a nonjuring clergyman, Mr. P--e (Pope), and
some other gentlemen." Whether Pope wrote in it or not, it seems to have
been used as a vehicle by his friends for their attacks upon his foes,
and the war against the Dunces is carried on with great wit and spirit
in its pages. It is by far the most entertaining of the old newspapers,
and throws no small light upon the literary history of the time. I have
a complete series of the journal in folio, as well as of the
continuation, in a large 4to. form, under the title of _The Literary
Courier of Grub Street_, which commenced January 5, 1738, and appears to
have terminated at the 30th No., on the 27th July, 1738. I never saw
another complete copy. _The Grub Street Journal_ would afford materials
for many curious and amusing extracts. One very entertaining part of it
is the "Domestic News," under which head it gives the various and often
contradictory accounts of the daily newspapers, with a most humorous
running commentary.

JAMES CROSSLEY.

* * * * *

STONE PILLAR WORSHIP.

(Vol. v., p. 122.)

SIR JAMES EMERSON TENNENT, in his learned and curious Note on stone
worship in Ireland, desires information as to the present existence of
worship of stone pillars in Orkney. When he says it continued till a
late period, I suppose he must allude to the standing stone at Stenness,
perforated by a hole, with the sanctity attached to promises confirmed
by the junction of hands through the hole, called the promise of Odin.
Dr. Daniel Wilson enters into this fully in _Praehistoric Annals of
Scotland_, pp. 99, 100, 101. It has been told myself that if a lad and
lass promised marriage with joined hands through the hole, the promise
was held to be binding. Whence the sanctity attached to such a promise I
could not ascertain to be known, and I did not hear of any other
superstition connected with this stone, which was destroyed in 1814. In
the remote island of North Ronaldshay is another standing stone,
perforated by a hole, but there is no superstition of this nature
attached to it. At the Yule time the inhabitants danced about it, and
when there were yule dancings in neighbouring houses, they began the
dancing at the stone, and danced from the stone all the road to what was
called to {384} me the dancing-house. The sword dance, with a great
deal of intricate crossing, and its peculiar simple tune, still exists
in Orkney, but is not danced with swords, thoug