Bells of the Church BY Rev. H. T. Ellacombe

File 04 – Chapter VIII Pages 389 to 418

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CHAPTER VIII.

"Paulo majora canamu::."-VIRGIL.

SIGNA.

LARGE BELLS.

"Vox mea, vox vit:e, voco vos ad sacra. venite." I come now to speak of large bells, known in medireval times by the name of signa ; on the continent of Europe, they are called bourdons, or the base. They are the bells on which the clocks usually strike the hours, and such as are rung or tolled for curfew. Hoffman, in his Lexicon. under the word signum, speaking of bells, says : "Dicta sunt signa, tracto a militi~ vocabnlo, quod uti milites cantu signorum nimirum tubarum, buccinarum, aut cornuum ad pugnam, ita Christiani sono signorum ad ecclesiam convocarentur." A very few words about the Curfew (couvre feu) may not be out of place here. It was introduced into England by William the Conqueror from Normandy, or, at least, he firdt enforced it here. It was nmg at eight o'clock in the evening, when every person was ex­ pected to extinguish fire and light in his house, hence it was called Ignitegium. But it appears by the statutes of Lichfield, that the Ignitegium was sounded every night at the seventh hour,7 excepting on the Festivals. The not tolling the Curfew on Festivals may be accounted for by the ancient ritual of the English monks, A.D. 1085, which com­ manded to be rung at Festivals, "et bane pulsationem CI..AssiCUM vocant."8 There is reason to believe that as a signal for extinguishing fires, all the houses being built of wood, the custom of sounding the Ignt"tegium prevailed in Spain, Italy, and Scotland, and all the countries of Europe, at

7 See Du Cange. 8 See Bona, Edit. 1671, p. 178, L. 1, C. 22. 190 SIGNA. the time when it was instituted by King Alfred at Oxford, and more rigidly .enforced by William for the purpose of preventing nocturnal assemblies. This uow appears to us to have been a very arbitrary law ; but it was intended to prevent a conflagration of houses, at a time when they were mostly built of wood and light materials ; and it only lasted in full force during the reign of the first two Williams, for the law of Curfew was abolished by Henry I. in llOo.• Blackstone (vol iv., pp. 419-20) calls it "the melancholy Curfew," and says, "though it is mentioned in our laws a full century after Henry's time, yet it is rather spoken of as a known tirne of night (so denomi­ nated from that abrogated usage), than as a still subsisting custom." The custom of ringing at eight o'clock 1 still prevails in many places as an ancient custom of by-gone days. In some places it is only rung during the winter months ; and there are many cases on record of persons being saved by hearing the sound " Over the wide watered shore, Swinging slow with solemn roar ;" and when " The curfew to11s the knell of parting day," the sound falls with a soothing influence on the ear of the meditative wanderer, and seems to shed a holy charm over the happiness of the quiet English home. In some places the Curfew Bell is rung, at others it is tolled; m the latter mode, the clapper strikes only on one side of the bell, in ringing, it strikes on both, the bell being swung round. WESTMINSTER CLocK BELL.-Beginning with English bells, I shall first mention the largest we have, viz., the greflt clock bell at Westminster, which has obtained the nomen horrendum of . 2 The history of

9 Spelm. Oodd. L.L., W., I., 288 ; Hen. I., 259. 1 The great Peter bell at Exeter is tolled at this hour, and the vulgar notion is, that if it t1hould ever be omitted, the Dean and Chapter would forfeit their charter and loee all their e

this monster might be drawn out to a great length, but by the kindness of Mr. Denison I have been favoured with the following succint epitome. " The first Big Ben of Westminster was cast by Messrs. Warner, of London, ·at the Norton Foundry, near Stockton on Tees, 25 August, 1856,a from the design of Mr. Denison. It was 9 feet 5l inches in diameter, and was intended to be 9 inches thick, and to weigh 15 tons; but by some mistake it was cast too thick. and weighed 16l tons, and required an enormous hammer and clapper of 12 cwt. to bring out the tone. It was luckily sounded in Palace Ya.rd every week for public amusement, before taking it up the clock tower, and was cracked in a short time. When it was broken up' to be recast, there was found a large internal flaw where the two streams of melted metal had met and not joined; probably this was partly the cause of its unwillingness to speak.

a There is an illustration of the operation in the llludf'at6tl LmdOtJ N6UJI, 28 Aug., 1856. 4 See an illustration of this in the nlrutf'aktl Lond

"In 1857 a new bell was cast by Mr. George Mears, of Whitechapel, from anothnr design by Mr. Denison, who made it smaller and thinner, in order to produce the same note E, to match the quarter he11s, though the first bell had been intended to be E flat. 6 It was raised October 22, 1858, and then an attempt was made to call it S. Stephen ; but the nomen horrendum has prevailed. The inscription runs thus: "This be11, weighing l::J tons 10 cwt. 3 qrs. 15 lbs., was cast by George Mears, of Whitecbapel, for the clock of the Houses of Parliament under the direction of Edward Beckett Denison, Q.C., in the twenty-first year of the reign of Queen Victoria, and in the year of our Lord MDCCCLVIII." It waa specified in the contract that the bell should bear ringing with a. clapper of 8 cwt., but after the clock had struck on it a few months some small cracks were perceived in the outside of the sound bow on the opposite side to where it was struck. These were examined by Dr. Percy, who cut a hole 3 inches deep to the bottom of one of them, and analyzed the metal. He reported it to be unhomogeneous, or harder and

A The fil'llt bell Wall devoid of all ornament; the ornamentation on the second bell waa designed by the late Arthur Ashpitel, F.S.A., and is engraved in a large size in the Dictionary of Architecture b.v the Architectural Publication Society ; there is a view of it in the fll.utrautl New1 of the World, 29 May, 1858. A representation of the casting is in the lll.utratu Londo11 N ew11, 17 April, 18il8, and of the &rrivaJ of the bell i.n the number published 5 June, 1868. A view of the bell chamber and lifting apparat1111 is. given in the fllullrtJted Lorulon New1, 16 October, 1858. SIGNA. 398 more brittle at the outside, and also porous, and a defective casting. The Board of Works stopped the striking of the clock upon it for two or three years; but after complaints of the confusion caused by striking the hours on the fourth quarter bell, they allowed the striking of the big bell to be resumed (November, 1863), with a lighter hammer; the bell being turned a quart.er round by the button or mushroom head by which it is hung. The effect of the cracks is perceptible enough to experienced eal"8, but it is not serious, and they do not get deeper. On the whole the tone may be termed fine, "though it may lack grandeur and richness, be<'.ause, according to Mr. Wales by, it does not give out its fundamental note with its proper complement of harmonies, and this is the reason why the sound does not " ring " like that of a perfect bell~ The four quarter bells were cast without any known defect, and are remarkably good. A fuller account of these beHs and of the great clock may be found in Mr. Denison's Rudimentary Treatise on Clocks, 5th Edition. By the kindness of Messrs. Warner and Mears, I am enabled to give views of the two bells ; but, unfortunately, they are not on the same scale.

