e.

"But his vessel's sinking slowly,
And mine hour of death is near;
Yet I shrink not,--sweet and holy
Is the end that knows no fear."

Scarce the words had died, and the crimson tide,
Flow'd calm in her heaving breast,
When she flew to the wave, to share his grave,
And taste of his final rest.
And the fishermen boast, who dwell on that coast,
That after the ev'ning bell
Has toll'd the hour, in sleet and in shower,
They float on a golden shell.
And all night they roam, where the breakers foam,
When the moonbeams streak the waves,
But when morn awakes and the twilight breaks,
They glide to their coral caves.

_Leeds._

T.W.H.

* * * * *

Manners and Customs.

EARLY INHABITANTS OF BRITAIN.

(_To the Editor._)

In your Correspondent _Selim's_ laudable endeavour to vindicate
the ancient inhabitants of this island from the character of barbarians
given them by Caesar, he has made some errors, which, with your
permission, I will attempt to rectify. First, I beg leave to dissent
from the derivation of the word Druid, "Druidh," a wise man, as such
a word is not to be found in the Welsh language. In one of your early
volumes[5] there is a letter from a Correspondent, deriving the word (in
the above language it is written Derwydd) from Dar and Gwydd, signifying
chief in the presence, as the religious ceremonies of the Druids were
considered to be performed in the presence of the Deity. This may seem
far fetched; but, according to the genius of the language, any word
commencing with _g_, and having another word prefixed, the sound of
the _g_ is always dropped: therefore, those words would be written
Dar-wydd, only a difference of one letter from the proper word.

With regard to the statement of the Druids being "ever foremost in the
battle strife," as your Correspondent has quoted Caesar, I am surprised
that he has overlooked this passage: "The Druids were exempt from all
military payment, and excused from serving in the wars;" indeed, one of
the main objects of Bardism was to maintain peace, and the use of arms
was therefore prohibited to its members; though in later times it was
one of the duties of the king's domestic bard, on the day of battle,
to sing in front of the army the national song of "Unbennaeth Prydain"
(the Monarchy of Britain,) for the purpose of animating the soldiers.

It is not possible th