Star.
London, England, 1827-08-25 00:00:00

THE RUINS OF ST. MARY'S ABBEY.

It is interesting to behold the crumbling relics of the
labours of our ancestors, and to surrey the mooldering
temples, and the devastated palaces. where piety as-
sembled or power held sway. No one can visit the
venerable remains upon the Manor Shore, near York,
without being sensibly impressed with those melancholy
and pleasing sensati•ins which associate themselves,where
" Each ivied arch and pillar lone,
Pleads haughtily for glories gone."
There rise on the one hand the majestic remains of the
monastic pile, and on the other the ruined walls of the
regal palace, which arose to grandeur out of its de.
spoliation. Additional circumstances now combine to
increase the interest of the contemplation. The work-
men have began to excavate preparatory to laying the
foundation of the Yorkshire Museum, which is to
be erected in this suitable situation, and the progress of
their labours has already uncovered some further relics
of the exteut and stability of these venerable buildings,
which have been covered with the green sward for cen-
turies. The soil of the Manor Shore is not above 4 or 5
incites deep; all beneath this, as far as present sliscovery
'has gone, seems to be formed of chippings of stone, and
fragments of the ruins promiscuously thrown together.
In one part, about a foot beneath the surface, and run-
ning parallel with the walls of the old palace, in the
d'rection towards the abbey, a strong wall has been dis-
covered of considerable thickness and excellent work-
manship. This seems to have formed the cellar or vault.,
but whether appertaining to the abbey or the palace is
not vet y cet fain. The solidity of the workmanship, and
the smoothness which has been given by the chisel to
the whole, seem to determine its date to a period far
anterior to that of the palace, about which no such
fin iab is observable. But unless the excavation should
be proceeded with to an extent beyond. what the imme-
diate requirements of the building render necessary, the
size and nature' of the passage or apartment to which
this wall has formed a boundary. must remain undeter-
mined. In other parts of the excavations the capitals
of columns and other fragments, which have undoubt-
edly once served to uphold the sacred structure, have
been thrown up. A quantity of the bones of animals
have likewise been found mingled with the rubbish.—
From the connections which these structures have with
our local history, the palace and its vicinity having been,
during the disturbances of the unfortunate reign of
Charles I. the scene of couttly splendour, political in-
trigue, anJ even of sanguinary warfare, every thing
which serves to illustrate its ancient history, or to enable
the curious to calculate upon its former proportions, is
looked upon with great interest, and, no doubt, public
attention will be drawn in a peculiar manner to the works
and the discoveries n'sw proceeding.— York Herald.
Saturday as Mr. %chard Randall, farmer. of ROM.
sey Extra, was (hiving his waggon, loaded with wheat
sheaves, by some accident he was beat down by one of
the horses, and both wheels of the waggon going over
him, he was so dreadfully bruised, that he lingered
about half an hour, and then expired. He was per-
feel', sensible after the accident, and not having made
a will. he gave orders for an Attorney to be sent.for ;
but Mr. Sainsburry, surgeon, arriving first, he hastily
wrote what the unf rtunate man dictated, and Mr
Damon, Attorney. arriving just in time to see him
affix his mark to the paper, which, when he had done,
he immediately expired, in the field where the accident
occulted.