3S0 Meansof pret'eyiting theR<i‘vagesof the Canker-'worm. [Nov. 1, 
Tiie replies to more than one of these 
enquiries might, perhaps, be most rea¬ 
sonably expected from some person resi¬ 
dent in the place, or its neighbourhood; 
but, as Inquisitor concludes his string of 
interrogatories with a declaration, that 
common report and traditional informa¬ 
tion u’ill not satisfy him, but that he wishes 
for some more scientific authority, I pre¬ 
sume to offer what, I hope, will prove ac¬ 
ceptable intelligence to him, on at'least 
three of his queries, and will lead him to 
an inferential conclusion, with no small 
degree of certainty, on the remaining one. 
The name of Dorchester is most in¬ 
disputably composed of the British word 
Dour contracted into Dor, signifying 
water, and tlie Roman word Castrum, 
an encampment, imitated or anglicised 
by the word Chester. Theie is nodoybt 
whatever among antiquaries but that 
w’herever the name of any town in Great 
Britain has its termination in Chester, 
Cester, or Caster, (vahich are only pro¬ 
vincial variations of one and the same 
Latin word, Castrum,) I say, among an¬ 
tiquaries it is universally admitted, that 
there the Romans had a station of great¬ 
er or less magnitude; which, upon the 
final departure of these strangers from 
the island, was occupied by the indige¬ 
nous inhabitants; who eternized the ori. 
gin of the establishment by adding to gome 
British syllable or syllables, indicative of 
some local distinguishing peculiarity, a 
termination exclusively descriptive of a 
Roman foundation. This position might 
be exemplified by the mention of nume¬ 
rous instances throughout the kingdom, 
where the conjecture has been establish¬ 
ed in certainty, beyond all controversy, 
by the discovery of Roman remains, and 
other irrefragable testimonies. Among 
these, bv way of example, may be enu- 
sncrated Winchester7Lelcesfer, and Don¬ 
caster; all of which are \veli known to 
iuive been among their most eminent 
stations in the island. On the authority 
of venerable Bede (which with antiqua¬ 
rians and historians has generally been 
considered coneluaive), we may also de¬ 
termine this vilUige of Dorchester in Ox¬ 
fordshire, which has not unliequeiuly 
been confounded with tlie county town 
of Dorsetshire, to have been a city of 
importance, and the see of a bishop, 
origitially founded by one Birinus,, the 
apostle of the West Saxons. This, ac- 
/ count of venerable Bede is confirmed by 
the frequent notice of tlie same circum¬ 
stances in other of the monkish writers, 
especially Williwn^ of’ Malmsbury, inso¬ 
much as to leave no room for doubt 
respecting any of these positions. All 
our early historians make mentiun of 
the removal of tlie episcopal see from, 
Dorchester to Lincoln, in the time of 
William the Norman, by Remigius then 
bisliop, after its having continued in the 
former city near five hundred years. I 
am told, a stone effigy of a bishop in 
Ids robes was, not verv long since, dug 
up in the church; and the bishop’s palace 
is frequently mentioned by dilirercnt to¬ 
pographical and antiquarian writers,espe¬ 
cially by Leland and Hearne*. 
5, 1811. Antiquary. 
T 0 the Editor of the Monthly Magazine^ 
SIR, 
I HAVE lately seen a letter from 
Rhode Island, mentioning the very 
gloomy, appearance of the numerous 
apple orchards in part .of that slate and 
^Connecticut, from the depredations pf 
the canher-worm-, which had .generally 
quite destroyed the young fruit, and en¬ 
dangered the life of the tree. Last ye.ar 
they were considerable, nud early in Jn y 
last far more alarming. The only means 
of preventing them when discovered, and 
wiiich in many instances had proved to 
be effectual, was encircling the tree about 
knee high with a streak of tar, early in 
the spring, and occasionally adding a 
fresh coat. Whether or not the. canker- 
worm of America is of the species alluded 
to by Scion, in your last number, the 
proposed remedy is simple and cheap, 
and I think merits a trial on the apple, 
and other trees liable to the ravages of 
insects. -A. Z. 
Bssejfj.-S'fpA 6, 1811. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Maguzine<, 
SIR, 
/f R. LEDBEATER, baker, of this 
had the misfortune to 
town 
r 
lose a favourite mare, on Tliursday night 
last.' On opening the body, the intestines 
were found in a state of mortification, 
anti burst. On searching for the cause, 
a large stone was found in the colon, 
near llie rectum, of the enormous weight 
of seven pounds fifteen ounces: it is ra- 
ilie’r of an oblong form, and measures 22 
inches round, and 21 inches over, ihe 
mare was twenty years old, and has been 
often afflicted with violent spasms, simi¬ 
lar to the cholic, for upw^ards of seven 
years. I have frequently made up me¬ 
dicines for her during the above period; 
and, from the symptoms and actions of 
ths iiiarC} during the cbiilinuancc of the 
gpasinSj 
