Anonymous

“ Whereas among the many excellent designs and institutions of charity which this nation, and especially the city of London, has hitherto encouraged and established, no expedient has yet been found out for preventing the frequent murders of poor miserable infants at their birth; or for suppressing the inhuman custom of exposing new-born infants to perish in the streets; or the putting out such unhappy foundlings to wicked and barbarous nurses, who, undertaking to bring them up for a small and trifling sum of money, do often suffer them to starve for want of due sustenance or care ”

“ This edifice, in a very disagreeable manner, stands out into the street, and as it has been observed, is but an incumbrance to the way, and without having any thing but deformity itself, spoils the beauty of the whole street, and hides the prospect of Temple Bar, which would terminate the view very advantageously, and be seen almost as far again as it is at present. The church consists of a large body, and a small tower, every way unproportioned. ”

“ When a member speaks to a bill, he stands up uncovered, and addresses himself only to the Speaker; but if he be answered by another, he is not allowed to reply the same day, unless personally reflected on: for nobody is to speak to a bill above once in a day, unless the whole house be turned into a committee, and then every number may reply as often as the Chairman thinks proper. ”

“ On turning to the house on the right hand, an open grove of forest trees affords a view of the orangery, which is seen as perfectly as if the trees were planted on the lawn; and when the orange trees are in flower, their fragrance is diffused over the whole lawn to the house. ”

“ This house has an equal share with the Lords in making laws, and none can be made without the consent of the Commons, who are the guardians of the liberties of the people; and as they are the grand inquest of the nation, they have a power to impeach the greatest Lords in the kingdom, both spiritual and temporal. ”

“ Alban’s, and of all the space between, which appears like a garden: the inclosed corn fields seem like one grand parterre: the thick planted hedges resemble a wilderness or labyrinth: the villages interspersed thro’ the landscape, appear at a distance like a multitude of gentlemen’s seats. To the south east is seen Westminster Abbey, more to the south appears Hampton Court, and on the south west Windsor Castle, with the Thames winding between both, through the most beautiful parts of Middlesex 59and Surry, its banks adorned with towns, and a multitude of magnificent seats of the nobility. ”

“ Coroner, an officer of great antiquity, who is to enquire into the causes of all sudden deaths, where there is the least suspicion of murder, and for that purpose he impannels a jury, to whom he gives a charge, and takes evidence upon oath. The Lord Mayor for the time being is coroner of the city; but he appoints a deputy for the discharge of that office. The coroner’s jury have a right to examine the body of the deceased, and to call in the assistance of physicians or surgeons. They are to try the supposed murderer ”

“ They are composed of brick and stone, and which way soever they are viewed, there appears such a disposition of the parts as is best suited to the purposes of the charity, the reception of a great number, and the providing them with every thing that can contribute to the convenience and pleasure of the pensioners.
Chelsea Hospital is more particularly remarkable for its great regularity and proper subordination of parts, which is very apparent in the north front. The middle is very principal, and the transition from thence to the extremities, is very easy and delightful. ”

“ In the following reigns granaries and storehouses for coals were erected at the expence of the city within this hospital, and the poor were employed in grinding corn with hand-mills; which were greatly improved in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, when a citizen invented a mill, by which two men might grind as much corn in a day as could be ground by ten men with the other mills, and being to be worked either by the hands or feet, if the poor were lame in the arms, they earned their living with their feet, and if they were lame in their legs, they earned their living with their arms. ”

“ Masters in Chancery, are the twelve assistants of the Chancellor or Lord Keeper, the first of whom is Master of the rolls, which is a place of great dignity, and is in the gift of the King. These gentlemen sit at Westminster hall, with the Lord Chancellor, three at a time while the term lasts, and two at a time when the Lord Chancellor sits to hear causes in his own house, and to them he often refers the farther hearing of causes ”

“ Freedom of the city of London, a space of ground without the gates, and within the liberty of the city, bounded by an irregular line, which separates the freedom from the county of Middlesex. This line begins at Temple Bar, which is the only gate fixed at the extremity of the city liberties, and extending by many turnings and windings, through part of Shear lane, Bell yard, Chancery lane, by the Rolls liberty, &c. extends into Holborn, almost opposite to Gray’s Inn, where there are bars to shew its utmost limits on that side. ”

“ Fletchers, or Arrowmakers, from the French word flèche, an arrow; though arrows have been near three centuries out of use in England, and though this is a company only by prescription and not by charter, they have nevertheless obtained a coat of arms and a livery; are become the thirty-ninth company in the city, and seem in all respects as firmly established, as those incorporated by letters patent.
This fraternity, which entirely consists of people of other trades, consists of two Wardens, ten Assistants, and twenty-five Liverymen, who, upon their admission, pay a fine of 10l. each. ”

“ Clothworkers, one of the twelve principal companies, was incorporated by letters patent granted by King Edward IV. in the year 1482, by the name of The fraternity of the Assumption of the blessed Virgin Mary, of the Sheermen of London: but being reincorporated by Queen Elizabeth, she changed their first appellation, to that of The Master, Wardens, and Commonalty of freemen of the art and mystery of Clothworkers of the city of London ”

