of lords, under the direction of Mr. Soane, consisting of a noble staircase and magnificent gallery, 100 feet long and twenty-seven feet wide. The gallery is divided into three parts by columns, in imitation of veined marble, of the Ionic order. There is somewhat of a profusion of ornament in the decorative part of this gallery, but it presents a noble vista, and the dome and arches are novel, though rather too full of ornament.

Adjoining the house of lords is a room where conferences between the peers and the commons are held, called the painted chamber, which is known to be as old as the time of Edward the Confessor, who is said by Howel to have died in it. It was in this chamber that the fatal warrant for the execution of Charles I. was signed; and here also was held that important conference between the lords and commons which led to the revolution of 1688, and rescued the country from the fangs of an arbitrary and bigoted monarch. The painted chamber is so called on account of the paintings on its walls, which are of great antiquity; and, although their age is not known, it is certain they are as old as the year 1322, and probably much older.

The dreadful plot of Guy Fawkes and his associates, to exterminate kings, lords, and commons, at one fell swoop,' in the reign of James I., is well known, since the anniversary is not only a fast in the calendar, but, previous to every parliament, the cellars underneath the house of lords, where the conspirators had planted thirty-six barrels of gunpowder for the meditated explosion, are searched. The house in which the commons of Great Britain assemble is called St. Stephen's Chapel, and is a part of the ancient palace, generally supposed to have been built by king Stephen as a chapel for the palace, and dedicated to his namesake. Edward I. repaired it at considerable expense, but it was entirely rebuilt by Edward III., who made it a collegiate church with a regular endowment, which it had not previously possessed. Soon after its dissolution, in the reign of Edward VI., it was converted into a parliament-house, where the commons of England have ever since held their sittings. In the reign of queen Anne, the galleries were added under the direction of Sir Christopher Wren It was then customary to cover the walls with tapestry, which were renewed every new parliament, the housekeeper claiming on such occasions the old hangings. Since that period, to the year 1800, little appears to have been done to the house but when the 100 Irish members were to be added, in consequence of the union, it was found too small, and it was therefore determined to take down the original side walls, which were three feet thick, and build others only one foot thick, which enlarged the house four feet. It was in doing this that it was first discovered, on removing the wainscotting, that the walls of the building had originally been painted with historical subjects and single figures, engravings of which were soon afterwards made.

Westminster Abbey.—It has been very satisfactorily proved that Westminster Abbey owes its origin to Sebert king of the East Saxons; and that it was founded about the year 604. If, however, we could rely on dreams, and particularly on those of monks, we might quote the authority of Wulsinus, that the apostle St. Peter himself had a chapel or oratory on the site of this magnificent pile. The vision of Wulsinus was turned to some advantage

by the succeeding monks, who added a new legend of St. Peter's crossing the water one stormy night, to consecrate the church, and rewarding the fishermen who ferried him over Thorney (water which surrounded the church, the site of which was called Thorney Island), with a miraculous draught of salmon, assuring him and his fellow watermen that they should never want fish, provided they would give one-tenth of what they caught to the newly consecrated church! It will not excite much surprise that the tale was believed, and that for several centuries the monks of Westminster fed on the offerings of the Thames fishermen. In the year 1231 the monks brought an action at law against the minister of Rotherhithe, in which they compelled him to give up to them one-half of the tithe of all salmon caught in his parish.

From the foundation of the abbey, to the time of Edward the Cfessor, its history is obscure; but this prince, in consequence of an injunction from Leo IX., who had absolved him from a rash vow, appropriated one-tenth of his property, in ‘gold, silver, cattle, and all other possessions,' to the rebuilding of the abbey. It was commenced in 1050, and finished fifteen years afterwards. Among its relics, the monkish writers assure us, were part of the manger in which Christ was born, the frankincense offered to him by the Eastern magi, a splinter of the table of our Lord, a crust of the bread that he blessed, a slab of the wall of the prison in which he was confined, a shred of his undividedgarment, fragments of the sponge dipped in hyssop which he sucked, the scourge with which he was tortured, and the lance by which the side of the Saviour of mankind was pierced! The legends assure us also that Edward presented to this church a portion of the milk and hair of the Virgin Mary, relics of most of the apostles, including the beard of St. Peter, with half a jaw and three teeth of St. Anastasia.

