands, and calcareous soils, or on stiff churlish ones, previously ameliorated by chalk, no manure whatever will so cheaply, readily, and permanently invi

gorate