The history and antiquities of Boston, and the villages of Skirbeck, Fishtoft, Freiston, Butterwick, Benington, Leverton, Leake, and Wrangle; comprising the hundred of Skirbeck, in the county of Lincoln. Including also a history of the East, West, and Wildmore fens, and copious notices of the Holland or Haut-Huntre fen ... sketches of the geology, natural history, botany, and agriculture of the district; a very extensive collection of archaisms and provincial words, local dialect, phrases, proverbs, omens, superstitions, etc. By Pishey Thompson. Illustrated with one hundred engravings.

BRIEFS READ IN BOSTON CHURCH. 757
AN old book in the vestry of Boston Church contains a curious list of briefs issued
by the authority of the Crown, and read in that church, previous to money being
collected for the promotion of the objects set forth in the respective briefs. The
first brief recorded was read in 1706, the last read was in 1791. No less than 355
briefs were read between 1706 and 1747; the whole amount collected upon them
was 5701. 14s., or 11. lls. 6Id. each on an average. The largest sum collected was
301. 12s. 10d., March 19th, 1706-7, for " sufferers by fire at Spilsby." The next
largest, May 11, 1716, 211. 8s. 8d., for "loss by fire at Spalding." The smallest
was is. ld., March 8, 1747, "for rebuilding Flixton Church in Lancashire." The
great majority of amounts was below 21. each, and a very large proportion below Il..
and 67 of the entire number below 10s. each.
Between 1747 and 1791 the list is imperfect.
The following particulars, respecting some of these briefs, appear to be interesting
and curious:~ s. d.
1709. Relief and settlement of the poor Palatines...... 16 7 4
Collected for a Protestant Church at Mittau, in Gourland... E...................... ll 1
1716. Reformed Episcopal Churches in Great Poland and
Polish Russia.......................... 9 4 2
1743. Fishermen of Feversham in Kent, for loss of oysters,
value 90001.... 0 1 0,, Collected for the Society for Propagating the Gospel
in Foreign Parts, under his Majesty's letter.17 0 0
1763. Collected upon a brief to raise 12,0001. for the colleges
of New York and Philadelphia............ 1 16 6
1764. Repairing the Abbey Church of St. Albans. The
charge, 25611.......................... 0 8 4,, Collected for the settling of pastors and schoolmasters
in the Protestant colony of Phillippen, on the river Neister,
in Turkish Moldavia (a colony originally composed of Protestant Polanders and Hungarians, who fled from persecution in their own countries). It is secured by a charter
obtained in 1672, from the Hospador of Moldavia and his
council, whereby they have license to hold lands and establish churches and schools, with a total exemption from
the jurisdiction of the Greek Church, which is the established religion of the country. Estimated expense, 25001. 0 13 2
The last briefs recorded, as having been read in Boston Church, occur in 1791, in
which year six were read, but nothing collected. In 1788, five were read, and the
aggregate amount collected was 9d.! In fact, the majority read between 1762 and
1791 did not raise 5s. each, many were below Is., and some produced only ld.!