YoRK.-Peter of York 18 the next largest bell in England; it was cast by Messrs. Mears early in the year 1845. The diameter is 8 feet 4 inches, the height 7 feet 7 inches, and the weight is 12 tons 1 0 cwt., the note, F sharp. The following legend is round the upper rim : In • santhe . et . ltttt1u! . Q!:tinitatis . bonattm . pecunia • sponte . collecta • Ebonnces . fatimbum . tutabrcunt • in • uaum • Ecdrsill . fltettop • lS • t!Jetti . ~bot • and on the lower rim are the words :

0XFORD.-The next great bell in point of size is The Mighty Tom of Oxford, as he is styled by Dean Aldrich in his celebrated catch "The Bonny Christ Church Bells." In diameter it is 7 feet 12 inches, ' Guardian, 25 November, 1860. 1 For an illustration see lllUitt'ated London New1, U February, 1845. bb 394 SIGNA. and the reputed weight is 7 tons 12 cwt., the note is generally con­ sidered A, but being faulty in some parts the tones vary, nnd some say it gives out five notes. The following short a<:count is from a MS. in the Bodleyan library : "In 1681, the famous Tom, now the greatest bell in England, for it weighs 16,700 pounds, was cast, but it miscarried three times ; twice it wanted metal to make out the canons ; and the third time it burst the mould and ran into the ground, so that poor Keen, or King, the Woodstock bell-founder, whose ill luck it was therein to fail, was half besides himself, and quite undone, till the College made him amends ; at last, it was brought to perfection by Christopher Hodson, a London bell-founder."8 "It was translated from the campanile of the Church to the Gate house, which was finished by Dean Fell. 1682. In 1683, and on the great festival of the 29th of May, 1684, it first rang out between eight and nine at night, from which time to thiR a servant tollfi it every night at nine, as a signal t<> all scholars to repair to their respective Colleges and Halla, as he did while he was in the campanile.'19 This inscription appears on the present bell :1 MAGNVS • THOMAS • CLVSIVS • OXONIENSIS • RENATVS • APRILIS • VTII • ANNO • MDCLXXX • REGNANTE • CAROLO • ll • DECANO • JOANNE • OXON • EPISCOPO • SVBDECANO • GVL • JANE • SS • TH • P • THESAVRARIO • HEN • SMITH • SS • TH • P • CVRA • ET • ARTE • CHRIST • HODSON • • The metal was from an old bell inscribed : " In Thomre laude resono Bim Born sine fraude." From which name, the probability is, that all the Toms have originated. 2 8 "On the restoration of Popery by Queen Mary, that bell was rebaptized by her name. Dr. Tresham, by whom the ceremony was performed, was so delighted with the sound of this bell under its new name, that he cried out on hearing it, '' 0 bellam et euavem harmoniam, 0 pulchram Mariam, ut sonat musice, ut tinnuit melodice, ut placet auribus mirifice I "-Oh sweet and pleasant harmony, oh beautiful Mary, bow mu.sically it sounds, how melodiously it ringt~, how wonderfully it pleases the ears I It is a curious instance of the fondness for bell-ringing in England, that Dr. Treeham endeavourei to bribe the students at Oxford to come to the mass by the promise of some additional bells which would make the Oxford the finest in England."-Penny ~azins, 18 October, 1884. • MS. in the Bodleyan Library. 1 Wood, .&th. 0~., vol. ii., p. 603, Edit. 1692. 2 An engraving of this bell was published in 1848, by W. Matthews, of Grove street, Oxon. SIGNA. 395 LmcoLN.-The great bell belonging to the Cathedral at Lincoln was cast by Thomas Mears, of Wbitechapel, 15 November, 1834, and placed in the rood tower April, 1835. Ita predecessor was cast in the Minster yard, in 1610, by Mr. Harry Oldfield, of Nottingham, and W. Newcombe, of Leicester. It was cracked in 1827 by clocking • The diameter of the new bell is 6 feet lOt inches; weight, 5 tons 8 cwt.; the note is A. The diameter of the old bell was 6 feet 3~ inches; weight, 4 tons 8 cwt.; the note was B. The following inscription is on the shoulder : SPIRITUS + SAN<.JTUI:l .;. A ·:· PATRE + ET + FILIO ·:· PROCEDENS SUA vrrER + SONANT ·:· SONANt; .;. AD SALUTEM + ANNO DOMINI + \836 + MARTII + 26 + REGNI ·:· GULJELMI ·:· QUART! BRITANNIARIUY + 6. Round the skirt, on the sound bow : GEORGIUS GORDON, D.D., DECANUS .;. RICARDUS PRETYMAN, :U.A., PRE· CENTOR + GEORGIUS THOMAS PRETYMAN, B.C L., CANCELLARIUS .;. THOMAS MANJ\"ERS SUTTON, M.A., SUB-DECANUS ET MAGISTER FABRICM .;. THOMAS MEARS . LONDINI . FECIT.' Tom of 1610 was broken up 1834, and with sue other bells from the rood tower, ca.lled the Lady Bells, recast into this bell, and two large quarter bells.

S. PAUL's, LoNDON.-We come now to the great beJl m the south tower of S. Paul's Cathedral, London, inscribed : " Richard Phelps made me, 1 716.'' It is 6 feet 1 Ofi- inches in diameter, as lately measured by Mr. Tyssen, and also by Messrs. Warner; the weight is 5 tons 4 cwt.8

a Clocking is a lazy trick of the sexton tu facilitate tolling ; the rope is hitched round the flight of the clapper and pulled to the side of the bell. This process sooner or later is sure to crack a bell, whereas legitimate tolling by moving the bell on the swing, or ringing it will never do. That this is not a modern practice the following entTy in the Churchwardens' aocouuta of S. Lawrence, Reading, is a proof: "Michaelmas, 1594, toling by thll clap),· Whereas there wu through the slothfulness of the sexton in tirues put, a kind of t.oling ye bell by ye clapper rope ; it was now forbidden and taken awaye ; and that ye bell should be toled aa in timea put, and not in anni such idle sort.~!." (St:e Note1 11ntl Qume1, 8rd Ser. vol. vii. P• 89.) Lady Hopton's grand tenor at Bath Abbey was so cracked in 1868. ' There ia a lithographed engraving of the bell by Masters and Co., of Long Acre, London. • Builtlm-. 10 March. 1&65. bb 2 896 SIGNA. The key note or sound of the bell is A flat, but the sound when heard at the greatest distance is E flat, or a fifth above the key note. This bell is never used except for the tolling of the hour, and for tolling at the death and funeral of the Royal family, the Bishop of London, the Dean of the Cathedral, and the Lord Mayor, should he die in his mayoralty." There is a bell in the north tower, used for the daily Service, inscribed "Made by Philip Wightman, 1700." The diameter is only 49t inches, and 3! inches thick. This may have been cast from the metal of the bell in the clock tower opposite Westminster Hall gate, which, before the Reformation, was named "Edward" after the Royal Confessor; sub­ sequently to the time of Henry VITI., as appears by two lines in Eccles's Glee, it was ca.lled Great Tom, as Gough conjecture.~. by a corruption of Grand Tou, from its deep sonorous tone. " On 1 August, 1698, the clockard6 or dock tower was granted by William III. to S. Margaret's parish, and was taken down, when the bell was found to weigh 82 cwt. 2 qrs. 21 lbs., and was bought at lOd. per lb., producing £385 1 7s. 6d., for S. Paul's. While being conveyed over the boundary of West minster, under Temple Bar it fell from the carnage ; it stood under a shed for some years, and was at length recast, with additional metal, by Philip Wightman, 15 December, 1708. There is an engraving of that bell in Antiqua1ian Repertory, 1st Edit., vol. ii., p. 284. This was, probably, the second bell, the inscription stating it to have been " brought from the ruins of Westminster." The engraving is from a drawing originally in the possession of Dr. Ducarel. A further account is given in voL ii. of the same work, p. 162 (Antiquarian Repertory,) by which it appears that the original bell was first. hung for the clock at S. Paul, but it was soon cracked and new cast ; but with such bad success that it was cast again ; the writer was at the lowering of it, and the inscription on it, copied from the old bell, ran thus : t!tmius aptabit me ltn ebfnatbque bt~cabit, ~antti berote ebtnatbi signantut ut ~on!. As for the name of Tom, now so universally given to great bells, the

