Egypt, Paul Brill; a landscape, Rottenhamner; a poetess, Dominechino; a fine Madonna, Raphael; a ditto, Carlo Dolci; a dog, Hackwood; a French nobleman, Gainsborough; a miniature of three kings of France. DRAWING ROOM BELOW AIRS. St. Peter's at Rome*. The architecture of this immense pile bespeaks a variety of dates; the most antient is probably coeval with the Mareschals and Bigods. It seems as if the whole of it was antecedent to its becoming the possession of the Sackvilles; though, certainly, many of the family have considerably repaired it, particularly Richard, the fifth earl. No part of it appears of a more modern date than the reign of Elizabeth. Thomas, first earl of Dorset, came to reside at Knole, in 1603: he died in 1607; and as the water-spouts, which were put up by him throughout the house, are dated 1605, it would appear that no part of the building is subsequent to this period. The garden gates, the sun-dial, and many other places, bear the arms of Dorset and Mid * In the year 1795 was published, in 8vo. "Biographical Sketches of Eminent Persons whose portraits form part of the duke of Dorset's col lection at Knole." This was written by Henry Norton Willis, Esq. and includes the following personages: Archbishops Whitgift, Cranmer, and Bancroft. Thomas, first earl of Dorset; Robert Cecil, earl of Salisbury; Sir Francis Drake; Don John of Austria; Cecil, lord Burleigh; Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester; adiniral Blake; Sir Francis Walsingham; Charles Howard, lord high admiral; Alexander Farnese, duke of Parma; Henry de Lorrain, duke of Guise; Charles de Lorrain, duke of Guise; Fisher, bishop of Rochester; Dudley, duke of Northumberland; George Clifford, earl of Cumberland; John Wicklife; Alphonso d'Avalos, marquis de Gusto; friar Bacon; Stephen Gardiner, bishop of Winchester; Sir James Wilford, knt. ; lord chancellor Egerton; Thomas, lord Cromwell; Thomas Howard, duke of Norfolk; Thomas Howard, earl of Suffolk; Henry Howard, eart of Northampton; Thomas Ratcliff, earl of Sussex; Charles, duke of Bourbon; John, duke of Bourbon; William of Nassau, prince of Orange; Sir Walter Mildmay, knt. Sir Christopher Hatton; Henry Fitz-Alan, earl of Arundel; Sir Thomas More; cardinal Wolsey; Sir John Norris; and Sir William Herbert, earl of Pembroke. The author of the Biographical Sketches observes, that "beside the above, here are valuable pictures of Anne Boleyn; Sir Walter Raleigh, and his lady; James the First; Sir Anthony Marsden, &c." dlesex; dlesex; a title brought into the family by Frances Cranfield, heiress to the earl of Middlesex, and countess to the above named Richard. "The park owes much to nature, and much to its noble, proprietor. The line of its surface is perpetually varying, so that new points of view are constantly presenting themselves. The soil is happily adapted to the growth of timber. Stately beeches and venerable oaks fill every part of the landscapes. The girth of one of these oaks exceeds twentyeight feet; and probably its branches afforded shade to its antient lords of Pembroke and Norfolk. The present (late) duke has repaired the gaps made in the woods by one of his ancestors, who, "foe to the Dryads of, his father's groves," had unveiled their haunts, and exposed their recesses to the garish eye of day. The plantations are not dotted about in clumps, as if they had no reference to a whole or general effect, but in broad and spacious masses cover the summits of the undulating line, or skirt the val lies in easy sweeps. Not to dwell, however, on " barren generalities," there are two points of view, among many others, that deserve attention: the one is from the end of a valley which goes in a south-west direction from the house." It forms a gentle curve; the groves rise magnificently on each side, and the trees (many of them beeches of the largest size) are generally feathered to the bottom. The mansion, with its towers and battlements, and a back ground of hills covered with wood, terminate the vista. The time most favourable for the prospect is a little before the setting sun, when the foreground is darkened by a great mass of shade, and the house, from this circumstance, and its being brightened by the sun's rays, is brought forward to the eye in a beautiful manner. The other view is from a rising ground of the same valley, and of a different kind from the former. On gaining the summit of a hill, a pro.spect of vast extent bursts at once upon the eye; woods, heaths, towns, and villages, appearing all in bright confusion; the sudden and abrupt manner in which the prospect presents itself being in perfect unison with the wildKk 2 ness ness of the scenery. The eye takes in the greater part of West Kent, a considerable part of Sussex, and a distant view of the hills of Hampshire. The foreground is woody; the whitened steeples rising every where among the trees, with gentlemen's seats scattered round in great abundance; and Penshurst, the antient residence of the Sidneys, standing conspicuously on a gentle