In the year 1220 Henry III. laid the first stone of a new chapel, in honor of the Virgin Mary, on the site now occupied by Henry VII.'s chapel; but little was done to the building until the year 1245, when it was more actively prosecuted, and that with a prodigality of expense which at the period was unparallelled. Between the years 1245 and 1261 the expense incurred in this portion of the abbey amounted to £29,605 19s. 8d. The church was opened for service in 1269.

When the chapel had been completed, Henry III. resolved that the remains of the Confessor should be removed into the new shrine; and 'in the sight of all the principal nobility and gentry of the land, who were assembled here, he, and his brother Richard, carried the chest containing St. Edward's remains, upon their shoulders, to the new shrine, wherein it was deposited with vast ceremony. On seeing it exalted, the devils, says Matthew of Westminster, were instantly cast out of two possessed persons who had come purposely (the one from Ireland, the other from Winchester), to receive that benefit.' The anniversary of St. Edward's translation was long observed by the corporation and principal citizens.

During the reign of Henry III. and Edward I. the eastern part of the nave and the aisles were rebuilt, and finished in 1307. To Edward II., Edward III., and Richard II, we are indebted for the Great Cloisters, Abbot's House, and the prin cipal monastic buildings. The western parts of

the nave and aisles were rebuilt by successive monarchs, between the years 1340 and 1483. The west front and the great window were built by those rival princes, Richard III. and Henry VII.; and it was the latter monarch who commenced the magnificent chapel which bears his name, and which was finished by his son and successor. The first stone was laid on the 24th of January 1502-3, by the abbot Islip; and, although the king did not live to see the work finished, yet, after amply endowing the abbey, he gave Islip £5000 towards completing it, only a few days before his decease. Although Henry VIII. finished the chapel, yet he did not spare the abbey from the general dissolution of the monasteries, nor could an existence of upwards of nine centuries successfully plead in its behalf. The monarch, however, while he seized on its revenues, which were nearly £4000 a year, raised it to the dignity of a cathedral, by royal letters patent, and endowed it with a revenue of £586 13s. 1d. Queen Mary restored its monastic privileges; but, in 1556, Elizabeth finally established it as a collegiate church. Sir Robert Harlow, the bigot, who in the civil wars was employed to demolish the venerable cross at Cheapside, broke into Henry VII.'s chapel, demolished the altar stone, and committed other outrages; and it appears, by a statement in the Mercurius Rusticus of 1646, that in July 1643 the abbey was converted into barracks for the soldiers.

During the reigns of George I. and George II. the great west window was rebuilt, and the western towers completed; but it is to their immediate succcessors that Westminster Abbey is most indebted, in the restoration of the exterior of Henry VII.'s chapel to its original beauty, after it had become so much dilapidated. This work was commenced in 1809, under the direction of Mr. James Wyatt, and has been completed at an expense of about £42,000.

On entering the great western door, the body of the church presents an impressive appearance, to which its loftiness, lightness, symmetry, and elegance contribute, although the view is somewhat disfigured by the monuments, which are neither good in themselves, nor tastefully arranged. The church consists of a nave and two side aisles, separated by ranges of lofty columns supporting the roof, which is raised to a great elevation. The nave is separated from the choir by a screen; the choir, in the form of a semioctagon, was formerly surrounded by eight chapels, but there are now only seven, that which was formerly the central chapel now forms the porch of that of Henry VII. The choir, the only part that can be seen gratuitously, and that only during the hours of divine service (celebrated every day at ten o'clock in the morning, and three o'clock in the afternoon), is cele brated for its beautiful Mosaic pavement, venerable in its age, costly in its materials, and of almost inimitable workmanship. This pavement, made at the expense of abbot Ware, and named after him, is formed of innumerable pieces of jasper, alabaster, porphyry, lapis-lazuli, serpentine marbles, and touch-stone; these pieces, which vary in size from half an inch to four inches, are arranged in the most varied and beautiful forms, and present a platform of singular beauty. On the 9th of July, 1803, the roof of the choir was much injured by a fire, which threatened the entire destruction of this magnificent structure.