6 See an engraving in Beverell's Lu Dslicu d6 Ia Bri~, 1707, vol. iv, p. 840. SIGNA. 897 writer, " M. Y." considers it a reformation name, suggested by the tone, and anything to get rid of a name given by Roman Catholic dedica­ tion or baptism. The name appears in a catch by Solomon Eccles : " Hark I Harry, 'tis late, 'tis time to be gone, For Westminster Tom, by my faith, strikes one." It was the Westminster Great Tom which the senLinel (John Hatfield) on duty at Winddor Castle, during the reign of William III., dec1ared to have struck thirteen instead of twelve at midnight, and thus cleared himself of the accusation, by the relief guard, of sleeping upon his post. The story is told of S. Paul's bell ; but the Cathedral had no heavy bell until the above grant by King William, who died 1702. The circumstance is recorded in the Public Advertiser, Friday. 22 June, 1770.7

EXETER.-The Great Peter in the north tower of Exeter Cathedral deserves a place in this chapter, although noticed before in my account of the Bells of Devon. It is 76 inches in diameter, and reported to weigh 6 tons 5 cwt.; the note A ; it is used for curfew and to tell the hours. It was tolled, according to ancient cuswm, on Thursday, 11 Nov., 1869, during the time the Dean and Chapter were absent from the choir in the chapter house, engaged in the election of Dr. Temple, the Bishop-desig­ nate. There is a similar custom at Canterbury, Chichester, nnd Lichfield. The inscription on the shoulder runs thus :

\!:r o Jlllon.o o l\)rlti o e!:ourtmaJ! o Episscopi o ~:ron : ~nn.o IJam : l-'.84 o lJ)tdlss : lJ)atd~ : plau'bit : Dom : l\}etcbm : pie o 1!tmobat ~ ex : itnpmssiss : mecani : et : et:apitbli : exon : \!nn.o : Jlllomfnf : 1676 : pre : lltbo : l!Jbt'bbe : 'le is the end, no doubt intended for plenius audit, but there was not room enough left by the founder. Coins are impressed between many words. There is also a medallion of Laud. Mention may here be made of the bell called Grandison, which is the tenor of the ring of ten in the same Cathedral, being the largest and heaviest bell . rung in peal in England. The diameter is 71l inches, m B flat, reputed weight 66 cwt. 1 qr. 18 lbs. Inscribed :

~:t bono Jobanniss 6tan'bisson 0 epfsscopi £xon • 8blid. ~bans fecit . 1729.

1 'l'imbs' Ouriosi~1 of Londott, p. 39. 898 SIGNA. LEEDs.-A large bell called Victoria. was cast by Messrs. Warner, of London, 1859, for the Town Hall at Leeds, as a clock bell; the diameter is 6 feet 2 inches, the weight 4 tons 1 cwt. It is a very fine specimen of plain casting : on the wai.

S. DUNSTAN's, CANTERBURY, weighs 3 tons 10 cwt. and was cast 1762. The order .was given to Lester and Pack, of Whitecha.pel but they found it more convenient to do the work on the spot. than to ro.rry the old bell to London and back again. William Chapman was sent down to perform the work, and he put on the bell the inscription : GULIELMO FRIEND, S.T.P., DECANO. LESTER AND PACK, OF LONDON, FECIT, 1762. WM. CHAPlU.N MOLDED ME. a

GLASGow.-There is a great bell at Glasgow bearing the following inscription : In the year of grace MCCCCLXXXXIIII. Marcus Knox, a merchant zealous for the interests of the reformed religion, caused me to be fabricated in Holland for the use of his fellow citizens of Glasgow, and placed with solemnity in the tower of the Cathedral My function was an­ nounced by the impression on my bosom : ME AUDITO VENIAS, l.JOCTRINAM SANCTAM UT DISCA.S, and I was taught to proclaim the hours of unheeded time. CXCV years have I sounded these awful warnings, when I was broken by the bands of inconsiderate and unskilful men. In the year MDCCXC I was cast into the furnnce, refounded at Loudon, and returned to my sacred vocation. Reader I thou also shalt know a Resurrection. May it be unto eternal life.' • ., It was while engaged in this business that Chapman saw among the bystanders a young man who seemed to take an unusual interest in the proceedings, and he offered to t.ake him back to London, and teach him to be a bell-founder. Tbi.t was William Meara, and he accepted the invitation, and went to London with Chapman to learn his profet~~~ion, and it ill through this incident that tbtl Whitechapel foundry came to tb11 Meara' family." Ty88en, Sru1ez Belu, p. 40. t GmiWman'l Magazine, 1790, vol. ii, P• 851. .SJGNA. 899

WoRCESTER BELL-This is intended for the new clock to strike upon, and for occasional tolling ; the diameter of the mouth is 76l inches, and the note B flat. The inscriptions are set in richly ornamented capitals, copied from some ancient bells in Lincolnshire. Round the shoulders: t SVRGE t QVl t DORMIS t ET t EXVRGE t A t MORTYH:i t ET t ILLVMINADIT t TE t CHRISTVS t With a fleur-de-lis between each word. On the waist is inscribed :

JOHANNES TAYLOR J)E T~OVGHBOROUGH FVNDIT . IN VSVM ECCLESLE CATHEDRALIS CHRISTI ET BEAT..£ MARLE VIRGINIS IN CIVITATE ET COMITATV VLGORNffiNSI MDCCCLXVIII. The inscription is from Ephesians v., 14. Besides the founder's trade mark, within a circular medallion, there are four shields bearing the royal arms, those of the cit,y, of the diocese, and of the dean and chapter, besides elegant Gothic borders which enrich the bell. The bell is hung on the balance beam principle ; the gudgeon& are wedge shaped, and roll on hand brasses very slightly hollowed, the friction is thereby so little, that the bell can be tolled by one man with one hand, a lever being attached to the stock, instead of a wheel. which is necessary under some circumstances. It was so tolled for Service for the first time by Mr. Denison and by th~ author on Sunday, 17 January, 1869, in the company of the Rev. R. Cattley, and others.

FOREIGN BELLS.

