Nov. 13. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



467 



with the philosophes, he declared open war against 

 their principles, by the republication, under the 

 title of L'Appel au bon Sens, of a pamphlet which 

 he had previously (1769) published at Rome, en- 

 titled Le Tocsin des Philosophes. This excited the 

 ire of Voltaire, who, in a letter to M. de Chastel- 

 lux (7th Dec. 1772), acknowledging receipt of a 

 copy of the treatise La Felicite publique, by the 

 latter, in which Dutens was spoken of in com- 

 mendatory terms, attacked him violently as 



*' Un demi savant, ires mechant homrae, nomm6 

 Dutens, refugie a present en Angleterre, qui imprima, 

 il y a cinq ans, un sot libelle atroce contre tous les 

 philosophes, intitule Le Tocsin. Le polisson pretend 

 <]ue les anciens avoient connu I'usage de la boussole, la 

 gravitation, la route des cometes, I'aberration des etoiles, 

 la machine pueumatique, la chimie, &c." 



This was not, however, the only occasion on 

 which Voltaire, forgetful of the Leibnitz, and his 

 complimentary letters to its editor and donor, had 

 manifested his wrath against M. Dutens. In the 

 Dictionnaire Philosophique (art. "Systeme") he 

 went out of his way to attack him : 



" Un des plus grands detracteurs de nos dernier 

 siecles a ete un nomme Dutens. II a fini par faire 

 un libelle aussi infame qu'insipide, contre les philo- 

 sophes de nos jours. Ce libelle est intitule Le Tocsin; 

 mais il a beau sonner sa cloche, personne n'est venu a 

 son secours, et il n'a fait que grossir le nombre des 

 Zo'iles, qui, ne pouvant rien produire, ont repandu leur 

 venin sur ceux qui ont immortalise leur patrie, et servi 

 le genre humain par leurs productions." 



Dutens was also attacked by Condorcet and 

 others. Upon the publication of the edition of 

 Voltaire edited by the latter and Beaumarchals, 

 Dutens thought it due to himself, as an antidote 

 to the subsequent injuries, to transmit the two 

 earlier letters he had received from Voltaire ; but 

 the prejudice and Injustice of the learned editors 

 prevented their insertion. 



Dutens was also the author of the following 

 works : 



" Traite des Pierres precieuses, et des Pierres fines," 

 Londres, 8vo. : Paris, 16mo. 



" Explication de quelques Medailles grecques et 

 pheniciennes, avec un Alphabet phenicien, et une 

 Paleographie numismatique." Londres et Paris, 1 776. 



" CEuvres melees, contenant : I'Appel au bon Sens; 

 la Logique ; Lettres sur un Automate qui joue aux 

 Echecs, &c." Geneve et Paris. 



" Itineraire des Routes les plus frequentees de 

 I'Europe, &c." Paris. 



" AOrrOT nOIMENIKflN TON RATA AA*NIN KAI 

 XAOHN, BIB. E. recensuit Ludovicus Dutens." Paris, 

 1776, 12mo. 



"Manuel d'Epictete, avec un Preface." Paris, 1776, 

 24 mo. 



" De I'Eglise, du Pape, de quelques points de Con- 

 troverse; et des Moyens de Reunion entre toutes les 

 Eglises chretiennes." Geneve, 1781. 



" L'Ami des Etrangers qui voyagent en Angleterre. " 

 Londres, 1787, 8vo. 



" Memoires d'un Voyageur qui se repose, &c. " 

 5 vols. 12mo. 1806. 



The fifth volume of this last-mentioned work is 

 entitled Dutensiana, and is quite distinct from the 

 other four. Although tolerably well acquainted 

 with the Ana, I must confess that in variety of 

 amusing and instructive anecdote I do not know 

 any volume in this class of literature that much 

 excels it. In the preface, Dutens acknowledges 

 the authorship of the Correspondence interceptee, 

 published anonymously, some of the contents of 

 which are incorporated in the Memoires d'un 

 Voyageur. The edition in two volumes 8vo. of 

 the latter work, to which W. alludes, was com- 

 mitted to the flames by the author, as containing 

 remarks and strictures upon living characters, 

 which he was led to think might give offence, and 

 would be better suppressed. William Bates. 



Birmingham. 



EARLT CAST-IBON GRAVE SLABS. 

 (Vol.vl., p. 291.) 



In the first part of Christian Monuments in 

 England and Wales, by the Rev. Charles Boutell, 

 M.A., 1849, a work which I regret to say remains 

 unfinished, there is a representation of a remark- 

 able slab of this description, concerning which I 

 shall quote the author's own words : 



" In the nave of the church at Burwash in Sussex, 

 there lies a monumental slab of very singular character, 

 apparently of the latter end of the fourteenth century. 



The material of which this memorial is con* 



structed is cast iron. It is a large slab, or rather plate, 

 measuring in length five feet five inches and a half, by 

 eighteen inches and three quarters at the head, and 

 eighteen inches and a quarter at the foot ; and it bears 

 in relief a small cross with a legend at its base, in these 

 words : ' orate . p(ro) . annema . jhone . colins.' 

 So far as I am aware, this is the only monument of this 

 kind known to be in existence." 



In a foot-note : 



" It appears that a family named Collins carried on 

 the iron trade in a parish adjoining Burwash, in the 

 sixteenth century ; and their predecessors were pro- 

 bably iron masters, and had some connexion with 

 Burwash itself, at the date of the monument. The 

 Rev. C. R. Manning, in his List of Brasses, mentions 

 an iron monumental plate at Crowhurst in Surry, the 

 date of which is a.d. 1591. Upon this plate there is 

 a representation of a shrouded figure." 



I may add, that in the churchyard at Broseley, 

 Salop, there are cast-iron slabs : but these are of 

 modern date. W. J. Bbknhaed Smith. 



Temple. 



