68 



THE HAMPSHIRE ANTIQUARY & NATURALIST. 



A correspondent writes : Deceased was well 

 known in literary circles as the author of several 

 valuable works, the chief of which were the " History 

 and Scenery of the New Forest" and ''The High 

 Peak of Derbyshire.' 1 The former work was 

 illustrated by Mr. Walter Crane, and met with 

 general approbation, and has been regarded as an 

 authority on the subjects pertaining to the early 

 history of the Forest the flora, entomology, &c. 

 The work has gone through several editions. The 

 first was published by Messrs. Smith, Elder, and Co., 

 and the next by Messrs. H. Sotheran and Son, of the 

 Strand. We believe Mr. H. M. Gilbert, of Southampton, 

 is now the possessor of the copyright, &c. , and he 

 has published editions, with the drawings on India 

 paper, and supplementary illustrations, thus increasing 

 the artistic value of the work. "The High Peak of 

 Derbyshire " was also a valuable contribution to the 

 literature of the scenery and topography of that in- 

 teresting part of England. Mr. Wise's last work was 

 "A Fairy Masque," entitled "The First of May," 

 charmingly and daintily illustrated in a series of 52 

 designs by Mr. Walter Crane, for which we are told 

 the author paid more than 500 guineas. We have 

 been informed that Mr. Wise was correspondent for 

 one of the London papers during the Franco-German 

 war. He had not visited the scene of his former 

 labours in the New Forest for many years, and was 

 pained to find on his return that so few of his old friends 

 and acquaintances (some of whom had materially 

 assisted him with valuable information) were living. 

 He came to Lyndhurst in August of last year for a 

 week or two, but, being in a weak state of health 

 from paralysis, he remained at South View through 

 the winter, greatly enjoying the air and rest the New 

 Forest afforded him. His death was somewhat 

 sudden, he being taken ill on the Sunday previous. 

 In accordance with his wish, he was buried in the new 

 Cemetery, which commands extensive views which 

 he knew so well how to describe. His cous'n, a 

 clergyman, came down to bury him. It seems to fall in 

 with the nature of things that the gifted author's 

 earthly resting-place should be amidst the surround- 

 ings he loved so well 



About me round I saw 



Hill, dale, and shady woods, and sunny plains, 



And liquid lapse of murmuring streams. MILTON. 



WEATHER IN MARCH. 



The rainfall for this month is under the average, the 

 total being i -22 and the average of the previous ten 

 years 2'i2 inches. March is the driest month in the 

 year, the average for the fifteen years being 1-91 

 inches. Since January ist we have had 5'gi, the 

 average of the same time being 7-29 inches. Rain 

 fell on nine days. 



It is a common saying that as the weather is for a 

 week each side of the Equinox such will be its 



general character for the next six months. From the 

 i5th to the aoth rain fell on one day only, viz., 0^25 

 in. on the i6th ; the wind was southerly on two days, 

 northerly on two days, and the other two E. and W. 

 From the 22nd to 27th rain fell on four days, the total 

 being o'68 in. ; the wind was S.W. on four days, 

 S.E. on one day, and W. on one day. 



The fortnight, therefore, was variable, and 

 southerly winds most prevalent. The last seven 

 days in the month were very fine, six being without 

 rain and only o - 9 in. of rain on the 25th. This is said 

 to be indicative of a fine summer. 



Among other prognostics we have oak before ash 

 wet ; ash before oak fine ; which is recorded in the 

 doggerel 



" Oak, ash, splash, splash, 

 Ash, oak, choke, choke." 



At present in this neighbourhood both seem to be 

 equally forward. 



The barometer has been under the average. It was 

 on thirteen days 30 inches and over, and on eighteen 

 days under. The highest was so'56, and the lowest 

 29-22 in. This was attended, as is almost always 

 the case, by a violent storm. 



The temperature during the early part of the month 

 was the coldest of the winter, and the thermometer 

 registered 15 degrees on the night of the 3rd and 20 

 degrees on the 2nd. The rest of the month has been 

 nothing remarkable. It was 60 degrees on two days, 

 61 degrees being the highest, on the 28th. There 

 were frosts on thirteen nights. 



Fordingbridge. T. WESTLAKE. 



ST. MARY'S CHURCH, BENTLEY. 



We have elsewhere referred to the report of the 

 Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (as 

 published in The Reliquary for April) in regard to the 

 proposed injuries to Yaverland Church. St. Mary's 

 Church, Bentley, near Alton, is in similar danger. 

 The report states : 



This is almost, if not quite, the worst case which has 

 come under the society's notice this year. At the end of 

 last year the building was surveyed for the society, and 

 the committee did its utmost * * * The committee's 

 fears were not without foundation, for we find that two 

 new arcades and a new chancel and chapel arch have been 

 built, and the interesting passage which ran from the nave 

 into the chapel on the north side of the church has been 

 destroyed, as well as the north wall of the nave. All the 

 buttresses have been replaced by new ones. The old 

 gallery and all the old fittings have gone. In the place of 

 the old pavement Staffordshire tiles are to be laid down. 

 The old red tiles on the roof are to be replaced by Broseley 

 tiles, and the pretty old red brick upper stage of the tower 

 is to be pulled down and a new stone top put in its place. 

 All new work is in imitation of Gothic work ; in fact, it is 

 a case of thorough restoration, such as would have been 

 considered thoroughly satisfactory twenty or thirty years 

 ago. 