Moscow.-There is a bell at Moscow supposed to be the largest in the world. It is called the Queen of bells. In a splendid volume published at Paris in 1840, with illustrations, M. Auguste Ricard de Montferrand describes the mode by which it was removed from the pit in which it was cast in 1733, and rlaced on the stone pedestal in 1836, on which it now rests. In 1651 a bell weighing 320,000 lbs. was cast by order of the Czar Alex~ Michaelovitch, which was destroyed by fire. In 1733 the present great bell was cast by order of the Empress Emma lvangrna, by adding 80,00(\ lbs. to the metal of the old bell 400 SIGNA. of 1651. In 1737, a great fire took place, and communicated with the woodwork covering the great bell of 1733, and the water coming in con­ tact with the heated metal, a large triangular pi~ about 7 feet by 2 feet in size wa..~ broken out. There are two inscriptions on the bell, the translation of which I copy from Lyall's Character of the Russians, and History of Moscow (London, 1832). He tells us that Mr. Murray, the engineer, examined the bell with the most scrupulous attention in 1817, by desire of Mr. Wilson, of Alexandrooski, and that : "Mr. Wilson himself copied the inscription, which I have verified, and which, when compared with those on the same sheet with the drawing executed for the Emperor, were found to cor­ respond, notwithstanding that a few words on the beH were almost illegible." The following are the inscriptions on the bell, as translated in the work above mentioned :

"By order of the bles.c;ed and eternally worthy of memory, Great Gosudar, Tsar, and Great Duke, Alexii Michaelovitch, Autocrat of all Great, Little, and White Russia, this great bell was cast for the chief Cathedral, dedi­ cated to the honourable and famous Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God, containing 8,000 poods of copper (and tin), in the year 7162 from the Creation of the World, and from the Birth by the Flesh of God the Word, J 654. It began to announce Divine Service in the year 7167 from the Creation of the World, and in the year 1668 [should be 1658] from the Birth of Christ, and continued to announce Divine SerYice till the year 7208 from the Creation of the World, and till the year 1761 [1701] from the Birth of our Lord, in which year on the J 9th of June, in consequence of a great fire which happened in the Kremla it was damaged." "Till the year 7239 from the beginning of the world, and the year 1731 from the Bitth into the world of Christ, it remained mute." " By order of the most pious, most potent, and great Gosudarinzn., the Empress Anna lvaoovoa, Autocratiss of All Russia, in glory of God, in the acknowledged Trinity, and in honor of the Most Holy Mother of God, this bell was cast for the chief Cathedral of her famous Assumption from the 8,000 poods of copper (and tin) of the former bell that was destroyed by fire, with the addition of 2,000 poods of copper (and tin) in the year 7242 from the Creation of the World, and in the year of our Lord 1731!, in the fourth year of her most prosperous reign." SIGNA. 401

The bell remained in the pit till 1836, as represented in the annexed engravmg kindly lent to me by Meesrs. Cassells, from the World of Wonders.

M. Montferrand informs us that in 1 791, the Emperor Paul I. desired the engineer (:. Gllist) to find out how the bell could be raised from its bed ; and again in 1819 the Emperor Alexander ordered General Betha.ncourt to devise means for raising it, neither of which projects were carried out. cc 402 SIGNA.

In March, · 1836, the Emperor Nicholas I. gave orders to Monsieur Auguste R. de Montferrand that the bell should be raised from the casting pit, and placed on a stone pedestal near the Kremlin, and which was moRt successfully accomplished on August 4, 1836, in the presence of the great officers of state and of the inhabitants of Moscow to their great joy. An inscription on the stone pedestal records the transaction. M. Montferrand, by order of the Emperor, published an account of the bell in 1840, Imperial folio, with eighteen pages of letter-press, and nine plates, shewing the figures, ornaments, &c., on the bell, and the inscription, with plans shewing the means adopted for raising such a gigantic casting, weighing 432,000 lbs., or 192 tons 3 qrs. 2 cwt. and 14 lbs. The diameter is 21 feet 6 inches, it i.CJ 21 feet high exclusive of the cannons; the sound bow is 24 inches thick. I have been kindly furnished with these extracts by John R. Daniel Tyssen, Esq., who possesses a copy of the work. There is another great. bell at Moscow called the New Bell, cast in 1817; it is hung in the Ivanovskaya Kolokolnya, or the of Ivan, near the King of Bells. It is 21 feet in height, and J 8 in diameter. and its tongue weighs 4,200 pounds. The history of this is like that of the f.Jreat Bell. A bell called the Bolshoi (the big), cast in 1710, and weighing 124,000 pounds, was hung with thirty-two smaller ones in the belfry of Ivan. In the French invasion of 1812, the belfry was almost destroyed, and the Bolshoi thrown down and in·eparably damaged In 181 7, when the Court was at Moscow, the Bolshoi was broken up, and additional metal given by the Emperor to found a new bell. which should weigh 144,000 pounds. The new cast was made by a Mr. Bogdanof, on 7 March, 1817, in the presence of the Archbishop Augustin, who gave his benediction, and of almost all the inhabitants of Moscow, who, as in the case of the Great Bell, nearly a century before, proved their devotion by throwing in gold and silver plate, rings, and other orna­ ments. On the 23rd of February, 18~9, th~ New Bell was woved with great ceremony on a large wooden sledge from the foundry to the Cathedral. A Te Deum was celebrated, and the l~bour of dragging the sledge com­ miti:A:ld to the multitude, who disputed the honour of touching a rope. SIGNA. 403 The movements were regulated by little bells, mauaged by Mr. Bogdanof, who stood on a platform attached to the bell. Part of the wall was taken down to admit its passage, and, as soon as it reached its destin­ ation, the people leaped upon Mr. Bogdanof, kissing his hands, cheeks, and clothes, and showing by every means in their power the gratitude they felt at the restoration of their old favourite. Some days after this the N~w Bell wafl slowly raised to the place of it.s predecessor, and properly suspended It may be said of the New Bell, as Dr. Clarke said of the Bolshoi, that its sound " vibrates all over Moscow like the fullest and lowest tones of a vast organ, or the rolling of distant thunder." This bell is covered with figures in relief, representing the late Emperor Alexander, his Empress, and the Dowager ; also the Grand Dukes Constantine, Nicholas (the late Emperor), and Michael; our Saviour, the Virgin, and John the Baptist."1 We are informed by Dean Stanley in his History of the East~ Church (1862 p. 59), that "the great bell of the Kremlin tower sounds during the whole time that the words of the Nicene Creed are chanted."

S. PETERSBURG.-At the new Cathedral at S. Petersburg, dedicated to S. Isaac, there is a modern bell made of worn out and recalled coin; the· weight is 18 cwt., the diameter about 8 feet. This bell is richly ornamented with four large medallions, bearing in the centre, a repre­ sentation of Peter the Great, Catherine II., Paul, Alexander, and Nicholas, Emperors. It is tolled only by the clapper. A view of this bell is given in the illustrated London News, 2 December, 1848, taken from the great work published by the architect, M. Montferrand. There are other large bells in Russia, particularly at Trotzkoi and Novogorod, descriptions of which I have not succeeded in finding; there­ fore we will pass at once to the great bell at S. Peter's at Rome, which is, probably, the moat artistic bell in the world.