“ If when a bill is passed in one house, and sent to the other, they demur upon it; a conference is then demanded in the Painted Chamber, where certain members deputed from each house meet, and debate the affair, while the Lords sit covered at a table, and the Commons stand without their hats. If they disagree, the affair is dropped; but if they come to an agreement, it is at length brought, with all the other bills that have passed both houses, to receive the royal assent, in the house, where the King being seated in the chair of state, the Clerk of the crown reads the title 176of each bill ”

“ The print representing the body of the house and a part of the wings, was all that could be taken into the visual angle. The circular colonade of the Doric order which joins the wings, is very noble and striking. The house is hardly grand enough for the colonade, and seems to want something in the center to make the entrance more conspicuous. The house is of an older date than the front, which was built by the late Earl of Burlington. The rooms within are in a fine taste, and the stair-case is painted by Seb. Ricci, with great spirit and freedom.
Burlington mews, Great Swallow street. ”

“ When the canal or cut which is made through the ground to receive the water from the river is full, it forms the cascade before the house, by flowing over in that place, and the surplus water being instantly buried in the ground, is again conveyed away under this cut or canal to the main stream. The chief beauty of the ground about the house consists in its simplicity, it being entirely without ornament, and the whole of it a kind of lawn, having little besides the plain turf. ”

“ It is well suited to the purpose, and as fine as hospitals should be. On the farthest end is placed the chapel, which is joined to the wings by an arch on each side, and is very elegant within. Before the hospital is a large piece of ground, on each side whereof is a colonade of great length, which also extends towards the gates, that are double, with a massy pier between, so that coaches may pass and repass at the same time; and on each side is a door to admit those on foot. ”

“ The whole edifice, which was built 103by the great Sir Christopher Wren, consists of a vast range of buildings. The front toward the north opens into a piece of ground laid out in walks for the pensioners; and that facing the south, into a garden which extends to the Thames, and is kept in good order. This side affords not only a view of that fine river, but of the county of Surry beyond it. In the center of this edifice is a pediment supported by four columns, over which is a handsome turret, and through this part is an opening which leads through the building. ”

“ After which the King makes his speech to both houses, the whole house of Commons being supposed to be at the bar of the house of Lords.
After the Speaker and members have taken the oaths, the standing orders of the house are read, and grand committees appointed to sit on usual days: which being done, the house generally begins with reading some bill left unfinished the sessions before. Any member of parliament is at liberty to move for a bill to be brought in ”

“ The principal streets are, the Borough, Blackman street, Long lane, Kent street, Tooley street, St. Olave’s street, and Bermondsey street; and the most remarkable buildings are the parish churches of St. Olave, St. Mary Magdalen Bermondsey, St. Saviour, St. George, and St. Thomas; the prisons of the King’s bench, the Marshalsea, the New prison, and the Clink; St. Thomas’s hospital, Guy’s hospital and the Lock.
This ward is only nominally governed by an Alderman and three Deputies, but has no Common Council men; it has, however, twenty wardmote inquest men, sixteen constables and a bailiff. ”

“ There are several fine seats in Epping Forest, which is a royal chace, and extends from the town almost to London.
Epsom, a well-built and handsome town in Surry, sixteen miles from London, abounds with very genteel houses, which are principally the retreats of the merchants 276and citizens of London, and is a delightful place open to Bansted Downs. Its mineral waters, which issue from a rising ground nearer Ashted than Epsom, were discovered in 1618, and soon became extremely famous; but though they are not impaired in virtue, they are far from being in the same repute as formerly ”

“ Lord Chamberlain, a great officer of the King’s houshold, who has the oversight of all the officers above stairs, except the precinct of the King’s bedchamber, which is under the government of the Groom of the stole. He has the oversight of the King’s Chaplains, notwithstanding his being a layman; also of the officers of the wardrobe, beds, tents, revels, music, comedians, hunting, and of all the physicians, apothecaries, surgeons, barbers, messengers, trumpets, drummers, tradesmen and artisans retained in his Majesty’s service. His salary is 100l. a year, and 1100l. a year board wages. ”

“ The master is not only expected to be a good mathematician, but to understand the learned languages. Afterwards the Governors appointed forty other boys to be taught mathematics in the same manner. The other schools are a grammar school, a writing school, and a school for the girls who learn reading and needle work, and there have been lately added a master to teach the boys drawing, an art of the greatest use in many mechanical arts. ”

“ Eton College, justly celebrated for the many learned men it has produced, is situated in Buckinghamshire on the banks of the Thames opposite to Windsor, and was founded by Henry VI. for the support of a Provost and seven Fellows, one of whom is Vice-Provost, and for the education of seventy King’s scholars, as those are called, who are on the foundation. These when properly qualified, are elected, on the first Tuesday in August, to King’s College, Cambridge, but they are not removed, till there are vacancies in the college, and then they are called according to seniority ”

“ Dunstan’s hill, Thames street, is dedicated to St. Dunstan Archbishop of Canterbury, an implacable enemy and cruel persecutor of the secular clergy, in favour of the regulars; and the additional epithet the East, is given it, to distinguish it from St. Dunstan’s in Fleet street. This church was repaired at a great expence in 1633, and in 1666 suffered greatly by the fire of London; but not being totally destroyed, the church was thoroughly 253repaired in eighteen months; but the steeple was delayed ten years longer. The style of the building is the modern Gothic. ”