Me. Gray on Subflitutes for Bark. 
in their ftead to the fame purpofe; but 
they are, for the moft part, either inferior 
in quality, or liable to the fame objections. 
A vegetable which is both.common and 
plentiful has claimed my attention, as 
poflefling the aftringent quality in a very 
high degree ; and trom fome experiments 
which I made with it, thougli at a moft 
improper feafon of the year (winter), I was 
ftrongly induced to the conclufion of its 
utility for tanning leather, and tor a black 
dye, or other purpofes to which aftringents 
areapplicd. It is the root of the Pfeuda- 
corus or Yellow Water Flag: - and, if 
found convenient for fuch ules, its de- 
mand can be fupplied to any extent, as 
the culture of it inmarfhy grounds cannot 
be difficult. For prefent ufe it may be 
only crufhed as apple for cyder ; it may 
alfo be dried and kept to be ufed as oc- 
cafion may require. But thofe who may 
think this communication worthy: of their 
attention, will fuggeit the beft modes of 
applying it. As tar as I know, it has 
not heretofore been either ufed or recom- 
mended for fuck purpofes. 
Newceafite upon Tyne, 
April 10, 1798. 
_.P.S. Since writing the above, a friend 
has fhewn me the following article in 
Rees’s edition of Chambers: which I 
gladly annex as a corroborating evidence 
of its aftringent properties. 
« © Tris lutea paluftris, or yellow water flag, 
grows naturally in ditches and moif places 
inmoft parts of this country: The common 
people in Scotland have found out an ufe_for 
this plant, which has efcaped the moft ac- 
curate writers on betany. In that country 
the common ink is made of it. They cut 
tome of the roots into thin flices, and either 
boil or infufe them in water till the liquor 
is highly tinged with them, they then pour 
if clear off, and then putting into it the blade 
of a knife, or any other piece of iron, they 
tub it hard with a rough white pebble, and 
by degrees the liquor becomes black: they 
continue rubbing till it is as deep a black as 
they require, ahd it is a-tolerable good ink.” 
NT 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, : 
‘HE ftudy of popular antiquities, 
* though the materials for it lie fo 
widely diffufed, and indeed feem to obtrude 
themfelves upon every one’s attention, 
in proportion to the extent of his inter- 
courfe with the common people, do not 
G. Gray. 
appear to have engaged fo much of the - 
notice of enquirers into human life and 
manners’ as might have been expected. 
The learned but pedantic -wyiter: of the 
vulgar errors, in the lat century, and 
273 
Mr. Bourne of Newcaftle, and his com- 
mentator, Mr. Brand, inthis, are our chief 
fources of information on fubje&ts of this 
nature. Indeed the valuable additions of 
the latter to the antiquitates vulgares of 
his predeceffor, contain a fund of curious 
obfervations; worthy of the {tation which 
their author holds as fecretary to the 
Society of Antiquaries.. They are how- 
ever, chiefly confined to the author’s 
perfonal knowledge of ‘the opinions, 
cultoms and traditions of the common 
people in the northerm counties; which; 
while it eftablifhes their authenticity fo 
far as they go, mutt neceffarily detract 
from their claim to be contidered as a 
general work upon the fubjeét. We may 
fhortly expe&t much curious information 
fromMr. Boucher of Epfom, whofe Provin- 
cial Gloffary will probably foon make its 
appearance. t 
In the mean time give me ‘leave to 
occupy a corner in your Magazine, - with 
a few queries on a cuftom, with which I 
remember to have been much ftruck 
during my refidence, twenty years ago, in 
Lancafhire ; which ufed to be the terror 
ef the infirm and the timorous; but 
which has of late been wifely checked by 
the givil magiftrate, as artide, indecent, 
and dangerous practice. I refer to the 
liftings which prevailed in Manchefter, 
Bolten, Warrington, and the~ adjacent 
country, to what extent I know-not, on 
Eafter Monday and Tuefday. ‘On: the 
former of thefe days the women, on the 
latter the men, forming parties of fix or 
erght each, furrounded every one of the 
oppofite fex whom they met, and Jifted 
them thrice, not very. gently, above their 
heads into the air, with loud fhouts on 
each elevation. I have often enquired 
into the original of this ftrange ceremony ; 
but it feemed to bear the fame ‘teftimony 
to its antiquity which Mr. Brand alleges 
refpeéting moft of the cuftoms of the 
common people, that it has ‘* outlived 
the general knowledge of the very caufes 
which gave rife to it.”” * 
Mankind, indced, are naturally prone 
to muvent caufes for any appearance, 
rather than fubmit to confefs their igno- 
vance : Ihave, accordingly, heard many 
reafons afigned, none of which appeared 
tome atall likely to bethe true one. Sime 
have faid, that, like the pafte or pafche- 
ego, it was an emblem of the refurrection 
of Jefus Chrift; but it can hardly be 
thought’ that a fa&, which chriftians 


* Obfervations on Popplar. Antiquities, 
preface, p. i. 
Non 2 celebrate 