RoME.-lt was designed and founded by Giuseppe Valredier. The inscription under the shoulder runs thus :

1 Penny Magazin6, October, 1834. SJGNA.

IN . NOMINE . DOMThi . MATRIS . PETRIQUE . PAVLIQUE . ACOIPE DEVOTVM • PARVVM . LICET . ACCIPE . MVNVS . QVOD . TIBI CHRISTE . DATVM . PETRI . PAVLIQVE • TRIV.MPHV!1 . + EXPLICAT • ET • NQSTRAM • PETIT • POPVLIQVE . SALVTEM . IPSORVH PIETATE . DARI • MERITISQVE • REFVNDI . ET . VERBVM . CARO FAOTVM . EST . On the rim above the sound bow ; + ANNO : MILLENO . TRECENTENO . CVM . QVINQVAGENO . .ADDITI8 ET . TRIBVS . ::IEPTEMBRIS . MENSE • OOLLATVR . PONDERAT , ET MILLIA . DECIES . SEPTIESQVE . LIBRARVM . + OAMPANAM . RANC . LONGO . VSV . CONFRACTAM . NON • PLVS QVAM . QVATVORDECIM . MILLE . LIBRAS • PENDERE • COM'PERTVM EST . BENEDICTVS . XIV . ADDITO . VSQVE . AD . VIGINTI • MILLE LIBRAS . :&1ETALLO . CONFLARI • l!.'T . DENVO • REFIOI . JVSSIT ANNO . REPARATAE . SALVTIS • MDCOLVll . + EAMDEM . SEPI'IMO . VlX . EXACTO . LVSTRO • REMISACTIS • INVTlLEM • VNO . PLVS . ET. VIGTh"TI. MILLmVS . PONDO . METALLI • REPERTAM • PIVS . SEXTVS. PONT . MAX . NON . MEDIOCRI . METALLO. SVPERADDITO . IDEM. PONDERIS . CONFLARI. FVNDIQVE . MANDAVIT . ANNO • DOMINI. MDCCLXXXVI . PONT . XI • In the Dictionary of Architecture, now in coUI'Se of publication, there is an engraving of the bell, reduced from au old plate published at Rome. The eight loops or cannons take the form of dolphins, in allusion to the profession of S. Peter, with four kneeling figures of boys be­ tween. The shoulder is ornamented with the heads of winged cherubs, between which are the papal insignia; then comes the first inscription in two lines, under which is a frieze in the Doric style, with triglyphs, below which is suspended from each a thurible with burning inoense, having four circular medallions of some religious subjects between them. Immediately above the sound bow are full-length figures of the twelve Apostles, divided into groups of three, by four Papal coats of arms; then the other inscription in three lines, with beads richly ornamented, and a scroll border above the edge of the brim. A very good model of this bell in bronze may be purchased in Rome.

ToLEoo.-Of all the bella in Spain, that belonging to the Cathedral of Toledo is moat celebreted for ita size and the stories connected with it. In a volume by Hans Christian Andersen, "In Spain," we are told that fifteen shoemakers they say could sit under it, and draw out their cobblers' thread without touching. The weight is said to be 17 tons. SIGNA. 405 There is a.notLer story about this bell : A rich count of Toledo had a. son. who, having killed a ma.n in a duel, sought refuge in the Cathedra.l, while his father went to Madrid to petition the king for his pardon. "No," said the king, "Quiem ha. matado a. una est precise que muera," " He who has killed a. man must die I" The Count continued to petition, and the king to refuse, till at length the king said, wishing to get rid of him-" When you can make a bell at Toledo that I can hear at Madrid, I'll pardon the young man." Now Toledo is nea.r sixty miles from Madrid. The count went home, and some time after, as the king was sitting in his palace, at the open window, he heard a distant roll, ,. Volga.me Dias,"-" God help me !" he cried, " That's the bell of Toledo I" and so the young count obtained his pardon.-(A Summer in Andalusia.)

PARrs.-At Notre DAme there is a fine bell ca.lled Emanuel. It was founded by Florentin Leguay, 1685; it is 8 feet 7 inches in diameter, and reported to weigh 8 ton 7 cwt , it is richly ornamented about the shoulders.' In the Cathedral of Sienne in Italy there is a. bell now iu use with only two loops (Fig. 1) ; it is about ::J feet in height, a.nd instead of spread­ ing out at the bottom part, it turns inward like a. barrel ; it is dated 1159. I am indebted to Mr. Shaepkins, Brussels, for the annexed cut.

I 3 2 We are informed by Mr. Shaepkens, that there is a.n ancien·~ bsll of very similar form at the Chapel of 8. Servius, at Maestricht. (See Fig. 2.) 1 An engraving of it waa published at Paris, 1806. SIGNA. There was m the same tower another ancient bell, of very peculiar form. (See Fig. 3.) It was used for civil and judicial purposes, and was called the Bell of Just£ce. It has four triangular holes in the waist, and four detached loops on the bead. (See Shaepkens' Des Cloches, p. 19).

RouEN.-The celebrated bell at Rouen, which bore the name of the donor, George d' Ambois~ , was ca.c;t in 1501. On 26 June, 1786, when Louis XVI. visited Rouen, it cracked amidst the public rejoicings, as a presage of the fate of that unfortunate prince. It bore this inscription :

JE SUIS NOMI~E GEORGE'S D'AMBOISE QUI BIEN TRENTE-SIX: MILLE POISE, ET Cll QUI BIEN ME POISERA, QUARANTE MILLE Y TROUV'ERA.

In 1793, at the foundry of Romily, the bell was converted into cannons.' Indeed, at the time of the Revolution of that period, a great number of bells were condemned by a decree of the Convention (22-25 Feb., 1793), as monuments of vanity, and were converted into cannons. At the same time a medal was struck with the same metal, with this in­ scription: "MONUMENT DE VANITE, DETRUIT POUR L'UTILITE, L' AN DEUX DE L'EGALITE." LYONB.-1 am indebted to the courtesy of the AbM Corblet, of Amiens, for the annexed engraving, which represents a bell which was lately cast by G. Morel, of Lyons. The weight is 1 ton 13 cwt. 1 qr. 25 lbs. The diameter is not given. Competent judges consider the tone to be full and perfect. M. Morel declines to ~ell it, preferring to keep it as a fine specimen of his art. The following is an abridged description, as given by the AbM Corblet. The loops represent six angela in the attitude of prayer; between them are statuettes of the four Evangelists, represented . by the eagle, the lion, and the ox winged and surmounted by rays, and holding the New Testament. All round this upper part or crown is a collar of

a In 1814. I saw the ball of the clapper of this once celebrated bell outside the door of a blacksmith's shop at Rouen. I I.

'\ I \ S1GNA. 401 pearls, and then a row of acanthus leaves covering the waist or shoulder of the bell The inscription is divided into four equal parts by four medallions, one representing Christ, and another the Virgin, the other two bear the cipher of Christ and of the Virgin. Within these medal­ lions are five lines of iuscriptions, viz.: " MAGNIFICAT ANIMA MEA DOMINUK,n then the name ot the bell, " MARIA " The other spaces are left blank. Below, there is a girdle of twelve oval medallions containing, in relief,

busts of the twelve Apostles, each divided by elegant rosettes. The waist of the bell is studded with stars, and then immediately above the sound bow is a circle of twelve medallions, representing, in chronological order, the events in the life of the_ Holy Virgin, taken from the works of the great wasters, and produced with the finish of a most expert cha.Rer. The ornament on the sound bow, which terminates that of the bell, is 408 SIGNA. formed by long acanthus leaves issuing from a close row of smaller leaves immediately under the moulding which separates these rows of ornaments. We are informed by the Abbe, that nothing can be more correct than the general form of the bell-nothing more perfect than the execution in a material point of view, as it is exempt from the slightest defect. For an account of other less remarkable bells in France aud the ttouth of Europe, I would refex the reader to Ca.mpaMlog?·e Etude sur les Cloches et les Sonneries, Fran(Jaises et Etrangeres, by Dr. Billon, published at Caen, 1866; and for belL~ in the Channel Isles, see Lukis's Account of Church Bells, London, 185'7.

