411 

 - rV, General Literature. 



1. Origin of Vegetables. — Turnips and carrots are thought indi- 

 genous roots of France ; our cauliflowers came from Cyprus ; 

 our artichokes from Sicily ; lettuce from Cos, a name corrupted 

 into Gause ; shallots, or eschallots, from Ascalon ; the cherry 

 and filbert are from Pontus ; the citron from Media; the chest- 

 nut from Castana, in Asia Minor ; the peach and the walnut 

 from Persia; the plum from Syria; the pomegranate from 

 Cyprus ; the quince from Sidon ; the olive and fig from Greece, 

 as are the best apples and pears, though also found wild in 

 France, and even here ; the apricot is from Armenia. — New 

 Monthly Magazine, iii. p. 235. 



2. New Longitude Act. — By this act the 58tli of the late king 

 is amended. The rewards are, 5000Z. to any subject of Great 

 Britain who shall reach the longitude of 130° from Greenwich 

 within the arctic circle ; 10,000/. (further) for the north-west 

 passage into the Pacific; 1,000Z. for 83° of north latitude; and 

 a like sum for 85°, 87°, 88°, and 89° respectively. It is as- 

 sumed in the preamble, that no ship has gone beyond 81° of 

 north latitude, nor 113° of west longitude. 



3. Roman Mint. — A considerable quantity of clay moulds, or 

 matrices, for the coining of Roman money, have been lately turned 

 up at Lingwell-Yate, near Wakefield. Thoresby, in his Ducatus, 

 mentions a quantity of similar moulds, found at the same place 

 in 1697. Several crucibles, for melting the metal, were found 

 at the same time ; and in some of the moulds, there are coins 

 yet remaining. Specimens have been sent by a gentleman at 

 Wakefield, to the Society of Antiquaries, and to the British 

 Museum, in hopes of their decision whether this place was 

 the resort of coiners, or the real mint belonging to the Roman 

 station in its immediate vicinity. — New Monthly Magazine. 



4. Ancient Roman Altar. — A Roman altar was dug up in 

 April, by Mr. S. Faulkner, gardener, in a place called Dar- 

 vell's field, situate between the Tarvin and Whitchurch roads, 

 in Boughton, near Chester. It is formed of red granite, and 

 is in excellent preservation: its height is nearly four feet; its 

 two fronts, on each of which is the same inscription, are 

 eighteen inches across; and the two sides, quite plain, are 

 about twelve inches each. On the top is a kind of shallow 

 basin, supported by two volutes. The pedestal is a square 

 piece of red sandstone, about twenty inches wide, and six 

 thick, and was found at a small distance from the altar. The 

 inscription is, " Nymphis et Fontibus Legione Vicesima valente 

 victrici" thus Englished : " The twentieth Legion, the power- 



