1809.] Account of Thomas Major's Confinement in the Bastille. 429 
fundamental and mysterious transactions 
of the history of their religion, in its mse 
and progress, took place. The White 
Island, this holy island in the west, is so 
intimately connected with their religion 
and mythology, that they cannot be se- 
parated: and of course, divines in India 
are necessarily acquainted with it, as 
distant Mussulmans are with Arabia. 
« This I conceive to be a most favour- 
able circumstance; as, in the present 
case, the learned have little more to’ do, 
than to ascertain whether the White 
Island be England, and the.sacred isles 
of the Hindus, the British Isles. After 
dhaving maturely considered the subject, 
L think they are, 
«Tt will appear in the course of this 
work, that the language of the followers 
of Brahma, their geographical knowledge, 
their history and mythology, have ex- 
tended through a range, or belt, about 
forty degrees broad, across the uld Con- 
tinent in a south-east, and north-west 
direction, from the eastern shores of the 
Malayan Peninsula, to the western ex- 
tremities of the British isles. 
“The principal object-I have in view 
in this Essay, is to prove that the sacred 
isles of the Hindus, if not the British 
isles, are at least some remote country to 
the North-west of the old Continent; for 
I cannot conceive that they are alto- 
gether utopian, or imaginary. But, a 
secondary one, is also to prove that the 
greatest part of the legends, which for- 
merly obtained all over the western parts 
of the world from India, to the British 
asles, were originally the same with those 
found in the mythology of the Hindus.” 
That these legends and mythologies of 
the Hindus did extend to the western 
part of the world, General Vallancey’s 
writings fully prove—a circumstance very 
rationally accounted for by the General, 
who traces the emigrations of the Indo- 
Scythians, to the Caspian and Euxine, 
from thence to Spain, and lastly to the 
British isles. 
Cheapside, 
_ April 16, 1809. 
‘ - eet 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
SHOULD be much obliged to any 
of your ingenious. Correspondents, 
who could furnish, through the medium 
of your valuable miscellany, any intima- 
tion relative to any existing memoir of 
Mr, John Herries,A, M. author of a neg. 
Your’s, &c. 
HorTEnSI!Is. 
curiosity arising from 
lected book, “‘ The Elements of Speech— . 
London, printed for IF. and C. Dilly, 
1773 ;” or, if no such memoir be ex- 
taut, who could furnish any particulars 
relative to him, and to his public lec- 
tures in particular; and also to any Cor- 
respondent who could supply any pare 
ticulars relative to Mr, Cockin, author of 
the Art of delivering written Language. 
Lond. Dodsley, 1775.” A still greater 
obligation would be conferred by any 
authentic particulars relative to Mr, 
Joshua Steele, author of the invaluable, 
but, till of late years, unaccountably 
neglected, ‘ Prosodia Rationalis, or 
Essay on the Measure and Melody of 
Speech—Payne 1779.” Such infor- 
mation would, [ believe (ultimately, at 
least), be found to gratify a numerous 
ciass of readers, as well ag in particus 
lar. Your’s, &c. 
Bedford- Place, die! Bo 
April 17, 1809. 
Ee 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
ACCOUNT Of THOMAS MAJOR’S CONFINES 
MENT in the CASTLE of the BASTILLE, 
wn the year 1746, interspersed with 
Severul ANECDOTES Of POPISH BIGOTRY, 
mA LETTER (0 THOMAS HOLLIS, ESQ. 
of LINCOLN’S INN, F.R.S. and S.Aw. 
1772, REVISED avd PUBLISHED by hig 
GRANDSUN, THOMAS WILSON.* 
Yo THOMAS HOLLIS, ESQ. 
DEAR SIR, 
HE desire you expressed that I 
should commit to paper the cireum= 
stauces of my confinement in the Bas- 
tille, in the year 1746, is a sufficient 
motive for my endeavouring to satisfy a 
( your enlarged 
ideas, and love of humanity. An addie 
tional reason for my complying with your 
request, is the apprehension that the fact 
may hereaiter be disputed, since though 
I had mentioned it in my work of the 
Antiquities of Pestum, I have omitted it 
in the French edition, bemg unwilling to 
offend a nation, to which I had so many 
obligations for my improvement in the 
arts. To them, the name of the Bastille 
is accompanied with very disagreeable 
ideas. The horror which every citizen 
entertains of this state-prison, (since 
Cardinal Richelieu, and Louis XIV. con- 
* Of 14, Cumberland-street, Portman- 
squares: d 
fined 