swell; forming a middle point between the foreground and the South Downs that skirt the horizon, reminding the reader of the spot where the patriot Algernon Sidney, and the gallant Sir Philip were born, and where the amorous Waller immortalized his Sacharissa. This delightful spot is called River Hill. In the park is abundance of fine deer, which completes the richness and beauty of the scenery. The next town of consideration is SEVENOAK, vulgarly called SE'NOAK, a good market town about six miles on the London road, and near thirteen miles from Tunbridge Wells. This place is supposed to derive its name from seven oaks of an extraordinary height that grew in or near the town when it was first built. Sevenoak is governed by two wardens and four assistants. There are several good houses therein, and a great number of gentlemen's seats in the country round it; but it is chiefly remarkable for the grateful charity of Sir William de Sevenoak, lord mayor of London in the year 1419, who was a foundling in this place, whence he took his name. Sir William was brought up, and apprenticed at the expence of Mr. William Rumsched, a charitable inhabitant of this town; and, in remembrance of his preservation, he built and endowed thirteen almshouses for the maintenance of aged persons, and a school for the education of poor children. Mr. John Potkyns, in the reign of king Henry VIII. was a great benefactor to this school; and its revenue was farther augmented, and all its litigated possessions quietly Biographical Sketches, established established by queen Elizabeth, whence it is called Queen Elizabeth's Free School. The present building was erected on the old foundation in the year 1727. This town is surrounded by elegant seats of the nobility and gentry, and is famous in the national history on account of a battle fought here in the reign of Henry VI. between a part of the king's forces and Cade, the rebel. Being met at Blackheath by the king in person, at the head of fifteen thousand regulars, he drew back into a wood near Sevenoak. Unhappily the king, imagining from this retreat, that the rebels were dispersed, sent a detachment of his army after their leader, under the command of Sir Humphrey Stafford; the detachment falling into an ambuscade near this town, was entirely cut to pieces; Sir Humphrey and his brother being slain on the field. The rest we have before detailed, The parish is divided into the districts of the townborough, Riverhead, and the Weald. The town is pleasantly situated on a great ridge of hills which divide the upland from the Weald. It is populous and well built, having (among other gentlemen's houses in it) at the southern extremity a handsome mansion, now in the possession of Multon Lambard, Esq. a descendant of the famous perambulator, whose family have long resided here. About the centre of the town is the large antient market place, in which the market is held weekly on a Saturday, and where the business of the assizes when held at Sevenoak, (as they were several times in the reign of queen Elizabeth, in the year before the death of King Charles I. and once since) has been usually transacted. The town is divided into two streets. Beyond the north east division is a handsome plain, called Sevenoak Vine, appropriated to cricketings, and similar diversions. A common, called Gallows Common, is so called from the public execution of criminal, when the assizes were held at Sevenoaks. A little further are the remains of the suppressed hospital of St. John; a small distance from the east of which are curious Silk Mills. The north-west street, leads 2 leads to RIVERHEAD, a hamlet situated about a mile from the town of Sevenoak, in which was an antient mansion. called Brook's Place, supposed to have been built by one, of the family of Colepepper, out of the materials taken from the neighbouring hospital of St. John. It afterwards came into the possession of the family of Amherst; and the late lord Amherst resided here till he built his seat at Montreal, when this was pulled down. MONTREAL, is an elegant mansion, built of fine stone, pleasantly situate about a mile from Riverhead, near the road leading from thence to Westerham, and into, part of Surrey; his lordship, (then Sir Jeffrey Amherst,) erected this house soon after his return from America, for his entire residence, naming it Montreal, in remembrance of his great, success in taking that city. The victorious atchievements of the British forces in North America, during Sir Jeffery Amherst's continuance there, are described on an obelisk in the grounds of this seat. On one side. LOUISBOURGH Surrendered, and six French Battalions Prison, FORT DU QUESNE Taken Possession of, 24th of Nov. 1758. Surrendered, 25th of July, 1759. Taken Possession of, the 26th of July, 1759. Taken Possession of, the 24th of August, 1759. QUEBEC Capitulated, the 18th of September, 1759. On the reverse is inscribed, FORT LEVI Surrendered, the 25th of August, 1760, ISLE AU NOIX. Abandoned, the 28th of August, 1760. MONTREAL |