~ 
Life tin Character of Merander Adam, LL.D. 
Jing that this is the lowermost ford in 
‘the river Thames, I not only take it to 
_be the place where the Britons passed, 
‘but likewise that which Julius Cesar 
“forced, when he routed the Britons, 
“notwithstanding what has been alledged 
‘by Camden, and others, in favour of 
*Cowey Stakes, where the water is not 
only deeper, but likewise that there are 
‘many other places in the said river, be- 
tween the ford above-mentioned, and 
‘Cowey Stakes, which are muchshallower.” 
Ta Antoninus’s second Journey, Lon- 
‘doh appears to have been seventy-seven 
Roman miles from the port Ritupis, 
an Kent, where Caesar landed, to which 
being added about three of the same 
‘miles, from the millarium, (London 
Stone) in Canon Street, to the afore- 
Said ford at Chelsey, they will exactly 
‘answer to the account of about eighty 
Miles, given by Cesar of the distance 
of Cassivelaun’s confines from the sea, 
where he passed the river Thames; 
whereas seventeen Roman miles, the 
distance from London to Cowey Stakes, 
being added to the account in the Iti- 
nerary, the same will be thereby in- 
creased to ninety-four milesy which can 
by no means agree with the account 
«given by Cesar. 
DON SALTERO’S COFFEE- HOUSE. 
This well known coffee-house was first 
opened in the year 1695, by one Salter, 
who had been a servant to Sir Hans 
Sloane, and had actonipanied him on 
his travels. The collection of curio- 
sities, which were principally the gift 
of Sir Hans Sloane, being the duplicates 
of bis various curious collections, drew 
from London a multitude of spectators, 
It existed more than a century, and 
- was at Jength sold by public auction in 
the year 1799. 
_. Sir Richard Steele, in “* The Tatler,” 
No. 34, bas given a humourous: descrip* 
tion of this: once far- famed: collection 
of rarities, and of its eccentric proprietor 
The curiosities of this collection were 
deposited in glass cases; atid consisted 
of a great variety of petrefactions, cos 
rals, chrystals, ores, shells, animals 
preserved in spirits, stuffed animals from 
various! parts of the world, rdols, cu- 
rious Chinese manuscripts, missals, birds, 
sriakes, butterflies, medals, models, fires 
arins, fishes, portraits, prints, &c. 
_ A'catalogue of the whole was: printed 
with the names of the donors: affixed ; 
and, under the management of skilful 
hands,, this. collection could not have 
failed. to. produce. ample remuneration 
gral profit. 
“671 
Such collections, aided by those. of 
Tradescant, Ashmole, and Thoresby, 
cherished the infancy of science, and 
should not be depreciated as the play- 
things of a boy after he is arrived at 
manhood: Mr. Pennant’s ancestor, who 
lived at Chelsea, often took his great 
nephew, Mr. Pennant’s father, to the 
coffee-house, where he used to see 
poor, Richard Cromwell, a little, and 
very neat, old man, with a most placid 
countenance, the effect of his innacent 
and unambitious life. He imagines this 
was Don Saltero’s coffee-house, to which 
he was a benefactor, and hasthe honor 
of having his name mentioned in the 
collection. 1 
Mr. Pennant, when a boy, saw “ his 
uncle’s gift to the great Saltero,” which 
was ‘a lignified hog”’? What Mr. Pen- 
nant thus facetiously denominates, in 
the edition of Saltero’s Catalogue that 
we have seen, is called “ a piece of a 
root of a tree that’ grew in the shape of 
a hog.” He feared this matchless cu- 
riosity was lost, at least it is omittedia 
the last, or forty-seventh edition of the 
catalogue, 
a 
: AN ACCOUNT OF y 
The LIFE and CHARACTER. of 
ALEXANDER ADAM; LL.D, 
Recior of the High School of Edinburgh, 
HIS EARLY LIFE. 
The late Dr. ALEXANDER ADAM was 
horn at Coats, of Bergie, in the parish of 
Rafford, and county ‘of Moray.’ His fi 
ther, John Adam, rented oné of those 
-small. farms which then abounded in the 
orth of Scotland. John Adam and 
Vhbristian Watson, though respectable, 
were not rich. They were, however, in 
such circumstances as enabled them to 
make good their determination of keep’ 
ing their son at school, till such time a 
he should be entitled to become a claim- 
ant for a.bursary, to enable hini to pros 
secute his studies at one of thé univer. 
sities. After going through thé routing 
of the Latin language, as’ it’ was then 
usually taught in a parochial school, Mrt 
Adam turned his steps towards Albers 
deen, with the intention of cotitending 
for a bursary, or exhibition of sinall 
value, It was at King’s College'that he 
made the attempt. But there his pros 
ficiency in Latin was not approved; hé 
was declared incompetent, and in cons 
sequence remanded to his studieS under 
his schoolmaster Mr. Fiddes,- of whom 
nothing-has been handed down tous but 
his name. id. 
After a season spent in renewing his 
foriner 