ERFURT, in Saxony, possesses a bell of much celebrity. The first great bell was cast in 1451. In 14 '72, a :fire burst out in the Cathedral which extended to the tower and melted that bell. In 1497, the present great bell was cast by M. Joha.n Von Kempen, it bears the name of "MARIA GLORIOSA ;" its reputed weight is over 15 tons, and the diameter is 8 feet 'll inches. It is considered a masterpiece of bell founding, and of great purity. On the waist is a raised figure of the " Blessed Virgin," with other ornamentation round the shoulders. In clear weather it may be heard at the distance of three German miles. An engraving of the bell may be obtained at Erfurt.

But the largest bell in Germany is in the Church of S. Etienne, at Vienna ; it weighs over 1 '7 tons ; in diameter it is 9 feet 10 inches ; the date is 171 '7.4

In the Cathedral at Berlin i.a a large bell, cast in 149'7; it bears the name of "MARIA GLORIOSA." There was a much larger bell at Berlin, called "MARIA CLARA SusANNA ;" it was destroyed by a fire in 1412; but the present bell, which differs very little from the bell at Erfurt, bears this inscription :

LAUDE PATRONOS CA.NO GLORIOSA. : FULGUR ARCENS ET DEMONES MALIGNUS: SACRA T.EMPLIS A POPULO SONANDA CARMINE PULSO . GERARDUS IVON DECAHPIS HE FECIT MCCCCXCVIII."4 I pass now to notice a few bells in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

• Montferra.nd. SIGNA 409 NoRWAY.-1 have been informed by Profepsor Stephens, of Copenhagen, that many large bells were destroyed at the Reformation, others have since been swept away by churchwardens, and others from time to time melted down by the kings and turned into money for the wars ; what remain have never been carefully examined. Mr. Stephens very kindly sent me two blocks, representing two very ancient bells, which he has thu::1 described in his work E;ntitled The Old Northern Runic Monuments of Scandinavia and England, 1866. At p. 278 he gives a bell from Holmen-sigdal, Norway, date about A.D. 1150-1250.

Fig. 1. This bell has long been recast ; but fort.unately a careful and elegant, and apparently exact, drawing of the bell itself, and of the inscription which ran round it, is preserved in the old northern museum, Cheaping­ haven. It was made in 1810 by Dean Paul Haslef, priest of Holmen and Sigdal, in Buskerud Amt. His description, as written in explanation of his drawing, is, in English, as follows: " The smallest bell in Holmen Church, of corumou bell metal, height, exclusive of the ears, 19 inches, greatest breadth in diameter about 2 feet. The height of the ears equals the space in which they stand, namely, 2 inches. They are an instance of old northern runic, intermixed with their successors, the Scandinavian. The meaning is good and clear. dd 410 SIGNA

"ALUER, PRIEST IN SIKKTAL (Sigda!) AND THORT (Thord) BONDE (Yeoman) ON AUIK, LET I:)TEEP (yote cast) TIDS CLOCK (Bell) AND TOUE THORR SON STEEPT (cast it) "There are several bells in Scandinavia with Runic inscriptions, mostly in the Latin language, and in the usual Scandinavian staves. I am fortunately able to give one of these pieces, but bearing Swedish as well as Latin ; it is the Dref Bell, Smaland, Sweden, from a drawing m the same museum, No. 1991, the inscription is in reversed runes, to be read from right to left." BROTHER . SBIALBUTID + MADE . ME . JESUS . CRRISTUS . AVE MARIA . GRACIA • The R in Maria is ornamental. " Runic bells, not in Latin, sometimes bear the Runic Futhorc, or the alphabet thus inscribed being occasionally incomplete, or over-complete, sometimes the name of the maker, sometimes of the angelic salutation, and sometimes, as on the Dref Bell, Latin in'U!rmixed with the mother tongue." 1

Fig. 2. • Dr. Stephens here says moat truly " all peculiarities of spelling in Latin words abound in carved monuments from the oldest timeP. down through the middle age, and are usually not "mi.s-carvings," but p~uliar or provincial methods of pronunciation, or the vulgar SIGNA 411

With regard to other bells in Norway, Mr. Rygh, of Christiania, has most courteously sent mo copies of the legends on forty-three bells in Norway as they existed before the Reformation. Most of them bein

I have just met with a tourist's account of some bells in Belgium, in an article by the Rev. H. R. Haweis, in the Contemporary Review, for February, 1870, from which the following is with permission extracted : ANTWERP.-ln tl;te Cathedral. The oldest bell is called Horrida, it is the ancient tocsin, and dates from 1316. It is a queer, long-shaped bell, and has not of late been rung. The next is the Curgen, which is rung every day at five, twelve, and eight o'clock. The third is the S. M a'ria bell, which is said to weigh 4~ tons ; it was rung for the first time when Charles the Bold entered Antwerp in 1467. The largest is the Carolus. It was given by Charles V., and is said to weigh 7-l tons. It takes sixteen men to swing it, and is rung only twice every year.

CHINA-" China has been celebrated for its bells, but they are of the old saucepan form. In the sixteenth century four great bells were cast and erected at Nankin, the largest of which weighed, it is said, not less than 50,000 lbs., and was 1 2 feet in diameter at its base. The weight of the bells brought down the tower in which they were hung. At Pekin there were seven bells of enormous dimensions. One of them is described by Magaillans as weighing no less than 120,000 lbs., and has spelling, according to the vulgar sound by workmen, more or less ignorant of the Latin tongue. Soroetin1es these Latin carvings are mere bungles by stone-cutters or metal workers, who knew nothing at all of what they copied, anc:l perhaps sometimes followed the writing of a clerk as wise as themselves."-p. 2~0. dd~ 412 SIGNA a height of 12l feet. They are used for denoting the five watches of the uight ; but we learn from the author of China and the Chine8e that they are now out of repair." 9 I have lately beeu favoured with the following account of one of the Pekin bells, by a friend who visited it in 1866 : "About fourteen miles from Pekin we stopped on our way to see the great bell, which is a wonderful piece of casting. It is 50 tons in weight ; imagine the woodwork necessary to support 8uch a weight in suspension I It was cast in the time of Yunglo, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who moved the capital to Pekin, and has five volumes of the classics inscribed on it, outside and in ; the metal is very good and the tone very fine. It is supposed to have been cast on a mound which was then removed, as by no other way can they believe m the possibility of its having been mised and suspended." There is a fine specimen of a richly ornamented Chinese bell m the British museum, which was presented by our present majesty in 1844. In the Illus~raled London News, 20 January, 1844, there is an en­ graving of it with many of the details. It is about 5 feet high and 3 feet in diameter. It is covered with inscriptionR, which are thus translated aud explainP.d by S. Birch, Esq., the head of the Oriental department, who has kindly favoured me with the following : " The inscriptions are m Chinese and a Devanagari character. Eight lines of large Chinese characters, part of a Chinese Buddhist hymn, which 1 once saw in one of the Clas."lics of that sect, but do not remember which. As I have not the t.ext elsewhere, I do not feel sure of its exact arrangement, hut as far as I can judge from the other parte of the bell, it is as follows:-