The chapel of Henry VII. is a magnificent specimen of ecclesiastical architecture. It is nearly square; the east end forming five sides of an octagon. When viewed exteriorly it presents a light and airy structure, and the interior is of singular beauty and symmetry, though much disfigured by the stalls and flags of the knights of the bath. Within is the tomb of its founder, enclosed by a screen of gilt brass, said to have been executed by Torrigiano, the rival of Michael Angelo. Here also are entombed the ill-fated Mary queen of Scots, and her vindictive persecutor queen Elizabeth, who sent her to the block.

Edward the Confessor's chapel, situated at the east end of the choir, contains several royal tombs, as well as the celebrated coronation chair, which contains the still more celebrated stone, monkish tradition relates to have been Jacob's pillar. This stone is placed within the frame work of the chair, and was brought from Scone, in Scotland, in 1267, by Edward I. It is a remarkable instance of the force of superstition, that this stone has been the subject of an express article in a treaty of peace, as well as of a conference between Edward III. and David II., king of Scotland. By the treaty it was agreed to give the stone up to Scotland, and in the conference it was resolved that the king, after being crowned in England, should repair to Scotland and be crowned king at Scone; but neither of these resolutions were carried into effect.

The chapels of St. Andrew, St. Benedict, St. Erasmus, St. John, St. Michael, and Henry V., all contain the tombs of some distinguished person, as does the Poet's Corner; but, although monuments to the memory of many illustrious characters are to be found in various parts of Westminster Abbey, yet there are others who have scarcely any claim to such a distinction. Except the sovereigns, down to those of the house of Stuart, we look in vain for the tombs of the great men who have adorned the annals of our history. In the Poet's Corner, the statue of Shakspeare, and that of his great exemplifier, David Garrick, will attract attention; but the greatest of modern dramatists, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, may escape notice, unless the visitor is pointed out to the only memorial of him, a black marble slab which covers his remains. The names of Chaucer, Spenser, Ben Jonson, Milton, Butler, Prior, Addison, Dryden, Goldsmith, and several other distinguished authors and artists, have also a memorial in the Poet's Corner; and in other parts of the abbey are numerous monuments to modern statesmen, senators, and lawyers; including one to Charles James Fox, by Westmacott, and another to the memory of Mr. Percival, whose assassination is represented in basso relievo. To describe all the monuments is impossible, and even to enumerate their names would but furnish a dull catalogue.

From the time of William I., to that of his majesty George IV., Westminster Abbey has been the place where the august and religious ceremony of crowning the kings of England has taken place, on which occasions it has been customary to fit up the interior.

The government of the abbey church of St. Peter's is intimately connected with that of the city of Westminster itself; although, since the reformation, the civil authority has been in the hands of the laity, yet the right of nominating the chief officers is still exercised by the dean and chapter: they appoint the high steward, and the high bailiff,

who is the returning officer at the election of the two representatives which the city sends to parliament; and several subordinate officers cannot enter on their duties until confirmed by the dean and chapter.

From the south aisle of the abbey, there are two entrances into the cloisters, which are entire, and consist of four arched walks, on the sides of an open quadrangle. The walls are nearly covered with small monuments, and the ground with tombstones. The chapter house, which was built in 1220, is on the east side of the cloisters, and is entered through a magnificent Gothic portal. In 1377 the commons of England held their sittings here, and continued to do so until the reign of Edward VI. The chapter house is now used as a depository for the public records, where the celebrated domesday book, and the records of the court of star chamber, are preserved. The Jerusalem chamber, near the abbey, is memorable for its being the place where Henry IV. died. To the north of the abbey stood the ancient sanctuary, where even royalty itself has sought a refuge, though in vain; and westward of the sanctuary was the almonry.

