proceed in getting up the gravel, it seems probable that many more may be hereafter discovered. The bones are for the most part those of adult subjects; and from the appearance of the teeth, with few exceptions, scarcely past the middle age. Some locks of hair were observable still hanging to one or two of the skulls; and at least in one of them the brain had not wholly lost its figure or consistency. These latter were imbedded in the dark-coloured stiff clay, which obtains very generally in and about the vale of Aylesbury, and is known by geologists under the appellation of oak-tree clay. Where the bones had lain in the beds of gravel, they generally appeared drier and more decayed. Some few of the bones evidently belonged to tall men, but afforded nothing very particular with reference to their stature. The meadow in which these relicks have been found, abounds with green patches, irregularly distributed about its surface; and there are evidently enough to be traced, several holes or pits which have not yet been examined. With the exception of a small buckle found lying upon the neck of one of the skeletons, and a piece or two of au horse-shoe, I could not ascertain that any thing whatsoever, which might have been supposed to be buried at the same time with the bodies, was discovered.

Very various conjectures were made by the visitors who, attracted by curiosity from time to time, inspected the progress of the discovery. Some were at first inclined to suppose that there had formerly been a place of execution near the spot: but that idea was, I believe, soon abandoned, in consequence of the number as well as the appearance of the bones. The most probable account is,-that these were the bodies of soldiers slain during the civil wars of Cromwell. History, it is true, has not preserved many particulars of the contests to which, at that eventful period, we may venture to refer the loss of so many lives; but it is quite too much to suppose that these bones have lain here ever since the Saxon times, a period of more than twelve hundred years having intervened since the reduction of the town of Aylesbury by that people, under Cuthwolf. The spot in which they have been found is about a mile

Northward of the parish church; the ground immediately contiguous has been of late years considerably raised, in order to form and improve the line of turnpike-road which formerly was in wet seasons frequently overflowed by the neighbouring brook. Over that brook (which by the bye is the original, though here inconsiderable, stream, that, after a course of a few miles, is dignified by the title of "the river Thame") is a small bridge of two arches, forming one of the principal approaches to Aylesbury; and, very probably, a spot where it may have been thought proper to station an advanced guard for the protection of the Southern bank; and to interrupt an enemy in advancing towards the town.

According to Lord Clarendon's account, Aylesbury was garrisoned for the Parliament during 1644 and the succeeding year; and although, as Mr. Lysons truly observes, “it does not appear to have sustained any siege from the Royal army," it was deemed of great importance, and in all probability must have been exposed to the occasional loss of many of the troops stationed there, as well as very likely to have been the means of destroying numbers of assailants in those predatory excursions which there is good authority for believing to have been at the time very common in this neighbourhood, although not particularized by the historians of that period. Boarstail or Borstal House (situated upon an antient domain, now belonging to the family of Aubrey), then one of King Charles's gar risons, was a perpetual annoyance to the Parliamentary forces at Aylesbury. In the spring of the year 1644 Boarstall was one of the smaller garrisons which it was thought adviseable to abandon. It was accordingly evacuated by the King's forces, and the fortifications destroyed. Immediately the Parliamentarians, who "had experienced much inconvenience from the excursions of their neighbours," took possession of it, and greatly annoyed the Royal garrison at Oxford, by intercepting provisions, &c. whereupon Colonel Gage undertook to reduce it, which he is related to have effected with great gallantry. Lady Denham, the then proprietor of the mansion, having fled away in disguise; and the gar

rison left there by Col. Gage, nearly supported itself (says Lord Clarendon) by depredations in Buckinghamshire, particularly in the neighbourhood of Aylesbury." It also appears that the King fixed his head-quarters at Buckingham for some time, in 1644. Hence it seems but reasonable to suppose that severe conflicts might have taken place in the vicinity of so important a post as this of Aylesbury, although not particularly described or handed down to us in the page of History and that the bones now discovered may be more reasonably referred to that period than to one so much more remote, as the days of our Saxon ancestors, is confirmed by their general appearance, freshness, the mode in which they were buried, the particular spot where they have lain, and every other circumstance connected with the subject, which has come to the knowledge of

AN OLD CORRESPONDENT.

ON reading your Magazine (Sup

plement), vol. LXXXIX. parti. p. 604, I find your Correspondent G. B. wishes to be informed where the law which awards the punishment of death for killing a game-cock is to be found, and also of the nature of the crime for which Turpin was tried and afterwards executed.

