in the county of Salop, in England, 172 miles from London, is a very old town, with a castle, a wall, and a ditch, and was anciently a borough. It is a place celebrated in Saxon history and legendary piety. On this spot, August 5, 642, was fought the battle between the Christian Oswald king of the Northumbrians and the pagan Penda king of the Mercians, in which Oswald was defeated, and lost his life. The barbarian victor cut the body of the slain prince in pieces, and stuck them on stakes dispersed over the field as so many trophies; but, according to others, his head and hands only were thus exposed. A prince so dear to the church as Oswald, and so attached to the professors of the monastic life, received every posthumous honour they could bestow. He was raised to the rank of a saint, and his sanctity confirmed by numberless miracles, which are too numerous and too trifling to admit of particular description. Its church, which is of no great antiquity, was formerly a monastery, and was called Blaneminter. It is, however, spacious, and has a handsome plain tower. In the years 1552 and 1567, this town suffered much by fire. It is governed by two bailiffs, burgesses, &c., and once drove a great trade in Welch cottons and flannels, which is now very much decayed. There is now scarce a tolerable house for travellers. But besides a good grammar school, it is noted for an excellent charity-school for 40 boys, besides girls, which has the best methods for exciting the emulation of the children in their learning; for 20 of the boys are set to strive against 20 others for shoes, and the 20 who perform their task best have shoes first; then 10 of the boys are set against 10 others for the like premium, and so on till they are all shod: so in the girls' school a shift is put up for the best spinner, a headress for the best sempstress, a pair of stockings for the best knitter, a Bible for the best reader, and a copy-book for the best writer. In the wall with which the town was fortified there were four gates. That called the Block-gate is demolished; the New-gate, Willow-gate, and the Beatrice-gate, still remain. The last is a handsome building, with a guard-room on both sides. There are only two fragments of the castle remaining. It stood on an artificial mount, surrounded by a fosse, extending to the Willow-gate.