Westminster should also be noticed as containing the principal theatres of the metropolis. The king's theatre, or opera house, in the Haymarket, was originally built by Sir John Vanbrugh, between 1703 and 1706. Many alterations were afterwards made at different periods; but on the 17th of June, 1789, the whole building was nearly destroyed. It was rebuilt in the following year, from the designs of signior Novosielski. The exterior was altered in 1820, to correspond with the new improvements in Pall Mall. In the Haymarket a handsome new theatre was erected in the year 1821, from designs by John Nash, esq. Its front has a portico, with six pillars of the Corinthian order. In the Strand is the Adelphi theatre, formerly the Sans Pareil, where dramas are enacted in a style little inferior to the performances at the theatres royal. The English opera house, or lyceum, is also in the Strand, and was first opened in the year 1808, by Mr. Arnold. It has since been rebuilt, and fitted up in a splendid style. The saloon is contrived to represent a Mameluke pavilion, and Egyptian panorama,' which consists of a sumptuous tent, with a fountain in the centre (beneath a dome), playing into a shell, amidst a profusion of gas lights. The paintings which decorate the sides of the saloon are taken from Egyptian drawings, in the possession of Sir Robert Ainslie. Drury Lane theatre was erected from the designs of Benjamin Wyatt, esq., in 1811, and the following year; the old edifice having been destroyed by fire, on the 24th of February 1809, which consumed the whole building in the space of five hours. The exterior has a heavy, though substantial appearance. This building is calculated to contain sitting room for about 2800 persons. Covent Garden theatre was likewise destroyed by fire on the morning of the 28th of September 1808. The present extensive edifice was designed by Robert Smirke, esq., jun., R. A., and built within ten months from the laying of the foundations. The portico was designed from the Doric temple of Minerva, in the Acropolis, at Athens. The interior is excellently adapt. ed for display; the decorations are of the most elegant description; and it is capable of affording

accommodation for 3000 persons. The Olympic Pavilion, in Wych Street, was erected by the late Mr. Astley, in 1806, and the performances are of a similar nature to those of the Adelphi and other minor theatres.

An establishment of a peculiar character has also lately been raised in this city, on the banks of the Thames, the Penitentiary for the confinement, employment, and reformation of offenders of secondary criminality. The culprits are incarcerated in circular buildings, so constructed that the overseers may, from a central situation, unseen, observe every room. When completed, the edifice will form externally a hexagon, consisting of six of these circular divisions. The building is encompassed with a wall, enclosing eighteen acres of ground, and is calculated to be large enough to contain from 1000 to 1200 prisoners. Some are already placed there; and the beneficial effects of the institution on their general conduct has already been very perceptible. In Tothill Fields is a bridewell, for the detention and temporary punishment of petty offenders, under the charge of the magistrates of the city and liberties.

The charitable establishments of Westminster for the education and maintenance of youth, and the consolation of age; for the relief of disease and accidental calamity, are both numerous. The Middlesex and the St. George's hospitals (not, however, properly within the town), the Westminster infirmary, &c., are excellent institutions, superintended by medical gentlemen of the highest professional reputation. In the Adelphi is a handsome edifice, belonging to the society for the encouragement of arts, manufactures, and commerce. In the great hall is a series of paintings, unique in modern times, by the late James Barry. The academy of painting, sculpture, and architecture, is a valuable institution for the promotion of science and the fine arts. Of the distinguished private mansions of noblemen and others is Northumberland House, the only residence now remaining of our ancient nobility in the Strand; the duke of Marlborough's in Pall Mall, erected by the nation for the great duke John; the duke of Norfolk's, St James's Square; Burlington House; the duke of Devonshire's, and the earl of Egremont's, in Piccadilly; the marquis of Lansdowne's in Berkeley Square; earl Grosvenor's, in Upper Grosvenor Street; the earl of Chesterfield's, in South Audley Street; the marquis of Stafford's, Cleveland House; and the marquis of Anglesey's, in Burlington Street.

WESTMINSTER, BRIDGE OF. Near the House of Lords, Prince's Chamber, &c., is a bridge over the Thames called Westminster Bridge, accounted one of the most complete and elegant structures of the kind in the known world. It is built entirely of stone. This magnificent structure was begun in 1739 and finished in 1750 at the expense of £389,000, defrayed by the parliament.

WESTMORLAND.-This county receives its name from its situation to the west, and the principal part of it being formerly moorish barren land. It is one of those counties which, in the time of the Romans, was inhabited by that tribe of the ancient Britons called the Brigantes. By the Romans it was incorporated with the province of Maxima Cæsariensis; and under the Saxons it made part of the kingdom of Northumberland.

Westmorland is an inland county, being bounded