As to the law, I cannot give any information; but I have in my possession a Newgate Calendar, in which the account of Turpin's life and villanies are fully given; by which it appears, that after living some time in a cave on Epping Forest, and having committed a murder, he went to Long-Sutton, in Lincolnshire, and stole some horses, for which he was taken into custody, but escaped from the constable, and went to Welton, in Yorkshire, where he went by the name of John Palmer, and assumed the character of a gentleman. While there he shot a cock belonging to his landlord, on which a neighbour told him that he was doing wrong, and Turpin threatening to shoot him too if he waited while he loaded his gun, his neighbour informed his landlord of what had passed; he was taken into custody, and carried before a Bench of Justices then assembled at Beverley, and being unable to give

security for his good behaviour, was committed to Bridewell.

The Magistrates, after making inquiries into his mode of living, and finding him a suspicious character, removed him to York Castle, where he had not been a month, when two persons from Lincolnshire came and claimed a mare and foal, and likewise a horse, which he had stolen in that county. When he had been imprisoned some time it was found out (through letters that came to him) that his real name was Richard Turpin, the noted highwayman. He was brought to trial, convicted on two indictments (the account does not say for what crimes, but I presume for stealing the horses as above), received sentence of death, and was executed at York on the 10th of April 1739.

Mr. URBAN,

M. L.

Kilbourne, Jan. 4.

AS your pages are peculiarly de

voted to the illustration of every thing that is curious in Antiquity; some of your Readers may be alle to explain the origin of the following' custom.

On returning from the country, I happened to sleep at St. Alban's on the night of the 31st of December last, and was awakened early the next morning by a confused noise of boys and girls in the street, crying for sale "Popladys! Popladys!"

Enquiring at breakfast-time the meaning of those words, I was informed, that it was a very ancient practice in that town, to cry and sell in the streets and in the Baker's shops, on New Year's Day, a species of cake or bun, called Popiady, one of which was brought to me. It was a plain cake, like the Cross Buns sold on Good Friday; but instead of being circular was long and narrow, rudely resembling the human figure, with two dried raisins or currants stuck in to mark the eyes, and another to represent the mouth, the lower part being formed somewhat like the outer case of an Egyptian mummy.

As the Abbey of St. Alban's is celebrated in Monkish story, it is probable that this cake is a relic of Romish superstition: perhaps a variety of the Yule Cake, which we are told, in Brand's Popular Antiquities, was sometimes made in confectionery to

represent

recorded in the Reports of the respective Societies whose peculiar objects they are, the improvements made during the present reign in the art of Coinage are suffered to pass by unregarded; possibly because they are too artless for the Society of Arts, too little scientific for the Royal Society, and too little like profitable trading concerns to attract the notice of the Board of Trade.

To extend the knowledge of them, permit me the use of a few of your columns to be occupied with a chronological account, extracted from the only work which has hitherto condescended to notice them at large*. Nothing of importance was done until the year 1769, when the Act to continue duties for the encouragement of the Coinage of money was made perpetual.

As the expediency of originally passing this Act was, in the minds of those who considered the subject, extremely problematical, making it perpetual, and thereby satisfying all doubts upon the subject, must be allowed to be an improvement, from which might be augured the rapid progress which the coins afterwards made towards perfection.

At the commencement of the present reign, in the year 1760, the gold coins were known to be considerably diminished by filing, &c. No steps, however, were taken to prevent the practice until the year 1774 †, when a general recoinage of gold was determined upon, and the practice of weighing gold coins (a practice borrowed from the wisdom of the Chinese) was established by statute, which condescended to borrow so much from that people, but was at the same time aware that it would not become the

such a

imitate their economy in not coining the more precious metals.

Tables of the weights at which the gold coined at different periods was to be current, were published by authority, to the great convenience of the filers and sweaters, who were taught by them how far they could legally go. This was undoubtedly an imitation of the Parliamentary wisdom in the reign of King William III. when a proper time was graciously allowed to the clippers of the silver coin, in which they could exercise their talents with full effect, and safety +.

In the year 1783 the counterfeit copper money was complained of as a great grievance by the inhabitants of Westminster, This very naturally produced a statute to forbid the counterfeiting of the current coin of Ireland, to the great relief of London and Westminster §.

In 1787, the want of silver money occasioned an effort to supply it, which by great exertion was carried on to the amount of about 80,000l. It was undoubtedly judicious not to extend it beyond that sum, as the great recoinage in King William's reign, which was conducted upon the

same