Thus, not only did those places retain his name which afforded him security or amusement, but even the well at which he quenched his thirst. There is also Robin Hood's Bay, on the coast of Yorkshire. It is mentioned by Leland as "a fischer tounlet of 20 bootes caulled Robyn Huddes Bay, a dok or bosom of a mile yn length:" in this bay he often went fishing in the summer season, and not far from this he had butts or marks set up, where he used to exercise his men in shooting with the long bow.
After Robin's death, his company dispersed, and are supposed to have been distinguished from the name of their gallant leader, by the title of Roberdsmen. It may not be uninteresting to subjoin a short account of the last days of Robin's friend and favourite, Little John. The honour of his death and burial is contended by rival nations, first by England. At the village of Hathersage, about six miles from Castleton, in Derbyshire, is Little John's grave. Tradition states, some curious person caused it to be opened, when there were found several bones of uncommon size, which he preserved; but meeting afterwards with many unlucky accidents, he carefully replaced them, partly at the intercession of the sexton who had taken them up for him, and who had in like manner been visited with misfortunes, but upon restoring the bones all these troubles ceased. Secondly, by Scotland. In Murray-land, according to the historian, Hector Boece, is "the Kirke of Pette, quhare the banis of Lytill Johne remainis in grete admiratioun of pepill. He hes bene fourtene feet of hycht with square membris effering thairto VI zeris," continues he, "afore the cumyng of this werk to lycht we saw his hanche-bane, als mekill as the hail bane of ane man, lor we schot our arme in the mouth thairof. Be quhilk apperis how strang and square pepill grew in our regioun afore they were effeminat with lust and intemperance of mouth." Thirdly, by Ireland. "There stood," as Stanihurst relates, "in Ostmantowne greene an hillocke, named Little John his shot. The occasion," he says, proceeded of this—"In the yeere one thousand one hundred foure score and nine, there ranged three robbers and outlaws in England, among which Robert Hood and Little John weere cheefeteins, of all theeves doubtlesse the most courteous. Robert Hood being betrayed at a nunrie in Scotland, called Bricklies, the remnant of the crue was scattered, and everie man forced to shift for himselfe; whereupon Little John was faine to flee the realme by sailing to Ireland, where he sojornied for a few daies at Dublin. The citizens beeing doone to understand the wandering outcast to be an excellent archer, requested him hartilie to trie how far he could shoote at random; who yeelding to their behest, stood on the bridge of Dublin, and shot to that mole hill, leaving behind him a monument, rather by his posteritie to be woondered, than possiblie by anie man living to be counterscored. But as the repaire of so notorious a champion to anie countrie would soone be published, so his abode could not be long concealed, and therefore to eschew the danger of laws, he fled into Scotland, where he died at a town or village called Moravie." But, Mr. Walker, after observing, that "poor Little John's great practical skill in archery could not save him from an ignominious fall," says "it appeared from some records in the Southwell family, that he was publicly executed for robbery on Arbor-hill, Dublin."
A bow, said to have belonged to Little John, with the name of Nayler upon it, is now in the possession of a gentleman in the West Riding of Yorkshire.[6] --SWAINE.
New Books.
ELEMENTS OF CHEMISTRY.
[This is one of the Naturo-Philosophical volumes of the Cabinet Cyclopaedia, and is therefore to be viewed as a portion of that series rather than as a substantive work. Its preparation has been entrusted to Mr. M. Donovan, Professor of Chemistry to the Company of Apothecaries in Ireland; so that it comes to us with some share of recommendatory experience on the part of the editor. It would, however, be difficult to point out the advantages of Mr. Donovan's volume over others of the same description. Neither will such distinction be looked for but in a scientific journal. The arrangement is clear and satisfactory; the manner plain and illustrative; and the matter in accordance with the science of the present day; though in a few cases the nomenclature is somewhat overloaded with hard names, and presumes more previous acquaintance with the subject than is consistent. We subjoin a few extracts of popular interest.]
Caloric, or the matter of Heat.
Heat is admitted by the philosophers of the present day to be the principle concerned in repulsion; and heat and cold are known to produce expansion and contraction in all bodies. Heat is, therefore, the antagonist of cohesion. Chemists have thought it necessary to make a distinction between the senses in which the word heat may be taken. In its usual acceptation, it merely means the effect excited on the organs of sensation by a hot body. But as this must be produced by a power in the hot body independent of sensation, that power is what chemists understand by the word heat: and to distinguish between the effect and its cause, the term caloric has been substituted. The introduction of this term appears altogether unnecessary, when the sense in which the word heat should be understood is explained. Caloric means the cause of the sensation heat: and there seems no reason to fear that the perception of heat by the organs of sensation can ever be misunderstood to be the agent in chemical phenomena.