' The one made of an entirely compassionate heart, ' Born on the confines of Intelligence, 'That man should reverence when he is known. ' In the three existences the oue only- ' Fuh daily augments m splendor-

2 Cas11ell's World of Wonthr•. SIGNA. 413 ' The wheel of the Metempsychosis constantly revolves­ , The imperial scheme is consolidated- ' The sacred path is luminous to a distance ! '

These eight lines divide the bell into four compartments above and below. Io three of smaller size, are many lines of Chinese and in Devanagari character, either Thibetan or Sanscrit. These lines are entitled ' The P.-ayer of Buddhas very honourable Crown," which is, in Devanagari character, seventeen lines, then a paragraph, ' now take every faithful doctor's and lady's name make a list of them as follows ''-in Chinese, seven columns and twenty-eight names-then 'the fragrant names of believing women,' seventeen lines of names. In very large characters in the lower compartment, ' Temple of Spiritual Supply.' In the lower compartment, 'Meaoutsang, Inspector of the Monastery, Yuenkeo, Assistant Chaucellor and Director of the Pihe (White Clothes) Temple Superintendent of the Monastery ; Chowyen, the petaou of the Ningshaou fort, 1".e., of the Shaougching of Ningpo Shootooyuen, the chief Magistrate of the Yinhen, or District of Ningpo·Etungmuh and Nantsaug Kwei resident outside the Changgan gate of the Shaaon. Ching cast it and and made it in the 19th year of Taoukwang, in the Cy Clary year Kehae, (A.D. 1839,) on a fortunate morning' Above and below, a frie?..e of thirty Budds in salient relief, and under these, below are the pa, or eight diagrams of Divination."

There is another large Chinese bell in the same museum-of iron. Mr. Birch has kindly supplied the following translation of the inscription on two large bands : " The kingdom great and the people tranquil. The wind fair and the rain abundant. The Governor of K wang-tung and district of K wang-chou (Cauton), general of the left wing, raised to the first degree, Commander Way-hung cast and made a huge bell, weighing 300 and more kin, respectfully offered it to K wan Shing Te for dwelling for all time in the 61st year of Kang-he, (A.D. 1722,) 39th year of Cycle, the 8th day of the 1st month of Summer. Wang-ning-Chang-Nou of Fuh-shan made it." SIGNA.

BURMAH.- At Mandalay, m Burmah, there 1~ a bell called the Mengoon. In the fllustrated Nr:.ws, 28 ApriL 1866, there is an engraving of it, and the following description ~y Captain E. B. Sladen. "The M engoon Bell is ~ituated on the right bank of the Irrawaddy. almost opposite to the present royal city of Mandalay. Its weight is 195,000 lbs., calculated according to the quantity of metal used in the casting, and its extreme height and breadth (that is to say, the height and breadth of the bell proper) are respectively 21 feet and 18 feet, so that, as regards size and weight, it ranks amongst the most re­ markable bells in the world. It is suspended on three massive round logs of teak, placed horizontally and longitudinally, the one over the other, their ends resting on two pillars of vast size, composed alternately of masonry and large upright teak posts. These pillars are becoming dilapidated. The three teak logs, too, from which the bell is suspended, have nautically speaking, it will be seen, "taken a list," not to port, but amidships, and sensibly acknowledge the stupendous burden under, or rather above, which they la.bour." "This bell was ca3t about seventy-five yenrs ago, in the time, and under the superintendence, of King Bo-Do-Piyah, the great-grandfather of the present ruling sovereign of Burmah. Bo-Do-Piyah's reign is famous in the history of Burmah as having extended over a period of thirty-six years ; a~d his memory is still revered as the sovereign during whose timt: the Burmese empire, far and wide, flourished under the genial effects of plentiful and abundant harvests, and by the virtue of whose almost supernatural power its limits were extended to distances never before attained."

AMERICA.-Crossing now the Atlantic to notice a large bell in America, I must not pass by the largeHt bell in Dublin, which is in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of S. Mary. It was cast by Mr. Sheridan, of the Eagle foundry, in that city, and set up in May, 1844. The diameter is 5 feet 4 inches, the weight 5,054 lbs. In the Roman Catholic Cathedral at Montreal there is a large Bourdon bell <'.a.st by Messrs. Mears in 184 7. It is represented in the Illustrated SIGNA. 416

News, 20 March, 184 7. Its diameter is 8 feet 7 inches, the weight lot tons, the note F. It bears this inscription :

NEGOTIAMINI . DUM . VENIO . OMNIS . SPIRITUS • LAUDET . DOMINUM . ANNO . DOMINI . t8•7 • FUNDAT1E . MA.RIANOPOLIS . 202° . PII . P P • IX . PONTIFICATUS • I . REGNI . VICI'ORI1E . BRITANNI ARUM . IX . EX . PIISSIMO . MERCATORUM . AGRICOLARUM A.RTIFICUMQUE . MARIANOPOLITANENSIUM • DONO . The waist is ornamented with the effigies of the Virgin and S. John the Baptist, with other medallions, illustrative of agriculture, manufacture, a.nd commerce. A more richly ornamented bell was cast for this Cathedral in 1843, and is represented in the Illustrated News for that year, 19 August. This bell was broken in consequence of there having been added more ll'On to the clapper, with a view to improve the sound I am not aware of any other 1arge bells worthy of notice.

I must return to England to notice the great bell at Gloucester. It is at the Cathedrnl, and is hung above the peal of eight. Many mistakes have been made by writers about the legend which it bears ; but from a rubbing it is clear]y thus :

