204 
celebration. This star was a type of a 
new moral day, or regeneration. PuHos- 
pHorus himself, or the TORCH BEARER, 
was an actor in the Eleusinian and Ma- 
gian rites, and it is also to be presumed, 
in those of the Egyptian Pluto (Serapis), 
of whom he was an attendant, and in 
which torches were constantly used. It 
is worthy of remark, that among the 
things to be given (Revel, chap. 3.) “ to 
him that overcometh,” are the tree of 
life, a crown, a white stone, a new name, 
a white raiment, and the morning star.* 
Now, as it is upon undeniable record, 
that all the preceding gifts (for the can- 
didates carried branches of palm, which 
was called the tree of life) were really 
presented during the mysteries to “ him 
who overcame,” it is to be presumed 
that a symbol of the Mornine Svar, 
was also given. Certainly the Tav, 
as appears from Tertullian, was placed 
upon their heads or in their hands. 
Now this is really a symbol of the planet 
Venus or Puosrnorus to this day. In 
conclusion, the Phzeacian ship was trans- 
formed into a rock by Neptune; and 
it is not obscurely intimated that the 
offence was for promulgating the great 
SECRET, Of cavern worship, or making 
that which ought to be secret, common. 
That which ensues completes this sin- 
gular and beautiful allegory. Ulysses 
awakes} is surrounded by a cloud which 
falsifies the appearance of his native 
country; till his guardian angel, Mi- 
nerva, (and the nerru of Egypt really 
acted the part of a female guardian, or 
hierophant, to the Myste, during these 
severe trials,) appears to him in the 
shape of ayoung +sHEPHERD-KING (this 
is very remarkable), with a hunting 
spear in his hand (the hierophants in 
the Mithraic rites were dressed as 
huntsmen,) disperses the fallacious mist, 
and discovers to him “ the truth.” 
Ulysses kneels, kisses the sacred soil, 
‘* The ‘Victor, also, is promised that he 
shall become an immoveable pillar in the 
temple. That the image is borrowed from 
the initiations of Serapis, can scarcely be 
doubted. The word Sreraris, means the 
cotumn of Apis; and Serapis was himself 
represented as an immoveable pillar with 
four capitals and a man’s face; this is the 
figure which in the “ tomb of Psammis,” 
Dr. Young names “ Srazmury ;’’ the Royal 
initiate is there represented “ placing it on 
its base.” 
+ Shepherd-kings were supposed to have 
introduced the Egyptian idolatry: and the 
word Paaroaw has been interpreted to 
mean a shepherd-king. 
Geology of the Isle of Wight. 
[Apr. 1, 
and adores the presiding Naiads. While 
Minerva first revealing herself in her 
own person, as DIVINE WISDOM, enters 
the sacred cave alone, and depositing 
the ark or cista of presents in the sekos, 
places a stone before its mouth. 
—=> 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Sir: 
S most of your readers are ac- 
‘A quainted with the topographical 
beauties of the Isle of Wight, I shall 
offer no apology for sending you a few 
cursory remarks on the geological pe- 
culiarities which distinguish this fa- 
vourite island. 
Mr. Webster (the learned and inde- 
fatigable secretary to the Geological 
Society) has shewn, in his valuable 
paper “ On the Strata above the Chalk 
in the Isle of Wight,” (Geo. Trans. 
Vol. 2), that this island has been sub- 
ject, in all probability, at least to one 
violent convulsion. An elevated range 
of chalk hills extends through the mid- 
dle of the island from west to east. 
There are, however, certain peculiari- 
ties in the chalk formation, and upper 
series, in the Isle of Wight, which do 
not exist in any other part of the king- 
dom, with the exception of a small por- 
tion of the adjacent coast, at Swanage 
Bay. The great range of chalk hills 
which extend from Beachy Head (in- 
land) through Sussex, Surry, part of 
Hants and Wilts, and from Dover 
through the north parts of Kent and 
Surry; and also the continuation of 
these chains of chalk hills extending 
through the counties of Bucks, Oxford, 
Bedford, &c., have, generally speaking, 
but a small angle of inclination with 
the horizon; the dip seldom exceeding 
from 10° to 20°; and in many places 
the beds of chalk lie nearly horizontal. 
But the stratum of chalk in the Isle of 
Wight has been thrown, by some great 
convulsion, into a position nearly verti- 
cal to the horizon; like what is ob- 
servable in the west and north-west 
parts of the kingdom, with regard to 
the more primitive rocks. As Mr. 
Webster limited his researches, princi- 
pally, to the fresh-water formations, or 
the strata most recently formed, in the 
Isle of Wight; and as Messrs. Cony- 
beere and Phillips, in their valuable 
* Outlines of the Geology of England 
and Wales,” have given a lucid descrip- 
tion both of the strata and the con- 
tinuation of the series; it will be con- 
venient to take a brief view of the de- 
scending order of the strata from these 
gentlemen’s 