+ Q ME Q FECIT 1J FIERI Q CONVENTUS Q NOMINE Q PETRI. Besides the founder's shield at the beginning, bearing three bells, there is a shield between each word, representing the arms of the Abbey. Each shield has a crown over it, which has been supposed to refer to Earls of Gloucester, and Conventus has boon read Muncuttt.S, for the name of a donor I The bell is 5ft. 8tin. diameter, and weights 6,500 lbs. It used to be RUNG UP for the Sunday services by six men '!!tanding in the body of the choir. • Hitherto I have spoken of bel1s made of bronze, or bell-metal ; but 1 must not omit to notice STEEL Bells, which have lately been manufactured by Messrs. Naylor, Vicker and Co. of Sheffield. Their cost is about half the price of ordinary bell-metal, and can be cast to almost any size- already they report. one 7ft. 6in. diameter. They are also made by Messrs. Mayre and Kuhne of Bochun in West­ phalia. 416 SIGNA. In the following extract· we have an account of large WOODEN Bells, m the Fiji Islands :- "A few words respecting the Tongian, or rather Fijian bell; for it IS manufactured in the Fiji Islands. The Tongians, like our bells, ring well, on account of their strong and melodious vibrations ; but for range of sound their LALI is far superior. Imagine the trunk of a tree, three or four feet long, slightly bevelled at each end, :md hollowed out in the form of a trough. It i..."' placed on the ground, upon some E'lastic body, genenJly upon a coil of rope. and, to protect from the rain, covered by a sort of roof. When they want to give the signal for Divine service, they strike the mouth of the BELL with a mallet, which produces a sort of stifled roar. 1 should have thought that it could only be heard at a short distance ; my mistake was great. There are Lalis, the distinct sound of which n1ay be heard to a distance of twelve miles when the air is calm, and yet when you are near it the sound is not sufficiently loud to startle you in the least; but as you recede it becomes clearer, more mild, and harmonious. When you go to a village and hear its Lali, do not judge from the distinctness of the sound that strikes your ear that you are approaching the place, for you may be Lllistaken. The La.li is, therefore, the favourite inatrument at Tonga, and deservedly so; it is named in the same manner as we give names to our bells. On feast days, the Tongian artists perform on the Lali that are not wanting in harmony They rival each other in ability and skill, and are doubtless no less proud of their performances, than our bell-ringers in France."-N. & Q., 2, § ix., p. :302. (Extracted from the Amzals of the Propagation of the Faith, March, 1860, in a letter from Father Poupinel, of the Society of Mary, to M. Vauthier, Cure of Conde-sur-Moireon.)

With regard to the weight of bells, it should always be borne m mind, as a well established tradition, not only in England, bnt on the continent, ~hat very few will be found of the weight attributed to them. and with this reserve I shall close this chapter with a tabular list of the reputed weights of some of the largest bells, according to the account of travellers and local historians, as given by the Abbe Corblet, M. Otte, Mr. Denison and others. including those already described. SIGNA. 417

A LIST OF GREAT BELLS FROM OTTE, CORBLET, DENISON, AND OTHER WRITERS.

ENGLISH.

Thick - Clapper Great Bells of Date. Diameter. Weight. Note. or Names. lle68. Hammer

ft. in. tons cwt. qns. lbs. --ill. ---- W estmin~~ter ... 1857 t' 0 13 u 0 0 E 7 Big Ben York ...... 1&45 R 4 10 15 0 0 ~~ F# 405 Peter Oxford ...... 1680 7 2 7 12 0 0 66 5 notes 110 Tom Lincoln ...... 1835 6 IOi 5 8 0 0 6 A too Tom .. Old ...... 1610 6 3i 4 1B 0 0 B. Paul's, London ... 1716 6 96 5 4 0 0 ... A&C# 1110 Peter Exeter ... lb"75 6 4 5 2 0 0 5 A 70 Victoria Leeds Town Hall ...... 1 1859 6 2 4 1 0 0 6 R 200 Grandison Exeter Tenor 1676 5 lli 8 7 0 0 5 BI:J .. . Dunstan Canterbury ...... 1 1752 5 9 3 10 0 0 56 ...... Peter Gloucester ... 1400? 6 8j Glasgow ... 1796 FOREIGN. Trotzkoi ...... 1746 171 0 0 0 Moscow ...... 1734 :!2 f4 220 0 0 0 23 St. lvan'11 Church ...... 18 0 57 1 1 16 ...... 1200 Another in the same Church ...... 17 16 0 0 Another ...... 1819 ... 80 0 0 0 Novogorod ...... 31 0 0 0 I Pekin ...... 14 fJ 6:-J ] 1 10 Nankin ...... 15 cen. .. . 22 li 1 20 Rouen,destroyed in 1793 ... 11 0 I 17 17 0 0 ...... I .. . G. ambois Olmutz ...... 17 18 0 0 Vitnna ...... 1717 9 10 17 14 0 0 ...... l5UII1 Paris, Notre Dame ... J6HO 8 7 17 0 0 0? ?j .. 8 Emanuel Sens ...... 8 7 11) 0 0 0 Erfurt ...... 1497 8 76 13 IS ll 0 7i ... . 104 Maria Montreal ...... 11:147 6 7 12 15 0 0 +ij F now broken 1413 " ... 184:3 8 76 11 11 I 0 MagdP.burgh ... l ill2 7 10 13 0 0 0 I Schaffausen ...... 14~6 10 II 11 11) 0 0 I Cologne ...... 1448 7 11 11 3 0 0 ... G Breslau .. ... 1507 ... 11 0 0 0 I Lou vain ...... 1714 ...... Meek lin . . .. 15«a ...... Amitns ...... 174~ ... 11 0 0 0 I Rheirns ...... 15i0 ... 10 9 u 0 Vienna (another) .. . 15 .•~ .. . 10 8 0 0 .Bruges ...... 16l:i0 ... 10 5 0 0 .. G ee ·------41M SIGNA.

Thick- Clapper Grat Bella of Date. Diameter. Weight. Note. or Dell. Nama ------Ram.mv --- ft. in. tona e'frt. q rs. 1b8. iA. - -- Lyons 10 0 0 0 S.John Marseilles ... 8 19 0 0 Garlitz 1516 8 5 0 0 Rome. St.. Peter's 17t16 7 4 8 0 0 0 Schneeberg ... 7 6 7 1!) 0 0 Nuremberg ... 18112 7 16 0 () Lucerne 1686 7 L2 0 0 Halberstadt ... 1457 7 10 0 0 Another 1455 Antwerp 7 3 0 C) Carolus Brussels 7 1 0 0 Halle 1480 6 ]I) 0 0 Munich 1493 7 8 6 5 0 0 Dar.tzio 145a 6 1 0 0 Cologne (another) 14-49 6 0 0 0 Ratisbon ... 13:!5 5 16 0 0 Madgeburgh (another) ... 1702 6 2 6 11) 0 0 Another 1;,75 Leipsic 1634 6 14 0 0 Breslau (another) 17:H 5 13 0 0 Brunn ... 1516 5 10 0 0 Ghent 1680 6 10 5 8 0 0 Roland Rodiz 1641 6 10 0 0 Chalons 5 9 0 0 Mariazell 1880 6 5 0 0 Dresden 17t!7 IS 2 0 0 Rauen 6 4j 6 9 0 0 Frankfort 1871 6 4 IS 0 0 0 Va1etta, Malta 6 1 B~ Aroicns (another) 1786 6 9 IS 0 0 or Boulogne ... 1b00 4 0 0 0 Hotel de Ville, Paris, Clock Bell 3 11 0 0 146 Petenburgh, St. lsu.c's Arr&ll Malaga 186~ 5 9 3 3 0 7 B Mengoon, at Mandalay, Burmah ... 17!!0 18 0 Dublin 1844 6 8 S,054lbe. Kingstown ... ~ons, by Morel I 13 1 :l5 Marion alines ... 7 9 9 0 0 0 Lyons St.rasuurgh 1376 10 0 0 0 1?74 2 0 tl 0 Toledo" 17 0 0 0 Lisbon Cathedral 21 0 0 0 S. Mary at Arot 6 0 0 0 Berns Brag 1MB Bruuswick 1502 Berlin Cathedral 1497 .. Antwerp MariOD 1816 The TOC&in Horrida -- -·-- This document is provided for you by The Whiting Society of Ringers visit www.whitingsociety.org.uk for the full range of publications and articles about bells and change ringing